﻿OCEAN 
  CURRENT 
  CALLED 
  "THE 
  CHILD" 
  — 
  MEARS 
  249 
  

  

  agricultural 
  production 
  takes 
  place, 
  were 
  ruined. 
  The 
  rich 
  soil 
  was 
  

   carried 
  out 
  of 
  its 
  place, 
  and 
  rocks, 
  boulders, 
  and 
  debris 
  left 
  in 
  its 
  stead. 
  

   This 
  meant 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  weather 
  conditions 
  became 
  stable, 
  the 
  farm- 
  

   ers 
  had 
  to 
  clear 
  away 
  the 
  wreckage, 
  replace 
  the 
  soil, 
  and 
  provide 
  seed 
  

   beds 
  for 
  next 
  year's 
  crops. 
  

  

  Strangers, 
  unfamiliar 
  with 
  these 
  unique 
  conditions, 
  ventured 
  the 
  

   belief 
  that 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  would 
  have 
  bumper 
  crops 
  on 
  the 
  usual 
  desert 
  

   lands, 
  for 
  the 
  unusual 
  abundance 
  of 
  moisture 
  had 
  produced 
  a 
  record 
  

   rank 
  growth 
  in 
  an 
  astonishingly 
  short 
  time. 
  This 
  prophecy 
  was 
  borne 
  

   out, 
  for 
  in 
  recent 
  deluges 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  have 
  taken 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  

   excessive 
  precipitation 
  by 
  erecting 
  temporary 
  fences 
  to 
  protect 
  their 
  

   excellent 
  harvests. 
  However, 
  it 
  is 
  apparent 
  that 
  these 
  farms 
  on 
  the 
  

   open 
  desert 
  are 
  of 
  sporadic 
  value 
  only. 
  Lands 
  that 
  yield 
  once 
  in 
  many 
  

   years 
  naturally 
  do 
  not 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  importance 
  as 
  those 
  that 
  produce 
  

   unfailingly 
  year 
  after 
  year 
  during 
  the 
  season, 
  or, 
  in 
  some 
  localities, 
  all 
  

   the 
  year 
  around. 
  

  

  Permanent 
  benefits 
  of 
  the 
  visitations 
  from 
  the 
  Child 
  Current 
  are 
  

   decidedly 
  minor 
  in 
  any 
  attempt 
  to 
  balance 
  the 
  enormous 
  disasters 
  that 
  

   accompany 
  it. 
  One 
  favor 
  it 
  leaves 
  in 
  its 
  wake 
  is 
  drinking 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  reservoirs 
  of 
  southern 
  Ecuador 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  northern 
  Peru, 
  

   although, 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  added, 
  in 
  Peru 
  much 
  safer 
  water 
  is 
  obtained 
  

   from 
  the 
  melting 
  snows 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  mountains. 
  Furthermore, 
  the 
  

   rich 
  sea 
  pastures 
  of 
  the 
  Humboldt 
  Current 
  benefit 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  

   rains 
  in 
  washing 
  down 
  these 
  occasional 
  huge 
  additions 
  of 
  fertilizing 
  

   material. 
  

  

  Also, 
  although 
  El 
  Nino 
  drives 
  away 
  swarms 
  of 
  cool-water 
  fish, 
  it 
  

   transports 
  numerous 
  warm- 
  water 
  species 
  to 
  take 
  their 
  places, 
  at 
  least 
  

   in 
  part. 
  In 
  1939 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  1941 
  the 
  tuna, 
  which 
  rarely 
  are 
  seen 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  cold 
  current, 
  were 
  observed 
  near 
  Callao 
  

   (12°S., 
  77°W.) 
  . 
  Indeed, 
  in 
  1941 
  they 
  were 
  caught 
  among 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  

   the 
  port 
  and 
  were 
  plentiful. 
  

  

  Every 
  year, 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  summer, 
  El 
  Nino 
  approaches 
  Capo 
  

   Blanco 
  (4°S., 
  11° 
  W.) 
  or 
  Punta 
  Aguja 
  (5°S., 
  11°W.) 
  with 
  storms 
  

   and 
  their 
  accompanying 
  features. 
  Between 
  1925 
  and 
  1941 
  only 
  twice 
  

   did 
  the 
  hot 
  current 
  go 
  beyond 
  these 
  two 
  bulging, 
  westernmost 
  points 
  of 
  

   the 
  South 
  American 
  continent. 
  Farther 
  southward, 
  invasions 
  oc- 
  

   curred 
  in 
  1932 
  and 
  1939. 
  It 
  seemed 
  that 
  the 
  old 
  tradition 
  of 
  a 
  7-year 
  

   cycle 
  was 
  being 
  substantiated. 
  The 
  local 
  inhabitants 
  were 
  well 
  pleased 
  

   to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  anticipate 
  the 
  disasters 
  at 
  certain 
  definite 
  periods. 
  

  

  Then 
  came 
  the 
  invasion 
  of 
  1941 
  in 
  northern 
  Peru, 
  only 
  2 
  years 
  after 
  

   the 
  heavy 
  downpours 
  during 
  1939. 
  The 
  floods 
  of 
  1941 
  were 
  much 
  

   more 
  generally 
  extended 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  1939 
  ; 
  likewise 
  the 
  heated 
  waters 
  

   of 
  El 
  Nino 
  from 
  shore 
  seaward 
  were 
  more 
  widely 
  spread 
  out. 
  In 
  

   1939 
  its 
  waters 
  were 
  kept 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  shore 
  line 
  south 
  of 
  about 
  

  

  