The World of Science, Art and Industry Illustrated from Examples in the New-York Exhibition, 1853-54 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1854 Excerpt: ... to the single daily tides of Cat Island, and the imperfectly explained tidal anomalies of our Pacific Coast. So dissimilar are the characteristics and amounts of the tidal wave from point to point along our sea margins, that observations require to be multi'( plied so as to include not merely a few prominent points along shore, but all the important rivers, roads and harbors. It would be quite unsafe to interpolate tidal characteristics, since each locality produces its own special modifications on the great general tide wave, and requires a particular determination of its mean, greatest and least rise and fall of tide, and of its establishment. But as the most elaborate tidal study cannot be given to all harbors or important localities, the plan pursued is to select some principal points along the coast for permanent tide stations, at which regular observations are made through several years, so as to give in full detail the irregularities, with long intervals, and all the facts, great or small, of the tidal rise and fall. Other stations are occupied with tide gauges for limited periods of one or more lunations, either in connection with the sounding parties or independently, and the tidal characteristics are thence deduced approximately. A set of observations not covering at least one complete lunation, is insufficient for a strictly reliable result, though sounding parties are sometimes, especially in hydrographio reconnaissances, compelled to be content with the observations of a few days, from which the remainder of the tidal cycle is deduced by reduction and discussion, as well as is practicable. Tidal observations must, of course, be regularly made during all sounding operations, and the soundings must in turn be reduced to the standard plane of ref...