Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-07-04
HE DEADLY UNDERTOW
AND THE FATAL CLASP OF THE EVER
sTEALTHY SEA pUss.p

dangerous Ocean Currents Along the
shore-How They Are Produced and
HOW They May BE Avoided-Adv,c.
That Surf Bathers Should Heed.
Inc many deaths by drowning on the
New Jersey coast have caused great
deal OF discussion. Some attribute tba
loss Of young Brokaw to the presence Of
sea puss;' others say it was simply
an ordinary undertow. while the con-
sentative claim that it was neither
The majority Of people do not know
the difference between tide and chr.
rent, but believing the words to be syn
onymous, use them Unfortunately. A
tide is the alternate rising and falling of
the waters caused by the unequal attrac.
ton OF the sun and moon, while cur.
rent is q moving of mass of water
tnat may or may not rise, but has only
one direction. Currents are sometimes
produced BY strong winds, but generally
by difference of level and the configu.
ration Of the bottom
The first thing to avoid is the under.
tow, which is always strongest in water
about waist deep If the bather would
venture out further or remain nearer the
shore he would escape the strength of the
undertow This disturbance Of the water
is confined to no particular locality.
though it is stronger in some places than
IN others, owing to the trend of the
shore 1t is calsed by the rushing out
OF the water under the surface after be-
ing thrown up on the beach, and is al
ways strongest in an angry surf. One
may judge Of the strength Of the under
tow by the height of the waves as they
break and the velocity which they i'm
part to objects along the beach
The explanation of the undertow is
simple. The approaching waves have
velocity depending upon the strength of
the wind. So have the receding ones,
bu. this is due to gravity and depends
upon the angle Of inclination of the
beach. The breakers, therefore, with
their greater velocity, run over the top
of the waves. while the receding water
keeps below.
THE DREADED SEA PUSS.
Eddies are simply partial currents
that take an opposite direction to the
parent stream, and are produced entirely
by the trend of the shore Wherever
there is recession of the beach or
pocket" as it is called, there will be
found eddies. They are of no conse-
quence, however, and of little or no dan
ger to the bather,
We now come to a disturbance of the
water, the very name of which causes a
panic among bathers The ''sea puss'
has no place in physical geography; in
fact, no scientist has deigned to notice
this phenomenon Webster does not
even give definition of it in his I'M
abridged dictionary. In The Century it
is defined as "a swirl of the undertow
making small whirlpool on the surface
of the water; local outward current
dangerous to bathers. Also called sea
pouce and sea purse"
How the ''sea puss" is formed no scien
fist states, but in all probability it is due
to the same causes as the whirlpool, tt
$ which it is closely allied When two
! currents, with different sets and drifts
meet at point in the water, the result
ant is motion of rotation, with diam
eter and velocity depending upon the
resistance with which it meets. The
! whirlpool or ''sea puss" is given a mo
I ton of translation, which it takes from
the stronger of the two currents. Nov
e there is often slight southerly curren
g setting parallel to the shore along tn
=, Jersey and Long Island coasts. Thi
t sometimes meets another setting to tn
: westward and at the union Of the two
/ formed the sea puss,' which move
y slowly to the southwark and eastward
T OCEAN CURRENTS,
e This westward current may be due t
e strong winds, or to storm many mile
s out at sea. Far away to the eastward
S the water is piled up and driven LAND
s ward, where it is smooth and undl'
: turbed. In this way it is possible tina
: the "sea puss' may be formed unde
# cloudless skies and in unruffied watel
:; Should a bather be caught in the swir
r it is useless to attempt to swim agaln'
e it. The wiser plan would be to keep h
q mead above water and swim with
4 gradually nearing the edge until b
Y is out of its unwelcome radius OF actor
: Professor Maury, formerly lieuteI
:, ant in the United States navy, attribute
/, offshore currents to a difference in til
|, temperature and density OF sea water
r different places.
8 Another proof of the presence OF SUI
s marine currents is the fact that in
q deep sea soundngs the line has new
e vet ceased to run ont even after the lea
o has reached the bottom. Should II
held fast in the boat it will invarlab
part, showing when two or three mil
of it are ont that the undercurrents a
n sweeping against the blight of it vii
|, what seamen call swinging force
< and that no Irvine, however strong, h
"a vet been able to withstand this
e Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, wht
y in command of her maJestys stea
lie f,;oate Friedcichsteen in the Medlte
Ii ranean, also made some important a
lie roveries in this direction. In the arcf
re nelago he found the counter currents
er strong that they often prevented e
re steering of his ship In one instan
y when the water was very clear he To-
X cred the lead with colored shreds
lie bunting attached to every yard Inc
noiuted in different directions all roui
o. the compass-W. Nephew King Jr''
r New York Recorder.
at
+ truth Cost Him His Pulpit.