Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-09-07
THE DEADLY UNDERT0W
$40 the FATAL CLASP or The GYtR
sreALrHY "seA Puss.'

,,or.-pow Ihey Are Produced aud
uov They Hsy ne Avolded-Adsies
,n,, surf nathers should Heed.
Tho mnny deaths by drowning on the |
v,y, Jersey coast have caused great |
~ Of discussion. Some attribute the
H., o, =, ng Brokaw to the presence Of
, sea puai" others say It was simply
:, ordinary undcrtow, while the con.
.-rvatiye claim that II was neither
The majority Of people do not know
a.. dlf,rcncc between tide and a cur.
,.r, hut believing the words to be syn
cny,nou, use them unfortunately. a
49, a the alternate rising and falling Of
tbe waters caused by the unequal attrac.
,ion of the sun aud moon. while cur.
~ a a moving " mass Of water
mai may or may not rise. but has only
~, direction. Currents are sometimes
moducod by strong winds, but generally
4, adiaorcnco Of level aud tho conngu.
niion Of the bottom.
The first thing 10 avoid Il the under
,o,g. which IL always strongest In water
,i5rt waist deep. II tho bathor would
vsniure GU. further OF remain nearer the
,sore he would escape the strength Of tho
rsJeftow. This disturbance Of tho water
h confined 10 no particular locality,
,bonqh II Is stronger IN some places than
IN Others, owing 10 the trund OF the
,bore II IL caused by tho rushing ont
A Inc water under tho surface after b.
ing thrown up on tho beach, and Is oil.
ways strongest In an angry surf Ono
nav Judge Of the strength Of the under.
low by the height Of tho waves Hs they
brsk and tho velocity which they im.
p,fi to objects along the beach
Tho explanation " tho undcftow Is
simple. The approaching waves have a
velocity depending upon tho strength Of
he wind. 50 have the reccding ones,
bat this u duo to gravity and depends
mon tho anglo Of inclination OF the
bach. Tho breakers. therefore. with
thoir greater velocity, run over tho top
Of the waves, while tho rcccding' water
keeps below.
lne DREADED "srA russ.-
rldlos arc simply partial currents
that tato an opposite direction 10 tho
partat stream. isid aro produced entirely
by the trend o. tho shore. Wherever
tiore u n recession Of the beach or
pocket rs IL "a called, there will b.
found ediics They arc Of no cousc-
qucnce, however, aud Of little or no dan
ger 10 tho bathcr.
We now como TO disturbance Of tho
water. tho very name Of which causes a
panic among bathgrs. The "sca puss'
haino place Ia physical geography, IN
fid,no scientist has dciaiod TO notice
ts phenomenon. Webster does no.
,r.n give definition Of II IN his un.
abridged dictionary In Tho Century q,
hdahncd AZ "a swirl Of the undcriow
making a small whirlpool on the surface
q tho water. n local outward current
dangerous 10 bathura Also called sea
Iouoo and sea purse"
How tho "sea puss" Is formed no scien
IL, states. but in APPLICABILITY It Is due
20 the same causes as the whirlpool, C
which IL Is closely allied. When two
currents, with different sets and drifts
meut ut point IN tho water, tho result
ant Is motion OF rotation, with diam
tieg aud velocity depending upon the
resistance with which Il meets. The
whirlpool or "sea puss' is given mo
ton OF Translation, which Il takes iron
tho stronger Of the two currents. Now
there Is often slight southcrly ourrcn
setting parallel 10 the fhorc along IN,
Jlncy and Logg Island coasts, Thi
sometimes meets another setting 20 tn
Westward aud no the union Of tho two j
formed tho "aea puss," which move
slowly 10 the southwark and eastward
OCEAN CURRENTS.
This westward current may be due u
strong winds, or TO % storm many mile
ont az sea. Ear away TO tho eastward
the water is piled up aud driven land
ward, where IL Is smooth aud undil
turbci In this way IL Is possible tina
tho "sea puss' may DO formed undo
c.oudess skies and ia unruillcd watoi
Should a bather be caught IA tho swirl
g % useless TO attempt TO swim again.
Il Tho wiser plan would DO TO keep hi
head above water and swim with Il
gradually nearing tho edge until i
i ont Of It's unwclcomo radius OF action
Professor Maury, formerly q licuteu
ant In tho United States navy, attribute
odshoro currents TO difference Ia III
temperature aud density Of sea water q
diHcrcnt places,
Another proof Of tho presence Of sui
murine currents Is tho fact that In a
deep sea soundings tho limo has nov,
yet ceased TO run ont even after the lea
ha, reached tho bottom. Should IL I
held ias, In tho hont 1t will inyuriabl
part, showing when two or three mil,
Of are out that the undercuuents az
sweeping against tho blight Of it wit
What seuncn call swinging force
and that no Irvine, however strong, III
~ been able 20 Withstand thiS
Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, whe
N command OF hor maicsty'a steal
iIigato friedcichstecn In the Mcdite
nucan, also made some important III
eoycries In this direction. In the arch
pelaso he found the counter currents
strong that they often prevented Il
steering OF his ship. In one instan,
Wien the water was very clear he 10,
end the lead with colored shgeds
bunting attached TO every yard, The
pointed In different directions all rour
the compass, w. Nephew King, Jr.,
New York Recorder
oaths In Oldcn Times.
The Roman oath OF oldcn times W
made with great solomnity and clabor
IUu Ia n,,,,.,, ,,,stl.t.tr,, I,,,, ,,.,.