The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-07-22
NEW JERSEYS SHORE
Geologist Smock Going to
Holland to Find Out
How to Save 1t.
WORN AWAY BY WAVES.
The State Will Try to Check the
Annual Recession by a
System Of bikes.
WORN AWAY BY WAVES.
sneeial to the Jersey ctr Ns,a,.

Special to the Jersey City Ne,gs.
TRENTON, July 81. 1s92.--State Geologist
Smock sailed for Europe. on a tour of in
spe ,tion that means considerable to the
people of New Jersey, for he goes to study
the dikes of Holland and secure other in
formation that may be utilized in solving
the problem as to how to save the New
| Jersey seashore coast. u,
Prof. Smock has given considerable at
tention to the inroads that are being
made by the Atlantic ocean, and has sue
Geodetic aud Coast Survey to take the
matter up at the expense of the United
States Government.
Inroads have been made at Long
Branch, against which there is now an
organized effort oa the part Of the prop
erty owners. 1t has become so serious
that State aud national aid Is to be So
cured to prevent further damage. Prof.
Smock Is of The opinion that th e
work of devastation can be
best checked by the use of terri aces,
the same as used on parts OF The Hol-
land coast. His object in going abr ,ad at
this time is to fully equip himself viii in
AOEibtgIOuy 81 luHb WuCu Guo Cu1UNu
States Geodetic Survey begin their work
in the fall he will have some definite in
formation to present to them. In the
meanwhile the New Jersey State Geo
detic Survey will be on the lookout for
information OF a local character.
The State Commission expects TO be
able to furnish considerable data to the
United States authorities. The matter is
TO receive a careful Investigation and the
exact cause of the inroads and savage
currents are TO be ascertained and a rem
edy provided.
Lon BRANCH's BLUFF DRIVE.
The ocean drive on the bluff Which has
been for years the pride OF Long Branch,
Is each year becoming narrower, and In a
short time will be impossible. There are
currents at work that have cut away
within one hundred yards at least theee-
quarters of a mile OF fringing beach aud
upland. The old tide was at least that
distance from the present tide line. Thu
State Geologist has the testimony of old
residents of Long Branch, who state that
they farmed on land which Is now one-half
mile out in the water. showing a trem Gu
dous eating away of the beach in MALT a
century. The disposition of the tide is to
cut away that shoulder OF the coast which
is made by the iudentation of the Rarlgau
bay aud sandy Hook. The bluff at Loug
Branch has a layer OF gravel n upper
crust Of good clay. The sea simply cuts
out the gravel n the road gives way.
From the pier 10 the west end this work
of destruction mas been going persistently
on for ten years. The State has looked
into the matter, and unless some permau-
ent change of the tide is secured Long
Branch village will sooner or later
crumble away. Atlantic City had an eX-
perience of the amt kind fifteen years
ago. The Absecom lighthouse was in
danger, and the Government. to save its
property, hit upon the idea of extending
jettles out into the ocean for the purpose
of changing the tide. which was strong
and treacherous at that point, being GEAR
the inlet. The waves then dashed about
the bottom of the lighthouse. but now
the tidal inc is nearly half a mile dis
tant The current was changed at this
point, but it began its destructive work q
few miles further down the beach, and no
remedy has yet been found.
ALONG THE UPPER COAST.
The records OF the State Biologists Of
fee show that the changes in the upper
coast, from Sandy Hook to Asbury Park.
have been numerous during the past cen
fury. In 1894 the Sandy Hook lighthouse
stood near the end of the point, while now
it is nearly a mile distant In u northwest
erly directiou. This changing current 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, compared with
the tidal line, so as to see just where the
change along the beach is made. No mat
ter what is done, it must be considered
only temporary for len or more years, be-
cause the history OF the coast shows hat
the operation OF the tide changes about
every decade. 1t is possible that by the
time this talk is completed the work OF
dtsti uction will begin elsewhere, p;oba-
bly, above or below the proposed bulk
head.