The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1876-10-30
Dunes or The Baltic.

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Have We any On the coast II America
any~hereF ! am not geographic enough
- answer the question. oniy know
that thcre we're Glo signs Of ,hefa on 'he
Americac 1casfs which | have .lsits=i.
| shoalt Like - climb thi. dane AMI
collect sogns of the plants that are grow
ing on It's sids AMI .ummi,, IN ths pnre
white sand. sa1t warning in-cuption
painted "a a b3ard tells me that "'b.
tr.adsng on the dunes is forbidden an-
der fine. 80 remain where | am AMI
satisfy myssi. ~i.h looking and think.
ing How DID the dune. c0rrs- there Z
- mach Iiave l"arnei-the waves an
a stormy coast d. not c,Jne empty hand
'e the Land Mt only .heils ana weeds
are t.osne along hy them. hsat a haas. .ar
harden os timr sand They take away
with th"sn. Of curse. much which they
bring; hat not al. for the retiring wave
has much less free than that which
comes plnngiug AMI bounding Iap.tu.
ously onward 80 each time something
remains. Then comes the wind, that
bold pinyma ef the OCEAN. takes up
bis coiIiFade's play thinss.sesrries them
still further from hiin, and i.avcs them
lying. when tired Of them, lar mp tile
shore. When b-glnning ha- once
fecn made. !" tins a, iu other things.
the further progress il easy. the ridge
of sand catches and holds fast on its
projections and new intcutatiors the
new accessiuns
As Heaven has hidden germs of life
eren IN the sand.heds, vsgetation soon
apparss sort ot grass, the sand oat
which seems TO delight in such soil,
shows its green blades almost imme
omtely. New floods Of sand bury these
from view, but thev are hardy little
fellows, aud -oon struggle up again To
the light. Firs and pines also do no,
d,siasa this soil. AMI even the graceful
birch will nt last wave her slender stem
aud light tresses above IT. The inha Di-
tants of the shore know of how much
worth such natural wall will bs TO
them To guard them against the attacks
ot the sea III lis wild winter storms, and
when they see the beginning of such a
sand rampant often hasten to- help on
It's progress. Willows, alder-. or birch
cs are entwinsd 10 a sort of lattice fence
on the top of the ridge. and these,
also. help 30 catch and hold the coming
sands. They also shelter the fertile
land behind toe dunes from being
flooded with sterile sand food. The
sand ridge BECOMES constantly tir,ner
through the'rapiily spreading growth
OF the sana oal. aud sand barley; these
grasses have the power 10 take root ~
every loint. AMI the parts which grow
old aud decay give gradually fertility
Ia the sand.
IL is after this that the forest trees
tirs. pines aud b,rohes-begin to spring
up OF themselves. OF To be planted by
the careful cua=t dwellers This does
not take place. II course. until the dune
has reached such height that il Is
above tho reach OF the waves The
dunes are generally from twenty to fifty
to.t high. think the one AT whose
foot | am reclining is about the latter
height II has been much injured and
Worn away of late years. and great pre-
cautions are now taken 10 prevent its
disappearing entirely, which would be a
great INJURY to this bathing placv The
dunes are often as btoai n ] 900 feet
and more. When tue waves have thus
built mp a rampant against their own
might. since its sloping ridge extends
mo their domain, they can na longer
siyance so far ~ bfore. aud So they
begin tu have the ncN treasures they
bring With them At neN Ion,, H-lc
h. 1
with the hrst, AMI io, ee1v lar from l..
This III IL tura. triuc- still further
back the power that Ia. created IT. aud
a third aud f'urth s>ni rampant srl-e.
while the "a. IL ever pressed further
and further back. aud its waturs t.a-
come shslluw.T and shallouer.
At Swiuemuude. uot far wtstwart!
from this poiat. ~ many If those pargl
lei rowS II dunes have Thus been formed
10y the s.a that It's waters hav. bcen
pushed hack ter about three miles, It
Is strange contest. like 'ha. of mon.
arch against the great princes Whom he
has himself eretitd. anj who uses the
very power he has gsveu them 10 max >
encroa hments against him. Nature has
here done just exactly what man has
has done III Holland and some parts Of
the Baltic coast When the rivers had
hroush, rich soil with them aud formed
large areas nj fruitful alluvisl land at
their M ,u'hs. the Intelligent inhabitants
chiefly those OF Holland. have exactly
initiated these natural dykes by their
artificial ones. having driven back the
sea, step by step. hy parallel rows of
artificial dunes These are often joined
together by side dikes running ~ right
angles with them The spaces between
these dikes are generally regular squares
containing each from about so 10 6osi
or 1asa acres. They are called Polden