Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-08-23
WHY LIGHTHOUSES WON'T
"STAY PUT" ALONG COAST

Long agitation to save Barnegat
Light from removal, and announce
ment that jetties will be built to
preserve the historic beacon, give a
hint OF the extreme variability OF
coast lines and conditions.
"A survey of the coast of New Jer-
sey shows strikingly the results that
are wrought upon a shoreline by the
wind and the waves" writes John
Oliver LaGorce to the National Geo.
graphic Society.
The beaches for the most part
are being driven back by the sea,
but the harbors. which were access
ible to coasters quite within the
memory of men now living, are clos
ed by the travelling drift, just as
most of the mouths of the streams
emptying into the ocean have been
closed and saltwater marshes form
ed.
I'm a description of the Jersey
coast, published in 1879, it was stat
ed that, prior to the War of 1912,
Old Cranberry Inlet was n of the
best anchorages on the coast. and
afforded a safe harbor for Ameri-
can privateers on the lookout for
British ships during the Revolution
II opened one night by the angry
sea breaking across the beach. and
during the last year Of its existence
as q harbor the whole channel drift
ed nearly a mile to the northward.
Its closure, about 1912, caused SO
much inconvenience that, in 1912,
one Michael Ortley attempted to cut
a new inlet near the head Of Barne-
gat Bay. With the assistance OF
others, 1t was finally finished; but
the following morning, to the amaze
ment of the voluntary workers, 1t
had closed up again. Later another
effort was made to effect the same
thing lower down the bay. The cut
was completed July 4, 1S47, the
work being done by several hundred
men under Anthony Ivens, Jr. The
water was let in, and the entire COM
munity sent forth its thanksgiving,
but quite too soon, for 1t filled up al
most as quickly at the Ortley cut, so
relentlessly was the seas war car
ried on.
"a survey at Atlantic City, in 1853,
revealed the fact hat in the course
of but a few years the shore at
Maine avenue had lost rs acres.
True. most of this material was de-
posted in the lee of the point ex-
tending from New Jersey to Ohio
avenues, causing an advance of the
beach lines at Pennsylvania avenue
of about 1000 feet and adding to
this part of the plat some Sc acres,
all in the brief space of a decade.
This transfer of property from one
riparian owner to another without
consideration is not provided for in
the statutes, but might properly be
regarded as inequitable, especially
to the original owner. However, no
one has yet gone into court for an
Injunction against the sea for thus
robbing Peter to pay Paul.
when the lighthouse at Atlantic
City was threatened. in 1873, the
United States challenged the sea
by the construction of a jetty at the
head of Atlantic ven Thus was
inaugurated a series of defensive
works, which have been continued
from time to time by individuals,
so that So additional acres nave been
reclaimed from the sea to the great
benefit of the city, as we'll as to that
of the riparian owners; but they had
to fight hard for every inch.
1.-The changes in the coastline
seem partial to no particular local
ity. At Ocean Grove, New Jersey
aud az Point Pleasant investigation
shows traces of tidemar]Ss in places
a mile inland. At Absecon
houses now stand at a point that was
low tide IN 1850, while Sandy Hook
is now nearly J IA miles northwest
of it's stated position in 1854, when
the lighthouse there was built.
The shifting of the sands eli the
seashore very often involves expen-
sive litigation. In 1885 the coun-
ties of Atlantic and Burlington of
New Jersey entered into an expen-
sive litigation concerning the boun-
dairy between them. There was a
dispute as to one of the of
this boundary. 1t was stated to he,
in the original survey, the next inlet
in the South side of Little Egg Har-
most southerly inlet, and thence
along the seacoast to the line Of par
tition bstween east and est Jersey.
But it could not be found in its ORR
ginal home when they went to look
for it, thus bringing up TO date the
ancient saying about a rope of