26 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
The marsh is traversed by a number of small channels which, 
starting almost immediately behind the barrier beaches, follow ‘an 
irregular course until they unite in one tortuous channel about ten feet 
in width and finally discharge into Chauncey Creek, at a point near the 
bridge already referred to. Changes of surface level have developed 
to such an extent that in places about the borders of the marsh, sweet 
grasses are already displacing the marsh grass, and this replacement is 
going on wherever there is sufficient elevation to protect the roots from 
direct action of the salt water. 
No section of this marsh was made and its history is therefore 
unknown, but there is reason to believe that it was formed in precisely 
the same way and concurrently with the Brave-Boat Harbor marsh. 
[* should nevertheless be pointed out here, that the description given 
shows that the marsh is not flooded in the usual way by means of an inlet 
through the barrier beach. On the other hand, the irrigation is accom- 
plished through a channel which establishes an indirect connection with 
- the ocean at the rear, a fact which has an important bearing upon the 
genesis of both marshes. 
About twelve years ago an electric railroad from Portsmouth to 
York, was carried across the marsh at Brave-Boat Harbor as shown in 
figure 1. The track was horne on a high trestle which extended from 
Cutts’ Island to Oak Island, and thence to the mainland on the north. 
At the time of construction a line of soundings was carried across the 
marsh, and these showed that, in many places, at least, there was no 
bottom, that is bottom was not reached at depths of thirty and forty 
feet, and it became a somewhat serious problem to maintain the integrity 
of the trestle upon so unstable a foundation. 
For many years, indeed ever since the construction of the York 
Harbor and Beach railroad which crosses the marsh near its head, 
there has been great difficulty in properly maintaining its bridge. At 
various times vast quantities of stone have been thrown into the marsh 
to give a proper foundation for the structure but with incomplete 
success, since much of the material has completely disappeared. At 
first not clearly understood, these facts have recently received a clear 
explanation through a detailed study of the marsh which is at present 
in the last phases of that stage of development known as a “ quaking 
bog.” 
The difficulty experienced in maintaining the trestle of the Electric 
road, finally led to the expediency of filling it in and making a solid 
embankment. For this purpose material had to be taken from the 
marsh itself. The result of this proceedure was the excavation on 
opposite sides of the track, of two enormous trenches. That on the 
