Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1923-09-19
GULF STREAM A PART
OF CIRCULAR CURRENT

(From a letter by Rear Admiral J.
E. Pillsburg, in National Geographic
News Bulletin.)
In all oceans there are movements
of the water, other than that caused
by the tides which may be said to DC
due primarily to the prevalent wind.
In the two great oceans, the Allan
tic and the Pacific, and also in the
Indian ocean, there is to be found
similar circulation, that is a general
westerly movement in the tropics,
flow toward the poles along the east
ern shores of the continents, an east
erly set in the temperate zones, and
current toward the equator along the
western shores.
1t thus becomes a grand circular
movement, some parts being quite
slow, and other parts very swift;
sometimes there may be temporary
interruption in the slower portions, or
perhops even reversal, but taken as
whole the movement is continuous.
In the north Atlantic ocean the cur
rents are probably more pronounced
than in either the Pacific or the In
dian oceans.
The equatorial current is usually
described as being a broad band OF
water moving across the Atlantic ii
the tropics. The portion Of this cur
rent situated south of the equator is
divided into two parts upon meeting
the eastern salient of South America,
Cape st. Rogue. One branch turns
south toward the Antarctic, while the
other is forced to the westward along
- oh Af Ira1i1 nd tho
Guyanas.
A portion of the flow enters the
Caribbean through the various pass
ages, crosses it to the Yucatan and
Honduras coasts, and thence into the
Gulf of Mexico, from which it issues
through the Straits of Florida as the
Gulf stream. Passing onward toward
Europe it is augmented in volume by
a part of the north equatorial current
that sweeps along outside the West
Indian islands and the Bahamas, and
while this current is slow in move
ment in comparison to the Gulf stream
itself, it doubtless carries a much
crater number of heat units to help
warm up northern Europe.
The Gulf stream, or rather the COM
bined flow mentioned above, divides
ern Continent, one branch bowling
south along the African coast, while
the other proceeds northward into the
Arctic toward Spitzbergen and Franz
Joseph land.
1t is difficult for the mind to grasp
the immensely Of this great ocean
river. The straits of Florida at it's
narrowest point is about 40 miles
wide and observations here numbered
between 5000 and 1000, surface and
subsurface. A calculation Of the aV-
erage volume of water passing in one
hour gives the enormous sum OF 9O,-
600 100000 TONS If this one single
hours flow of water could be evapo-
rated, the remaining salts would re-
uuire many times more than all the
ships in the world to carry it.
1t 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 discovery
of America, strange woods and fruits
were frequently found on the shores
of Europe and off-lying islands. Some
of these were seen and examined by
Columbus, and to his thoughtful mind
they were convincing evidence OF the
fact that strange lands were some
where to the westward. These woods
were carried by the Gulf stream and
by the prevailing winds from the
American continent, so that in part,
the stream is responsible for the dis
covery of the new world.
The name of Gulf stream" was first
suggested by Benjamin Franklin be-