Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-10-09
THEHEIGHT OF WAVES.
The TaiIest Seas in the world Run on
Cape Horn.
London Telegraph

Many experiments have been made
to measure the height of waves in all
conditions of weather. One authority
goes as high as sixty-four feet and
another as low as five feet, giving 1t as
his reason that the penetrating power
of wind can not reach below that
depth. OF this philosopher 1t may be
presumed thathe was martyr to sea
sickness, and that he must have con-
tented himself with making his cal
culations in his ctudy. On the other
hand, q height OF sixty-four feet is
almost as absurd, though It is more IN
correspondence than five feet can
possibly be with our conception OF the
altitude of the majestic surges which
roll under the impulse of storms Of
wind along the surface of the great
oceans. 1t is true that the earthquake
wave has been known to rise sixty feet /;
vet surges of thus kiLd are happily
scarce, SINCE when they occur they
are not only in the habit of razing
whole towns upon the coast line
where they break, but OF carrying
some of the vessels they may encoun-
ter at anchor IN the neighborSood to
the distance of days work inland.
Practical experience, however, will
look with suspicion upon most of the
scientific theories touching the altl-
tude and velocity Of waves. Prof.
Airy's table couples speed with dimen'
sions, and, as a sample of his calcula'
tons, it may be shown that a wave of
] r 4 . .
the rate of 533. 80 feet per second III
water that is ten thousand feet deep.
This is possible, but it is difficult to &C
cept such conclusions as exact. AT all
events, there is nothing more decep-
tive than the height of waves. The
tailest seas in the world run off Cape
Horn, where, whether the wind blows
east or west, they have a holiday
ground within belt of s to 10 degrees
that compasses the globe without the
/ Intervention of a break of land. Any
man who has run, say, before strong
westerly gale round the Horn will
know the magnitude of the seas which
/ follow his ship. Viewed from the
stern when the vessel sinks in the
/ trough the on coming sea that is about
to underruu the ship and lift her soar
ing to the flying heavens will seem tC
have its rushing summit to the height
of the mizzen-top; but when the sum
nit is gained by the observer and the
waves viewed from there, it will then
be seen that those crests which from
the deck looked long way up, viii
now appear to be long way down
it is a common shore-golng phrase
that the seas run mountain high
The idea implied is not very generally
accented by sailors, though the tern
may be sometimes used by them fol
convenience. The truth is. if waves
we're as tall as they are popularity sup
posed to be, no ship could by any pos
sibility live in them. They are lofty
to the fancy, because at sea they ar,
usually surveyed from low freeboards
To spectator on steamer, with ;
six-foot height of side, an Atlantic o
| Pacific surge would necessarily appea
as a mountain as compared to the as
pect it would take from the deck OF al
old line-of battle ship, with a thirty
foot dip, or from oneof those lofty
glazed, and castellated structure
which IN former times took six month
to jog soberly from the Thames to tn
Hooghly.