Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1916-12-08
GULF STREAM
II Is the Grandest Of All Terres'
trial Phenomena.
A MIGHTY RIVER IN THE SEA.

Billions Of Tons Of Water Are Whirled
Along Hourly In This Wonderful
Torrent, Whose Bsnefeent l%nfusnee
Is Felt All Around the World.
Ninety billion tons OF, water are car
ded hourly through the strait Of Flor.
ida by the gulf stream, according
to Rear Admiral John e. Pillsbury,
U. S. N. I'm a communication to the
National Geographic society at Wash
ington. This stream, he says, is prob
ably the %grandest and most mighty of
any terrestrial phenomenon.
"If this one single hours flow Of wa.
ter could be evaporated the remaining
salts would require many times more
than all the skins In the world to carry
IT," says Admiral Pillsbury.
ut is difficult for the mind to grasp
the immensely Of the great ocean riv-
er. When one is on board a vessel
floating upon its waters n is not as
much impressed at the power and
grandeur Of this wonder of nature as
he Is when he stands before a tower
ing mountain. an immense iceberg or
a fall OF water such as Niagara.
But when one remembers that the
mighty tori mt, speeding on hour by
hour and day by day in a volume
equal to all the largest rivers Of the
world combined, carrying its benef-
cent heat to temper the climate of con-
t%inents, one begins to realize that OF
all the forces of the physical world
none can equal this one river of the
ocean.
1T is interesting to note In the bis
tory of the gulf stream how great its
Influence has been on the fortunes OF
the new world.
Before the discovery OF America
strange woods and fruits were fire.
quently found on the shores Of Eu-
rope. Some of these were seen by
Columbus and to him were convincing
evidence that strange lands were to the
westward. These woods were carried
by the gulf stream and by the prevail.
ing winds from America, so that In
part the stream is responsible for the
discovery Of the new world.
IOuGG ut LtDus NnllG oCulNhliE AOA
the fountain of youth, discovered this
stream. He sailed southwark along
the coast OF Florida, thus stemming
the current. He says they found a
current that, though the wind was
good, they could not stem. 1t seemed
that their vessels were going fast
through the water, but they were being
a.a.-~ Io,I- t. .nFNn af Tho gfrOnn ond
favorable wind. One ship was soon
carried away by the current and lost
from sight. although 1t was a clear
sky
1.-The theories as 10 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 induct a current in the latter due
to friction. At first 1t is only the
nltItSL Hhlu LudL ulONt bs OuA ~ uhhhAl
the motion is communicated from lay
er to layer until at last, IL the wind is
long continued as in the trade wind re-
gion, the movement extends to lower
depths. 300 or 400 feet or perhaps
more.
These trade wind currents continue
across the Caribbean until they reach
tho nhcfrtaffan NJ tho and
Yucatan coasts. from which they es-
cape into the gulf of Mexico.
Another source OF the gulf stream
Is the wave caused by the wind. Ev
cry ripple carries a 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.
I'm a large area like the Caribbean
having a comparatively constant wine
blowing over its whole surface. this
> action is practically a simultaneous
, movement of the surface waters TO thu
westward.
There is every evidence that th'
: gulf stream is governed absolutely by
! law IN all Its variations. its course
through the ocean is without dOub
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 thar Ot
all the physical forces on this eartt
that are subject to any variations "A
: all the great ocean currents are mos
immutable."