The daily gazette., 1879-06-28
.AROUT RuOYs.
HOW puoYs XRE MADE THEIR USES
- AND KISDs-oTnER POINTS OF IN
TEREsT WHICH FEW PEOPLE KNOW.

The mariner threading his course up
the devious windings Of the channel OF
the Delaware Bay, never uses chart or
| compass, but is directed, by channel
buoys by day and by deep water range
ligh by night. The buoy to a Gland
lubber" who might sail by, would not
suggest all idea Of their Importance fur
ther than that they bob up and down In
course. But to he who is at home on
the water, they are much more import
ant. To the stoe sman they are as an open
book which gives him all the influence
he may desire for the safe execution OF
his task. A buoy Of a certain size, may
indicate certain depth of water, one OF
peculiar color, may tell of peculiar
ty of the channel, and one of different
shape from the others, may give warning
of an obstacle to be avoided. Thus the
course is mapped out almost as plainly
as the Kings Highway. BY the line Of
buoys extending from the Delawa G
Breakwater to the head of navigation oil
| the river, every crook aud turn i'm the
channel is marked out, and the helms,nan
who understands his business never goes
wrong unless he shuts his eyes during his
| task.
The buoy is an article which few peo-
pie know anything about, and there are
| facts connected with it that may be in
teresting to those who are thus ignorant
During the last three or four weeks,
Messrs. Hilles & Jones, of this city,
have been working on government
order for them which has made things
more THU ordinarily throng around that
active and busy place. Some of these
buoys turn the scales at two tons, and
ponerous and ungainly things they are,
to be sure.
The material of which they are made;
is the best of boiler plate, about one
sixth of an inch in thickness. This, cut
into pieces that fit together, and riveted
substantially, makes a queer looking OBJ
lect that can stand almost any force with
out damage. One end of the buoy is
round almost like hemisphere. This
is formed Of six sections of boiler plate,
so cut as to give a regularly rounded
form. AT the point, where the smaller
end of these sections come together, is
left hole about six inches in diameter
in which is afterwa ard inserted the buoy
head-an iron casting containing steel
"eye," VIII 'se use will be explained fur
ther on. The body of the buoy is join
ed to the part that has just been spoken
of. and consifts of an immense sheet OF
boiler plate bent round, leaving a dia-
meter of about seven feet. A partition
is put inside, forming two seperate air
tight apartments. The idea of this is in
a measure to decrease the probabilities
of the buoy sinking. If hole is knock
in one end that let's the water in, the
other apartment will contain enough air
to keep it aloat.
This having been done, the open end
Of the NAN part of the buoy, namely the
| drum-like additions is closed with a can.
in the centre of which is hole eighteen
inches in diameter, cl sed with hinged
lid that is air-tight. This hole is called
a "man-hole," and the object is to have
an opening for man to go inside the
buoy and repair it when necessary. The
bolts and rive,s having been put in strong
| ly, nothing more remains to be done ex-
cept giving it coat Of paint oftle proper
color.
The order which Messrs. Hilles 4
Jones are filling is quite an extensive
one, being for one hundred and twent,
of different sized buoys. This firm by
the way, has always been successful
bidder for this kind of work and for the
last twelve years has fl led many CON
tracts. In the year 1872 they made about
two hundred and sixty. When the buoys
are completed they are shipped by canal
boat to Statan Island, N. D., where the
leading Government station for the At
lantic sea-cOast is situated.
There are several kinds of buoys be-
side the one which has been described
in this article. That kind is known as
the "can buoy" which is used chiefly
in the Ocean or in the wide bays where
heavy rollers are frequent. There is
another class that is much smaller, call
ed the "nun buoy" This kind differs
from the can buoy in ano her great re-
spect than Its size. At one end it is
rounded like its larger brother, but the
other end comes down gradually to a
point, or to almosY a point, with a
cap piece, say foot across put on. These
buoys differ much in shape, which is nee
essary from the fact that they are put all
along up the river, where no charts are
used by the captains, and hence, where
the shape of the buoy represents several
things. Another kind of buoy is desig-
mated as the "spar buoy" from the fact
that it has been usually made of wood !;
the trunk of tree folty feet long, being
usually taken aud dressed to the prop-r
shape, OF late years, this class of buoys
are becoming made of iron. Messis.
H;lles and Jones received an order for
two, a year or two ago, and one of them
was placed near the Brandywine Light,
this side OF Cape May, on what is known
as the "Elbow Of the LEDGE" During
the winter previous to this buoy going
there, the ice dt stroyed six wooden spar
buoys, SO person familiar with the light
house board says, but the iron buoy has
stood every thing nobly. So well has II
done, that four more have lately been
ordered.
/ The buoy station for this district is at
the mouth of the Christiana river and
mauy buoys are kept there so as to be
handy when wanted. They lie on the
platform in front OF the light house, and
many will remember how the high tide
during last October's S orm washed them
away and scattered them over the marshes
between there and the city. The Violet
C,ptain Sooy, is buoy boat for the Della
ware Bay and river.
The Violet, let it be mentioned, re.
ceivos her name through custom in the
Light Bouse Board by which all the buoy
boa receive the name of some flower
From one connected with the buoy ser
vice facts relating to the ViOtefS work
l Y. =. - 81. =.