The weekly intelligencer., 1900-03-03
DANGER IN rHR GROUND SEA
Why sailors Refuse 90 &C 70 Sea.
Though Laaasnes See
No Danger.

\ Many visitors 10 the coast at this tina
OF the year are sorely puEzled when q
boairaan either refuses TO put OF from
shore or al mos; 70 60 far frum land or
q day when there Is no sign Of an ap-
proaehing storm and the water is only
moved By long and gently rolKnS
swell Argument ls Of no avail, snd II
the old salt is pushed for a reason be
VIII only reply with some eryptogramie
remark about "the ground sea- the
quesiioher then retiring more bew!l-
eered than before.
II Is hard TO understand how such
gentle swell can presage danger, but TO
experienced eyes 1t gives a warning
that must be heeded. An along the west
and parts Of the south coasts Of Eng
land and ireland a. wei As on the ives,
coast Of Scotland uneounted tales are
told OF ships which on perfectly calm
day have been within few hours frat
caught BY gentle roll Of the water and
finally thrown on a rock-bound coast
BY the dreaded ground sea-
NN-atoAe Nlis G1I4ols marine I
phenomenon it must be borne in mind Z
that out on the Atlantic wsv YES are often I
formed TO a height OF 20 feet. Driven /
before q heavy gale these advance At a
rAte Of from 30 to 20 miles an hour.
Travelling at sueh rate they soon get
out Of the wiDdswept area, but even
though, for them, the storm Is past
they Eiill roll on in fury. their unduIa-
ions often being felt 500 miles from the
point OF their creation.
In the region Of the storm these wave.
are heree, breaking binovSs. but as they
get farther away they settle down into
long, rolling ridges, which travel on
ward in long, uubroksn lines, perfectly
parallel with each other.
Out on the open sea these ridges
often stretch out for distance Of over
80 miles, and as they travel In threes,
each successive wave being larger than
It's Predecessor, the sight Is an lmpos-
ing one.
The farther they progress thesnaIler
hey become in height, but this is com
for by the fact that their mo-
dOn is communicated to the mass OF
water below, until the roH can be de-
.eeied fully 50 feet under the surface.
This gives them the name Of ground
Ies.-
In this Pecuharity their danger lies. |
or when a becslmed ship is caught In /
hem her draught. the resisting power I
hat enables her to ride out a storm. ,
'ecomes the fulerum which the LIQUID q
mass uses 10 hurl her on to destruction. '
On a calm day any sailing craft &
aught in the ground sea" near q '
ocky shore Is as good as lost uules. a v
'ind can spring up and enable her 10 .
eat out TO sea Many a ship has met 4
ms fate. The reason many more do =
OF get lost is due 10 the gentle swell {
bat 80 deeeivss iandsman end warns "
sailor. e
As the ground sea- advances II puS,. o
certain amount Of water before Il. o
bis also forms into ridges, like its pur- II
ler' but Of less height and approri-
istely no depth.
The false sea, As IL Is called. is little r
iore than a rolling swell. but 1t gives :.
warning Of from 20 minutes 10 two \,
ours duration. enabling a ship to =.
ther run Into port. get out 10 sea or
'curely anchor, while a, the seaside
sorts the boatmen run close IN shore. =.
the surprise Of the ~tripper.." =.
when IL Is remembered that a wave :.
feet high, which Is often attained by -
e ground sea-" strikes with a force ..
one ton to the square inch the neees. ~ -
y for caution viii be recognized. :, -
All wares that come In parallel ridges. =
,WeVer' are not dangerous, as there "a ~ ~
wind biiiow" that ia closely allied 10 1e