62 WAVES OF THE SEA 



Dr. Elgar, F.R.S., designer of the Campania, who 

 was also a passenger, gave his views. There was 

 a complete consensus of opinion- 

 First, that the type of storm was the same as on 

 the North Atlantic routes. 



Second, that the storm -waves on the Pacific route 

 were certainly not higher than those on the Atlantic, 

 and I did not gather that they were any longer. 

 They were said to be as irregular as those of the 

 North Atlantic and not to " run true " as the waves 

 do in the steadier winds of the Southern Ocean, a 

 circumstance which was attributed to the storm 

 being generally of the rotatory character, with a 

 fairly rapid change in the direction of the wind. 

 I conclude from this evidence that the greater size 

 of the ocean does not in this case lead to the 

 development of greater storm -waves than those 

 of the North Atlantic. 



Thus I have not found in northern latitudes any 

 increase of height of storm -waves beyond a distance 

 of 600 geographical miles from the windward 

 shore. Nevertheless the size of waves observed 

 by Scoresby is not nearly equalled in enclosed seas 

 of 500-700 miles in breadth. 



I attribute the difference to a smaller size pf 

 cyclonic systems on the semi-enclosed seas. 1 



1 Cf. A. Buchan, " Meteorology," u Encyclopaedia Britannica," 

 9th edition. 



