The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-03-26
MARCH OF THE SEA.
Waters Encroaching Upon Large
Atlantic Coast Cities
New York and Philadelphia Were Once
Far InIand-Great Changes Heing
Wrought in the Original
shore Lines.

shore Lines
Once upon a time the sites of New
York and Philadelphia were far inland,
and there was dry land where now the
ships 20 sailing.
The sea il steadily encroaching upon
the land. In old maps, deeds and other
documents the shore lines recorded do
not coincide with those of the present
day. Comparisons of Long Beach.
from Barnegat Inlet, II miles south
ward, on the United States coast sur
yey maps. of 1899 and 1871, shows that
during the intervening - years the
shore line rctrcatcd more than one
tenth of a mile. Each average year the
ocean advances rod ON the coast of
New Jersey. This gain by the sea
amounts in each century to a third of a
mile. the seaward slope being about six
feet per mile. The seaside resorts all
the way from Sandy Hook To Cape May
have suffered immense losses 10y the
march of Father Neptune
Only last summer great changes were
made in the ocean front at Rockaway
beach and various places along the .Jer-
sey coast. Long Branch has suffered
very severely. and ii. was not so very
long ago that d hotel at another great
seaside resort was dragged back 10y a
team of locomotives from the threat
rning waves of the ocean. That the tides
now run higher than of old is proved 10y
submerged forests and meadows. In
the official report of the state gcolugiSt
of New Jersey for lsS2 there are ac-
counts of ancient meadows and forests
considerably below high water mark.
recently exposed 10y the wear of the
waves on the coast. Some of the trees
had been cut with the AK.
Prof. W. j. McGee told the writer of
buried cedar swamps. which have given
rise to a singular industry literal
mining of timber. At several points Of
eastern New Jersey enormous quanti-
ties Of white cedar and magnolia logs.
sound and tit for use. are found sub
merged iu the salt marshes. sometimes
SD near tn" surface that roots and
branches protrude Many Of tn, trees
;hus oycrthrown and buried were for
est giants.
Along the Carolina coast. Prof. Ne
'c" said, the advance Of the ocran upon
,hc ricc-grnving islands has been noted
Iy observing residents during 'hrcc
.rsurrati ions. On the central gulf coast
hr same thing * going The land i
-tradily sinking. Forty years ago Lost
island. a pleasure resort Of New or
leans. was swallowed by the storm
waves. with most Of its transient J,opu-
.atinn-'thc wealth and beauty of she
-r-olc parishes and naught hut a tide
washed hank remains TO mark It's site.
More than once during later years viI-
'1,-,S and settlements on the gulf shores
luI on the delta islands of the MisSis-
sippi have b,en swept from the face Of
The land and made the prey of the in
>atiablr waters.
The cause of this sinking of the At
'antic and gulf cuusts is not far to seek.
The rivers " hich cmpty into the Atlantic
rom Cape Cod TO Cape llatt"raS. and
along the shore of the gulf. carry out
'rtu the ocean each wear billions Of tons
If material. This matter is deposited
outside the oceans edge. and the weight
thus transferred causes a steadily
progressive depression of the coast
line.
Geological science has ascrrtaiHcd
that the entire crust of the earth iS il.
.uch condition of sensitive tguil briuT.
that the taking Of weight from one part
Of it to the other brings about elevation
# the portion from which the weight j.
removed and produces a corresponding
depression of the portion where il il
added In 4 word. the carth's crust is
IN a condition of hydrostatic cquilib-
rum. and relatively as sensitive to
changing pressure as the beam of the
asSaycT'S balance.
If tha water in the Atlantic ocean
were dried up you would perhaps lie
surprised to observe that the eastern
edge Of the great land mass called the
North American continent iS not tn
present beach line at al. You would
see that the continent itself extends far
out into the ocean distance varying
from 80 to $50 miles. Once upon
;.mc this terrace was all above the wa
ter; the east shore of the continent had
a very different shape, and there was
deep sea close to the coast. Gradually,
owing to the cause mentioned. this great
terrace has sunk, so that the whole
eastern edge of the continent is over
flowed. Apparently, the entire eastern
.oastal plain of the United States il des-
tined eventually to be submerged be
meath the ocean, together with all its
popuIous cities and fertile fields.
Prof. Arthur Hollack. of the gcolog-
cal department of Columbia college.
smiled when his attention was called
10 the SUBJECT of the sinking of New
York.
1T is not very serious matter" ne
said, las centuries will be required to
make any level along this coast But
hat there * Il gradual subsistence going
IN is quite well verified hy careful ov-
scrvation along the Atlantic shore.
The United States coast survey has
aid some attention to this matter. and
is reports show that there * a settling
n the coast linz. of little over a foot i'm