Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-05-24
MYSTERY OF THE GULF STREAM.
Atlantic Ocean a Wonderful Engine
for the Conveyance of Heat.

appeared in the Atlantic ocean more
abundantly, and further south, than
ever before. Some have thought that
the Titanic disaster was the result OF
a temporary change In the direction,
or force, Of the Gulf stream. The
captain of an Italian steamship saw a
berg 300 feet long, and rising so feet
above the sea, in latitude 80 degrees
20 minutes, longitude 40 degrees
minutes. That point Is in the middle
of the north Atlantic, as far south as
Baltimore. A few hundred miles fur
ther north the berg fields Of Ice have
recently covered hundreds of square
miles Of the oceans surface. Some re-
ports indicate that the Titanic ran at
a speed of 25 miles an hour, between
two spreading wings of immense ice
bergs, which were arrayed in the
form of a great ", with the opening
toward the east, and that the ship had
reached the inner end Of the v, where
only the most careful navigation could
have found a safe passage. II that be
true, the huge ship, with its cargo Of
more than 1000 lives, disregarding all
the warnings received from other ves-
sells, was simply rushing upon almost
certain destruction, like a cruiser
speeding recklessly into a cunning trap
laid for 1t by a squadron Of battle
ships.
The suggestion that there may haze
been a temporary change In the d.rec-
tion of the ocean currents is not in
itself. altogether improbable. There are
two great currents which are primari-
ly concerned with the circulation Of
the north Atlantic ocean. These are
the Gulf stream and the Laborador
current, the first composed Of warm,
the second of cold water. They en-
counter each other south, or SOUTH
east of Newfoundland. The Gulf
stream, after rushing out Of the mar
row straits Of Florida, turns gradually
away from the American coast and
spreads more and more broadly, until
1t finally divides into vast branches,
one Of which trends southwark be-
tween the Azores and the coast Of
Spain, while another goes on and
warns the air around the British Isles.
The cold Labrador current, bearing
the icebergs from Greenland, hug the
American coast, and is probably MAIN
ly responsible for the cool spring
weather which we sometimes enjoy
and sometimes denounce, when it's
changeable moods become too eccen-
trio. If you will look at a chart Of the
north Atlantic, showing the ocean cur
rents, you will perceive how the great
Labrador stream, with its cold
heavy, ice-burdened water, seems to
shoulder the genial current Of the
Gulf stream away from. the eastern
shores of America, forcing 1t farther
out in the ocean. 1t Is evident, at a
glance, that either ali increase in the
force of the cold stream from the
north, or a decrease in that Of the
warm one from the south, would tend
to widen the area covered by the ice
bergs and send them farther than US
ual across the lane of the transatlantic
liners.
If such a change has occurred 1t
must be due to some alteration In the
force and direction or the prevailing
winds, for the ocean currents mainly
arise from the general circulation Of
the air, and that in turn depends up
on the rotation of the earth on its axis.
The warm air In the region Of the
equator rises and flows Off northward
at a high elevation, and the cold air
from the north moves southwark near
the surface to take its place. But this
surface air, coming from a part Of the
earth where the eastward motion due
to the rotation Of the earth is less
rapid than 1t is toward the equator,
finds itself moving over parts Of the
earth whose speed of rotation is great
er than its own. The consequence Is
that a wind arises blowing eastward
over the surface.
You can see how this Is If you take
a school globe and set 1t spinning on
it's axis. Then you will perceive that
a point near either pole moves only an
inch or less in the same time that a
point near the equator moves foot or
more. In fact, this motion OF transla-
tion increases from nothing exactly at
the pole to 1000 miles an hour at the
equator. Now, imagine yourself to be
moved suddenly from the pole to the
equator. You would appear to be
spinning through space 1000 miles an
hour in a direction opposite to that OF
the earth's rotation.
The air from the Arctic regions ex-
periences no such sudden increase OF
motion because it requires long time
to make the journey over the earth's
surface. But all the while 1t Is NOV
ing toward the equator 1t Is contin-
ually finding the surface beneath 1t
moving faster eastward than 1t was
farther north, and, consequently, be-
cause 1t cannot instantly take up this
increase of eastward motion itself, 1t
allows the surface to turn beneath It;
thus, with regard to that surface. 1t
becomes a westerly wind.
This is the origin Of the trade
Winds" which blow westward con-
tinually along each side Of the equa-
tor. These constant winds set the
surface of the ocean in motion along
with them. In that way great cur
rent Is set flowing in the Atlantic from
the direction Of Africa toward Amer
lea. When this current encounters
South America a large part of 1t Is
sheered off northwestward, and enter
ing the Caribbean sea and the Gulf OF
Mexico, is heaped up there, until 1t
escapes again, mainly through the
straits of Florida, thus giving birth to
the Gulf stream. This stream, flowing
northeastward in the North Atlantic,
as we have already said, gradually
spreads wider and loses its force, but
not until it has crossed the ocean, go