Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-06-07

Mating the immense fields now under
cultivation In some of the desert val
leys the visitor finds it difficult to be-
lieye that once this was a region Of
waste sands, superheated air and prac-
tically rainless.
Some experiments made by Collier
Cobb professor of geology in the Uni
yersity of North Carolina, show what
can be done to prevent damage by sand
and wind. Professor Cobb selected
for his experiments some of the sand
reefs on the North Carolina coast, and
the result of his investigation was
hopeful. The Investigations, however,
were only experiments. naturally on
diminutive scale, but sufficiently lllu-
minating to lead to a bellef that WIN
governmental aid much Of the wastes
on the North Carolina coast could be
made to flower with the prodigality of
the semi-trop1cs
Along the Atlantic Coast.
During the winter the strong north
winds pile the sands up into great
dimes. which are moving steadily
southwark. "These," says Professor
Cobb, "are best developed along the
Clrrituck Banks, from Virginia as far
south as the Kill Devil Hills. THESE
wind nipples, started in sands exposed
nv the removal of a strip of forest next
the shore, have grown In size to great
sand waves, which are advancing on
forests. fields and homes. AS the sand
wave has advanced it has taken up sew
eral feet of the loose soil over Whlcn
it has passed, undermining houses, lay
ing bare the roots of trees and expos
ing the bones of the dead in the GENE
teries.''
He relates that at Nays Head,
large hotel, constituting a solid OBJ
struction, held out for while, but III
little while the sand wave built up
short distance in the rear until the
level of the hotel roof was reached.
Then the wave advanced and the build
ing was engulfed. In this region the
land gained on the sound 800 feet III
ten wears. A fishing village on the
northern end of Hatteras Island was
buried in the same way, and what, at
the time Of the Civil War was "The
Great Woods is covered by sand and
not q stick shows where the island for
est was.
1.-The checking of these moving
Dunes according to Professor COBB,
presents a problem of increasing i'm
portance, not only to the inhabitants OF
these sand keys, but to the navlgators
| Of the inland waterways as we'll, ana
| if is of interest to know that its solu-
ton is at hand, and that the encroach-
| ment of the sand upon the land and
upon the sounds may be effectually
| stopped"
Owing to the fortunate chance that
| the north winds which pile up the sand
| here blow only in the winter, and that
| the spring rains are usually Of light in
tensity, especially on Hatteras Island,
the solution of the problem is rendered
| comparatively easy. In 1886, Professor
| Cobb began his experiment. He found
| it simple matter to plant grasses and
shrubbery in the late winter and early
| spring and have them gain firm foot
ting before the strong winds came.
Trees as Wind Breaks.
He planted the seed of the loblolly
pine on the back Of a dune and covered
the area with brush cut from a nearby
road in process of making. The brush
served not only to break the wind, but
to conserve the moisture in the sands.
To-day, he says, from that modest be-
ginning of p years ago, there is for
est of several acres. The European
plan of building a barrier dune by
means of wind breaks he says, has
been tried along the coast, but always
without success.
It having been proved that the sand
seas may be conquered, it may be re-
sarded as certain that in time human
ingenuity will reclaim every large arid
waste in the world. In another genera
ton, perhaps, there will not be a des-
ert within the boundaries Of the United
States. When once the way to solve
the problem has been shown, enterprise
will probably attempt to conquer the
Sahara and perchance even the great
Cobb.