Show The Bore of the Bay of Fundy IN the south-eastern south part of the province of New Brunswick on a long Jong narrow arm of the Bay of Fundy is t situated the thriving town of Moncton The place is Canadian to be sure but butin butin butin in no wise Fr French Canadian The inhabitants are largely of Scotch parentage parentage parent parent- age mingled with the descendants of the ancient Acadians of whose honest worth and industry Longfellow has sung to us so admirably Thrift and energy are manifest on every hand out neither the inhabitants nor their industries are what make this little town noted One generation succeeds succeeds succeeds suc suc- another the work of mans man's hands lives for a time and dis disappears but for unknown ages there has rolled up this little arm arrn of that wonderful bay a mighty rushing tidal wave called the ther r II Bore and this one phenomenon of Y nature has made this nation known r among all civilized nations The Bay of Fundy is celebrated for its high tides In several places on different portions of the bay as on the Annapolis river and on the Cumberland and Chignecto bays the water rises from rom romr r k fifty to seventy-five seventy feet during the Y kY spring tides But as one advances up this world world renowned renowned sheet of water and sails on through Chignecto Bay he at length enters a narrow inlet extending toward the north-east north at first then to the north and finally bearing slightly to the north This is the lower portion portion portion por por- tion of the River and if you make your sailing expedition during during dur dur- it ing high tide you may think you are r riding down the majestic surface of the i. i turbid Missouri But you will need to tot t hasten or you will soon find that this y v- surging current has turned against you and you are being swept back again in into into in- in in- in L to the bay Thus if one wants to study the mysteries of these tidal manifestations manifestations manifestations mani mani- at h his is leisure he had better take a train on the Inter-colonial Inter Railway to Moncton and there watch them from terra firma The gradual bending of the mouth of this so-called so river is the chief cause of the very high tides and the wonderful tidal wave that may be seen at this place The tidal wave of the ocean comes sweeping on through the bay of Fundy on through Chignecto Bay gradually being confined to a narrower space until it enters this inlet where it itis itis itis is still further retarded while the rushing rushing rushing rush rush- ing surging mass crowds upon it from behind leaps leaks upon its back as it were and tumbles over its head in its mad anxiety to push on Thus is formed the tidal wave the II Bore a seething tumbling wall of water that comes rolling on with that steady determined movement that seems to say I have havethe havethe havethe the power to annihilate you and will if you seek to resist me The wave is from four tour to eight feet high depending upon the time of the tidal and the direction direction direction tion of the wind and makes a noise like the rumbling of a heavy freight train as it comes sweeping toward the town One can sit upon the docks and hear the steady roar of its advancing tread a mile away You stand upon the edge of the pier and far below you stretch acres of brick- brick red mud that glistens in the sunlight and stare back at you in brazen indolence On either hand lie schooners sloops and small sailing boats tipped upon their sides or propped up and securely fastened to the wharves patiently waiting waiting waiting wait wait- ing for the coming tide to put them on j their feet Out in in the center of this bare valley of red mud half a mile away runs a lazy little stream a mere creek This is the River in its natural state but even while we j gaze out across this desolate and uninviting uninviting uninviting j scene trying to trace the opposite opposite 1 si site te bank the roar of the approaching j Bore grows louder and we see its wh white i te tossing crest come rushing round 1 M 1 f the bend and advance threateningly to tot toward toward to- to t ward us its It sweeps past us with stately r tread and seems to laugh at our astonishment astonishment astonishment aston aston- and mock our insignificance In a few minutes the mud has disappeared disappeared disappeared and the mighty current of a large river liver is surging up stream What a feeling of a awe we what a feel feeling i ng of terror comes creeping over a person as he SI sits ts upon the edge of the dock and watches l that tossing mass of water rise menacingly menacingly menacingly toward him seeming determined to draw him beneath its angry surface It runs run's runs under the shipping and plays with the vessels as though they were mere toys Where a little while ago reigned the stillness of death all now is bustle and activity Everything is being put in shape to sail out with the tide and seek their destined port Higher and higher creeps the flood Hood f along the timbers until you get up and start back in spite of yourself You look out across the water and see i rushing past you a vas vast t river fully a aile amile amile mile ile in width But by and b by there comes a lull The waters no longer rise the boats are seeking the he center of the stream and soon you observe that the current curren t has changed that the vast flood is sweeping back again though 1 more slowly that the river is now running running running run run- ning in the opposite direction toward the sea as it ought to do Similar phenomena of the tides are said to take place on the Seine in France and on the theSevern theSevern theSevern Severn in England the latter of these is especially noted Thus day after day are manifested in inthis inthis inthis this striking manner some of the wonderful wonderful wonderful won won- powers of nature and I know of no place where the writing hand on the wall of Gods God's universe universe can can be seen more plainly than on the shores of the Bay of Fundy Byron Cummings |