26 



FLOOD TIDE. 



(A.) Flood Tide with no Wind. — In this case the tide has 

 merely to overcome the descending river current. During the 

 early part of the flood tide the tidal current on the bottom of the 

 river goes up and the river current on the surface goes down. As 

 the strength of the tidal current increases the river current grows 

 weaker and weaker and is finally overcome and obliterated. 



{B.) Flood Tide zvith Southerly Wind. — This combination 

 results in a very high "tide." The salt water coming in from the 

 Gulf creeps along the bottom of the pass while the downward cur- 

 rent of the river is retarded, or even reversed by the wind. If the 

 wind is sufficiently strong and continues long enough the "tide" 

 may rise for a much longer time than is theoretically normal. 



(C.) Flood Tide zvith Northerly Wind. — When this condition 

 obtains the upper river current is very strong depending on the 

 strength of the wind, and the actual rise of the tide is lessened. 

 Indeed if the wind is very strong the tidal current may be unable 

 to overcome the combined efforts of river and wind currents and 

 the tide mav fail to rise, or mav even fall. 



EBB TIDE. 



{A.) Ebb Tide zvithout PVind. — Under these circumstances a 

 strong current, compounded of a receding tidal current and the 

 river current, flows down the pass into the gulf. 



[B.) Ebb Tide zvith Northerly Wind.—li at the time of ebb 

 tide a strong northerly wind is blowing an irresistible current flows 

 into the Gulf. Not only is it impossible to row against it, but on 

 many occasions the headway of the water driven by tide, river, 

 and wind, is so great, that the "tide" may fail to rise for several 

 days. 



(C.) Ebb Tide zvith Southerly Wind.—li the ebb tide meets 

 with a head wind the current due to the receding tide and river 

 currents strives for mastery over one driven in the opposite di- 

 rection by the wind. Ordinarily the 'tide falls slightly but if the 

 wind current is sufficiently strong this may overcome both the 

 tidal and river currents, and the tide may rise when theoreticallv 

 it ought to fall. Under the influence of strong southerly winds 

 the tide may rise for a day. 



What is known as the "tide" in Calcasieu Pass is therefore 

 very complicated, and of the three factors which determine it, the 



