The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1904-06-08
INPERIL SHIPS IN MANY OCEAN PATHWAYS
Drifting War Mines Float Thousands. OF Miles. Re-
markable Course Taken by Objects at Sea-

Setting explosives adrift in the ocean
a"as the correspondent of the London
times and the New York Times on
board the Haimun warned the world
in his wireless message the other day
the Russians have done-is new
phase of warfare against which the
whole world will protest in no uncer-
tain terms.
The greatest immediate danger to
shipping from mines or torpedoeS set
af1oat in Pechili strait, between Port
Arthur and Weihaiwei, would be in the
gulf Of Pechili, the Yellow sea and the
sea OF Japan between Japan and the
mainland. The summer monsoons are
now blowing from the sea to the land,
the prevailing direction being from
southeast to northwest. Objects set
at1oat at this season near the entrance
TO the gulf of Pechili are likely to drift
anywhere through the gulf across the
routes of the thousands of Chinese
sunks which ply in those waters. NO
vessels bound for Chefu, Taku, the
port OF Tientsin or Newchwang would
be exempt from danger if any driftage
Is of dangerous character.
- Another influence is in operation
which would bring danger to the ship
ping movement In the Yellow sea and
the Japan sea. A branch OF the great
EurosiwO current runs westward
across the Yellow sea to Pechili strait,
Just south of Port Arthur. Here the
current bends around, skirts the south
ern coast of Korea and then runs up
the Japan sea into the Okhotsk sea,
skirting half of the east side of SAX
hahn island. Explosives set af1oat
hear Port Arthur at any season of the
year might easily reach all these coasts
which have been the scene of all the
movements Of the war fleets, includ-
ing the VIadivostok squadron.
What might happen next winter?
The fierce winter monsoon blowing on
the land carries much debris from ia
pan and southeast China to the Phil
Ippine Islands and all other parts Of
the eastern island world from Formo-
ga tie Borneo Drifting explosives in
soOd condition set adOat in the neigh
Gdybood of Port Arthur might, for all
we know, bring the same dangers to
shipping ia the East Indies archipela-
20 that now seem to threaten life and
property in the more northern waters.
.Tcy ,edOes would be just as likely to
be carried into the channels among the
Philippine Islands as the Asian debris
that now floats in them or is dashed
against the shore.
But the danger might travel farther.
ANY floating object from these Asian
coasts may not hug the shore closely
enongh to avoid being swept into the
great main stream of the Kurosiwo,
the wide ocean river that sweeps in a
vast curve across the north Pacific.
The great circle steaming route fol
lowed by some Of the steamships be-
tween American Pacific ports and ia
pan dip into the southern edge of this
stream Although the Kurosiwo grad
Gally loses the character Of a current,
it sets slowly along the coasts Of Brit
tSh North America, the United States
and Lower California, ultimately re-
Joining the equatorial current. The
branch that sweeps southwark along
our coasts is known as the California
current. The nOrthward branch wash
es the shores Of our Alaskan islands.
IL explosives get into the main
stream of the KurOsiwo who is able
to say that coastal steamers between
AIaska and Panama, that deep sea YES
sells along the northern route between
the American Pacific and Asia, will
not be liable to meet terrible disas-
ter2 a few Illustrations Of ocean cur
rents and winds as carrying agents
may help us to answer this question.
Recius tells of q japanese junk that
In 1882 was carried by typhoon into
the s[uroswo current. Four of the
0ine poor fishermen on board lived to
tell the tale They barely kept life in
their bodies with the aid of rain water
AMI liSh until after drifting for ten
np0ths they were cast ashore on the
coast of Oahu, in the Hawaiian Islands.
IL the wind drift east of the Kurosi-
va current their craft had been car
fie], 20 the southeast till they reached
this northeastern group of Polynesia.
Koszebue gives specific instances of
Japanese and Chinese seafarers whose
Juuks were blown away from their ma
tive shores, the mariners actually liv-
Ing 70 reach the American coast, hav-
Ing drifted across the north Pacific into
the Kurosiwo current and the west