Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-26
TIDES THAT RAGE.


The highest ocean tide in the world
is IN the bay OF Fundy, where it has
been known CO rise eighty odd feet
The second highest tide is found at
the mouth Of the English river the
Severn.
The top of the Severn tide is at
Chepstow, and when there is a gale
behind a spring tide a rise OF nine
teen feet seven inches has been OBJ
served within a single hour. The re-
suit Of this is a ''bore," a tidal wave
which sweeps up the wide channel at
more than ten miles an hour and
swallows the bare sands under a wild
tumble of turbulent waves.
The cause of the gigantic Severn
tide is interesting. 1t is not entirely
due to the rapid narrowing and shall
lowing of the Bristol channel, but Is
chiefly caused by the fact that two
tides enter the Severn simultaneously.
The crest of the tide which runs into
the Irish channel meets at the mouth
of the Bristol channel another wave,
twelve hours older, which has come
round the north of Ireland. These
two together run up the Severn.
A tide almost equal to that of the
Severn is seen in the bay of Mount
st. Michael, on the French coast. At
low tide carts drive across from La
Vendee TO the Isle of Noirmoutien; at
high tide big ships sail across the
road.
In stories of adventure one some
times reads Of the tide racing in over
the sands faster than a man can run.
This actually happens in the bay of
Mount st. Michael.
At low tide there lies before one q
wide plain of sand $50 square miles in
extent, in the center of which rises
the huge black mass of St NIichaers
mount The tide turns, and one sees 1t
rushing in edged by a line of white.
A liquid mass estimated at 1,47OOOO.-
100000 Of cubic yards comes pouring
into the bay and in a very few hours
covers the whole great plain. The
distance between ebb and food marks
in the bay is nearly seven miles.
Centuries ago all this desolate gulf
was a wide stretch of fertile land, pro-
tected on the seward side by tall
sand hills. A great tide with a heavy
gale behind 1t burst through the bar
riers and stole 10000 acres of farm
and pasture.
While the French side of the Eng
lish channel is daily visited by i'm
mense tides, England's side has COM
paratively small ones, and from Poole
h0r fn fhn ell Of 10
peculiar phenomenon of double tides
is seen. These are caused by the in
terruption of the tidal wave by the
Isle of Wight.
All over the world we find the tides
playing the queerest pranks. At the
port of Panama, on the Pacific end Of
the Panama canal, you may watch
tide of twenty-three feet rise and fall
Less than forty miles away, at the
Atlantic end of the big cut. there is
practically no tide at all.
We have spoken of the "bore" in the
Severn. Imposing sight as this is, it is
child's play compared with the tidal
wave which rushes up the enormous
estuary of the Amazon.
This rush of water, which. by the
way, makes a terrific roaring sound,
comes In three successive waves, each
about ten feet high, and vessels navi-
eating the estuary are in as great
danger as when they are overtaken by
storm In the open sea.
The Ganges has a dangerous bore
at high springs, and the "mascaret"
on the river Seine is also a source
OF peril to small craft.
The force of the currents or races
produced by tides penned in narrow
channels must be seen to be believed.
Every one has heard of the famous
maelstrom off the Norwegian coast.
the terrible whirlpool which was sup
posed to drag down ships and grind
them to pieces against the rocks at the
bottom. The whirlpool as such does
not exist, but the tide race between
Moskol island and its next neighbor
is almost as dangerous as the revolv-
ing eddy of the fable.
The sea here Tushes through a rock
walled channel at more than ten miles
an hour. A sailing vessel caught in
this race is perfectly helpless, and
steamer must have uncommonly good
engines to drive her way through 1t.
Between Jura and Scarba Islands, on
the west coast of Scotland, is a tidal
race which for speed and fury holds
a worlds record. The native name
for this race is Coirebhreacain. 1T
orally "ealdron Of the spotted seas"
Here the tide runs at no less than
twelve and a half miles an hour. and
when the wind is over the tide the
whole strait becomes actually a boil
ing. foaming caldron, into which no
craft Of any kind could venture with
out certain disaster
In December, 1902, an easterly gale
created enormous difficulties for the
shipping at Hamburg. 1t took the wa
ter right out of the Elbe. and where |
vessels drawing twenty-five feet had
been accustomed to move easily there
was not water enough to Goat those |
drawing fifteen feet. All the large |
steamers in the port were stranded, |