286 



CAPE COD GEOLOGY 



for 21 to 3 miles between Race Point and Long Point, forming the western 

 finger of the Cape, had been driven in from 100 to 300 feet. In 1849 the beach 

 between East Harbor and the ocean was about 300 feet wide where narrowest 

 and about 40 feet high. 1 In 1857 Mitchell found the beach at this place about 

 100 feet wide and 12 to 15 feet high. He records a report that the sea had 

 broken over this place in the preceding winter. 



Certain small-scale maps that form illustrations in books published at the 

 end of the eighteenth century 2 show a passage through the outer beach at 

 the west end of East Harbor (Pilgrim Lake on recent charts) , seeming to indicate 

 that for a time after the survey by Des Barres the sea broke through the bar 

 at this place ; but no authentic record of such an occurrence has been found. Any 

 such irruption, however disastrous it might have been to Provincetown Harbor, 

 would have soon been closed by the long-shore transportation of sand from 

 the cliffs of Truro and Wellfleet. 



In 1868-69 a dike was built at the ' 'wading place" at High Head (or Pilgrim 

 Heights) by the United States, and another dike was built to close the connection 

 between East Harbor and the bay, thus converting the East Harbor into Pilgrim 

 Lake. In 1870 a dike was built at the head of Lancy's Harbor, at the foot of 

 Abel Hill, to prevent the flow of the tide from Lancy's Harbor into Provincetown 

 Harbor. More recently a dike has been built from Steven's Point across the 

 House Point Island flats to Long Point. Formerly there was a small islet on 

 these flats, known as House Point Island, which has gradually disappeared. 

 In 1890 Marindin found Lancy's Harbor a "dry sand and gravel slough." 



In the Coast Survey Report of 1867, Whiting 3 states that, between Graham's 

 survey in 1835 and his re-survey in 1867, Long Point had become extended 

 above high water as much as 2,460 feet. The flats between Long Point and the 

 western part of the village advanced in the same period (32 years) an average 

 distance of 275 feet upon the harbor. Beach Point, which was built out from 

 the west side of High Head, advanced in the same period 1,000 feet on the south 

 side of East Harbor, but the main shore of the inlet opposite the point had re- 



1 In addition to the general charts of Cape Cod already listed, there is a chart of Cape Cod Harbor 

 by J. D. Graham, U. S. Topographical Engineer, 1836, accompanying Document 121, 25th Congress, 

 2nd session, surveyed 1833-35, scale 1/10,560. The harbor was surveyed by the U. S. Coast Survey 

 in 1849, and re-surveyed by H. L. Whiting in 1857, see U. S. Coast Survey Report for 1857, pp. 148- 

 149, plate No. 9, map of Provincetown Harbor. Whiting made another survey of the harbor in 1867. 

 Again the harbor was surveyed by Henry L. Marindin in 1890, see U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey for 

 1891, Part 2, Appendix No. 8, pp. 283-288, plates Nos. 11, 12. 



2 The State of Massachusetts from the best information, 1799, Engraved for New Encyclopedia. 

 Published by I. Low, New York, Scale, 20 miles to one inch. A map of Massachusetts, from the best 

 authorities, by J. Denison, published by Thomas & Andrews, Boston. No date. Scale 1/564,960. 



3 II. S. Coast Survey Report for 1867, pp. 151-156. 



