Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-07-11
A TRAVELLING HILL.
y WAVE OF SAND SWEEPING
ACROSS CAPE HENLOPEN.
Neither Marshes Nor Forests Have
Eccn Able tn Obstruct It's
Coursc-It is u Mile Long
and Fifty Feet High.

w itupub NONDS OliC vi lllc IlOSI
cssing features of the Atlantic coast of
the United States, and, in fact, one of
the most interesting phenomena of tho
whole country, is the travelling hill of
Cape llcnlopcn, says II letter from Lcwcs,
Del, to the New York Sun. A ridge of
sand, more than Il milo long, fifty feet
high and 200 yards wide in the base, is
rolling inland like mighty wave from
the sea, and with power that is irrcsisti-
Bile. Formed at the waters edge, no.
body knows certainly just when it began
to move inland. Within the memory of
men barely past middle aye il has tray
crsed II space worth describing IN de-
tail
In 1915, when General Joe johnson,
as II Government engineer, was engaged
in surveying this part of the coast, he
found on the north side of Cape llcnlo-
pen great ridge of sand 1t was in an
pearancc like the ridges that divide the
Great South Bay of Long Island from the
sea, save that it lowered scvcnty-two feet
above high water mark. 1t WAS u ragged
ridge, with coarse grass growing over II
few parts Of its surface and few :snarlcd
and stuntcd pines on its southern or land
, side. Behind il was n salt marsh or val
ley, where the water was from M inch to
two or three feet deep mt the lowest Glib
tide. Inland from the marsh, and in
deed on low ridges i'll this marsh was II
great grow of pine trees. LA" mile
back from the beach trees were tound
| from two to three feet in diameter, and
tall in proportion.
Winding along through this forest WAS
road established in the old colonial
days, and having milcstoncs by its side to
show the wayfarcr how far he had tray
clcd from Lcwcs OH his way % lIenlopcn
| lighthouse.
In making the survey, Engineer John
son noted that whenever the win,l came
in from north'ar,l it picked up the sand
on the weather side OF that great ridge in
such clouds that no one could travel
along the ridge except when the face was
covered with II thick veil, and even then
only with great effort and much pain. 1t
was like facing blast from the dcscr, OF
Sahara, and sometimes almost like facing
IL charge of bir,ishot.
The sand thus picked up by the wind
was carried up over the brow of the hill,
|
crn side, where the wind formed IN eddy
that could not support the weight of the
sand. The wind was very thorough in
its work, for it gathered the sand from
the entire face of the ridge to carry over
to the rear. Thus, with every nortlcrly
gale, inch after inch WAS cut away in
front and carried back. Inch by inch
! the face of the ridge rcccdcd; inch by
inch the rear face advanced. The pnarcd
and twisted pines on the back surface dis
appeared under the wave of sand. The
edge of the marsh was reached aud COW
cred. The little three covered ridges
were next buried out of sight. Then the
great forest wiss reached Where
the trees stood thick and formed IL
solid wall of limbs and leaves
the sand wave rolled up into II pcrpcn-
dicular wall before them, higher and
higher, until level with the tree tops
and then curlcd over and broke on them
ms IL wave OF water might have done.
Where the trees were far apart the sand
flowed into and filled the opening. In
one way and another il steadily adj
vanccd, and the people saw with Won
der the forest buried before their eyes.
The great trees, that seemed TO be able
in their strength to defy all that nature
might bring against them, sirovc to put
forth new branches above the rising
tide, grew faint in the struggle, turned
their green leaves to yellow, their yellow
cones to gray and black, and died OF sui-
location
AS the years passed the reccding wave
began ante Y. UNCOVER the old surface of the
ground that h; asS;el - buried. Old land
marks along the edge of tne IN ,si,al .a re-
appeared. Even the little ridges tntu...
selves, with the old sod dead but easily
recognized, appeared, and finally the
wind scoopcd the sand ont Of the hollowa
Of the marsh, and to-day tho tide Gibbs
and flows there, and ut low tide the water
is about rs deep rs it used TO be before
the sand wave swept across, the chief diff
ference between the marsh ~ it used to ho
and rs it is now being that there are now
no bitches in it.
Then, strange TO tell, new growth
OF pines spran9 up on the little old
ridges and IL new ridge Of sand formed
alongshoye where the Old one hal stood.
The new ridge alOngshorc is oaly Il small
onc--perhaps twelve or fifteen feet above
the water in places. but it is growing rs
the new trees behind it grow, and it
may possibly start inland rs the big one
that preceded it did.
| As the big sand wave continued its
way the old forest that had been buried
began to be uncovered again, so that now
the stranger that traycrscs the ridge sees
on one haad the living giants OF the
forest gasping in the last throcs Of death,
and on the other the blelched and dc"ay-
ing skeletons OF those that had to sue
cuinb. 1t is picture that is ut once
dcsolatc and depressing.
Judging by what the people say here,
the wave travels not far from fifty feet
year where its course is not obstruc.cd
by the forest, but even there il travels
perhaps thirty-iiyc or forty feet /. has
covered half a mile in forty years.
a Lost City.
Three miles across the hoy fro-, cotr