The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-22
N1BBLING AT a CONTINENT.
The Vorscious Atlantic Eating It:
Way Westward.

Il rum Hsc " uoittN4tylt ctuT.
The Atlantic coast line from Cane Cod
TO Cape Hatteras, which at this season Of
/ the year is fringed with merry bathers, is
retreating with steady and alarming rap
| idity before the waves Of the ocean" said a
/ geologist 20 a Star writer. Each average
/ year the waters advance one rod inland
where no bluffs afford a temporarily oppos-
ing barrier. Property owners at summer
resorts all along the shore view with dread
the encroachment of the sea, trying their
best 70 oppose its progress with breakwaters
| and other feeble expedients. Nevertheless,
the eating away of the shore still
proceeds, memorable Neptune devouring it
inch oy inch. Ocean avenue at Long Branch
only a few years ago was a broad road now
ir is narrow one comparatively, its width
decreasing annually. At other points the
beaches Of generation back are hundreds
OF yards out at sea. The seaside cottage,
with broad lawn before it, has an 'ex-
pectation Of life OF decade or 50 perhaps,
but it must go. Not long since huge hotel
at a popular summer city had TO be dragged
by team of locomotives a considerable dis
lance to escape the waters which were un-
dermining it.
Along the Gulf coast from Mobile bay
TO the mouth OF the Mississippi the same
dlreful process Is going on. Villas aud
orange groves on the shore are swept away
and inundated by the advancing waves.
Thirty-four years ago Last Island, health
and pleasure resort of New Orleans YVES
swallowed up by the storm waters, with
most OF its transient population, aud only a
tide-washed bank remains to mark its site.
More than once since then villages and SCI
Elements on the margin of the Gulf and
upon the delta islands of the Mississippi
| have been wiped from the face Of the land.
All these occurrences tell the same story of
encroachment by the ocean upon the CONT
nent.
Comparison Of maps shows that the Ate
| lantic coast from Barnegat inlet twelve
miles southwark. known as Long Beach,
| has in thirty-two years retreated 545 feet
more than one-tenth of mile. Surveys of
Cape May county demonstrate that within
! the last century the shore along IL has re-
| ceded three-quarters of a mile. On the Caro-
| lima coast the advance of the sea upon the
rice plantations has been going on steadily
| for three generations. The sea is devour-
| ing the land, says Lafoadio Hearn. Many
and many mile Of ground has yielded to
| the tireless charging of ocean cavalry. Far
out you can see with a good glass the por-
poises at play where of old the sugar cane
shook out its million bannerets and shark
| inns are now seen in water above site
where pigeons used to COO.
| Zone curious feature of these alterations
/ OF the coast line by the encroachueut of
1
| advancing waters of ancient meadows and
| forests long buried. In this manner have
been disclosed to view old cedar swamps,
| and thus singular industry-actual mining
| for timber has been created. At several
points in Eastern New Jersey enormous
| quantities of white cedar and magnolia
| logs, sound and fit for use, are found sub
merged in what have now become salt
! marshes. Many Of the trees thus exhumed
were forest giants. In the Great Cedar
swamp, on the creek Of the same name, the
trunks reach diameter of seven feet.
The cause Of all this is that the Atlantic
and Gulf coasts are actually sinking, and
| the rate at which they are going down is
| estimated by the official geologist of New
Jersey at two feet per century. Now. the
general seward slope of the edge of the
\ continent is about six feet to the mile. so
| that the sinking of each 100 years gives a
third Of mile Of lowland to the ocean.
This would seem to be rather less than the
rate OF encroachment indicated by COM
parlson of maps made at successive periods.
| Modern geological tcence has ascertaiued
| that the entire crust of the earth
is in a condition of such sensitive
| equilibrium that the taking
| OF weight from one part of it to another
| brings about elevation of the portion from
| whence the weight is removed and produces
| a corresponding depression of the portion
| where it is added. The rivers which empty
/ into the Atlantic from Cape Cod to Cape
Hatteras and along the shores of the gulf
| carry into the ocean each year billions of
| tons of material, which is thus deposited
| outside the oceans edge. The weight trans
terred causes steadily progressive dspres-
| sion OF the coast line.
"If all the water in the Atlantic OCEAN
were dried up you would perhaps be sur
| prised to observe that the eastern edge of
/ The great land mass which we call the
North American continent is not the pres
ent beach line at all. You would see that
| the continent itself extends far out into the
ocean, distance varying from fifty to 100
miles. Once upon a time this terrace was
all above the water; the east shore of the
continent had very different
shape. there was a deep sea close
to the coast, and the localities
where now are situated New York
Philadelphia and Boston were far inland
| Gradually, owing to the causes have mem
| TONED, this great terrace has sunk so that
ships are sailing over what was few thou
sands OF years ago dry land. So short q
time, from the geological point of view,
has been required to effect this change that
| the beds OF the Hudson, the Potomac and
| other great streams are still deep channels
cut out OF the terrace, sufficient period
detritus.
The process by which this was accom-
plished is steadily and progressively going
on. Each year the Atlantic shore line
and the same is true OF the gulf coast-is
further westward by an average distance
OF rod. For each century there is loss
one-thlrd of a mile to the edge of the CONT
nent How long is it going to be
at this rate before the eastern
coastal plain of the United
States is submerged beneath the
ocean, together with all its populous cities
and fertile fieldsl These plains, originally
fashioned by the sea, the ocean is reclaim-
ing for its own. Its octopus arms are seiz-
ing them in their embrace, and day by day.
month by month, year by year, generation
oy generator the monster is creeping fur
Their and further inland It's mower ia too
great for puny man to oppose successfully;
he can only slowly retreat before the inva-
| sion.n