The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1906-12-31
HEIGHT OF WAVES.

"A great AtldHllc QlSpOILlHS
self on top of between 1000 and 5000
fathoms of water, will completely
change it's character on coming into
snallower soundings. The drift is cur
tailed and the crest becomes peaked
up.
Near the Eddystone lighthouse, where
the depth sleeps within the rance of
but a few miles from 200 fathoms to
800 fathoms, the sea has been known to.
heap up into a solid wall of green water
to a height of more than 100 feet. Such
a procession of pillows bearing down
upon the famous lighthouse leaves
nothing but it's lantern visible above
their frothing ridges.
The expression green water or
green sea- by the way, is used to
denote the actual wave body, as dis
tinguished from the spray which 1T
may throw up on the breaking. Thus
the celebrated St. Helena rollers meas
ure no more than about Is feet of green
water, but on bursting they will fling
their crystalline showers to a height
of substantially over 100 feet.
THE SHIPS THAT SINK.
What becomes of the ship that sinks
in midocean? If it is of wood 1t takes.
in the first place, considerable time for
it to reach the bottom. In 100 or more
fathoms of water quar,er of an hour
Will elapse before the ship reaches bot
tom. 1t sinks slow and when the bot
ten is reached it falls gently into the
soft, cozy bed, with no crash or break
ing.
OF course, if it is laden with pig iron
or corresponding substances, or if 1T is
an iron ship, it sinks rapidly and some,
times strikes the bottom with such
force as to smash it to pieces.
Finally the ship is so laden with
heavy incrustations. corals, sponges
and barnacles that, if wood, the creak-
ing timbers fall apart and slowly but
surely are absorbed
Iron vessels are demolished more |
quickly than those Of wood, which may /
last for centuries. The only metals /
that withstand the chemical action of /
the waves are gold and platinum, and }
glass also seems Observation-Disclosures
sun
VITAL INTEREST TO OCEANIC co.
of vital interest to the future of the
Oceanic Steamship Company is the ac-
ion of Congress on the proposed ship
bill, by which companies run
ling steamships engaged in foreign
will be realty benefited, says
he San Francisco Commercial, Were
he proposed bill.as at present construc-
ed. without eliminations or amend
nents. to become law, the Oceanic
would be benefited, it is said, by about
211 200 a wear. This amount would
% far toward making up the present
eficit and add immensely to the value
f the securities. which, when last sold,
rought SOL; the value of the common :
took is merely nominal, probably not ,
lore than $3.50 could be had for the ,
100 share if put upon the market to- :
ay. The payment of a subsidy would :
timulate the company to energetic eff {
orts to increase. its traffic and to trans
orm the permanent loss to its income
ccount into a surplus. and. possibly,
How resumption of dividends.
The steamship Sosoma is now on her
-ay to port, and ought to arrive on the
7th inst. in a thoroughly renovatedIi
with boilers and machinery
the best possible shape, and the pas
enger accommodations improved to an
xtent that will add greatly to the
Dmfort of travellers.
The Ventura is again in commission