Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1907-11-21
Creatures That Change the Maps.


In Newport river and Beaufort har-
bor. on the coast of North Carolina,
are q number Of small islands, Some
sre mere sandbanks, others ere 0 to
10 acres Of sound, green grass and
palmetto scrub. 1t has been noticed
for many years past that these islands
are growing almost as if they were
coral reefs, ard a geologist, DR.. Grave,
has been investigating the cause.
he finds that they are built entire
ly by oysters. Ages ago oysters set
tied On the mud banks Young oys.
ters must have clean ground to fasten
upon. Therefore the spat settled upon
the outer edges Of the colonies where
the tides and currents kept the mud
from settling. and in this way the
oyster reefs grew across the current.
In course of time sand and soil covered
up the succeeding generations OF oys'
ters, and slowly the reefs grew TIL
they poked their heads above water
and became islands.
So.called coral insects have, OF
course, done more to alter the surface
Of our planet than any other crea-
lures. 1t is odd how little the average
person knows about coral builders.
As a matter of fact, there are scores
of different kinds of creatures that
build coral reefs. Some are polyps,
some madrepores, others sea-anemonea,
but all have one point in common.
They every one take lime from the
sea water for the purpose of building
bony base or skeleton, and it is this
lime which, after the creatures them
selves are dead. remains for fresh gen.
erations to grow upon.
They have been building for mil
lions of years past, and more than
1900 fossil kinds of coral builders
have been classified.
Some of their works are gigantic.
Coral atolls run to 80 miles long and
as much as 10 miles wide, while the
Great Barrier reef along the Queens
land coast is no less than 200 miles
long, and in all its immense length
has but one passage for ships.
II is estimated that the land formed
by coral builders furnishes today
dwelling place for more than 100000
of the human race. and the prodiglous
amount of work which these never
firing workers have accomplished is
proved by the fact that more than
two and a-hslf millions Of square miles
of sea bottom are paved with coral
lime, sand and mud.
Shsll6lh are not peculiar to the
sea coast. The whole OF the worlds
oceans are full Of tiny shsllGsh, and
these creatures are slowly causing
enormous changes in the con6gurstion
Of our globe.
1t was they who made the rock We
call chalk. All the pleasant, turfy
downs of Southern England are COM
posed entirely of the remains OF the
tiny shells of creatures which once
Aoated in the warm waves of a pre-.
historic sea. At present nearly 3d.
0o0,0 900 square miles of the beds Of
the worlds oceans are covered with
Globigerina ooze, soft, gray mud
chiefly composed of thSsremains Of
minute shells.
One of the oldest of modern geo.
logical mysteries ia the discovery o.
gigantic beds of fossil fishes in Colo
RADIO. These cover nearly 300 aquart
miles in the Green River district, anC
in come places the fossil 6sh lie l5l
feet thick. How the creatures 60
there in such masses is complete
puzzle, especially as the country wher
they are found is about 5000 fee
above the present level of the sea.
Apart from purely marine creatures
worms and ants have done and ar
doing more to alter the face Of tn
dry land than any other living crsa
lures. Those who have read Darwi
know that there are on an averag
So, 600 worms to the acre. and tha
these creatures raise ten tons Of so
to the surface yearly. At this rat
they change the whole top surface 70
a depth of thyee Inches every iftee
years. If thste were no worms th