The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-12-30
DEEP SEA CURRENTS
THE GULF STREAM AND IT'S COURSE
THROUGH THE OCEAN.
MnnS IrrcguInrItirs Are known Ia
Occur In both the Direction aud Ia
the Velocity OF This Peculiar River
of the Atlantic.


the Velocity Of This Peculiar River
of the Atlantic.
Scamcn sometimes seem TO forgct
I that even the most permanent Of ocean
currents are occasionally driven ont Oi
their usual track by a succession of
strong winds from one direction, and
the faiW tales with respect 10 the al
legged vagarics of the gulf stream told
so frequently only tend TO show that
nayigatOrs rather too frequently re-
gard that river in the ocean as not less
firmly fixed In velocity and direction
than If il were flowing To the sea be
tween banks formed by the solid eprth
of our planet As matter of fact,
ever since the gulf stream was first
discovered about four centuries ago il
was recognized by thoughtful nayiga-
tors that iXity Of tenure did not and
could not hold for that vast body of
relatively warm water cushioned off
from the Atlantic coast Of America by
the colder waters Of the Labrador cur
rent even as far toward the equator nS
Florida Were il not for the gulf
stream, or, more accurately, the east
ern extension thereof, the average air
temperature In the winter would be-
not less than % degrees below the
freezing point of water on n Fahren-
helt thermometer registered ut the
Shetland islands As matters stand
the presence of the relatively cold cur
rent from the Arctic washing our
shores, Inside OF the warmer gulf
stream, closes up the harbors of New
foundland at the same time as the gulf
stream extension IL keeping the Nor
wcginn coast clear of ice even ms far
to the northward as the North cape.
10 put IL another way, St Johns,
n. f., is sometimes closed with ice
even rs late in the year AS June, willie
Liverpool, which Is = degrees farther
to the north has never been In that
condition since the glacial epoch.
IN fact. ii has been seriously sug-
gcstcd that by divcrtng the course of
the gulf stream into the Pacific,
through the narrow neck of land join
| ing the two Americas, il would be
quite possible TO freeze out n consld-
erablc portion of Europe The cool
| Labrador current setting southwark
| from the icy regions adjacent To the
north pole impingcs with greater veloc'
| ity than usual upon the northern mar
gin OF the gulf stream In certain years.
! CyclOuic storms travelling up from the
! southward defect II also, and consc.
quently the gulf stream, although prob
ably the most permanent of all the
! great ocean currents. is not invariable
| either In velocity or in direction. Gen
orally speaking this ocean river In the
| lower attitudes of the Atlantic is drlv-
! en- westward 10y the prevailing easterly
! winds acting upon the sea surface un-
| ill the western side of the gulf of Mex
| leo is attained Thence IL follows the
! land till an outlet is found through the
strait Of Florida, which. being both
narrow and shallow. causes the veloc-
| hy of the current TO increase Thence
! it sweeps northeastward outside of the
IabradoU cool current hugging the
coast unit the banks OF Ncwfound-
! land are reached. About there the
| gulf stream proper IL said to lose Its
! identity as such. but the warm waters
! thereof are driven hy the prevailing
westerly winds toward the United
, Kingdom, Norway and even Spitzhcr-
gen. Many irregularities are known
/ 10 occur I'm both the direction and the
/ velocity OF the gulf stream from time
| TO time. consequent on wind changes
ana variations in barometric pressure
Prior tO the age of Chronumcters most
| eXtrnvagant views were put forward
! by navigators ana others i'm hurry to
/ the effect that 10y the aid of an ordinary
. thermometer the longitude could bc ac-
/ curatcly determined IL the Shipmastcr
would hut trouble To take a series of
sea surface temperatures when i'm the
vicinity OF the gulf stream. Similarly
the sen surface temperature was re
| garded i'm about the same geographical
position ms an nfallibc guide 60 the
/ proximity OF ice. Neither inference IL
true. High temperature indicates
/ tropical origin and low temperature in
dlcatcs polar origin generally speaking.
but hey this IL is dangerous To pred
icatc. The relatively warm water
may bc in very abnormal position tor
! the period Of the year owing to natural
causes. and fall OF - degrees Fahren-
heit is sometimes experienced I'm
short ships length OF the mingling
places Of the warm gulf stream and
cold Labrador current on a beautifully
clear day without the slightest sign of
Ice " any kind above the boundary line
OF sen and sky. Many sailing ship
after vanity trying ~ reach New York
has got badly iced ny and rnn to the
warmer waters uf the gulf stream to
fhaw' out both her crew aud her gear,
but neither the longitude nor the pres
encc OF ice can bc rightly determined
solely 10y the aid NJ sea surface ten
peratures. Nevertheless the use ~ the
sea surface thermometer is not to 10
dcspiscd. lecause IL is undoubtedly Of
approximate assistance In defining a