11 
THE LIFE OF THE WAVE. 
By CAPT. W. N. GREENWOOD. 14th January, 1902. 
(Wire Lantern ILLustrations.) 
The object of this interesting Paper was to trace the history of 
the Wave phenomenon of the Ocean from its cradle to its grave, 
i.e., from its earliest existence to its final issue. 
The lecturer began by asking his hearers to imagine them 
selves watching the incoming tide on the shore of any large river 
estuary—such as Morecambe Bay—to notice the broad expanse 
of waters, with its rolling ridges rushing shorewards, and to 
mark the beauty and magnificence of the scene; and also to 
observe the ebb of the tide and retreat of the waters, leaving the 
sands bare and the sea comparatively calm. This phenomenon 
is restrained by inflexible laws, and its semi-daily recurrence can 
be calculated with almost perfect accuracy years beforehand, both 
as to time and height, on any given day. 
The Wave had its birth when ‘the Spirit of God moved upon 
the face of the waters,’’ and must have been, in its infancy, 
stupendous as compared with that of to-day. 
The distance of the Moon from the Earth is assumed, at one 
time, to have been 60,000 miles, or about one-quarter her present 
position. To-day the tide-producing energy of the Moon, over 
the whole of the Earth’s surface, is taken to be six feet, z.e., three 
feet above and three feet below mean level of an ordinary spring 
tide. It is calculated that at 60,000 miles distance the Moon’s 
energy would be equal to 192 feet above and 192 feet below the 
mean level of water, or a power to raise a wave 384 feet from 
trough to crest; but taking into account the tide-producing 
power of both Sun and Moon, that energy would be much 
greater, and would produce, twice a day, a deluge over immense 
tracts of land. Again, taking Morecambe Bay as example, such 
a deluge would extend far into the hill districts of Cumberland 
and Westmorland ; while at low water the ocean channels would 
be almost dry. There is ample evidence of such a picture of the 
Wave’s early life, shown on the carboniferous‘limestone of the 
region in question; the lecturer giving various instances of the 
cae of waves on many stones and crags far up into the Lake 
istrict. 
