The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-04-18
TRUCELESS WAR Is
WAGED BY WATERS

not perceive their movement. Mr.. La
Gorce continues:
Along ever coast line on the face
Of the earth there Is perpetual war
fare between the land and the sea,
with the wind as the shifting line,
now throwing Its weight into the bal
ance on the one side and now on the
other. Here the land is taking Of
fensive; there the sea marshals a
great drive. and eats its way land
ward slowly and laboriously. but
none the less successfully. The vary
ing fortunes Of this relentless and
age-long war. which neither truce
nor treaty will ever bring to an end.
can be read In the shifting sands OF
the seashore. At many points aion g
the coast of the northeastern states
are found bold cliffs, and the charg-
ing sea attacks them with the shot
and shell OF loose shingles. Some OF
them, however. are adamant and i'm
preguable In their frontal, fortifica-
tions and hold out against the sorest
seigc. but between them have occur
red stretches Of softer rock which
have been literally pounded to Gus:
by the oceans heavy artillery. thus
permitting flank attacks on the hith-
crto unconquered defenses.
Exception to tlc Rule.
Along the southeastern coast
however, the rock-bound cliff Is the
exception and the long stretches Of
glittering sand the rule. Here the
sandy beach reaches out farther and
farther into the land, because the
attack Of the sea is usually frontal
movement and that of the land fire.
quently wedge attack: thus We can
account for the long straight shore
on the one hand and the split on the
other.
THE formation Of the beach i'm
mediately guarded by the Cape Henri,
light is not changing so rapidly as is
the case only few miles on either
side because of its somewhat pro.
tected position. due to the many
sand bars or reefs far out from
shore. which. acting as the frs
trenches. serve to break the charge
OF the white horses of Father Nep
tune as they dash in from the ocean
and. because Of this knowledge OF de
Tense. 1t is plain to be seen that Q
good quarter Of mile OF beach ha.
been added by the defender since
the old light was erected.
Beach Grows Westward.
"Rockway Beach. Long Island
grows westward at the rate of nearly
a mile every twenty years. At Nags
Head. N. G., the land is. retratinl
at the rate OF foot q year.. and or
the southern shore OF Martha's Vine
yard 1t is giving up the fight to the
enemy at the rate of three feet every
twelve months, while on the southern
face of Nantucket the retreat has
been as much rs six feet year, the
records tell US.
InccsSant Warfare.
"In its incessant warfare against
the land, the sea literally takes it.
captured hosts, and makes them dc
battle under its command. The
boulders that are shattered from the
face of cliff are dashed up against
1t again and again. hammering other:
loose. the while being worn round
and smooth as the. projectiles of big
guns must be. AS the process goes
on, these huge shells are worn down
and crippled until there remains
nothing to tell the story of forced
fighting against their own strong
hold, save grains If sand on some
distant beach or the soft carpet
spread upon the floor of the sea many
fathoms deep.
How rapidly this process goes on
is sometimes strikingly shown. 4
schooner ladened with bricks is
storm: these bricks are rolled and
tumbled a distance Of five miles or
SO In the course OF q year, and by
that time attrition has usually COM
pleted its work. Authorities say
that on the shores of Cape Ann a
fragment of stone as big as a nail
key has been work completely round
by its constant turning during the
course of but five years.
Old Map Proves Charges.
Some years ago there was dis.
covered in the British records Of.
fee an elaborate map Of the North
American coast from Cape Cod &c
the Navesink Hills, which Is believed
to date from about 1715. 1t gives
wonderful illustration, of the
changes that coastline may under
go in 200 years. To begin with, Il
shows that Cape Cod was at that
time an island. and that near the
point where tho natural passage
from the Atlantic to Cape Cod Bay
The point Is located where the chan.
mel existed, and the following nota'
tion was put in by a British officer
probably Captain Southback. sent
out to capture Bellamy, the pirate:
"'Ye place where came through
with whale boat being ordered BY
we governor to look after We pirate