The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-12-18
MAY MEAN LIFE
To BEAUFORT
Strange Sinking of Beach
Proof of Theory?
VIEWS OF HARBOR

and Ills Happy Home
spring Das on sound
III December.
By X. l. GRAY.
The rccent strange sinking Of a sec
ton OF the beach on he banks OPP
posite Beaufort AMI just above the site
Of old Fort Macon may doubtless fur
nish upon investigation the proof OF
4 theory long held by weli-inforncd
persons who are familiar with con
ditions neal tbs important harbar.
the application of which might We'll
result in doing With speed and eeoao-
nay that which Tire Government VIII
eventually be forced to do. the max
ing OF a channel at Beaufort harboI
sufficient to accommodate the largest
ocean going Gamer
1t is Well conceivable that the force
which suddenly manifested itself in the
sweeping away of the beach, piers and
j~ettics near the life saving station may
he harneSsed TO clear away the I'M
peding sandbars which now impair
the harbor and to dig a channel for
world ommerc What now seems TO
Captain Pu9h, the c~ontemplatiVe vet
eran Of the life saving station reJoic-
ing in his quiet life after stress OF
service, to he q fatelul interference
with his repoSe, may prove the mn
pulse to work which would have a
great significance TO this state ana
which would add the immense national
advantage Of another hdr5or to the
Atlantic coast. Fly controlling and
combining within jettieS upon the fash
ion of the lcVeeS of the mississippi
the sweep Of the great current Of the
Newport River which now spreads it
self over several miles of shallow
banks, might be done in a week what
the ''Sandsucker"-thc Governments
harbor-deepening steamer-could do
in q desultOrY and inefficient manner
only by years OF labor.
The Newport RIVER. at Beaufort.
looks about as much like a river
as what IS usually called q river
resembles an ~up-cOuntrN creek. North
and east of the city it spreads away
in 4 magnificent body of water which
bounds the eastern line OF the Beau
fort peninsuIar. And. n~ot>Eithstand-
ing the wide bounds tina it takes as
it mingleS with Eoguc Sound on its
way to the Atlantic past the bar of
Fort Macon, the volume and power OF
its waters is immense. Where the
Life Saving station stood. it was pro-
tected from the sweep or the ocean
setting into Boguc Sound by a strong
and deep-buttressed break water. But
it was not protected from the invisible
sweep of the Newport River attacking
the beach on which it was located
from the Northwest. And it was
doubtless this current. which. beating
against the beach, undermined the
breakWateI and disintegrated the shell
foundations. leaving the Life station
sitting asNeW upon q ~shaFp-cut ledge
G~Verhanging q depth OF water Of Il
hundred feet, where the day before
there was a shelving beach ten feet
or more above the high tide water
Inc OF IN apparently placid sound.
If the engineering plan should be
adopted Of narrowing the wide sweep
of this river DN iettics so paced as to
throw its current INTO the ocean nan
mel like i huge hydraulic stream the
resulting energy would be such as no
~tde-borne sandbar could Withstand
and the lonS-dreauned-of deep chan
mel into the beaufort harbor would
become a reality.
As it is. the light Sands drift in from
the ocean and form the @halloWS which
not only render the hdrbOr Insufficient
for the larger ships of commerce.. but
give it in fact an unstable. Amos Il
mysterious character. New shoals are
born almost in q night; who're ycstaI~
day there was q bar of SAM lifting
its sparselY green point above the
waters OF dotting them With fringcs
Of White-capS. today there 3 apt to be
deep water. With this condition only
q deep, stable and forceful channel ear
cope; and it is the power or the New
port River which destiny would seem
10 nave afforded Tor the DONG OF the
work.
Whom the Beaufort harbor shall
! have become indeed = fact. i viii
! furnish years afterwards the substance
of drea1n which actlated the policy of
Governor MOrohead To if win come
= stream If commerce which shah
cause the ancient town IL stretch and
! omen its ewes: from thn denD sea
the great boats will come in. bearing
| their freiehte fr,m tho VIDE world.
from the state viii come thousands
of TONS of business f,,. icon ,.atnr
anenortafion Fgc.orias <riii enring
M industry 9aII fl moon ne sheltered
naipt If lana aIn1nst within q stones
tbrn7y of he eternal rnad - cnp,rnarca
all tho state viii ract The Quicken
mo of :. now a,tnr,- ,r t,..,rn IVA mos
naritv and the r,.eat Ert.fnrn section
If which paarforr i. +bn rat,5t-gI 4r,nv