The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-31
TO STUDY THE TIDES.
The Government to Establish Tidal
Station at Savannah.

| Station at Savannah.
J. G. Spaulding. who has been here for
the last ten days making an examination OF
the available sites on which to establish q
tidal station, sent IN bis report Of three
points yesterday to the war department,
and an order will be received, it is thought,
within the coming week, directing the in.
spect n to one of the three sites and order
| ing work to begin at once. The first two
sites are COckspur island, above Fort Pu-
| laski and the mouth OF Lazaretto creek,
near the Tybee railroad bridge. The other
is at Tybee island light.
Mr.. Spaulding said that a station can be
established at Cockspur with less expense
| than ut Tybee, but the latter place is the more
| favorable Of the three, inasmuch as it is the
only one Of them whe Q ocean tides can be
ascertained The establishment of station
at Tybee, however. will cost almost double
the amount required to build station at
CockspIr, and he thinks that it is uncertain
whether the station will be established at
| Tybee.
There are only four stations along the
Atlantic coast and one or two on the Pa
cific. There are no 10 south of Sandy Hook
and the establishment of the station here
will represent the entire south Atlantic
coast.
The establishment Of the tidal stations is
to obtain record Of the mean low rise and
fall of the tide In order that this may bs
| done correctly and without interruption a
self-registering instrument is used. The
apparatus is supplied with sheet which is
allowed to remain in it until the end of each
month, when it IS removed and a monthly
statement based upon the figures
Of the sheet is forwarded to the department.
The apparatus Is adjusted so as to give the
| exact rise and fall of the tide at all hours Of
the day. A float is placed upon the water,
and attached to it by means Of n cord and
pulley is a PENCIL, which registers as the
float rises or falls. During the month sound
ings will also be taken and will be incorpo-
rated In the monthly report from the South
Atlantic coast states which will be used in
making charts and for various other pur-
poses.
The station will consist Of a house which
will be fitted up with office, etc,
for the agent, who will be required
to remain on duty TO record the
Savannah has never had a tidal station
before. Before the war Mr.. Spaulding
thinks station was in existence on the
South Atlantic coast, and that it was prob
ably located at Charleston. These stations,
he said, are established and remain in opsr-
alton for eighteen years After this time
the saros which is performed by the moon
is completed, and the stations are abolished.
Charts for any section can then be readily
made from the data furnished from a
station from that section, during the
time the station is in existence.
The stations now in existence are Sandy
Hook, N. j., Sancileto, Cal, and one on
the Alaska coast. Mr. Spaulding said that
he should Lave been down here before the
holidays to make the examination, but
sickness in his family prevented his coming
He thinks that if the department is prompt
about giving the order the station will be
in operation by summer.