The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-05-02
NOVEL WOMEN'S WORK.


thing of practical value, yet one woman, a
Philadelphia, too, has originated method
OF coast protection by system of invisible
jetties. which has been tried and has
produced almost phenomenal results at
Atlantic City, retaining over i've million
dollars worth of property.
The Natural Method" of beach-build-
ings, as the patentec calls her system is
already claiming the attention of the eng
neering world here and in England, and a
company is at present being formed for the
employment OF the system at several of the
summer resorts along the Jersey coast.
notably at Asbury Park and Delmar.
But that's another story.
81 never heard Of such thing said the
editor of the womans page.
How do you know about beach p-otec-
ton? Why, | couldn't tell jetty from IL
microbe, " and the genial editor laughed.
1t came about like this.
Personally, | cannot vouch for the verify
OF prenatal education dogmas, but the
woman in question is descended from a
long line OF civil engineers and possesses
considerable talent in that direction, not
wths landing which she is a medical student
| Spending her summers at Long Branch
she became interested in the serious prob
lem that was agitating real estate owners
as to how they might protect their proper
ties from the disastrous erosions caused by
the sea.
She saw plans proposed and adopted.
each having for their purpose the retaining
Of the beach and shore fronts, all of which
embodied such unsightly structures as
hulkhcadS and pile jetties all menance
to hatneis, and in al cases producing but
temp ruy results, the remedy often aggra
vatinG the cause, for as any ty o in engi-
neerlng knows, it is impossible to erect any
solid structure that can withstand the force
of the rebounding wave, the body of water
always undermining the foundation
All these conservative methods followed
at Long Branch and elsewhere work beauti-
fully in theory but fall for short of being
preventative.
Meanwhile the little woman planned and
worked to solve the problem. She showed
her plans and drawings to the Long Branch
property owners, who were by this time so
disguised with all attempts to save their
land that they said in-elegant but forcible
vernacular that they d see the place in the
land of towery spirits before they d expend
another red for protection that didn
protect.
Subsequently, the United States Govern
ment advertised for plans, etc, for a system
OF beach protection that would efTectually
and permanently stay the inroads made by
the sea at Absecon Lighthouse, Atlantic
City.
There were many meetings, discussions
and interchanges of letters going on be-
tween the little woman as party to the first
part, and the man who agreed to use her
system should the contract be- awarded him
as party to the second part
The little woman's plan was more than
successful and now they are talking of
building a similar series of ietties at
Michigan aN enue.
But what was the invention?
Briefly, it consists of ietties built of
metallic or brush mattresses of dimensions
needed i'll each individual case; they are
woven together with wire or rope loaded
with stone and anchored The materials
used and the placing of the ietties vary
according to the requirements of the loca-
ton. Each ietty is run out to sea so MANY
feet and every wave deposits its quota of
sand upon the ietty; thus, day by day the
beach is gradually, surely and for all time,
being built up and inc easing in value.
Go look at the results yourself of one
woman's work the next time Won take
your constitutional on the board walk. You
will not see the ietties, but you will see
What they have done, and if you want to
know the name Of the clever creature who
thought it all out it is Gertrude Stuart
Baltic. Philadelphia Times.