CHAPTER IX 



Cinematographing the Severn bore. 



IN 1901 Mr. Charles Urban very kindly lent me a 

 bioscope camera and the services of an operator for 

 the purpose of cinematographing the Severn bore. 

 The photograph was taken under my direction on 

 September 29, 1901, and was shown at the meeting 

 of the Royal Geographical Society on Novem- 

 ber 25th. I believe this is the first cinematograph 

 of a tidal bore. 



The cinematograph picture was taken at Stone- 

 bench, below Gloucester, which is distant 4 miles 

 by road, reckoning from the cathedral. The tide 

 was the third after full moon, and was not quite 

 so high as that predicted for September 3Oth, 

 which was one of the four highest predicted tides 

 of the year. After the dry summer the amount 

 of land-water in the river was probably below the 

 average, nevertheless, the low -water level was 

 ij feet above that given as summer low water in 

 Admiral Beechey's survey made in 1849. The 



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