Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1908-04-17

In the beginning, as both Holy Writ
and the scientists tell us, the waters
covered all the surface Of our planet
and the land rose up out Of the waters.
And, II the waters have their way, ap-
parently they will, in the course of
time, again cover our globe. For the
attacks Of old ocean upon the land
are incessant the world over, and in
the aggregate enormously successful.
In this country, the data Of the Uni
ted States coast survey show that the
sea has advanced in the last thirty
two years an average Of 545 feet along
the coast Of Long Beach, south of
Barnegat inlet. On Belize bayou, a
former outlet Of the Mississippi River,
the Spaniards built a fort 200 years
ago; our engineers found the sea water
ten feet deep over the doorsill Of the
magazine. Aug 10, 1855, sudden
storm burst upon the Gulf Of Mexico
and overwhelmed LIsle Derniere, the
favorite summer resort Of the oldest
anu iiShCol SiCOiC ldnlllC6 VI ANCW Va
leans. Belgium spent the sum of $14,-
360,S50 for protection from the sea
from 1902 to 1904, and is now prepar-
ing to build a sea wall the whole
length Of its coast as the price OF
safety. At point de Grave France,
on the left bank of the Gironde,
the lighthouse has been moved back
three times to save 1t from the
waves. Heligoland which ia the
eleventh century was an island
with an aera Of $40 square miles,
is now reduced to mere rock, less
than two miles long and 1000 feet
wide. Prosperous villages on the map
Of Holland in 1871 are now nearly q
mile out at sea. The British isles are
apparently the worst sufferers, and
England Is especially unfortunate.
There the encroachments of the sea
are so serious that royal commits.
sion on coast erosion has been appoint.
ed, and parliament Is to take up the
question of combating the ocean. Eng.
land has surrendered to the sea 524
square miles of good land In the last
thousand years. For the last forty
years the average loss has been 1923
acres. And the loss Is increasing year
by year. England is an old country
with unbroken records and there is no
guesswork about these losses. Many
historical towns, such as Ravensburgh
where Henry Nv. landed In 1889, are
entirely gone. There Is an anchorage
Of Selsey, Sussex, which Is still called
"The Park" because it was a royal
deer park in the reign Of Henry VII
| The Goodwin Sands, so dreaded by navi
gators, were once the 4,0OO-acre estate
Of Earl Goodwin. Minister church ir
Kent, two miles inland century ago
is now on the beach. Reculver, also In
Kent, was an important military post
in the Roman days and stood one mile
from the sea; now the site Is under
water and all that is left Of 1t Is the
two towers Of the cathedral. The
famous St Michael's mount, near Pen
zance, Cornwall, is now an insulal
rock; once 1t stood in forest severa
miles from the sea or the Yorkshire
coast are no fewer than twelve sub
merged towns and villages. From al
most every point on the coast Of Eng
land comes the cry to the government
for help. The efforts of private own
ers have proved unavalling against the
attacks Of the sea. Sea walls and pro
tectlve works Of all kinds have sue
cumbed, even where the cost Of sucf
works has been three times the valu.
Of the land protected.