The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-15
Mystery Of Lake Tides.

Of t,tdI waves on the great lakes are not
"a ""IDulInon occurrence" said am old
Lake Erie skipper to "a writer for the
Ne" 10TH sun, and although npeteoro-
io7Ii"I experts have for more than a hun
uo oa'S lIlcd 10 study out their cause.
we uVh Know any more about il nov,
lhan they dit at the time the great we
~ suddenly on Lake Eric. off ROckport
ant destroyed Colonel Braslstrcct's Meet
~. w., 4'gl; That was the first tidal
80 'li uIt ldkcS that we have any re-
coId OF. have seen many Of fhese
S"as,hes as We call them on the LAKES.
,ht ast one about ten years ago. when
IIsyy-, 'sG,oyH was swept high and dry at
-,'' 'tIhi'S by wave that seemed 10
| RS ON me lake like some monster marine
| animal coming from the DEPTHS TO tho
sur ,.. ace. we could see 1t rushing toward
fror+ ' tn, d""yi II came with boiling
! H"Ht zen rect nigh. Kissing like loud ce-
| sdpihE steam as IL swept toward us. That
| rs % j cuildr thing about the lake tidal
! M ~ ih'y 90 not come with roar.
! TX the ocean surf but with a loud hiss
! iHP s"uhl. and there is only one instance
ON record where they are either accom-
panied or followed by strong winds. That
| one Instance was at Toledo i'm Dec. 1S5s
| when the wind, which had been blowing
! sun OIL fhOre suddenly whirlcd into a
| moving nor easter. and as quick as tho
cH'nse ln the "ind that wave leapcd out
| OF the lake and came hurllng unon the
! shore wild and angry mass. eight feet
! hlEn. in every other recorded occurrence
| OF these mysterious freaks Of the lake
Ndi'IS me surface Of the lake has been
Copublc.
such was the condition when that big
wave attacked us at Port stanley. swamp
ing my schooner and drowning one Of NV
men. The WAYS recoded as fast as il had
rushed In and the lake in less than ten
minutes was as smooth as a mirror.
Within the next hour there were four
more SWashes each one of less force and
volume, until the last was scarcely more
than a ripple. Almost the first Thing I
remember, Tor ! was but years old at the
ulnc, was one of these tidal waves. IL
appeared early I'm the spring on the Cana
ga shore off Otter Creek There was a
piece OF woods there then with q long
SirelCh OF beach between IL and the lake.
MN father had thirty-fye-ton schooner
lying off the shore half a mile or more.
me water was dead calm. when. with
out warning Of any kind. wave lifted IT,
sen rom the bosom Of the lake. probably
a mile ana half ont. and swept shore
Wari with its mighty hiss My mother and
! were with father ON his schooner AS
that SWash came rushing upon us il
seemed 10 me as II the leapins foam az It's
"hlle crest was higher than the schOoners
nasts. but ! know now that they were
not more than twelve feet high. The
wave was nigh enough and strong enough.
though 70 sweep the schooner ashore as
II II had been a cookie she'll and across
that stretch OF beach into the woods. |
where 10 was left among the trees. a hope |
less wreck. I'm ten minutes the lake WIS |
lar wave appeared at Kettle Creek. TWEEN |
~ miles from Otter Creek and tumbled |
all sorts Of lake craft ashore.
Il guess the greatest tidal wave ever |
seen on any Of the lakes was the one Or. |
roster and his party of VOyagcrs saw ON |
Lake superior, between Copper Harb0r |
ana Eagle River. That was III August. |
lNl" MS sWash was more than twenty !
feet nigh and, Ike all OF its kind. sprung
suddenly from the lake at dead calm 10
was quarter OF a mile distant from Or.
Rosters boat, which. when the disturb
ancc began, was directly in the path Of
the wave. II was crested with foam and |
curled over Ike a mighty ocean surge. Be
fore reaching the boat, however. the wave
turned so that rs nearest extremity swept |
past II at distance OF nifty feet. the
water between that extremity and the
boat being scarcely rufiled by the Influence
OF the rushing tide. The wave was only
half a mile from shore. but. notWithstand-
ing its great size and velocity. 10 never
reached there. The same mysterious ca
price that caused n 10 change its course |
ana pass harmlessly by the vessel seemed |
10 seize 1t once more. ana # sank rapidly
rom ITS great height as n approached the
shore and struck the beach with no more
'oIc" or rise OF water than might have
ONE from the wash y passing vessel |
IL remember a notable swash on Lake
Michigan at the mouth Of the Men0mucc |
Ihdt one appeared in April. lSlN. and
,lshed INTO the river with such tremen-
l1us force ana volume that IL upset the
cry boat on the MauOminee. The recur-
cnt oscillations Of these swash.s are
lsually OF decreasing size and force, but
bis one on the Menominee wasn't that
lind. The cbb Of this tide was just as
uiden as its flow. bat in n few minutes
{ WAS followed by another wave much
anger than the first one and the ebb Of
he second swash was followed by ave
ull larger than the second. That seemed
p satisfy the mood of the lake at Mcn0m-
zee that day, and. with the receding Of
be- third wave. calmncSs even unWOnted
revailed on its bosonm. The time bet
cen the coming Of the first wave and the
ceding Of the third was less than twenty
he tidal waves s. that they are entirely
cal In their influence swash. even OF
De- greatest force and height may not
feet more than a mile Of lake front The
alter at either end OF them being unlis-
rbed beyond that distance. They always
'me in from the open water