Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-02-07
TIDES MEASURED
FOR YEARS AHEAD
PREDICT WITH CRANK

Washington. D. c., Feb. 6-(Spec-
ial to the kennebec JournaD-Time
and tide wait for no man. nor do the
scientists of the United States Coas
and Geodetic Survey, in Washington,
wait for the tides. BY means of the
only machine Of its kind in the
world the tide for Augusta. for in
stance, is already predicted for 1926
ana all skeptics are invited to COM
pare the prediction with their actual
observations on March l, 1926, if
they care to wait that long. For Au-
Susta, high tide will be at 407 A. NJ.
and AT p. NJ. and low tide at 1884
A. NJ. and 11.57 p NJ. High water
will measure AZ feet and "A feet re-
spectively. while low water will
measure 90 feet and o. foot re-
spectively, above mean low water.
AS far as that is concerned. scien-
lists of the Coast and Geodetic Sur
vey can turn a few dials. set a Num-
Der Of complicated looking screws,
jot some figures down on paper, turn
u crank and predict the time and
height of high and low tide for any
port in the world a thousand years
hence, and come within a fraction of
an inch of being correct. Being cor
rect is one of the main things the
Coast and Geodetic Survey is noted
for. Mistakes might mean loss OF
life and many thousand dollars
worth of property.
To explain the tide predicting ma
chine to the layman would be like eX-
pounding the Einstein thory TO a
moron for it took many years to build
it and each year meant endless cal
culations and study by men who had
devoted their lives to learning the
law of the tides and their relation to
the sun. moon, winds and old mother
earth herself. In appearance the tide
predicting instrument is something
of a cross between a threShinS ma
chine and a radio set, il one can
recognize the picture. But it re-
sembles nothing. in reality, so much
as the tide predicting machine. 1t is
made OF shiny brass and blued steel,
with coSs, pulleys. dials, and fine,
flexible chain, which ran over a hun
dred thousand miles in an oil bath TO
give it pliability before it was placed
on the machine.
The tide predicter sets dials on this
machine which represent the 81
component parts of Il tidal wave. and
facing an instrument board which
resembles on a larger scale that of
an automobile turns a crank. The
machine does the rest. Dials auto
matical!N turn to the day OF the
month, time and height of high and
low water. while a pen husily traces
On paper an exact replica. drawn TO
scale of the tide wave as il will ap-
pear at that future time. So accu"-
ate is the machine that its predtc-
tons have been compared with &C
tual observations and found to dlffer
BIZ the smallest fraction.
The machine represents the work
of two Of the Surveys scientists. DIR.
K. A. Harris. chief matthew; tician,
now dead and DR.. T.. G. Fletcher, me-
chanical engineer. who recently re-
tired after long years with the gov
eminent at salary which would
make a bricklayer laugh in disdaln.
Tide predicting is only one of the
invaluable services rendered every
year BY the Coast and Gcodetic
Survey to thousands Of mariners.
Thu tides are published Il year in &C.
vance. printed in book form and
made available to any one who sails
the seas or has to do with harbor
facilities in any port. In addition,
the Survey is responsible for the
charts that guide shippers up and
down tie long coast line of the Uni
tod States or into its countless har-
bors. Mapping. for the first time
the famous inside route to Alaska
which will aid in the development
of that vast territory by allowing big
steamers to reach its ports-is one
Of the recent and important tasks
completed by the survey.