Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-09-10
LOSING INCH BY INCH.
THE MIGHTY ATLANTIC NIB
BLING AT A CONTINENT.
yoraciousiy Eating Its Way Westward ut
the Ratio of a Rod Year-The
Edge OF the Continent Far
Out In the Ocean.

with steady and alarming rapidity
before the waves of tho ocean, said "A
geologist To Star writer. Each
average year tho waters advance one
rod inland whore no bluffs afford a
temporarily opposing barrier. Prop
erty owners at summer resorts all
along the shore view with dread the
encroachmont of the sea, trying their
bost TO oppose its progress with break
waters and other feeble oxpedients.
Nevertheless, the eating away OF tho
shore still proceeds. memorable Nep-
tune devouring 1t inch by inch. Ocean
avenue at Long Branch only fow
years ago was broad road; now II Is
n narrow ono comparatively, its width
decreasing annually, At other points
tho beaches OF generation back are
hundreds OF yards out ut sea. Tho
seaside cottage, with broad lawn bo-
foro it. has an expectation OF life OF
u decade or SO perhaps, but IL must 60.
Not long since n huge hotel at u popu-
lar summar city had TO be dragged by
team Of locomotives II considerable
distance To escape the waters which
were undermining IL.
Along the Gulf coast from Mobile
bay TO tho mouth of the Mississippi
the same direful process IL going on.
Villas and orange groves ON tho shore
are swept away and inundated by the
advancing waves. Thirty-four years
ago Last Island, n health and pleasure
resort OF New Orleans, was swallowed
up by the storm waters, with most OF
its transient population, and only
tido-washod bank romans to mark Its
site. Moro than once since then
villages and settlements 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 en-
croachment by the ocean upon the
continent.
Comparison OF maps show that tho
Atlantic coast from Barnegat inlet
twelve miles southwark known as
Long Beach. has In thirty-two years
retreated $40 feet-more than one
tenth OF mile. Surveys of Cape
May county demonstrate that within
tho last century tho shore along II has
recoded three quarters OF n mile. On
the Carolina coast tho advance OF tho
sea upon tho rice plantations has been
going on steadily for three generations
The sea IL devouring tho land says
Lafcadio Hearn. Many and many
milo OF ground has yielded TO tho tire
less charging of oceans cavalry. Far
out YOU can SEQ with n good glass the
porpoisos at play where OF old the
sugar cane shook out its million ban
nerets, and shark fins are now seen in
water above n site whore pigeons used
90 COO
"One curious feature OF these nj
terations OF the coast line by tho on
oronchment OF the soas Is found In tho
exposure by the advancing waters of
ancient meadows and forests long
buried. In this manner have been
disclosed to view old cedar swamps,
and thus singular industry
mining for timber has been created
Al several points In Eastern New Jer-
sey enormous quantities OF white cedar
and mag nolia logs sound and iit for
use, are found submerged In what
have now become salt marshes. Many
of the trees thus exhumed were forest
giants. In tho Great Cedar swamp
on the creek Of tho same name, tho
trunks reach a 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, tho general
soaward slope of tho edge OF the con-
tinent Is about six feet TO the mile, so
that the sinking OF each 100 years
gives third OF mile OF lowland TO
tho ocean. This would seem to be
rather less than the rate OF encroach-
mcnt indicated by comparison OF maps
made ut successive periods. Modern
geologic science has ascertained that
the entire crust OF the earth is in
condition OF such sensitive equilibrium
that tho taking OF weight from one
part OF IL TO another brings about ele-
walton OF the portion from whence the
weight is removed and produces cor
responding depression OF the portion
where il is added The rivers which
empty into tho Atlantic from Cape Cod
to Cape Hatteras and along the shore
OF tho Gulf carry out into the ocean
each year billions OF tons OF material,
which is thus deposited outside the
oceans edge. The weight transferred
causes steadily progressive depres-
sion OF the coast line.
III all the water in the Atlantic
Ocean were dried up you would per-
haps be surprised TO observe that the
eastern edge Of the great land mass
which we call the North American
continent is not the present beach line
at all. You would see that the CONT
nent itself extends far out into the
ocean. a distance varying from so TO
$50 miles. Once upon time this ter
race was all above the water; the east
shore Of the continent had very diff
ferent shape, there was deep sea
close to the coast, and the localities
whore now arc situated New York.
Philadelphia, and Boston were far in
land. Gradually, owing to the causes
/ have mentioned, this great terrace
has sunk so that ships are sailing over
what was few thousand years ago
dry land. So short time, from the
geological point Of view, has been re-
quired 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, u suf-
ficieut period not having elapsed for
filling them up with detritus.
A Horse Shod with shoes Of Gold.
In 1855 Donald Cameron, carrying
IN husiness as A. storekeeper in what