Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-07-29
UPSTREAM CHANGES ROUTE
Lays q Oou-sc -Four Hundred Miles Nearer
TO New York shores.
TRoPlc CLIMATE FOR THE METROPOLIS
Manhattan Looks 10 ne Included in
banana belt within short
Time ~ Conditions Re
ported Continue.

Imagine New York with the tropical cli-
mate, luxuriant foliage and gaudny-plumed
birds Of Florida, with tell palm trees sup
porting the elms poplars and frs in the
parks; with pelicans, fiamingoes and, per-
hsps, alligators summing themselves around
the fountains, and with the botanical at
fractions OF Palm Beach moved bodily to
Coney Island.
All Of this is possible II depends largely
upon what the eccentric gulf stream is go
ing to do next
From time to time during the last few
years navigators, experts from the naval
photographic office at Washington and
scientists have called attention to the
tonishing antics Of the gulf stream and to
the tremendously important changes It is
liable to make in New York's climate II It
persists in changing its course still closer
to the Long Island coast.
Within the last few weeks reports have
been received showing that the gulf stream
is 900 miles to the west of its position on
the Atlantic chart Of eight years ago. Cap
tain John Gardner Of the Dominion line
steamship Philadelphia went so far as to
report that the gulf stream is deviating
from its ancient course across the Atlantic
and is taking a new one. At 40 degrees
longitude Captain Gardner declares that he
found the stream running in a westerly
direction and toward the Long Island coast
rather than in its ordinary easterly course.
Chara cteristics of the stream.
As everybody learns at school, the gulf
stream takes It's name from the Gulf Of
Mexico, where its waters are raised to a
warmth of 70 degrees f. in winter and to
SO degrees F. in summer. From the Gulf OF
Mexico 1t issues in tremendous volume
almost 9OOOO,0O1.000 tons OF water per hour
and flows northward over the vast mass Of
cooler ocean beneath. As 1t issues from
Between Florida and Cuba it is equivalent
10 a stream about fifty miles wide and
over 600 feet deep.
Gradually It spreads out like a partly
opened fan, the more eastern part grad
ually cooling and losing itself in the At
iantic, the western and stronger stream
flowing steadily in a northeasterly direc-
ton and Tended of from the American
coast by the cold current which is return
ing southwark from the Arctic regions.
Thus the gulf stream plays on north
western Europe like stream Of warm
water flowing from a hose, and the water
which has left the Gulf Of Mexico in the
hot summer months probably reaches the
western coast Of Britain and Norway, of
Iceland and possibly even spitzbergen dur
ing the winter season. This constant sup
ply Of warm water to the western coasts
OF these European countries affects the
climate to a very appreciate degree. The
effect is most marked in winter. While the
harbors Of the Baltic are icebound, those
of the western coast Of Norway, even as
far north Hammerfest, are always open
TO shipping.
Eject on Climatic Conditions.
But the most marked effect is upon Eng
land, which is In the same latitude as
Labrador. England's climate is influenced
by the gulf stream, while that of Labrador
is not England has a very delightful eli
mate all the year around, never very ho
in summer and never very cold in winter
Labrador has ten months winter and 1!
almost uninhabitable in consequence.
1t Is we'll known that the little island Of
Nantucket of the Massachusetts coast, /,
brushed by the gulf stream. with mos
curious results The shore Of the averag,
New England island is rugged with washes
of dough sea weed. coarse shells and httlt
of the beauties OF tropical coasts. This Il
the case with the side Of Nantucket tina
is not touched by the warm waters of tn,
gulf stream. The surf, too, on this coli
side of the island is always heavy. Blu
on the other shore there is quite a sem
blance OF a southern climate, with mucl
warmer water. shell FISH Of the kind tina
Is to be found along the Florida coast an
occasional visitors among the washed-u
denlzens of the sea that suggest a muc
warmer climate. And there is only 81,
miles difference between the two shores o
the island, where the contrasting condition
are found
From the above It can be readily under