Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-07-15
SCIENTIFIC Use Is
MADE or BOTTLES
Set Adrift Along Coast 70 Give Paths
Of Ocean Currents.

Valuable information regarding
ocean eurrents is obtained by means
OF bottIes-inanimate scientific mes.
sengers that drift with the fotsam
Of the north Atlantic. sometimes fol.
lowing a straight line. sometimes zlg-
tagging across the green water. Al
other times travelling In a semi-cir-
Gle.
Ordinary bottles they are. eorked
and sealed with wax or pitch. Beer.
vinegar or catsup they may have con-
tanned, for there are no onlciaI bot
ties like those the Prince OF Monaco
used to throw into the sea years ago.
They are dropped into the ocean by
mariners and contain forms fur
nished by the United States hydro
graphic Office. which seeks enlIghten-
ment on all subjects dealing with the
science OF navigation. These bottle
papers, as they are called, are
printed In seven languages. and have
blank space for the name OF the YES
sci from which the bottle was cast
and the vessel which picked 1t up, as
well as dates and the latitude ard
longitude Of the starting and finish
ing points Of the voyage. according
to the Photographic Review.
II man finds a bottle on the
beach and follows directions, he
mails the, paper to the photographic
once, whose experts trace the path
followed by the bottle, delineatIng
this path on the map. which forms
part OF the regular pilot chart
giyen to navlgators who furnish ma
rine data 20 the office. A star on the
map marks the point at which the
bottle was cast adrlft, a circle the
point of recovery. aud a number is
attached, to indicate the number In
the accompanying chronological list.
The drift Is shown as follQWing tho
shortest possible route. except e. the
case OF bottles whose path Is made to
conform to a certain extent to the
accepted knowledge OF ocean cireula-
ton.
In equatorial and tropical regions,
where trade winds prevail. the drift
is westerly, all bottles finding their
way to the Windward islands, the
Bahamas. or the shores Of the Car
ribbean or the gulf Of Mexico.
North OF the 40th parallel, or TO
be more explicit. north OF the latl-
tude OF New York. bottles are driven
by prevailing westerly winds In an
easterly or east by northeast dlrec-
ton, going across the ocean to the
east upon the western shores OF
Great Britain or the coast OF France
Between the two main drifts or be-
tween the Florida peninsula and New
York, according TO explanatory notes |
Of the bottle chart, lies a debatable |
region. crossed by many sailing and
steamship routes. and within which,
in all probability. are cast as many
bottle papers as in other portions Of
the ocean. The recovery OF such bot
ties is, however. rare, the records OF
the photographic ONCE furnishing |
but fourteen since 1888"
Confirmation Of the efrculatory
,paa ahtagu.a - .u....s. - 4.
courses taken by bottled papers Nos
122 and 145. with drifts OF 312O and |
$3.50 miles in 489 and $50 days. re-
spectiveiy. at the rate Of Ga and 6 |
miles a day. No. 122 was cast loose |
by the German steamship Paranagua |
not far from Cape Finisterre, trav-
eled down the Portuguese and west |
coasts to about the goth par
allel, and then moved across In a |
half circle to the Caribbean. landing |
on one Of the West indian islands.
No. 145 started about midway be-
tween Nova Scotia and France. The
bottle took a circular course. which /
carried Il southeast to Africa. thence
westward TO q point north Of San
An interesting account OF a long
drift Is found In the bulletin OF the
Arctic club Of America. dated Janu-
airy 80. A buoy that was driven
ashore on November 3. 1908, at Soc
roe. Denmark. contained q notice -
the effect that II had been set adrift
On July "a. 1900. near Cape Bat
hurst a point Of Canadian territory
that iuts out into the Arctic ocean.
aTrEEnFw, c0Trauawn