The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-07-23
WONDERFUL GULF STREAM
Its Course Fixed and Variations Move
With Precision.


Florida by the Gulf Stream, accord
ing to Admiral John E. Pillsburg, U.
S. n, in communication to the
National Geographic society. This
stream, he says, is probably the
grandest and most mighty of all
terrestrial phenomina.
IF this one single hours flow OF
water could be evaporated the re-
naming salts would require many
times more than all the ships in the
world to carry it," says Admiral Pills
burg. 1T is difficult for the mlnd
to grasp the immensity of the great
ocean river. When one is on board
q vessel, floating upon its waters, one
is not as much impressed at the
mower and grandeur of this wonder
n, nature as he is when be stands
before a towering mountain, an
immense iceberg or fall OF water
such as Niagara, but when one re-
members that the mighty torrent
speeding on hour by hour, day by day,
CARRYING it's benefcent heat to temper
the climate of continents, one begins
realize that of all the forces OF the
physical world none would equal this
one river of the ocean.
cit is interesting to note in the his
tory of the Gulf Stream how great Its
influence has. been on the fortunes OF
the New World. Before the dis
covery of America, strange woods and
fruits were frequently found on the
shores of Europe. Some of these
were seen by Columbus and to him
convinving evidence that strange
lands were to the westward. These
woodswere carried by the Gulf Stream
and by the prevailing winds from
America, so that in part the stream is
responsible for the discovery OF
the. New World. Ponce de
Leon, while searching for the
fountain of youth, discovered
this stream. He sailed southwark
along the cast of Florida, thus stem
ming the current. He says they found
a current that, though the wind was
along the coast of Florida, thus stem
ed that their vessels were going fast
through the water, but they were be-
ing driven back in spite of the strong
and favorable wind. One ship was
soon carried away by the current and
lost from sight, although it was a
clear sky.
The theories as to the cause Of
ocean currents have been many. In
recent times the course OF currents
has been laid to rivers, and the Gulf
Stream chiefly to the Mississippi. In
actual fact, about 1000 such rivers
would be required. In the tropical
regions there is a steady movement
of the air from east to west, known
as the trade winds. Winds blowing
over the surface Of the water induce
a current in the latter due to friction.
At first it IS only the merest skim
that moves but gradually the motion
is communicated from layer to layer
until at last, if the wind is long con-
tinued, as in the trade wind region,
the movement extends to lower
depths, 800 or 400 feet, or perhaps
more. These trade wind currents
continue across the Caribbean until
they reach the obstruction Of the
Honduras and Yucatan coasts, from
which they escape into the Gulf OF
Mexico.
"Another source of the Gulf Stream
is the wave caused by the wind. Ev-
cry ripple carries certain amount
of water in the direction toward
which it is flowing, irrespective OF
the current caused by its friction, and
when the waves become large, tons OF
water are hurled from the crest into
the trough every time the wave
breaks. In a large area like the Car
ibean, having comparatively constant
wind blowing over its whole surface,
this action is practically a simul-
taneous movement of the surface wa
ters to the westward.
'"There is every evidence that the
Gulf Stream is governed absolutely
by law in all its variations; its
course through the ocean is without
doubt fixed; its fluctuations are by
days, months, seasons or by years, but
they do not vary materially one year
from the other. So we may conclude
that Of all the physical forces on this
earth that are subject to any varia-
tions at all, the great ocean currents
are most immutable."