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Show One or Chinas Wonders pr jffi Great bore- op 1 ',,' "--."1) HANGCHOW V. - -r 1711: JA-WALL ATMMMCnSssssL. 7 f - HE Great Bore of Hang-1 Hang-1 pr chow, which is reckoned fv among the three won-jsJ'f won-jsJ'f j ders of China, is caused I V tue great flood tides h'K from the Pacific surging -L ?y up the funnel mouth of jfZt Hangchow bay and Into ! the swift-flowing Tsien- taug beyond. The entrance en-trance to Hangchow bay is B0 to 60 niiloB wide and narrows down to 2.4 miles opposite Haining in the Tslen-tang Tslen-tang river, where the bore reaches Its' full force. The bay and the river are filled with sand flats, which impede the incoming tide, and consequently when It gets over these "sand flats aud in the river the tide has been backed up until it forms a wall of rushing water wa-ter from Ave to ten feet high. This is the bore. It can be seen coming -:" I 1 C y, HE Great Bore of Hang- ? T JIA WAJjP) . - V 7 , KUi ft f f J H lf chow, which is reckoned AND PAGODA U y--.IM Jf U rfWr.' i J (V- among the three won- f, AT 'fJfJfIN(r S- V ' ""f jsJ'r l - i- ders of China, is caused M nMiy" . , . ;-: .-. Vf J '.j IA' by the great flood tides xZz5T I) iM h& from the Pacific surging . 't ?Sy up the funnel mouth of (( --:.: iJKis t-it Hangchow bay and Into V- . " ; . VSK-;?: -4? the swift-flowing Tsien- F- . ' 1'' Xf'f-'-: 'f-VfSS-! tang beyond. The en- 1 -...- --'-' '" trance to Hangchow bay is B0 to 60 I " j miloB wide and narrows down to 2.4 I i-:.-; miles opposite Haining In the Tslen- I v;?1' '.-t-; V "'31ir!'ftff;;::i tang river, where the bore reaches Its' IK'ii'-iSvK 0 full force. The bay and the river are I liSw'f filled with sand flats, which Impede I aitS;?" the Incoming tide, and consequently I ;iS'"-;y-i- when It gets over these sand flats aud ; In the river the tide has been backed 1 li'f-i'---..-r-- -'' -w'iJjW.1?- -"ff-PSS5---1 ' 1 up until it forms a wall of rushing wa- IS'Kj feMs iffi j ter from Ave to ten feet high. This is IiS:H3; the bore. It can be seen coming 1" ZT- -T-f " ' I tm.Mliei&t ";;iY'r;'v----- " Tnrrvr Brrr jjsaS ) " fOAMlM Aiom 1T5 FOm NILE COUPJE PMDMwawFRoifrormLmjwjmim about half an hour before it reaches i one, and as it approaches the foam looks like a wbjte line extending across the bay. In places where the tide dashes on the sand flats one can see how the bore in its rage at these opposing obstructions flings up the mud in huge black masseB twenty feet high. On It comes, making a peculiar dull roar which is aweBOme and impresses im-presses one with a Bense of great force. The highest part is in the center cen-ter of the river, where It Is about ten feet high, whereas near the wall on the Bhore It is only about six feet high. The bore has a sloping front, and this is agitated into foam extending extend-ing a long way behind. Behind the bore there is no declivity but a continuously contin-uously Increasing depth of water, and within a quarter of an hour after the passing of the bore the tide Is about fourteen feet high, and in three hours reaches Its maximum of nineteen feet This huge volume 3f water only takes three hours to fill the estuary, and is then nine hours running out In a strong current This strong outgoing current is actually running at the time the bore'arrives and impinges against the bore, and so forms the curved appearance ap-pearance in the center. The bore travels trav-els about ten miles per hour, and travels trav-els thirty-five to forty miles before losing Its height and strength. A remarkable point is that the country coun-try to the north of the Tsientang river 1b two to six feet below high-water mark, and the Chinese In ancient times built a huge embankment to keep out the tides. This embankment extends a distance of 120 miles, and further inland there are previous and much older embankments. These are made of mud, but in order still further fur-ther to resist the force of the tide the Chinese in A. D. 911 built the present pres-ent sea wall of stone. The top of the wall is 23 V feet above the river at low water. In order to facilitate loading load-ing and unloading Junks, a platform has been made on which the Junks rest during low water and float after the bore has passed. This platform is eight feet high, and the Junks are floated at the first rush of the water, when there is a big bore, i. e., a high tide. To protect this junk platform, however, how-ever, the Chinese have erected a huge buttress at the east end, about 200 feet from the pagoda at Haining, and this breaks the full force of the bore aB It rushes along the wall, and so saves the hawsers holding the Junks from being broken. This buttress is 30 feet high, and is built of mud, enclosed by fascines. This formation is in some placeB made in front of the embankment. em-bankment. Twigs are stacked up, and these are then pinned down Into a solid structure by poles about twelve feet long being driven down Into the mud and sand. It only takes five minutes min-utes to drive a pole in. There are eight coolies on the frail scaffolding, who Jerk up the stone by means of ropes, and two coolies there catch the block of stone In their hands above their heads, and then throw it down on the pole. These coolies say they get 300 cash a day for this work (about sixpence), and there are said to be about 1,000 always employed executing ex-ecuting repairs. 'The Chinese have a legend about the Hangchow bore. In the fifth century cen-tury B. C. a general, Wu Tzu Su, warned his sovereign, of the feudal state of Wu, of coming danger, but the prince of Wu was annoyed, and or- dered him to commit suicide. He did this, but gave his son instructions to throw his body into the Tsientang river, so that he could come to Hangchow Hang-chow with every bore and gaze on the downfall of Wu. The mid-autumn festival, on the eighteenth day of the eighth moon, Is a Chinese holiday, and Immense crowds visit Haining to see the bore, and also to worship at the temples Most of the people arrive by boat, and they worship at the Hai Sben Mias, or Spirit of the Sea temple. This year a temporary pavilion was also erected on the buttress to enable the local officials offi-cials to sacrifice to the Spirit of the Sea. In this pavilion was erected a table or altar on which were the various vari-ous sacrificial dishes and wine, and at the side a cooked sheep and a cooked hog. On the sea wall there was a crowd of about 10,000 assembled, waiting wait-ing for the bore, and about half an hour before the bore was due the officials offi-cials arrived and performed the sacrifice. sacri-fice. The ceremony only occupied about five minutes, and was simple but impressive, for here was a force of Nature which had hurled Itself for ages against the land. Man has erected erect-ed a Bhield to protect the land from the fierce, roaring, rushing and over whelming torrent, but instead of show ing pride in his victory he kneels down and worships Nature still unsubdued and powerful. The highest official in the locality; the father of the people, as the Chinese call him; the most successful suc-cessful man; the most learned man; the man who has had more honors, titles and degrees bestowed upon him than anybody elae; he too must kneel down in the open air and worship the Spirit of the Sea, and while In the act be snap-shotted by a "foreign devil." |