The sun., 1905-06-04
STRANGE VOYAGES OF BOTTLES.
Their Use In Determining the Courses OF
Ocean Currents.

Every year for several years past hum
dreds Of bottles have been thrown over
board from vessels OF all kinds and ma
tionalities with the object Of testing the
direction and strength Of the countless
currents which flow like 10 many devious
rivers through the seas. Before each bot
tie Ia despatched on its unknown journey.
says Th-B,ts the skipper who thus does
marine science good service, places in it
note Of the exact place whence 1t ia des-
patched. with the date, and also printed
note in half dozen languages asking the
person who may pick it UP to report to the
photographic Bureau at Washington the
time and whereabouts Of It's recovery. Thus
each messenger with its securely corked
contents fares forth on it's voyage OF ocean
survey, and by it's wanderings maps the
currents Of the oceans.
OF two bottles thrown over In midocean
at the same time one was picked up on the
coast Of Devonshire, while the other drifted
to far away Florida, each being caught by
a different current and drifting thousands
Of miles away from its fellow In curious
contrast was the wandering Of three bottles
thrown overheard from the Dago 500 miles
east of Newfoundland and all recovered
during the same week within short dis
tance OF each other after drifting 200
miles to the Hebrides.
Another bottle was started on its journey
from the Nautilus, when close to the Canary
Islands. Traversing the great tropical
ocean In the trade wind belt, 1t went cours-
ing along between the islands Of the Wind
ward Group. across the Caribbean Sea to
the coast Of Belize, almost within the Mex
lean Gulf. For 4aa days 1t thus pursued
it's solitary way. before 1t was stranded
and rescued, having covered 400 miles
at an average speed of nearly ten miles q
day. Even this remarkable record OF travel
was eclipsed by bottle which was thrown
up by the sea at Shetland few years ago
and of which tragic story is told
On Oct. II, 1880, the captain Of the ship
Buckingham was murdered by ooolie
of the Shetland coast Unable to attract
attention from the shore, the mate pro-
ceeded on the voyage to New York, where
the murderer was given into custody, and
from there to the Bermudas. where he
wrote an account Of the tragedy and COM
mitted 1t to the sea- BY most singular
coincidence, this bottle with its tragic mes
sage was carried by the sea currents back
from the Ber1nudas to Shetland, nearly
five thousand miles away, and two and a
half years later was rescued almost on
the very spot where the murder which it
recorded was committed.
For nearly three years another bottle
was roaming over the seas before it came
to its rest. On Sept. it was pitched over
board from the Bremerhaven several hun
dred miles east Of Newfoundland; it was
carried into the southern edge of the Gulf
Stream. drifted away beyond the Azores,
then, curving to the southwest of the coast
of Africa. 1t crossed the Atlantic. coming
to its haven on the shore OF small island
in the West Indies, just north Of Hayti.
It had yoyaged, as nearly as could be esti-
mated, $500 miles in ss4 days. averaging
distance Of about four and half miles
in twenty-four hours.
A bottle thrown over from the steamship
Sutherland on March II. 1897, drifted 1000
knots before it was recovered 1sl days
later; another record maker was picked
up on March 70. 1898. having covered 4,7Oo
knots-roughly 5,4o6 miles-in little over
sixteen months.