The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-03-02
THE GROUND SEA.
A Peculiar Condition OF the Ocean
Which Wrecks Vessels in a Calm.

Which Wrecks Vessels in a Calm.
Many visitors to the coast at this
time of the year are sorcly puzzled
when "A bOatman either refuss to put
on from the shore, or at least 10 go
far from land, on "A day when there Is
no sign Of an approaching storm, and
the water is only moved by long and
gently rolling swell. Argument is Of
no avail, and II the old salt Is pushed
for a reason he will only reply with
some cryptogramic remark about the
ground sea" the questiOncr retiring
more bewildered than before.
II Is hard To understand how such n
gentle swell can presage danger. but
10 experienced eyes II gives "A warning
that must be needed All along the
west and parts Of the south coasts Of
England and ireland. as well as the
west coast Of Scotland, uncounted
tales are told Of ships which on a
calm day have been within a few
hours caught by a gentle roll Of water
and finally thrown on a rock-bOund
shore by the dreaded ground sea
To understand this curious marine
phenomenon IL must be borne In mind
that ont on the Atlantic waves are
often formed 10 height Of forty feet.
Driven before heavy gale. these ad-
vance at "a rate OF from thirty To forty
miles an hour. Travelling at such "a
rate they soon get out Of the wind
swept area. but even though, for
them, the storm is passed, they still
roll In fury, their undulations often
being felt five hundred miles from the
point Of their creation.
In the region Of the storms these
waves are fierce, breaking billOws,
but as they get further away they
settle down into long, rolling ridges
which travel onward In long unbrOk-
en- lines. perfectly parallel with each
other. Out on the open sea these
ridges often stretch out for distance
Of over thirty miles. and as they
travel In thrccs, each successive wave
being larger than It's predecessor, the
sight Is an imposing one. The fur
thcr the progress the smaller they be
come in height, but this Is compcnsat-
cd for by the fact that their motion Is
communicated To the mass Of water
below until the roll can be detected
fully fifty feet under the surface. This
gives them the name of ground sea.
In this popularity their danger lies
for when n bccalmed ship Is caught In
them her draught, the resisting power
that enables her to ride a storm, be-
comes the fulcrum which the liquid
mass uses 10 hurl her onward TO de-
struction. On "A calm day any sailing
craft caught in ground sea- near n
rocky shore is as good as lost unless
wind can spring up and enable her
To beat out 10 sea. Many ship has
met this fate. The reason many more
do not get lost Is due to the gentle
swell that so dcCcivcs a landsman
and warns n sailor.
As the ground sea" advances Il
pushes n certain amount of water be-
fore It. This also forms into ridges,
like its pursuor. but of less height and
approximately no depth. The false
sea" as 1t is called Is little more than
q rolling swell. but IL gives "A warning
OF from twenty minutes TO two hours
duration, enabling ship either to
run into port, get out to sea, or Sc
curely anchor: while at the seaside
resorts the bodtmcn run close to
shore. to the surprise of the trippers
When II is remembered that wave
twenty feet high, which is often at.
tanned by the ground sea strikes
with n force of one ton To the square
inch. the necessity for caution will be
recognized.
All waves that come I'm parallel
ridges. however, are not dangerous,
as there is n wind billow" that is
closely allied to the ground sea" in
appearance. wind pillows are due
to a heavy wind blowing but few
miles off the land, but rs they have
but comparatively short distance
to travel they have no depth. Consc-
qucntly. even n rowing boat is per.
fectly safe on them IL properly han
dled.-Pearson Weekly.