﻿Verrill 
  — 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Geology 
  of 
  the 
  Bermudas. 
  333 
  

  

  erection, 
  before 
  the 
  stones 
  had 
  acquired 
  their 
  hard 
  superficial 
  coat 
  

   of 
  infiltrated 
  calcite. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  these 
  stones 
  were 
  selected 
  

   from 
  the 
  harder 
  beds 
  of 
  limestone 
  and 
  therefore 
  had 
  more 
  than 
  

   the 
  average 
  resisting 
  power, 
  but, 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  after 
  any 
  

   of 
  the 
  soft 
  limestones 
  become 
  infiltrated 
  by 
  calcite 
  the 
  surface 
  

   is 
  about 
  equally 
  resistant, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  differences 
  in 
  power 
  of 
  

   resisting 
  erosion 
  by 
  the 
  sea, 
  between 
  tides, 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  it 
  

   would 
  otherwise 
  be. 
  

  

  Allowing 
  the 
  average 
  to 
  be 
  even 
  one 
  inch 
  in 
  25 
  vears, 
  it 
  

   would 
  have 
  required 
  at 
  least 
  25,000 
  to 
  30,000 
  years 
  for 
  the 
  sea 
  

   to 
  have 
  eroded 
  the 
  high 
  perpendicular 
  cliffs 
  facing 
  on 
  Harring- 
  

   ton 
  Sound 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  eroded. 
  And 
  yet 
  

   these 
  cliffs 
  are 
  far 
  more 
  sheltered 
  than 
  the 
  causeway, 
  for 
  Har- 
  

   rington 
  Sound 
  is 
  completely 
  landlocked, 
  with 
  such 
  a 
  long 
  and 
  

   narrow 
  channel 
  connecting 
  it 
  with 
  the 
  outer 
  bay, 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  

   scarcely 
  any 
  tide, 
  — 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  foot. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  two 
  miles 
  wide, 
  

   so 
  that 
  no 
  great 
  seas 
  can 
  be 
  formed 
  in 
  it, 
  even 
  in 
  severe 
  storms. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  compared 
  the 
  causeway 
  erosion 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  these 
  

   sheltered 
  cliffs, 
  because 
  a 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  cliffs 
  on 
  the 
  

   exposed 
  shores, 
  especially 
  with 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side, 
  against 
  

   which 
  the 
  storm 
  waves 
  dash 
  with 
  incredible 
  violence, 
  — 
  would 
  

   be 
  far 
  less 
  justifiable. 
  In 
  fact, 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  obtain 
  any 
  reliable 
  

   data 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  erosion 
  of 
  the 
  exposed 
  cliffs 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  

   shore, 
  except 
  the 
  observation 
  that 
  on 
  Castle 
  Island 
  the 
  ancient 
  

   sea-walls 
  of 
  the 
  forts 
  were 
  often 
  built 
  with 
  their 
  foundations 
  on 
  a 
  

   shelf 
  of 
  limestone 
  some 
  distance 
  below 
  the 
  original 
  brow 
  of 
  the 
  

   seaward 
  cliffs, 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  undermined, 
  but 
  stand 
  

   firmly 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  apparently 
  put 
  about 
  275 
  years 
  ago. 
  

   Some 
  stairs 
  cut 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  solid 
  cliff-rock, 
  in 
  early 
  times, 
  going 
  

   down 
  to 
  the 
  water, 
  are 
  also 
  still 
  serviceable, 
  but 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  

   learn 
  the 
  exact 
  date 
  of 
  their 
  construction. 
  In 
  fact, 
  these 
  old 
  

   works, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  early 
  representations 
  of 
  them, 
  indicate 
  

   that 
  this 
  very 
  exposed 
  small 
  island 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  eroded 
  to 
  any 
  

   noticeable 
  extent 
  during 
  275 
  years. 
  

  

  Hurricanes. 
  

  

  During 
  a 
  violent 
  hurricane 
  last 
  autumn 
  (Sept. 
  12) 
  the 
  entire 
  

   causeway, 
  described 
  above, 
  was 
  utterly 
  demolished, 
  scarcely 
  

   one 
  stone 
  having 
  been 
  left 
  on 
  another. 
  The 
  vast 
  seas 
  that 
  did 
  

   this 
  destruction 
  came 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  southeast 
  through 
  the 
  nar- 
  

   row 
  passage 
  between 
  Castle 
  Island 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  islands 
  that 
  

   protect 
  Castle 
  Harbor 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side, 
  and 
  then, 
  after 
  driv- 
  

   ing 
  through 
  the 
  shallow 
  water 
  and 
  between 
  the 
  numerous 
  reefs 
  

   of 
  Castle 
  Harbor, 
  they 
  still 
  had 
  sufficient 
  power 
  to 
  overthrow 
  

   this 
  substantial 
  wall 
  of 
  masonry. 
  The 
  same 
  storm 
  destroyed 
  

   nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  docks 
  and 
  retaining 
  walls 
  in 
  St. 
  George's 
  

  

  