126 WAVES OF THE SEA 



the entrance to the English Channel. The unusual 

 force of Beaufort's 11-12 was at local noon on 

 December 28th recorded in the neighbourhood of 

 N. 50, W. 37, and not elsewhere, and on local 

 noon December 2 9th in the neighbourhood of 

 N. 49, W. 19, and not elsewhere. As the storm 

 does not appear to have abated meanwhile, we may 

 infer that the locus of the hurricane wind progressed 

 continuously along this path of 840 statute miles 

 in the course of these 23 hours. This is at the 

 rate of 36.5 statute miles per hour. The average 

 wind velocity for 11-12 is 70.5 statute miles per 

 hour. Waves travelling at nearly this speed would 

 be running on ahead all the time. The waves 

 which would be all the time from noon Decem- 

 ber 28th to December 29th subject to the maxi- 

 mum force of wind would be those with a speed 

 of 36.5 statute miles per hour, and, therefore, with 

 a length of about 558 feet. As they would 

 be subject to an effective wind velocity of 

 70.5 36.5 = 34 statute miles per hour, there 

 would be a great deal of spraying from their 

 crests. 



Two hours at a fixed station is the greatest time 

 recorded above for wind with an average velocity 

 of more than 70 statute miles per hour. If the 

 locus of that wind force were advancing at 36.5 



