Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-16
OCEAN WAVES.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT The
FORCE or THE AGITATEO SEA.
Eject of the Velocity md Continuance
OF the neutrality-suspicious. with
Waves and Their Results.
New York Sun.l

ness OF ocean waves, although long wen
known by "those who 90 down to the
sea in ships," have never been more
forcibly brought to the attention of lands
men than during the past winter. The
reports Of shipmasters engaged in the
North Atlantic trade prove conclusively
that the winter of 1ss9-90 was marked
by more violent gales and more tire;
mendous seas than any other winter OF
which We have any record.
1t IS well known 10 seamen that about
the nastiest open ocean waves IN the
world are in the Gulf Stream, to the
southwark OF the Banks, where the cur
rent opposes them when they come from
the East. The current seems to make
them narrower and sleeper. The size OF
wave is nothing to a sailor, provided
1t IS broad enough on the base and
has sloping instead of steep sides.
The largest waves to be found are of
the Cape of Good Hope, where at
times there are not half-a-dozen
swells to the mile, but they were not at
all dangerous compared with such sea,
for instance, as was encountered 10y the
steamer Glamorgan in her passage from
Liverpool to Boston few years ago.
The steamer was noted for her structural
strength, but she WAS boarded during a
gale by one wave that tore OF her iron
bulwarks rs il they were made Of card
board, carried away her boats, broke
away the whole side Of the iron house
on deck, tore of matches, filed the hold,
and made her a complete wreck.
The Scythia, i'll a voyage to Boston
last January, made during twenty-four
hours 307 miles by the indicated reyolu-
ton Of the screw, but, in fact, she made
only eighty-six miles ahead, owing to the
propeller being almost constantly out OF
the water while the vessel WIS riding the
enormous seas. In the same gale the
Sandman, from Portland to Liverpool,
shipped sea that tore from its fasten-
ings her heavy iron smoke-stack, flood
ed the fireroom, and put out the fires,
smashed all her boats but one, and kill
ed three men. In the same month the
steamship Rhynland, from Antwerp for
New York, was boarded by one sea that
smashed five of her boats, her wheel
house, and her portrait. Another sea
fell on deck. smashing three more boats,
carrying away the rail, breaking the
heavy iron turtleback, and disabling the
steering gear. The Italia was struck by
a sea that snapped OFF two blades OF her
propeller as though they were pipe-stems.
DISABLED on TIE OCEAN.
Half the steamers that crossed tho
North Atlantic in the past winter had
10 put into Halifax for fresh supply OF
coal and several were obliged to burn
their boats, spars, buiwarks, and even
portions of their cargo TO reach port
Many Of them with their bows pointed
10 the sea and their powerful engines
going at full speed. could not make
any Roadway against the tremen-
dous force OF the waves and wind. Many
were obliged to put back to Liverpool,
as during days and weeks of battling
with the waves they could make no
| headNay against them. In several
cases the crews refused TO do duty unless
the captain would put back to port
Some were actually set back by the ele-
ments, in spite OF their efforts TO drive
against them others were only saved
from laundering by lying-to and using
| oil, and others were overwhelmed IN
their terrible battle with the awful seas,
and went down.
Perhaps the influence of the tides on
the waves is nowhere more clearly
shown than on the coasts Of Scotland.
In the long, narrow bays that indent the
coasts the tides have very rapid cur
rent. No boat can live there in ii gale
that is running contrary to the tide.
| There is theory that the tides
are the cause of very strik-
ing pecuiiarity OF the waves IN
storm. 1t has been noticed that after
series of moderately high waves
have passed q ship she will encounter
three in succession which are conspicu-
ously large. Then there will be a longer
J or shorter period of comparatively mode
rate waves, followed by three more very
large ones, and So on. Some sailors be-
lieve that tides or currents tripping up
the waves bring them together until they
unite in those enormous swells that carry
havoc on their crests. In support Of
this is cited case at Peterhead HarbOr,
on the English coast.
Ov9r thirty years ago there was a great
crowd OF people down near the beach
one day watching the swells come In
from the severest storm on record at the
time. About two hours before high
water three tremendous waves rolled III
and breaking on the beach carried away
3l5 feet OF great bulkhead built niue
and half feet above high water OF the
spring tides. One piece Of the wall
weighing thirteen tons was car
RED fifty feet. Two hours exactly after
high tide three more waves came in of a
similar character, but they did less dam
age. This was the first case on record
in which the formation of the big seas
was connected with the time OF the
tides, but similar observations have been
frequent since then.
1t is on record that the waves of the
| German ocean once broke III two q solid
column of freestone 30 feet high and II
feet in diameter at the base. The di-
ameter at the place Of fracture was III
/ feet. AT lhe Top OF DOiuu pAciLy VI
Whalsey, in Zetand. the waves have
broken out OF their beds, which are 81
feet above the level of The sea, blocks OF
stone weighing from eight 10 ten tons.
Smeaton, in his history of the Eddystone
lighthouse, says. III referring to the
power Of waves, that controlling these
powers Of nature is subject to no calcu-
lation."
LIKE A HERCULES.
at Port Sonachan, in England, where
the :" fetch "of the waves, or the breadth
Of the water over which they travel, IS
but fourteen miles, block of stone
| weighing fourth of ton was torn out
OF a solid stone stairway leading from a
landing. 1t was then rolled over and
over. IL such effects are obtained under
such circumstances, what must be the
force which Atlantic steamers have to
encounter? But for the enormous
strength OF the modern steamer, and the
fact that she rarely receives the full i'm
pact OF the wave, few steamers could
hope to withstand the tremendous power