ALLUVIAL DIVISION. 
27 
brance of Mr. Gardner, who says he has seen sloops loaded with wood, float in places now 
some feet above tide-water level. The long beach connecting Eaton’s neck with the main 
island, is continued three-fourths of a mile eastward ; and a part of the way it is formed in 
front of cliffs, which it protects from the farther encroachment of the sea; and the remain¬ 
ing distance, before a small pond skirted with marsh, which formerly communicated with the 
sea by means of a creek, but now is obstructed by alluvial sand. 
A sand-beach one-fourth of a mile in length, has been formed between Long Island sound 
and Crab meadows, through which a creek, entering obliquely from the northwest, passes in 
a serpentine direction through the marsh. By the action of violent winds, the finer particles 
of sand are formed ;nto hillocks which are slowly drifting inland.* 
A similar sand-beach has been formed at Fresh-pond creek. The outlet of the small pond 
is often obstructed ly alluvial sand, so as to obstruct the ingress of salt water. This obstruc¬ 
tion has sometimes l)een removed by digging, and at others the water has accumulated in the 
pond, so as to burst through its barrier, and excavate a deep chamiel. 
A sand-beach hali a mile long, has been formed at Sunken meadows. It is said that the 
outlet through this beach has moved thirty rods eastward in a few years. 
A shingle beach a)out a mile in length, has been formed on the north part of Crane neck, 
between Flax-pond aid the sound. The tidal flow on this shore is so strong as to have drifted 
away the finer materids to the southwest part of the neck, where they have formed shoals, and 
a long sand-beacht bitween a marsh and the sea; while the coarse materials have been left 
nearer their source, t» form the shingle beach. 
Sand-spits have been formed nearly across the mouths of Drowned meadow, Stony brook, 
Setauket, Smithtovm and Oldman’s harbors. They serve as natural breakwaters to protect 
the harbors ; but the tars at the entrances are so shallow, that vessels of small draught only 
can enter them. 
Sand-beaches have brmed across in front of the marshes on the southeast coast of Staten 
Island, derived from tie degradation of the high banks farther east. Another small one con¬ 
nects Throg’s neck in Westchester county, which was once an island, with the main land. 
The reader will perctive, from the preceding details, that the beaches, spits, etc. are impor¬ 
tant, as tending to protect harbors, and to conduce to the formation of marshes that become 
in course of time lands capable of tillage; but to the man who investigates the wonderful 
works of our Creator, tlese and other facts connected with alluvial causes throw much light 
upon the causes that hav'. been in operation during the deposition of many of the more ancient 
rocks. 
Beaches, Spits, Bars, <^c. of Queens, Kings, and Richmond counties. 
The beaches at Middle bland. Oak neck. Fox island. Peacock’s, Martinecock and Sands’ 
points, which are formed bj the accumulation of the sand and shingle swept from the adjoining 
Prof. Briggs’s report to W. W. Mather. 
t Sand from this beach is used for sawing marble. 
