Haupt.] 1 ' [Jan. 18. 1889. 



north to the south." He adds that, "the water, while it runs flood, is 

 loaded with sand ; but that, when it runs ebb, it contains little or none 

 of this matter." 



The action of the flood is to roll a floating body forward and lift it up, 

 carrying it in the direction of the flood and finally leaving it stranded at 

 high water. 



"Again, if a strong wind should arise to cause a heavy sea upon the 

 beach, the floating body will be thrown still farther on the shore." * * * 

 "If, during the ebb tide, a floating object be placed upon the water, out- 

 side of the line at which the sea breaks, it will be taken ofi", but if inside 

 the breakers, it will be cast upon the shore. From these facts it appears 

 that there is a mechanical action, by means of which the water, when in 

 contact with the shore, ejects the substances either floatiqg upon its sur- 

 face or held by it in suspension, and that the effect of the flood current is 

 to transport these substances and place them within the reach of this ac- 

 tion, and that of the ebb is to transport these substances beyond the reach 

 of this action. That is to say, what is called the law of deposit of the flood 

 tide may be divided into two distinct phenomena ; one of which is the 

 transporting power of the flood current towards and on to the shore ; the 

 other, the dynamical action of the water at the shore." 



"So, then, the inward tendency of the wave action on the shore ejects 

 or rejects the matters brought under its influence, and the transporting 

 power of the flood current bears them from place to place, bringing them 

 finally under this influence. And further, the projected particle will not 

 strike the beach perpendicularly to its length, but obliquely, so that it will 

 advance, as it rises on the shore ; and in this manner, also, the combined 

 action of the two forces leads to the accumulation of deposits in the direc- 

 tion of the flood tide." 



In the Memoirs, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (New Series, 

 Vol. iv), pages 138, et seq., the same author cites a number of instances 

 of wrecks along the south shore of Nantucket, and remarks: "In none of 

 the instances were anj' of the wrecked materials seen to the westward of 

 the spot where they first struck the island ; that is, in the direction of the 

 ebb. This is well known to be universally the case, so that wreckers 

 never go to the westward, but always to the eastward in searching for 

 floating articles. The fact is the more striking, that this course is opposed 

 to the violent north-east gales, the principal cause of loss to shipping. For 

 the preceding details I am indebted to Mr. Mitchell, of Nantucket, the 

 astronomer," and others. " But the characteristic action of the flood may 

 be observed with even greater distinctness on the eastern shore of Cape 

 Cod. There is a separation or split of the tides * * * and the tide 

 currents, at this place, appear to run on and oft' shore. Now, the materials 

 of vessels that are wrecked to the southward of the seat of division of the 

 tides are uniformly carried south, and are found inside of Chatham har- 

 bor or of Monomoy Point ; while vessels that are wrecked so far north as 

 to be within reach of the northern current of the flood have their eflecls 



