NORTH CAROLINA STATE LIBRARY 

 RALEIGH 



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UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA 



KH\«lTT[lFe 



8 1978 



August, 1977 



1235 Burlington Laboratories 

 NCSU, Raleigh, N.C. 27607 Tel: (919) 737-2^54 



It's falling into the ocean 



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In 1864 Fort Fisher stood staunchly on the lip of the Atlantic Ocean, manned by Confederates protecting 

 the vital port of Wilmington. Its huge earthen mounds stretched a mile and a half along North Carolina's 

 coast. 



Today only a handful of earthen mounds remain of what was once considered the strongest fortification 

 in the world. But it wasn't the Civil War that destroyed it. Since 1865, the main challenge to the fort has 

 been the ever-creeping erosion of wind and waves. It's a battle which, without a lot of intervention, the fort 

 is destined to lose. 



Like much other construction on the coastline, Fort Fisher is slipping into the ocean. Unfortunately, it 

 seems to be eroding faster than any other area of the state. Erosion of the fort has been a consistent 

 phenomenon since 1865 and has averaged 15 feet per year. It has eaten away at the beach, the remains of 

 the fort, vegetation and a state owned picnic area. U.S. Highway 421, which runs from Wilmington to the 

 tip of the barrier island has been washed out and relocated twice. 



The problem also plagues other historic sites along the coast. At Cape Hatteras, for example, the ocean 

 has been encroaching dangerously on the famous lighthouse for years— in spite of efforts at erosion control. 

 Clay Gifford of the National Park Service has watched the sea carry off protective sandbags "as big as 

 automobiles." 



Much of the erosion at Fort Fisher can be attributed to hurricanes and northeasters. Four severe 

 hurricanes in 1954 and 1955 snatched large portions of the fort and inspired the state to begin its first ten- 

 tative efforts to control erosion there. Rubble, including broken concrete and brickwork, was piled on the 

 bluffs. In the early 1960s sand was piped onto the beaches, but it was rapidly washed away. 



(See "expensive engineering, " page 2) 



