Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-07-27
FACTS ABOUT GULF STREAM
Which Is snid 20 he Going Up the
Mississippi River.

(From the New orleans Picayune.)
Some scientific interest has been
aroused in the fact as announced upon
the basis Of thermometric tests that the |
hot water of the Gulf stream Is flowing |
Up the channel Of the Mississippi river, |
and that while temperatures of IS de-
greee were found outside in the sea. in
side the Passes the water was as warm
as 81 degrees, and even in front OF the
city an average of 81 was observed.
The theory Of the existence and opera
ton Of the Gulf stream is that 1t has It's
beginning in the Blight Of Benin, a great
bay on the west coast of equatorial
Africa, where there is a mighty eddy
caused by the blowing Of the winds from
the south and west against the coast.
The current being started moves to the
eastward around the northeast coast of
South America and through the Carib
bean sea and the Yucaten pass into the
Gulf OF Mexico where after circling
around from southwestward to north
eastward and southeast It flows out
through the Florida pass into the Allan
tic ocean. or course not all OF the ire
nendous current that flows out of the
Gulf of Guinea under the equator enters
our Mexican sea, for great part Is d.
verted northward among the passes be-
tween the islands of the West Indian
archipelago, but we get enough of it to
make its temperature and current i'm
portant items to the navigators in our
seas.
1t is strange that the warm waters of
the stream should be able to force their
way up the Mississippi river against its
current. which often has four to Ave
mile velocity. but the river is low Just
now and doubtless makes little resistance
TO the warm water which. being lighter,
floats above the colder water OF the river.
Whether O new state of things has been
discovered In these relations of the river
water to that OF the sea, or common
place and ordinary occurrence has not
been previously noticed, cannot be stated
here. but 1t Is claimed by biologists that
N time far back In the past the Gulf
stream flowed up the Mississippi river,
forcing its water far into the Arctic sea.
and so warming UP Alaska and Siberia
that the ancient mastodons or hairy ele-
plants could subsist there, and that
vegetation suited for their sustenance
hourished there until BY some change in
the climatic cycle that region was locked
in Ice and the dead elephants found
there in Natures cold storage had been
preserved through unspeakable ages
There is a theory among the clmatolo-
gists that changes OF climate occur peri
odioally or in SUGGESTIONS of ages but
IL at however long the period they recur
In routine and orderly succession.
There are no valid grounds for any
/ ~ hat, he Enlf efr &c SO i,or
again on its way northward through the
mississippi valley because great altera-
tons in the respective levels OF land and
sea would be required nevertheless spec
ulation on the mechanism and operation
| of the moving forces of the system Of
our world is not without interest.
! For instance, cur changes Of season
/ are due to the inclination or obliquity Of
the axis of our earth to the axis of the
sun, or more properly TO the plane Of the
suns equator If the earths equator
! and the suns equator Were In the same
| lace. and their axis of revolution were
| PARALLEL the sun would shine on our
| globe equally from pole TO pole. Half
the Garth would be fully illuminated and
! the other half in shadow every "A hours,
and day md night would be Of the same
duration everywhere as at the equator
| There would be no time when the north
end OF the earth would be turned away
from the sun for six months while the
south end was enjoying light and warmth
md no alienation of these situations.
50 that in a word we would have day and
night but no summer and winter.
Tho seasons are caused by the fact
int the axis OF revolution Of our globe.
Instead of being parallel 70 that OF the
sun, is inclined TO or from II at an angle
Of % l-2 degrees, The result Is that for
six months the north end OF the earth Is
turned to the sun and Is Illuminated by
It, and foi the next six months the north
end is turned away from II and Is left
largely in the cold and darkness.
But suppose the axis OF our earth by
some mysterious force was turned AT
right angles to the suns axis. Then the
poles would be relatively whore the
equator Is. ana tho equator where the
poles are. Then the polar regions would
become tropical and the tropics be buried
In snow and ice. The Hndoo cosmogony
tells of such time at the beginning OF
the Kali Nuga, or age f heat,
Such changes of relative position might
take place slowly without any violent de-
structive effects upon the population OF
cur planet but any sudden change would
produce violent CONFUSION in both lane
ard sea. These speculations have giver
material for much theorizing by astron
Cmers who have sought to prop up thell
conclusions with mountains of figures.
With the hope that all such change
will be gradual and attended by no vic
lent tellurtc disturbances. the Picayun'
can welcome them for the benefit of fu
ture generations,
THE FLIGHT OF SEEDS.