The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-04-08
JERSEYS COAST line
State Geo1oglst Smock on
the Proposed Jetties
at Long Branch.
WILL THEY SAVE TIE BLUFF
The Wild Waves Motto is "Move
In" Deal Lake Discoveries.
WILL THEY SAVE TIE BLUFF

of s150,00a He was asked whether the
proposed series OF jstties aud bulkhesd
will save Ocean avenue from the grasp OF
the sea. because he has studied the entire
Atlantic coast from Sandy Hook to Cape
May, and finds the most distressing ex-
hibition at Long Branch. IL is almost
impossible for him to say at this juncture
whether the bulknead will save the
crumbling beach. L. has been tried with
some success at one point at Atlantic City
and with a failure at another. Long
Branch is eculiarly sltn4tsd, nd in fact
dangerously so. BY the aid of geologi-
ca map he showed how the change was
be ing worked by the tide on the New
Jersey coast. All along the shore from
Cape May to Sea Girt there Is friDging
beach, or Iowiands, which consists prin-
cipally of sand dunes, and which Is more
or less changeable, but the difference be-
tween the tide line and the building line
is sufficient for the idiosyncracies of the
sea, without damage to property. AT Sea
Girt these fringinQ beaches cease, and the
sea comes in direct contact with the
mainland. At Long Branch the sea. in
days gone by, cut away what fringing
beach there was, and is now cutting
away the main land.
THE CURRENTS AND THE DRIVE.
The Ocean drive on the Dlutf which has
been for years the pride OF Long Branch,
is each year becoming narrower, aud in a
short time will be impassibls. Thsre are
currents at work that have cut away
within one hundred years at least three
quarters Of a mile OF fringing beach aud
upland. The tide line was at least that
distance from the present tide line. The
state Geologist has the testimony of old
residents Of Long Branch, who state that
FAR an ~ -
half out in the water, showing tre-
mendous eating away of the beach in half
"a century. The disposition of the tide is
to cut away that shoulder of the coast
which is made by the indentation Of the
Raritan Bay at Sandy Hook. The bluff
at Long Brancn has layer of gravel and
upper crust Of good clay. The sea simply
cuts out the gravel and the road gives
away. From the pier TO the West End
this work of destruction has been going
persistently on for tsn years. The state
has looked into the matter. and unless
some permanent change OF Tide Is secured
Long Ri anch village will sooner or later
crumble away. Atlantic City had an ex-
perience of the same kind fifteen years
ago The Absecom lighthouse was in
danger, and the government, to save It's
property, hit upon the idea OF extending
jetties out into the ocean for the purpose
Of changing The tide, which WIS strong
a
near the inlet The waves then dashed
about the bottom OF the Lighthouse, but
now the tidal line is nearly a half mile
distant The current was changed at this
point, but it began its destructive work
few miles further down the beach, and no
remedy has yet been found
COAST CHANGES.
The records of the State Biologists
Office show that the changes in the upper
coast from Sandy HOOK to Asbury Park,
have been numerous during the past CEN
tury. In 1764 tue Sandy Hook light house
stood near tue end OF the point, while now
il is nearly mile distant in a north
westerly direction. This changing cur
rent has been the subject of much study
on the part of the United States Coast
Survey. They are again going to take up
the work Of marking an exact coast line
SO that it can be. In future years, COM
pared with the tidal line SO as to see just
where the change along the beach Is
made. No matter what is done, it must
be considered only temporary for ten years
or more. because the history of tine coast
shows that the operations OF the tide
change about every decade. 1t Is posi-
BILE tnat by the time this work Is COM
pleted, the work OF destruction will begin
elsewhere, probably above or oeIoW the
proposed bulkhead.
The traveller who goes along the Jersey
coast and VINO carefully observes the tide
chapges and asks the meaning of many
strange things, can give an answer TO his
own query by this modification that the
wild waves say, Move in" That the
tide is coming in cannot be denied. There
10 much evidence to sustain the general
statement. The appearance of trees in
the mud, with their roots imOedded in
hard bottom many feet below high water
mark, is frequently noted. The occur
renee of Indian shel. beds on said bottom,
L.. hu Antr m
some depth, and, uetter still, the finding
of old bridges and crossing Of poles or
corduroy roads several feet below the
surface, shows concluslvely that the tide
has been coming in and that there is a
rise or the water leyel.
DEAL LAKE FINDS.
Along the Jersey cOas5 there are some
remarkable evidences of this change In
Deal Lake stumps have been found at a
depth of ten and twenty feet IN digging
for peat. On the north side of the Net
eaeeonk River an old meadow sod has
heen found at depth of eight to ten feet
below the surface. In the famous mos
quito cove near Barnegat dead logs have
been found on the upland border. Al q
distance of three feet under the mud
huckelberry brush has been found.
Forked River, near the village, is
full of stumps, which are found at adepth
OF three feet. The old Inhabitants, aud
I
the cedar swamp which surrounds tue
river grew nearly a mile further east than
it does now and has since been sub
merged.
There is some remarkable evidence OF
this encruachnent of the tide near Tuck
ertown in The marsh bordering Great Bay.
Here many knolis and Islands of upland,
which were once wooded and now level
with the surface OF the meadows, the
timber has died off aud the stumps are
now in the marsh, and Samuel Headley,
of Tuckertown, is authority for the state
ment that stumps have been found near
Ballenger's Creek elgEtsen inches below
the suIface. Capt. Joseph Colder of Bees
| ley's Point, states that the water level in
some parts of Cape May County is over
six inches higher than it was twenty-hye G
years ago.
The origin of almost every beach is q
sandbar of considerable magnitude,
which has been formed at greater or
| less depth by currents depositing sedi.
| ments under favorable conditions, aud
| subsequently brought above water by the
waves. at the present day or at some re-
mote period, and where the beaches ad-
| ioin the upland Is obyisiouslY due 20 the
action of the waves gathering together
| the finer material from the sea bottom
and the upland border. The formation
once above the water tne wins, blowing
| on the shore, catches up the dry sand and
carries it inland until, meeting some OBJ
staeles, it is droppe out OF the reach OF
the tide. This process Is almost eonstantiy
repeated for years, until the sand hllls