A Most Curious River Walk

On Sunday, I decided to walk along the Schuykill River side near the site of the former Pawling's Ford, and later Pawling's Dam. The river is really quite low and the scene where the dam used to be, shows very little water.


Site of Pawling's Dam

Now "down the shore", when the mud flats appear in their fullest smell, they do so around new and full moon when the Sun, Moon and Earth form a line, the tidal forces due to the Sun reinforce those of the Moon. The tide's range is then maximum: this is called the spring tide, derived not from the season of spring but rather from the verb meaning "to jump" or "to leap up". But, but, but... I thought to myself, well, this isn't tidal water.


"Um, Ed, where ya-spose all da water went?"

I continued my walk downstream and the river widened but didn't get a lot deeper when rounding a bend, I spotted this:


Ah, dat splains it...