Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-04-07
MADE IN A NIGHT.
How . Harbor Was Formed by the
Wind and Tide.

/
Boston Transcript: Years ago Marsh
field. situated on Capt Cod bay, about
halfway between Cohasset and Plym.
outh, was bustling little coast town
and was, in fact, one of the shipbuilding
towns of note In the oountry's early his
tory. The famous trading brig Columbia
after which the Columbia river was
named, was built here, as were also sew
eral vessels used as privateers in the
| war of 1912. If II had been allowed to
work out its own destiny. Marshfield
might even now be a thriving town like
Essex, which is known for its honest and
| thorough shipbuilding wherever the fish
| ermen of New England guide their rest
less keels. But nature interviewed, and
walled the town up in a prison. the like
of which may be seen at many places
on sandy Cape Cod.
Originally the mouth of the river was
at poi2t nearly opposite the town, but
gradually, as the soil washed down by
the river and the sand worLed up by the
sea met, a bar formed extending from the
north side of the rivers mouth across 1t,
thus stopping the swift, direc( flow which
had always kept the channt> free and
clear. Then the river turned south and the
sandbar followed 1t, growing in size as
the flow OF the river decreased, until 1t
had become a good-sized promontory In
side of which the river flowed. with an
outlet far to the southwark of the orig
inal one opposite the town. Being turned
out of Its regular channel in this way,
the river also broadened and Swallowed.
The current sackcned. and the deposits
carried down by it were dropped inside.
instead of outside, the mouth, while
throughout the little roadstead inside the
old mouth islets formed, so that there
were few good places for a boat to lie.
even II anything more than the shoalest
draught could have got In over the bars
at the mouth.
So Marshheld remained behind Its bar
rier of sand and peat until the night OF
Nov. 20, when tho big storm, set in. All
night Icing the fierce northeast gale piled
the water up against the outside Of the
promontory. and on the following day, in
continuation with the gale, came one Of
the highest tides of the year. The water
rose until at length 1t broke clear over
low place In the promontory between
what are known as third and fourth GIFTS,
and swept up into the river with all the
power of the high tide and hurricane at
Its back. The river was filled until the
water rose over the bridge and up into
the streets Mt Marshfeld, and hundreds
of acres of the big marshes lying to the
southeast of the town, and from which 1t
takes its name were covered several feet
deep with water.
When all this immense body Of water
started on It's return to the sea with the
falling tide. 1t was impossible for 1t to
get out quickly enough by the shallow
and devious way through the mouth of
the river, so it went out In the way most
of 1t had come in, by the break made by
the sea ovor the pre- montory. and the
securing of this strong tide undid In a
single night the work of many years.
When the Marshficld folk visited the place
the next day they found. where there had
been solid ground forty-eight hours be.
fore. a clean-cut channel. 800 feet wide
and 10 feet deep for it's full width, through
which the tide ran like d millrace, while
in the older mouth of the river there was
hardly any movement. For a mile or
more outside of the cut the water was
discolored by the dirt and refuse which
were being carried out by the current,
and even then 1t was evident the bars
and islets which had filled the harbor
were being washed away.
The work that began then has been 60 |
ing steadily on ever since. Many Of the
little islets which had formed In the har-
Dor have entirely disappeared, and others
are growing smaller every day. There Is !,
a straight, free entrance to the Sea, which |
Is in more direct line with the flow of |
the river than even the old mouth OF
years ago, and through which a good
sized vessel can enter at any stage of |
the tide. Inside of 1t Is harbor large
enough for quite a fleet to anchor. with
good holding ground and from thirty to
forty feet Of water In most places. while
the rush of the tide appears to We deep
ening both channel and roadstead.
If matters continue as favorably as they
have begun, the harbor thus strangely
created will be a very valuable one, not
only to Marshfied itself, but to our coast
shipping and even more to our yachts
men. Up to now there has not been
single good harbor on the south shore, as
he outer harbor of Plymouth is not O
,afe anchorage for small craft, and the
nner harbor can be gained only by a
skilled pilot. Between Plymouth and Hull
here are only Scituate and Cohasset.
Both of these are shoal. and the latter Is
without sufficient protection from north
east gale.