May 12, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



667 



pass is moving west at the rate of about 6 min- 

 utes per annum. In Porto Rico this westerly mo- 

 tion is as much as 10 minutes, and along the north- 

 eastern coast of Brazil it is about 16 minutes. 

 Thus, instead of a change of 1 degree in 20 years, 

 there may be a change of 1 degree in 10 years or 

 even in 5 years or less, depending entirely upon 

 geographic location. 



The Bureau of Standards and its Belation to the 

 United States Coast and Geodetic Survey: Dk. 

 S. W. .Stratton. 



The speaker sketched the history of the various 

 standards which have been used in this country. 

 He paid a high tribute to Mr. Hassler for creat- 

 ing the division of weights and measures of the 

 survey. This division became in 1904 the present 

 Bureau of Standards, a separate organization. He 

 spoke of the close cooperation which has always 

 existed between the Bureau of Standards and the 

 Coast and Geodetic Survey. 



Ocean Currents and Deep Sea Explorations of the 



United States Coast and Geodetic Survey: Rear 



Admiral J. E. Pillsbury. 



After mentioning the early voyagers who came 

 in contact with and noticed the Gulf Stream, a 

 brief description was given of the first American 

 investigation, that of Benjamin Franklin. On his 

 voyages to and from Europe — and there were 

 many — he observed the temperature of the water 

 in the endeavor to determine the northern limit of 

 the stream issuing from the Straits of Florida 

 under the theory that the warmer water indicated 

 its boundary. 



It was not until 1845 under the administration 

 of A. I>. Bache that the Coast Survey began a 

 systematic study of the Gulf Stream. From that 

 year until 1853 many vessels were engaged in the 

 work under the most comprehensive orders. They 

 were to determine its limits, surface and subsur- 

 face, whether constant or variable, whether de- 

 pending upon winds and how recognized, whether 

 by temperature, soundings, vegetable or animal 

 life, specific gravity of its water, etc. 



In 1867 Professor Henry Mitchell, of the Coast 

 Survey, began an investigation of the Gulf Stream 

 by a new method. He sounded between Key West 

 and Havana and observed currents to 600 fath- 

 oms by means of floating cans, or weighted cans 

 suspended from floating cans. 



The survey also used ballasted bottles to deter- 

 mine the course of the currents. Each one when it 

 was put overboard contained a paper with a re- 

 quest to the finder to send it to some American 



official and to mark on it the place where it was 

 found. 



In 1883 the first attempt was made to investi- 

 gate the actual flow of the Gulf Stream by a vessel 

 at anchor, when the schooner Brift under Lieuten- 

 ant Fremont anchored with wire rope and ob- 

 served the currents between Jupiter Inlet, Florida, 

 and Memory Rock, Bahama. 



The results were of so great value that the 

 Superintendent decided to continue the work, but 

 the use of a sailing vessel for the purpose was con- 

 sidered impracticable. The time spent in reaching 

 the anchorage and the hours required in anchoring 

 and in getting under way by the use of hand 

 power alone necessitated the selection of a vessel 

 with steam for the purpose. The Blalce, under 

 Lieutenant Pillsbury, was the vessel chosen, and 

 during the following five years she was engaged in 

 Gulf Stream work each winter season and some 

 summers. Anchorages were made in any depth re- 

 quired; many being in water deeper than 1,500 

 fathoms, and the deepest in 2,300 fathoms. The 

 longest time at any one station was about seven 

 days, and by the use of an instrument devised for 

 registering the direction as well as the velocity of 

 the currents, observations were carried on as long 

 as the vessel remained at anchor. 



As to results, it was found that the velocity of 

 the Gulf Stream varied daily, according to the 

 moon 's transit, and monthly following its declina- 

 tion, and that these variations could be predicted 

 with fair accuracy. A calculation as to its volume, 

 deduced from many hundreds of observations in 

 the narrowest part of the Straits of Florida, gave 

 90,000,000,000 tons per hour. 



The United States Geological Survey and its dela- 

 tion to the United States Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey: Dr. George Otis Smith. Printed in 

 this issue of Science. 



The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey's 



Part in the Development of Commerce: Hon. J. 



Hampton Moore. 



Mr. Moore spoke of the relation of the Coast 

 and Geodetic Survey to Commerce and after pay- 

 ing high tribute to the perseverance and loyalty 

 of the men of the service, said that commerce itself 

 did not fully appreciate the importance of the 

 work. Amongst other things, he referred to the 

 formation of shoals and the location of rocks that 

 impede navigation. 



' ' I am interested in the safety of life and com- 

 merce on all our coasts, but by reason of familiar- 

 ity with the Atlantic coast, I may be pardoned for 



