The Mighty Deep 



Besides land attraction, winds have an extra- 

 ordinary power to heap up waters in one place 

 more than in another. To some slight extent 

 this may be seen upon English shores, when a 

 strong gale happens to blow landward at high 

 tide. On such occasions the waters often rise 

 far beyond their usual mark. 



Mention was made earlier of those Phenicians 

 who, having known an eastern ocean with tides, 

 and a Mediterranean Sea without tides, must 

 have been perplexed to find a western ocean 

 which corresponded with the eastern in its ebb 

 and flow. 



We all know for ourselves in these later days, 

 how the tides rise and fall around our coast, 

 twice in twenty-four hours. Each high-water is 

 twelve hours and twenty-five minutes later than 

 the last ; so each succeeding day sees a differ- 

 ence of fifty minutes in the time of high or of 

 low tide. 



To a very large extent Tides are due to the 

 attractive power of the moon. They are due 

 also to the sun, but in a much less degree, 

 which at first sight seems singular, since the 

 attraction of the sun, by reason of its greater 

 size, far exceeds that of the moon. From the 

 fact, however, that the powerful drawing of the 



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