APPENDIX D cm 



Leading Charactrrisfics of flic Current. — The following notes are 

 given in the endeavour to summarize these. They refer to the currents 

 at an ofïing of 3% to 15 miles from shore, on the routes usually taken 

 by steamships; and they are not intended to include the currents among 

 the islands and shoals nearer shore. (1) The currents are predomin- 

 antly tidal in their character, running strongly during flood and ebb 

 in the two directions, which are usually opposite. Any veering or set 

 in a cross direction, occurs only when the current is weak. At the 

 points farther from shore, the current veers more in turning and does 

 not reverse its direction so promptly. (2) From Cape Sable westward 

 to the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, the time of slack water has a 

 definite relation to the tide at St. John, N.B. It can, therefore, be 

 found from the St. John tide tables by means of constant time- 

 differences. (3) At half-tide, flood and ebb, the direction of the 

 current at each station is constant; and its maximum strength corre- 

 sponds with the range of the tide at St. John. In this region the 

 moon's distance, as it varies from perigee to apogee, alters the strength 

 of the currents quite as markedly as the change from springs to neaps 

 with the moon's phases, (4) While the behaviour of the current is 

 very regular and constant at any definitely fixed point, it is specially 

 to be noted that a change in position of even a few miles may make a 

 marked difference in its character. This difference is chiefly in the 

 strength and in the time of slack water, and not so much in the 

 direction. (5) Almost everywhere the current is as strong down to a 

 depth of 30 fathoms as it is on the surface, and at most places it turns 

 in direction on the surface and below at practically the same time. (6) 

 This has an important bearing on wind disturbance, as it shows that 

 the current will soon regain its normal direction and strength after a 

 storm moderates. (7) There is no general movement of the water in 

 any one direction in this region, which is at all well marked; nor did 

 the temperature of the water give any definite indication of this. 



Wind Disturlance. — One of the accessory advantages of under- 

 current observations is shown by the important bearing which the 

 depth of the under-current has on the qne^^tion of wind disturbance. 

 As the current maintains the same strength -as on the surface to a depth 

 of 30 fathoms, it will regain its strength and direction very 

 quickly if disturbed by heavy winds. It is not probable the wind is 

 ever able to reverse these strong tidal currents, as. it has been found 

 even in regions where the currents are much weaker, that the disturb- 

 ance is seldom felt to a deptli of more than 10 fathoms. It requires 

 a long continued wind from one direction to affect this depth ; and in 

 ordinary storms, in which the wind veers or changes its direction after 



