The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-05-10

For the very interesting letter which follows,
from Colonel SWIFT, giving description Of the
Minot Rock Lighthouse, with some specula
tions as to the causes Of its destruction, we
have been indebted to the courtesy Of Colonel
ALERT, Chief of the Typographical Engineers
The Minot Ledge Lighthouse.
BosroS, April 80, 1851.
SIR: In the brief note which had the honor
to address you on the 18th instant, informing
you Of the destruction of the Minot Rock
lighthouse, stated that would make report
to the bureau Of the facts as soon as could
collect the necessary information. | am now
in possession, believe, of all the circumstances
that are known, and proceed to enumerate
them.
On Monday night, the 18th instant. the
wind, which had been easterly for several days,
gradually increased. On Tuesday it had be-
come severe gale from the N. 4. Ii con
tinued to blow with the utmost violence through
Tuesday night, Wednesday, Thursday, and
even Friday, but the height of the storm was
on Wednesday, the 10th, and at that time it
was perfect hurricane. 1t was, in fact, un-
precedented; for, notwithstanding the great gale
of September, 1915, was well remembered
here, it was from the S. E., and was Of short
duration.
The light on the Minot was last seen from
Cohasset, on Wednesday night, at 10 o'clock;
at / o'clock Thursday morning, the 18th, the
lighthouse bell was heard on shore, one and
a half miles distant; and this being the hour Of
high water, or rather the turn of the tide,
when, from the opposition between the wind
and the tide-the former blowing on shore, and
the latter receding from the shore-it is sup
posed that the sea was at its very highest mark;
and it was at that hour it is generally believed,
that the lighthouse was destroyed; at daylight
nothing of it was visible from the shore, and
hence it is most probable it was Overthrown at
OF about the hour named.
The two assistant keepers, Joseph Wilson
and Joseph Antonio, were lost; the principal
keeper, John w. Bennett, had left the light
house on Friday, the ! lth inst, and of course
escaped the fate of his companions. The light,
as | am informed, was left by the keeper with
out boat; and thus the means Of escape were
entirely cut off. | cannot say that the boat
could have lived in such sea; but, mas
much as it was provided for that purpose
above all Others it is certain that the course of
the keeper, in leaving the men in the light
without boat, was entirely inexcusable, and even
criminal
The general construction Of the Mnot light is
now tolerably well known; but, In order that the
remarks which shall make may DO understood, I
find il necessary to enter upon some details.
The structure was composed of piles shafts.
made Of the best description of wrought iron, from
90 to So feet in length, each pile inserted feet
deep in the solid part of the rock all ofthem
inches in diameter at the foot, 10 inches in diam
eter at point feet above the foot lat the surface
81 |, {ho dIo in inch
ter at top, and the outer piles each a inches
diameter at top. These piles stood in the peri
phery of circle of IS feet diameter, with one
at the centre. They were united connected
together at five different points, to wit: At the rock,
where each pile was secured in ts place, ~ means
of iron wedges, and cement Of iron filings. 3D.
AZ point 90 feet above the rock, by means of l6
wrought iron horizontal braces, 81 inches diameter,
radiating from the middle pile to each outer pile,
and extending, also, between each pair of outer
piles. I'd. BY similar series Of braces at a point
40 feet above the rock, of round wrought iron, 3
inches in diameter. 4th. At point ~ feet above
the rock, by series Of the same kind of braces Of
wrought iron, ~ inches square, forming the sup
port of the store- cellar. 5th. BY means of
east iron cap spider France IA feet in diameter,
and weighing about tons, to which was united
and secured all the pile-heads, this frame formed
the base support of the keepers house living
room, 8 feet high. Upon this, again, was placed
the lantern of iron and glass, of about six feet in
height thus the entire elevation of the structure
above the rock about 10 feet, standing upon base
of % feet and upon all the available surface which
the rock presented at low water.
In addition to the horizontal braces, there was
introduced, in the summer of lS49, series Of
wrought iron vertical tie rods between the first
and second series of Braces these ties, 80 in mum
Der, of /. inch round iron, extended between each
pair of contiguous piles and between the middle
pile and each outer pile, crossing each other in
diagonal direction, like the brace and counter
brace of bridge. The object Of these ties was to
stiffen the piles and TO prevent, in great de
gree practicable, the tendency to vibration,
which there necessarily would be at the top of piles
90 feet high, howsocver well braced they may be.
It was intended to place another series of these
ties. arranged in the same manner, between the
foot of the piles at the rock and the fret lower
series Of horizontal braces but the appropriation
for that purpose not having been made until Octo-
Der, 1850, the season was too far advanced to get
them in place; the collars and six of the ties used
were placed; and it these lower unfinished
ties which were carried away in the storm of De-
cember. ls50--not the braces; these were not in
jured.
From the preceding description, it will be seen
that there series Of braces 40 feet above the
rock; upon these braces the keeper had improperly
built sort of deck or platform upon which was
placed quantity Of heavy articles. such as fuel,
water barrels, &C., all Of which should have been
in the store-room, the place designed for their
ception The deck. in addition to the weight
placed upon it, was fastened together and secured
to the piles and braccs-thus Offering large sur
fnce for the aea 10 atrike a4ainat
In addition to this, the keeper had attached a
5I-inch hawser guy to the lantern deck, SO feet
above the rock, and anchored the other end ( the
hawser to granite block, weighing, according to
his account, tons, placed upon the bottom, at
a distance of some so fathoms from the base of the
light. The object of this was to provide means
for running box or landing chair up and down;
but il Is very clear that much surface exposed
the moving sea had the effect upon the light
house would have been produced by number
Of men pulling at rope attached to the highest
part OF the structure with the dssign Of pulling it
down.