The Colorado statesman., 1923-06-02
BY JOHN OLIVER LA GORGE, Vice
President National Geographic

Society.
Realization of the great age of the
earth and the long periods involved
in the birth OF mountain ranges and
the disappearance of continents often
Obscures the fact that changes are TAX
ing place rapidly enough actually to
be watched and measured. In places
the clock of geologic time runs so fast,
in fact that we may, as II were, see
the minute hand moving upon the dial.
One of the most conspicuous place.
by which TO illustrate this remark
able condition is the coast-line of the
southeastern United States from the
Virginia capes to the Rio Grande.
Hero, as along overy other coast-line
on the face of the earth there is per-
petual warfare between the land and
The sea, with the wind as a shifting
ally. now throwing its weight into the
balance on the one side and now on
the other. Here the land is taking
the offensive, driving the sea back
foot by foot, always with the aid of
the wind; there the sea assumes the
offensive and eats its way landward
slowly and laborously, but none the
less successfully. The varying for
tunes 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 along the coast of the
northeastern states are found bold
cliffs, and the charging sea attacks
them with the shot and shell of loose
shlngle. Some of them, however, are
adamant and lmpregnable in their
frontal fortificatlons and hold out
against the sorest siege, but between
them have occurred stretches of
softer rock which have been literally
pounded to dust by the oceans heavy
artillery, thus permitting flank attacks
on the hitherto unconquered defenses.
Along the southeastern coast, how
ever, the rock-bound cliff Is the excep-
tion and the long stretches of glitter
ing sand the rule. Here the sandy
beach reaches ont farther and far
ther into the sea, and the water is
thus enabled to penetrate farther and
farther into the land. because the at
tack of the sea is usually a frontal
movement and that of the land fire.
quently a wedge attack thus we can
account for the long, straight shore
on the one hand and the spit on the
other.
Cape Henry's Sand Dune.
Cape Henry, Virginia, where the
great Chesapeake bay emptles into the
Atlantic, is one of the most interest
ing points along the South Atlantic
Il
tunlty to study the battle royal be-
tween the sea, the winds and the
sands, and 1t is remarkable also for
the weird beauty Of IFS storm-buffeted
beach, extending In broken masses of
sand as far as the eye can reach,
picked out here and there along the
land edge by gnarled and stunted
trees, beach grass and hardy shrubs,
which make brave fight against the
ever-encroaching enemy
At Cape Henry in 1901 was erected
the first lighthouse built by the young
United States government. After
many years of faithful service the an
cient beacon gave way to more pre-
tentlous structure. which was erected
in 1891, hut the old lighthouse still
stands on its great hill of sand and
rock like a sentinel of a forgotten
army ready to spring to arms when
called
Stretching inland behind the origl-
nal lighthouse is great dune. or
rather mountain of sand, which has
been the savings bank of the winds
for untold centuries The dune is
more than 100 feet high in many
places. and the great plateau on Its
crest. stretching back into the country
for several miles. covers an area of
many acres Slowly but surely the
great mass of sand crystals is making
Its way toward the interior, being
pushed back inch by inch by the rest
less wind. and II is mercilessly engulf-
Ing a great pine forest. 1t is even
rapidly filling up the Lynnhaven river,
a small fresh-water stream famous for
Its oysters.
Rockaway Beach, Long Island,
grows westward at the rate OF nearly
mile every twenty years. AT Nag
Head. North Carolina. the land has
extended into the sen at the rnte of
85 feet a year. In 1904 DIR. Nathaniel
Bowditch prepared chart of Salem
and Marblehead harbors, giving the
soundIngs over various ledges of rock.