El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-17

A CCORDING to the reports OF
n many sea captains fcebergs have
this year appeared in the At
lantic 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 gun
stream. The captain OF an Italian steam
shin saw q berg 500 feet long and rts-
ing so feet above the sea IN latitlue D
degrees 20 minutes, longitude 40 Oe-
erees 8 minutes. That point IS In the
middle OF the north Atlantic, as Tar
south as Baltimore. rev nunorel
miles farther north the Derg lleI9s OF
ice have recently covered hundreds OF
SQUARE miles of the ocean s surface
Some reports indicate that the IlJanlc
ran at g speed Of % miles an hour, De
tween two spreading wings or an I'M
mense fleet Of icebergs, which were
arrayed in the form of great with
the opening toward the east ana Ihat
the fatal encounter occurred when the
ship had reached the inner END Of the
V. where only the most careful naVlga-
ton could have found safe passage
l. that be true, the huge snip with It's
cargo of more than ZUUO uNes. dlsre-
garding all the warnings received from
other vessels was simply rushing up
on almost certain destruction, like a
cruiser speeding recklessly into a cum
ming trap laid Tor il by squadron Of
batUieships.
The suggestion that there may have
been a temporary change in the direc-
ton of the ocean currents is not, In
itself. altogether improbable. There
ere two great currents which are pri-
u;arily concerned with the circulation
of the North Atlantic ocean These are
the gulf stream and the Labrador cur
rent. the first composed of warm, the
second Of cold water They encounter
each other east or southeast of New
fOundland. The gulf stream, after rush
ing out of the narrow straits of Flor
ida, turns gradually away from the
American coast and spreads more and
more broadly. until IL finally divides
into vast branches, one of which trends
southwark between the Azores and the
coast OF spain. while another goes on
and warns the air around the Brit
ISL isles
The cold Labrador current bearing
the fcebergs from Greenland, hugs the
American coast and IS probably main
~ responsible for the cool spring
weather which we sometimes enjoy.
and sometimes deuUunCe, when its
Changesble moods become too eCcen-
trio II YOU viii look at a chart OF the
North Atlantic, showing the ocean cur
rents you viii 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 ii farther out in the
ocean 1t Is evident, al a glance. that
either an increase III the LOEGE OF the
cold stream from the north, or q de
crease in that of the warm one from
the south, would tend TO widen the
area covered by the iceberg. and send
them farther than usual across the lane
Of the transatlantic liners.
If such q change has occurred. II
must be due 10 some alteration in the
force and direction of the prevailing
winds for the ocean currents mainly
arise from the general circulation of
the air. and that in turn depends upon
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 Z
surface air coming from part of the !
Earth where the eastward motion due Z
to the rotation of the earth is less "a id D
han IL is toward the equator. finds it I
self moving over parts of the earth I
whose speed OF rotation is greater than
is own The consequence is that a
Wind arises blowing westward over the
surface