Evening star., 1919-10-17
M|GHT|EST RIVER
RUNS THROUGH SEA
Gulf Stream Called Might
est of Any Terrestrial
Phenomenon.

Recent reports of seamen concern
ing the present excessive tempera-
ture of the waters of the gulf stream,
heat wave along the Atlantic coast,
prompted the National Geographic
Society to issue a bulletin concerning
this mighty current.
The bulletin. based on a communi-
cation from Rear Admiral John E.
Pillsbury, U. S. N. president of the
National Geographic Society and the
worlds foremost authority on the
gulf stream, follows:
'The gulf stream is probably the
grandest and most mighty of any
terrestrial phenomenon. Its waters
are characterized by deep indigo
blue color of great clearness and high
temperature. 1t can be penetrated by
the eye to considerable depths, and
generally its meeting with the less
saline polar waters can be at once
distinguished.
ut is difficult for the mind to grasp
| the immensity of this great ocean
river. The straits of Florida at it's
narrowest point is about forty miles
wide. A calculation of the average
volume of water passing in one hour
gives the enormous sum of 90,000.-
100000 tons. If this one single hours
flow of water could be evaporated the
remaining salts would require many
times more than all the ships in the
world to carry it.
Not So Distinctly Impressed.
when one is on board a vessel,
floating upon its waters. one 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
torrent, speeding on hour by hour
and day by day in a volume equal to
all the largest rivers in the world
combined, carrying its beneficent heat |
to temper the climate of continents, |
one begins to realize that Of all the |
forces of the physical world none can
equal this one river Of the ocean.
Ponce de Leon, while on his famous |
search for the fountain of youth,
made the discovery of this great
stream. After his failure to find. on
the coast of upper Florida the means
OF cheating death. he turned to the
southwark and skirted the shore for
hundreds of miles. thus stemming the
current.
The name of gulf stream was first
suggested by Benjamin Franklin be-
cause it issues from the Gulf of Mex
leo. While it is only a part of the
grand scheme OF ocean circulation.
and the Gulf of Mexico is in reality
only stopping place. as it were, for
Its waters. this name Is generally ap-
piled to the current now as it was
given by Franklin-that is, the cur
rent coming from the Gulf of Mexico
and spreading abroad over the north
Atlantic.
Theories Are Many.
The theories as to the cause of
ocean currents have been many.
"Frankltn's theory. which has many
advocates at the present day, was
that the winds produce the current by
the air moving over the surface Of
the water, and he illustrated this
theory by the following: TT Is known
that large piece OF water. ten miles
broad and generally only three feet
deep. has by strong wind had its
water driven to one side and sus-
tanned 80 as to become six feet deep.
while the windward side was laid
dry AS will be seen later, this is
the wind in causing the gulf stream,
but it does not quite show the whole
Of the truth.
I'm the tropical regions there IS a
steady movement Of the air from east
to west known as the trade winds.
South of a certain line situated near
the equator these winds flow from
southwesterly direction. while north
sf the equator they come from a more
! Aortheasterly direction. The winds are
| slant in direction. but they do not
vary much. and then only for brief
periods:
\ the water induce a current in the
l latter due to friction. At first IT is
only the merest skim that moves, but
I gradually the motion Is communicated
/ from layer to layer until at last, il
the wind is long continued, as in the
trade wind region, the movement ex-
tends to lower depths. 400 or 400 feet,
| or perhaps more.
These trade wind currents meet
| finally, the partial barrier of the
\ islands forming the eastern part of
the Caribbean, and a portion Of the
flow escapes through the passages be-
| tween them. From here 1t continues
/ its course across that sea until It
reaches the obstruction of the Hon
| duras and Yucatan coasts. from which
| 1t escapes by the easiest route. which
is into the Gulf Of Mexico.
Source Caused by Wind.
"It has been found. however. that
| the water entering the Caribbean by
this means is not more than one-half
of the amount which flows through
the Straits of Florida from the Gulf
of Mexico, and the other half Is sup
piled from a source which does not
come under the head of a measurable
current. The other source is the
wave caused by the wind. Every
ripple carries a certain amount of
water in the direction toward which
1t is flowing, irrespective of the cur
rent 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 comparatively constant
wind blowing over its whole surface.
this action is practically a simulta-
neous movement of It's surface waters
to the westward and continual es-
cape of the water heaped up at the
, obstruction by the land into the Gulf
of Mexico, through the Straits OF
Florida and into the Atlantic ocean.
The gulf stream would be little felt
on the coast of Europe did 1t not
addffi0n itR VOL