The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1919-10-30
CORPUS CHRISTI
FLOOD EXPLAINED
BY BIOLOGISTS
National Geographic Society
Issues Bulletin on Reason,

WASHINGTON, b. C.-An expla-
nation Of the coastal formation which
contributed 10 the terrible inroads OF
the floods tina, all but wiped out the
city OF Corpus Chris, and devastated
other gulf towns, is contained in a
bulletin from the Washington head
quarters OF the National Geographic
society. The bulletin recalls that the
Galveston flood OF 1909. which re.
suited in the erection OF the 'tauuch
sea walls preventing a recurrence oi
desolation At Galveston. was not the
first calamity OF that sort which has
visited the southern cities.
witness the swallowing Of l'lslc
Derniere. a health and pleasure re-
sot, Of New Orleans, with most Of It's
transient population Just ~ years be
lore Galveston" the bulletin SAYS.
quoting from a communication 70 the
society.
Tho slundcu, who SCANS the shore,
o. Atlantic and gull, either IN the
ground or on the admirable maps OF
the coast and gcolctlc survey and the
photographic office Of Our navy, soon
perceives that the relations between
wave. built bars and wavc.cut sea
cliffs vary from coast-stretch to coast
stretch. On the New Jersey coast the
bars are beaten well back TO or be
yond the line OF the sea.cliits, 81 that
the ponds or sounds behind the bals
are relatively short and diScontinu-
Gus; along the florida coasts the
keys stand further gu, TO sea, and are
separated from the mainland by great
elongated sounds often aiiorlmg
u"avigablc waterways; while about
the northern shores OF the gull the
relations Of the keys 10 sounds arc
more variable.
"Closer study serves 10 interpret
these variable relations from Florida
westward 10 Mobile bay the KEYS are
nearly continuous and the sounds long
and narrow; thence westward 20
Lake Borgne the typical key, are lost,
though their lines continue in series
of islands-Ship Island. Horn Island,
Cat Island, etc~.-separated from the
mainland by the broad Mississippi
sound; still further westward a new
series Of keys. %erratic in form and
trend. appear in the Chandelier Is
lands, and beyond the delta there is
a corresponding land correspondingly
e~rraticl series Of low KEYS stretching
eastward nearly or quite TO Atchai-
alaya bay.
Nov, the mainland shore OF Mis-
s~issippi sound is marked by a series
of small and narrow keys AMI sounds
evidently in proee" OF gro ID, but
much less advanced than those east
Of Mobile bay; and these are among
the evidences that along this stretch
Il shore .hc gull has encroachcd on
lie land to such an extent as 10 leave
the original % to 40 miles behind.
Similarly the Chandelier keys and
The corresponding series west Of the
ielta arc small and new and obvious
ly connected with the delta building.
"Wcst OF Atchaialaya bay the coast
+, Characterized by the absence OF
KEYS and sounds, save OF the iniautilc
sort. like those OF the inland shore oi
Mississippi sound so that this shore
seems m~congruous with the rest. M
I'll the student discovers the long line
OF completely submerged kcys-Sab
me bank. Trinity shoal, Ship shoal
c,c,--in a position precisely CORES
pending to the islands south OF Mis-
S%issippi couud and forming a direc,
submarine councction(sayc ds cut oil
by the del,a) between these islands
OF the eastern pull and the well de-
veloped keys OF the southern IeNa,
shore.
"rhe position OF these banks. like
that Of the Horn Island and It's tel
lows, is such as to demonstrate that
the waters have invaded the mainland,
and that west Of the delta the en-
croachmcnt has been sufficient not
merely to push back the shotelne 50
TO 100 miles bu, completely to sub
merge the ancient keys.
"Thc most striking feature OF these
drowned and hali-drowncd keys IS
their symmetric arrangement, except
for the interruption by { delta with
il, new and lesser sand banks, tho
great bars form a sweeping curve
regular as the beach line Of a land
locked bay. and hence afford a rough
measure OF the outbuilding OF the
delta as well as Of the invasion Of
the gull ON its fIanks. Hardly less
striking than the symmetry OF the
series IS the closeness Of continuity
between keys and banks; and it is a
significant fact that Galveston Island
IS the northeastern terminus of the
west.coast system Of KEYS, the last
stretch Of these sand banks still riS-
ing above the Level " tide.