New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-19

from Washington and to-day will begin work
Of importance on this coast. extending from
Seattle to san Diego, Cal. His mission IS 10
ascertain whether or not the Pacilic coast Is
sinking into the Pacific ocean or, on the otHeI
hand, if it has risen out OF the ocean 10 any
extent
The sea coast all the world over. either rises
or falls and on the work Of this Department OF
the Govcrnm, mt and the data gathered many
of the greatest engineering enterprises are III
auguratcd Professor Gilbert returned from
Alaska two We, Ks ago, where h. went with the
Hartman party. ON communicating win IHc
Department he was assigned To this station
1t was Professor Gilbert who. two years ago,
made a geological survey of the great lakes ana
found that Will. the land bordering on some
portions of the lakes had come up out OF the
water. the lowlands upon which the cIty oil
Chicago is built are sinking at the rate OF one
foot in a century. If this state of AFFAIRS con-
tinucs it will only be a matter OF time uhtll
Chicago is under water as the lana Is partE
above high water mark at the present Tune
While this has not heretofore been given any
extended publicity. engineers Of the great city
bv the lakes are already at work. II is sdld, 10
devise ways and means whereby the huhddtloh
Of the city can be prevented.
Another work which the Department has com
pleted was that under the direction oi Professor
Cook Of NcW-Jcr:cy. who during ms researches
discovered that the shore of N"W-JerSey was
sinking at the rate IF two feet every century
The district Of Hackensack, y. j., was, four
hundred years ago, an immense CEDAR FOREST.
To-day il is threatened with inundaton within
once s.ood the grand forest has killed the trees.
and unless measures are taken at once tn"
worst may come TO pass. Other districts on the
Atlantic coast are i'm similar condition. al
though none so bad, and there IS no need for
immD diatc alarm.
REGARDING the Pacific Coast Prof Gilbert says:
For the last week have been at work in the
Columbia Valley as far as the Cascades. found
some interesting data which. however. | am not
at liberty to make public. In fact, must go
further before anything can be said do not
think the Pacific coast will prove as bad as the
Atlantic. for the reason that the water front
land is higher. The West has not been settled
very long, and consequently We have at present
no data regarding it, and do not know whether
il is sinking or rising If sinking. then some
thing must he done to protect what marsh and
loWlaud you have here. or 1t viii ultimately e.
under the ocean. ON account of the high coasts
the influences here would not be 50 great
1T rarely happens that you can tell on first
investigation whether the land is going up or
down. There must be a record Of the conditions
of tide and land from time 10 time. 70 tell
whether the land is rising or not is not difficult
When this is the case the shore line and beach
line rcccdc. The waves consequently have re-
coded. and it is much easier There has never
been any survey taken of the Pacific coast as
yet. but from now on there will be from time to
time.
This scientific research has for its object the
protection of coast property. and is Of value to
large engineering enterprises.
II will remain at work here until October. and
then return to Washington. ! do not expect e
complete my work as far as Southern California
By thlt time but 1t viii be taken up later"