The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-09-30
IOcHlNGE COURSE
Of GULF STREAM
New York Engineer Proposes to
Alter Solar Inclination
of Earth.
WOULD END ICEBERG MENACE
Total Cost OF Accomplishment
Kicker Estimates at
$I9o, 100000.

Livingston Riker. New York engineer.
proposes In small book issued, yes.
terday to change the climate OF the
whole Atlantic coast OF North America.
and to alter even the solar inclination
OF the earth. His plan is to send the
great heat. bearing Gulf stream. un
chilled. into the very heart Of the
Arctic. The warm current. he main
tains. would melt the frozen Polar
seas. and by this substitution Of water
for ice ne believes the earth would
swing around bit on its polar aAis
and present TO the more direct rays Of
the sun the regions that are now un-
tnhabitabls for most OF the human
race.
Not only that. but he would at the
same time. he declares. open the ice
bound harbors Of Eastern Canada 10.
. whole years shipping. do away with
the fogs of the Labrador and New
foundland coasts ana on the Northern
Atlantic. and dnally put an end to the
great wandering iceberg on the
steamship tracks that made the Titanic
disaster possible. The total cost OF
this work he estimates At 3lso.00e. coo.
q sum far below the cost OF the Pana-
ma Canal. and the accomplishment OF
the work. he declares. Will be much
simpler.
Mr. Riker has carried out several
notable engineering feats- He built
the Arst refrigeratinE warehouse In the
world, and Installed the nrst cold
storage system In q transatlantic ship.
He designed and built the nrst power
full pumping dredge used BY the United
States government TO I'LL the Potomac
flats. near Washington. D. c.. IT q
cost OF about half the governments
first estimate.
Mr.. mixers AmasinE Plan.
This amazing proposal II made by
Mr.. Riker in all seriousness and sin
certify. He believes IL can be done. and
in this way:
A lefty would b. built extending
eastward from Newfoundland across
the water OF the Great Banks. and east
thereof. until . wall 10 formed which,
will intercept the cold Northern Lab
rador current. turn IL eastward until!
1, meets the north flowing Gulf Stream,
In deep water. The greater part OF the.
cold stream would pass under the warm
current, he declares. ana the tee-iadenl
upper part be DETECTED north again
To carry out the plan. the jetty. says
Mr. Riker. would need to Be 200 miles
long, but q jetty thirty miles long,
projecting out from Cape Race. would
modify the climate from Newfoundland.
10 Cane Hatteras. and do away with
the fogs, the extreme cold OF the win
ter, and bring An earlier spring to the
northern parts Of this continent
In this plan IL has already appeared
tina. Mr.. EAker's one aim - to stop the
cold north current from meeting ana
neutralizing the warm Gull stream.
The two great ocean rivers meet no"
on the coast Of Newfoundland The
warm river loses its heat. while the
cold river sweeps on south and even
enters the Gulf OF Mexico before IL
gives up all its cold. The Gulf Stream
divides. and part OF It. greatly weak
ered flows north along the west coast
OF Greenland.
The immediate effect OF the clasn.
says Mr.. Riker. els the production OF
Amos, continuous fogs on the Banks
ana the Carrying OF icebergs south into
tha path OF transatlantic steamers. III
ths Gulf Stream ran unbroken few
hundred miles further north II would
melt the bergs where they originate
and before calvinG. The offspring OF
these two great currents are the mon
rreIs into which the Gulf Stream soon
divides. they becoming pimless wan
derers. without force or eject COM
pared with its previous Irresistible. ma
testic swoSp, and thus enseebled wholly
unable 70 cope with the head-on south
easeerly opposing flow OF The european
Polar current after its projection To-
the surface a. IL surmounts the great
msd-Aslantic backbone, $50 miles south
Of the Farrsday Hills
T:,en the engin Ger ASKS TINS q"es-
ton:
How shall the integrity Of these
<vo great streams be preserved % that
they shall be Of tn. utmost service
20 manktpd.' And hts answer II. BY
iuducinG the Labraior current to make
q sand bar Of itS own deposits.
eventually raising IL to the surface
Of the ocean - . neck OF land 10
he IN them apart, In the shoal watera
Of the Great Banka IL
Il rear the exclamation visionary
he says. But the idea 10 not vision
arg. On the contrary. II IL exceed
fneIv practical II we will but consider
On. facts In the case ~ can be demon
Otrated.
TT 10 proposed 10 construct this
1etty principally by the securing ac-
tion Of the Labrador current. which
viii form q natural deposit OF about
three thousand 70 one. against and
about any such obstruction Is Q mar
row backbone 81 rip-rap broken
stone, 70 be laid east sriy from New
eouudlanA. In the shoal water upon
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