a 
1887.] 31 [Haupt. 
THe MiIppLE Bay 
Extends from Cape Hatteras to Nantucket, a distance of 
about five hundred and forty (540) miles. Its longest ordinate 
is that opposite the New York entrance, where it is one 
hundred and forty (140) miles. The shore line from Cape 
Henry to Sandy Hook being nearly parallel to the chord and 
being broken by the two large bays of Chesapeake and Dela- 
ware, there is not so great a compression of the two converg- 
ing tidal components as was observed in the southern bay, yet 
the same general characteristics are observable. 
Proceeding north from Hatteras, there is the long sandy cor- 
don, with its smooth beach stretching in an almost unbroken 
curve to Cape Henry at the mouth of the bay. Here the 
flood wave is interrupted and deflected by the opposing Cape 
Charles, the outer shore line of which is deeply scored by 
sounds and studded with islands and shoals, created by the flood 
which cushions upon it. The northern component from Cape 
Hatteras practically terminates here and is dissipated by the 
bay and the islands of the outer coast as far up as Paramores 
Bank. Inasimilar manner the component rolling westerly 
from Nantucket, is absorbed by Long Island Sound and New 
York and Raritan Bays. The normal flood wave approaching 
the coast on either flank of Delaware Bay is resolved by the 
most salient points of New Jersey and Virginia into littoral 
components one of which travels from a point north of Barne- 
gat, northward to Long Island. It is this component which | 
has created and maintained Sandy Hook and which is eroding 
the beach at Long Branch. (The westwardly, or Long Island 
component has made the spit at Coney Island, and the result- 
ant of both, maintains the flood channel under this point.) 
The other or New Jersey component moves towards Cape May 
