The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-11-20
'SHARPS ISLAND In
CHESAPEAK DOOMED
Once Populous Spot In The Bay Now
Deserted And Rapidly Being
Washed Away.

Nature has tackled Sharps Island
| for fall and seems determined to
| wipe the place off the map.
From the very beginning nature
| has shown a tendency to treat Sharps
| as an island stepchild. Even in the
! matter of assigning location, the
creative forces made it plain that
| they did not care whether the island
lived or died. Since placing it they
| have shown steadfast and relentless
determination to get rid of it.
In three-QuarterS of a century IS
per cent of the island has disap-
peared.
Sharps stands directly at the
mouth of the Choptank river, unpro-
tected from the action of the cur
rent and the washing of the waves OF
| the Chesapeake Thirty or 40 years
ago it was a summer resort and sup
ported a number of families through
out the year. On its north end it
was well covered with trees and was
favorite place for duck and small
game hunting. In recent years the
life of the island has become thing
of the past, according to a PROBES
sional paper of the United States
Geological Survey.
"The trees have disappeared eX-
cept for meager half-dozen,' says
this paper. THE housese have been
washed away except for the large
hotel which stands alone in the cen
ter of the island, crumbling monu-
ment to the activity of other days;
the site of an artesian well has been
transgressed by the waves so that IL
now presents the unique feature OF
well in the midst of the waters OF the
bay:< The supervisors of the plllne
that made UP the long pier which for
merly invited the voyagers only aoo
to the melancholy of the deserted anu
dreary scene"
Neighborhood tradition is full OF
stories of the disappearance OF
large part of Sharp's Island and these
are supported by Government maps.
The first of these maps was COM
Melted in 1S48 as the first Govern
ment Topographic and hydrographlc
stndv of the Chesapeake and its trl-
butaries. Comparison OF this map
with the most recent Official charts
show startling changes brougnt
about by the action of the water IN
washing away the greater part OF the
island .
The official figures show that III
1848 the island contained 4SS acres.
In 1900, or So years later the area
had shrunk to 81 acres-a loss OF ~
nercent. or practically fourth-tlfth OF
the entire land surface. By the most
recent Government survey it is shown
that the area had shrunk one-elghth
of the island as first mapped by the
Coast and Geodetic Survey.
Government officials are not given
to speculations and prophecies, but
| in this case the interesting geological
| conditions brought about q deviation
from this rule.
Rv means of scientific and
| mathematical plotting the concluslon
| has been reached by j. Fred Hunter
| OF the Geological Survey that tne
| end OF Sharps Island will propapis
| come BY 1850 He added that III Il
| NOT bevond the range of possibility
| that it will entirely disappear be
| fore 1910. Mr.. Hunter figures tina,
the higher land to the north VIII
| doubtless be cut away first and thai
| soon little will be left but the low
| living marsh land.
Tho principal erosion and loss
| have always been at the west ana
| north sides of the island. during
ono 1O-year period tho shore line OF
| the north receded at the remarkaole
| rate of ITO feet year, While tne
west coast line receded FL feet .
/ year.
/ Sharps is but one of the Chesa
| peako islands threatened with com
| plete extinction. Tilghman is wear
| ing away at lesser rate but with NJ
less persistence. In 1S48 the area
| OF this island was 2015 acres, which
! had shrunk in 1856 acres at the time
| of the most recent survey. MI
Hunter figures, as a rough approx
nation, that Tilghman may reason
ably expect life span covering near
Iy 500 years from the present time
l Not the least interesting phase o
). the changes is the steady growth
the distance separating Sharps ant
Tilghrnan Many residents OF tn
towns OF Tilghman and Avalon an
| yiaipity.- recount statements curren
1.-Two M three generations ago to I'd
effect Xhat the islands were in clos
proximity 10 one another, or eve
connected. Since 1913 the aVeras
annual widening has been one-one
hundredth of mite. Recent SUI
yeys showed the islands 1888 1nll'
apart, and Mr.. Hunter figures thu
the actual time Of separation was al
; ,prGximately 1870 CT $50 years ago
) James Island is shown 60 nav
| shrunk from CTS acres in 1S4S,
'49O acres at the time Of the late'
, survey Mr.. : Hunter estimates ths
5Oasears more will be required Il
tho disappearance of James.
81 Eroism has caused considerao
ktchanges along the. Eastern Shore
po, nts affected by thu currents
, / Choptank and Little Choptan
) | rivers. Cook Point which lies q
. most due east of Sharps Island 10
9I1OS acres between the surveys
tllS47 and 1900. On the northwe
= coast of the Point, where the erols
was greatest, the water advanced
, the rate of 16 feet, year. During
; recent 1Oyear period the cuttlI
!. Iamounted to SO feet year
Hills Point, south Of Cook, the ave
4 80 ,,+o 1rac tx feet annually.