78 WAVES OF THE SEA 



of water-level by the string at not less than 2 feet 

 either way. Thus, his determination of a single 

 wave -height of 46 feet may really be due to a 

 wave of anything from 41 J feet to 50^ feet in 

 height, and therefore, as is the case with so many 

 other measurements in storms at sea, can only be 

 taken actually to establish a wave -height of a little 

 more than 40 feet. Dr. G. Schott, using a sensi- 

 tive aneroid with microscopic reading, recorded a 

 maximum wave -height of 39.4 feet in the South 

 (Atlantic) Ocean. 



On the Discrepancy between Wave-lengths deter- 

 mined respectively by Simultaneous and by 

 Successive Observation of Wave-crests 



On March 15, 1903, I was on the S.S. Hitachi, 

 of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, in N. Lat. 28 26', 

 E. Long. 125 53', bound for Kobe, from Hong- 

 kong. The position is in the East China Sea, 

 which is here only partially screened from the open 

 Pacific by the Loo-choo Islands. We encountered 

 in the afternoon a heavy northerly swell, which 

 met the ship at an angle estimated by eye at 45. 

 One crest was at the stern when the next following 

 was at the bow, and, knowing the length of the 

 ship, the true distance from crest to crest, reckoned 

 at right angles to the course of the waves, was 



