Jackson : High Tides in Morecamhe Bay. 



375 



It will be remembered that this driving up of the bore was 

 the cause of a fatal accident higher up the river, at Sandside, at 

 the end of August last, when a party of Oldham excursionists 

 were precipitated into the water, many of them being drowned. 



There are several very interesting accounts of high tides on 

 this coast contained in the ' Annales Caermoelenses,' published 

 in 1872, one of which describes the destruction of the Winder 

 Low Marsh in tlie autumn of 1828. For the purpose of 

 preventing the sea from overflowing- the land an embankment 

 was constructed in 1808. It was three miles in length, and 

 10 feet to 15 feet in height, and was formed of sea sand and 

 faced throughout with marsh sods 3J inches in thickness. 

 About 600 acres of land were thus enclosed. 



In the year 1827, however, it was observed that the river 

 Leven was changing its course and making towards a channel 

 which tradition says it occupied about one hundred 3'ears before. 



This changing of the channel resulted in the entire destruc- 

 tion of the embankment, owing to the river undermining and 

 washing away the sandbanks, and about 200 acres of arable 

 land and 200 acres of marsh land were washed away by the sea. 



Although the river was mainly responsible for the destruction 

 of the embankment, still, for some years previously, it had 

 suffered from repeated high and stormy tides, and the sward on 

 the outer slope was almost worn away, so much so that fears 

 were entertained for its safety, and the embankment was further 

 strengthened by a covering of sea sand and loamy gravel. 



Another account in the same book deals with the famous 

 high tide of December 1852, when the water rose two or three 

 feet above the highest tide known in the Morecambe estuary 

 (22 feet), although, according to the tide tables, it was cal- 

 culated to be a tide of 16 feet 6 inches only. 



This extraordinary rise of the sea overtopped nearly all the 

 sea embankments in the parish of Cartmel and covered most of 

 the low land round about, including Holker Park, where it 

 reached to within 400 to 500 yards of Holker Hall. 



The same book goes on to say that it has been observed that 

 these monstrous tides have occurred on this w^estern coast of the 

 kingdom periodically (about every 25 years), and that another 

 might occur about 1877. 



I can find no record of any extraordinary tide in 1877, but it 

 is interesting to compare the above accounts of high tides with 

 the high tides this year, and it is just possible that these are the 

 periodic heavy tides which, according to the above account, were 

 due in 1902. 



1905 December t. 



