AND OTHER WATER WAVES 45 



crest measured at right angles would of course be 

 shorter. Making due allowance for the observed 

 angle, the true wave-length was determined to be 

 560 feet. 



So far Dr. Scoresby. 



I proceed to consider the position of his vessel 

 at sea so as to be able to compare the sea -room 

 with that possible on Lake Superior, which we have 

 stated to be (at Duluth) 259 nautical miles. 



At noon on March 5th, the day when the waves 

 were highest, the vessel was about 600 geographical 

 miles from the coast of Newfoundland, the direc- 

 tion from which the wind blew, and by 4 o'clock 

 in the afternoon 36 miles farther from this, the 

 nearest shore. At noon on the 6th the distance 

 from shore was about 800 geographical miles. If 

 the highest waves were measured at 4 p.m. on the 

 5th, the ship had been running twenty hours in a 

 hard gale, and was 180 geographical miles from 

 the point where the full force of the gale first 

 struck her . The cyclone was, presumably, travelling 

 in the same general direction as the ship, but how 

 close to the shore the westerly wind first attained 

 the force of a gale we do not know. This much 

 is certain, that where the waves attained an average 

 height of more than 30 feet, and an occasional 

 maximum estimated at more than 40, the sea -room 



