The Portland daily press., 1867-11-14
Miscellany.
A Great Z" Bore

n eNfEas AbSst
A correspondent of the New ork Evening
Post gives the following vivid account of Gu
rio,ls phenomenon observable in Nova Scott, .
In some of these tidal rivers is to be seen,
at the first moment of the. return flow. lilo
strange phenomenon called the bore - ,bat
is the first tide wave, which ruslies in with
great force and rapidly, Ioaring like a surf
The very name great bore has a sound Of
terror IN IL, especially to the ignorant, who
suppose, as dd one man whom asked in re-
sard 10 IL, mat 1t is so called because IL foitrs
Ike wild boar, and sometimes sweeps away
cattle when il oyertakes them ON The sands
We saw il a. Monckton, small town IN the
meadows OF the Petticodac rivtr, which emp
ties into The Bay OF Fundy eighty niles above
ST. Johns. This river has more unnel
shaped mouth than most Of the others, and
for that reason the bore is higher.
The landlord of the Monckton Inn seemed TO
beaccustomed to the arrival OF strangers to see
che bore, and was evidently concerned. ne
mothers are about children on exhibition lest
it might not, on this particular day. do its
best. He explained to me as we drove to the
wharf, that it was just now "a low RIM Of
tides that "to day the wind would be dead
ahead, and that knocked it down considera-
pie; and that l sought to be there in the
lime OF the spring tides when it walked peo-
pie up nights" All my anticipations were
vague. l had seen other tidal rivers in Nova
Scotia empty, day after day, their thirty ana
forty-five ieet OF water. but it came IN ana
went out like other tides, and made no NOISE
about its gigantic work; what TINS one sud
den. roaring wave codld be, had no concep-
ton. colfess that held my breath for the
first few minutes alter We reached
the wharf There lay the river bed
half a mile broad, curving just below
us. away from the town towards the
sea: il was one smooth valley of red mud,
with a cuir. mt of not more than tewenty feet
wide running out; the brief chance of the
fresh waters stream to make its way down to
the bay On the town side were wharyes
with muddy beaches between; ON the oppo-
site the Parish OF Coverdale, with its green
meadows coming down till they met the mud
dy slopes Of the river channel Beyond the
bend we could trace the brown band of the
river bed for miles. Down this line we strain
ed our eyes.
"Shall we hear it before we see it ?" said |,
"Not to- day, because the wind is aAead.o
Mystery OF mysteries Here was nayiea-
ton with a witness; a wave riding ON wave
against current, in teeth Of the wind, faster
than horse can tot. Iheld my breath again.
The flies buzzed about the wharf; some little
boys teetered idly on a pile OF boards; the
landlord looked at his watch; the horse set
the fashion of intelligent horses, when thew
comprehend that they are to have long
standing, Three-quarters of an hour passed
in almost utter silence, for / was afraid of los
ing the first sight and sound OF the water, and
did not encourage the landlords stories of
traditions of high tides which had swept into
the town, of boats which had been hit by the
bore and capsized, and of the grand sight in
the breaking up of the river in the spring,
w Avn IN naf .<Sesz
ground together in the bore with a noise like
guns.
All there are the guls,7 he exclaimed
sit will soon be here"
why, what can gulls have to do with il ~
"Oh, the little fishes get caught up and roll
ed over and over in the wave, and the guIls.
they fly along just above it, and pick the fishes
right out ot-thele il is p he cried. Yes, there
it was, three miles of, low white line, COM
ing toward us steadily, and apparently faster
and faster; directly across the river channel,
in one solid rank of shining foam. On it
came, looking higher and higher, and present
ly came the surf roar which broke i'm uncan-
nlly on the meadow stiffness. At each point
that it passed, the water spread out instantly
over the whole space from shore to shore !;
still on 1t came, swift, deadly; behind 1T,
q smooth, ripping water; before it, the empty
river bed its white foam cleaned like vicious
below us, it would not have surprised me if it
had sprung at our Threats; in moment it
was gone; far up the stream, under the bridge,
frothing around the piers, and out of sight on
the other side. A few cows were grazing far
down on the Lovesdale meadows, and fan
cied heard voice calling.
Come uppe whitefoot, come uppe lightfoot;
Come uppe jetty, rise and follow"
The wave ON this day was only about six
feet high. In the spring tides it is often twelve
feet; and then its roaring can be heard long
before it is in sight. The wharf from which
we watched it was forty feet high. Two and
half hours later we returned to it, and the
water was flowing smooth and dark, within a
a few feet of the top
As we rode back in the cars to st. John.
we seemed to hear the surf roar OF the great
wave, mingling dreamily with the sweet but
wonderful Indian names which the conductor
called out from to station station :"Apohaqui,o
:" Ossakeag," Penobsquis,'' Petticodiac.''
"Nauwicewauk," and "Quispamsis."