The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-02-01
Prehistoric Tides.

I
At present the moon is 240, 900 miles
away; but there was time when the
moon was only one-sixth part of this, or
say 40, 900 miles away. That time must
have corresponded to some geological
epoch. It may have been earlier than
the time when Eozoon lived. It is more
likely to have been later. Iwant to point
out that when the moon was only 40, 600
miles away, we had in it geological
engine of transcendent power. If the
present tides be three feet, and If the
earlier tides be 216 times their present
amount, then it Is plain that the ancient
tides must have been 648 feet.
There can be no doubt that in ancient
times tides of this amount and even
tides very much larger must have OCCUR
red. / ask the geologists to take account
of these facts, and to consider the effect
"a tidal rise and fall of 64S feet twice
every day. Dwell for one moment on the
sublime spectacle of a tide 648 feet high,
and see what an agent it would be for
the performance of geological work. We
are now standing, suppose, some 500
feet above the level of the sea- The sea
is good many miles from Birmingham.
yet If the rise and fall at the coasts were
64S feet, Birmingham might be as great
seaport as Liverpool Three-quarters
tide would bring the sea into the streets
of Birmingham. At high tide there
would be about 150 feet of blue water
over our heads. Every house would
be covered, and the tops of few Chin
neys would alone indicate the site of the
town. tEf sfg,.a cs
In a few hours more the whole of this
vast flood would have retreated. Not
- L. ~ =
dry, but probably the Straits of Dover
would be drained, and perhaps even Ire
land would in literal sense become q
member of the United Kingdom. Afew
hours pass, and the whole of Englandis
again inundated, but only again to be
abandoned. ~
These mighty tides are the gift which
astronomers have now made to the work.
ing machinery of the geologist. They
constitute an engine of terrific power to
aid in the great work of geology. What
would the puny efforts of water in other
ways accomplish when compared with
these majestic tides and the great cur
rents they prodnceP
In the great primeval tides will proba-
bly, be found the explanation of what has
long been reproach to geology. The
early paleozoic rocks form stupendous
mass of ocean-made beds, which, accord
ing to Professor Williamson, are twenty.
miles thick up TO the top of the silurian
beds. 1t has long been . difficulty to
conceive how such gigantic quantity
of material could have been ground up
and deposited at the bottom of the sea.
The geologists said: .s The rivers and
other agents of the present day win do
it if you give them time enough. But,
unfortunately, the mathematicians and
the natural philosophers would not give
them time enough, and they ordered the
geologists to :. hurry up their phsnome-
ma. The mathematician had other
reasons for believing that the earth could
not have been so old as the geologists
demanded Now, however, the mathe-
maticians hare discovered the new and
stupendous tidal grinding-engine- With
this powerful aid the geologists can get
through their work in q reasonable
period Of time, and the geologists and
the mathematicians may be reconciled-
--Lcctssre By Professor Bal. of Englonds
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