Haupt.] 1^^ [Jan. 18, 



of the twelve, there is a northwardly current through False Hook chan- 

 nel." "This northwardly current runs on the inside for eleven hours 

 out of the twelve. It is the conflict of these two northwardly currents 

 outside and inside, and the deposit of materials whicli they carry to the 

 point of the Hook, which causes its growth." * * * "Within a cen- 

 tury it has increased a mile and a quarter." 



Prof. Mitchell says : " Our attention was called not only to the more 

 regular action of tides, currents, and the ordinary wash of the sea, but 

 also to the effects following violent storms and other extraordinary phe- 

 nomena." ***<'! vvlll cite here the most striking case in this con- 

 nection. Near the end of Sandy Hook we found many small household 

 articles, and even human bones, which were ascertained to have drifted 

 thither from the emigrant ship New Era, wrecked at Long Branch two 

 years ago. To astertain whether the same causes were still in operation, 

 we chose a period of quiet weather, and made deposits of sinking bodies, 

 at points along the coast a short distance from shore. The materials pur- 

 sued the same path as that taken by the wreck matter of the New Era, 

 driving on to the same part of the beach after many days." 



This is conclusive evidence for this place to show that it is not the wind 

 wave, but the flood current running along shore, tliat has produced this 

 spit of sand, called Sandy Hook, extending for five miles in a direction 

 opposed to the prevailing winds. The observations were made with a 

 view to determine this very point, and leave no doubt as to its correctness. 

 The same cause, namely, the flood current, flowing westerly along the 

 south shore of Long Island, has built out Coney Island to the westward 

 in the face of a strong ebb and the north-west storms. 



In a Report on the improvement ot the bar near Sandy Hook, a board 

 of officers say : "Among the agencies which tend to diminish the navi- 

 gable depth, are : (1) Sand moved from the adjacent shores into the lower 

 bay. From observation, it is known that there is a gradual movement of 

 sand in the vicinity of the low-water line northward along the New Jer- 

 sey shore, and westward along the Long Island shore into New York bay. 

 Even without special observations, the fact is sufficiently shown by the 

 form of Sandy Hook, a sand spit about five miles long, which has been 

 slowly built during past ages by this nortliward movement of sand along 

 the New Jersey shore." * * * "An examination of the charts of 

 Coney Island shows that its western end is moving westward as sand is 

 moved to it, the motion of its eighteen-foot curve amounting to 800 feet 

 between 1835 and 1881." 



No cause is assigned in this Report for these movements north and west. 

 They are merely mentioned as observed facts, but it is not to be supposed 

 that this distinguished board of experienced officers would ascribe these 

 movements at right angles to each other to " the prevailing direction of 

 the storm winds," or to the "accepted wind-wave theory," since the pre- 

 vailing diiection is neither west, north, nor north-west, but is off" shore, 

 whilst the flood-tide movement is north-west and reacts along shore to trans- 



