New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-01
THE WAYS or THE SALT "Ai D1''
HOW THE COMPLICATED BEffA' iOA,
THE TIDES AND THE MOON fu%AAN
AN INLAND MAN

An Intelligent Young man who Is lnlahu o'N'
,,a Lrou,e some nurture and. moreover mas
u,od for eome wears in New-York CITY, mas 'u9'
discovered the Atlantic Ocean. The true loNe''
30 tbe sea are usually those who have hveo io',7
beside II or upon It, but it has many warm
mirers among those whose Acquaintance
II Is late and brief. This young man 10 ~
these He has gone to live for the summer d.
place close to it and within easy rea'" - ~
business in New-York.
Not beinr selfish about It. the young man
dav or two ago asked a friend 10 come uo""
and visit him on "A Sunday and Try 'he s."
bathing which is important part vi inc ~
covery. But l am sorry to say" ne saiu' 'h"'
we have to do our bathing at rather inco"
veniant hour on account Of the tide Ihere ISL
enough water at low tide. unless you 30 aoou'
ta,f milo ont and high tide isn't till about or
q o'clock
Az this was Monday and the visit was not to
no made till Sunday. the friend. who was
native Of the seaboard thought that he de-
tected inexperience "Do YOU mean," he ASKED
chat If is high tide at or 6 o'clock now' or
that it will be next Sunday
"Wbv. what's the difference" said the III
lander do YOU suppose we have high tide ar
ranged for a different hour on Sundays
81 am not familiar with the place. the ola
coast dweller said. and | don't know What ar
rangements you are making at ALL put VIII
venture to say that If 1t is high tide at VI
o'clock to-day it will be high tide next sunday
not far from the middle Of the day.
"NeII IL YOU don't know much about the
Mace YOU had better wait till you do. nave
been there and tell you high tide is about D
ppm not denying that it at o'clock yes
,erday. and | don't pretend to know anything
about the place but have noticed some Things
about tides and one Of them is that high 'l'e
comes as rule somewhere in the neighpor-
hood Of an hour later each day than IL did the
day before"
"Weu Won do know lot don't you? 1t strikes
me that by your own theory high TIDE next sun
day would be in the middle or the hleht' III
stead of the middle of the day
The feeling manifest in the conversation was
GRADUALLY becoming strained. "Oh, and how
many high tides a day do you have down where
you live?"
1--WE feel ohat we can denend on one every day
said the inlander with an icy tone Of sarcasm
"Ah, then you are favored to that extent!
But can assure you that II is the only place on
the coast that does not have two, about twelve
hours apart, and | snail count on finding one
next Sunday in the middle Of the day. Blythe
way. what do you think is the difference in the
depth of water at high and low tide?
About nine feet" said the inlander.
"Ah, But it was a spring tide that you
noticed was II not?'
mo it was a summer tide. Only yesterday
it was that way.
oh thunder Why don't you go up to the
Astor Library and read the encyclopedia be-
fore you try to lecture about tides? The oppo-
site of spring tide isn't summer or a fall tide;
it's a neap tide. The ~pring' tide is the tide
that comes at the moon or the full moon,
and its rise and fall much greater than that
Of the neap tide which comes at the nrst and
last quarters of the moon. The encyclopedia viii
tell you why.
well since you know all about it, perhaps
YOU can tell what kind of a tide there will be
next Sunday which will be the second quarter
of the moon
There is a new moon now; next Sunday viii
be about the first quarter; there will be neap
tides"
"Th, first quarter? Isn't the moon new now,
and won't ii be full two weeks from now?
Yes; what of it?"
Then won't it be haf-full a week from
noW?'
Yes what of that?'
And doesn't it take two quarters TO make a
half?"
Yes when you are talking about vulgar frac-
lions. but you seem to have a special kind Of
tides What does your moon do after it passes
the full? Does il go right on 70 its fifth, sixth,
seventh and eighth quarters?
ooh, | don't know what 1t does I get all
mixed up these tides and things You see
brought up on fresh water"
Yes, l should think you We're. Why didn't
your parents ever think Of trying milk