36 
THE OCEAN WORLD. 
The difference of temperature between the Gulf Stream and the 
waters it traverses gives birth inevitably to tempests and cyclones. In 
1780 a terrible storm ravaged the Antilles, in which twenty thousand 
persons perished. The ocean quitted its bed and inundated whole 
cities; the trunks of trees, mingled with other debris, were tossed 
into the air ; numerous catastrophes of this kind have earned for the 
Gulf Stream the title of the King of the Tempests. In consequence 
of the numerous nautical documents which have been placed at the 
command of the National Observatory of Washington, and the admir- 
able use made of them by the late Naval Secretary and his assistants, 
the directions and range of these cyclones engendered by the Gulf 
Stream may be foreseen, and their most dangerous ravages turned 
aside. As an example of the utility of Dr. Maury’s labours in settling 
the direction of storms in the traject of the Gulf Stream, we quote a 
well-known instance : In the month of December, 1859, the American 
packet San Francisco was employed as a transport to convey a regi- 
ment to California. It was overtaken by one of these sudden storms, 
which placed the ship and its freight in a most dangerous position. 
A single wave, which swept the deck, tore out the masts, stopped the 
engines, and washed overboard a hundred and twenty-nine persons, 
officers and soldiers. From that moment the unfortunate steamer 
floated upon the waters, a waif abandoned to the fury of the wind. 
The day after the disaster the San Francisco was seen in this desperate 
situation by a ship which reached New York, although unable to assist 
her. Another ship met her some days after, but, like the other, could 
render no assistance. When the report reached New York, two 
steamers were despatched to her assistance ; but in what direction were 
they to go ? what part of the ocean were they to explore ? The 
luminaries of Washington Observatory were appealed to! Having 
consulted his charts as to the; direction and limits of the Gulf Stream 
at that, period of the year, Dr. Maury traced on a chart the spot to 
which the disabled steamer was likely to be driven by the current, and 
the course to be taken by the vessels sent to her assistance. The crew 
and passengers of the San Francisco were saved before their arrival 
Three ships, which had seen their distressing situation, had been able 
to reach them, and the steamers sent to their assistance only arrived 
to witness the safety of the passengers and crew. But the point where 
the steamer foundered shortly after they were transferred to the 
