The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-12
DEEP SEA LIGHTHOUSES.
An American Engineers Plan to
Bridge Old Ocean with Llghtships.
r.. A. ~.

An American Engineers Plan to
Bridge Old Ocean with Lightships.
From the Ne'o York Herald.
Capt John p. Walker. Unitei States
army (retiredl. has laid before the interna-
tional marine conferences at Washington a
plan OF transoceanic lighthouses aud refuge
stations to which, as civil engineer. he has
devoted much study In his official COM
munication to the marine conference Capt.
Walker says:
My idea was to secure land on the south
beach OF Staten Island aud start hotel TO
be called the Neptune Hotel No. l.; this for
base of operations, and from that point
establish hue of deep sea lighthouses and
hotels, or houses of refuge, acr SIS the ocean,
connected by Geographic cables and sup
pned with boats, tug, launches, steamers
and sailing craft, constituting, with their
crews, a deep ssa messenger telegraph ana
lie saving service, which would constantly
patrol the ocean and aff ord communication
with all passing vessels and assistance in case
OF need; which would pick up boats from
shlpwrecked or abandoned vessels, ard give
all vessels the latest information, daily or
hourly, from sea and shore, so that the
navigator, sailor and traveller at sea could
have his daily papers, with all their mul-
hilarious information aud news, almost as
perfect and complete as if on snore. The
general idea was that eventually the ocean
would be so fully dotted with the stations,
and so implicitly patroled by vessels that
the trade ship, the passenger steamer. the
war ship and the pleasure yacht should
never be out of sight or communication
with either the station or the patrol boat by
day and night, in calm and In storm, and
so, If not To render travelling and transpor-
ton so safe and pleasant by sea as on land,
to at least make 1t approximately so, and to
rob the sea of many of its terrors and re-
duce disasters and danger to a minimum.
The general idea of the stations was that
they would start from the simple basis of
the light beacon or bell buoy and gradually
pass onward to the lightship. the floating
lighthouse, to the grand floating ocea
hot-l, or house of refuge, and deap-sea
lighthouse and life-saving station to the
mid or interocean harbor OF refuge, with
its wharveS, storehouses and docks where
ships, tempest-tossed and broken, could
take refuge from the storm and be repaired
and refitted, and where travellers could sto1
If it pleased them and take the benefit of
sea air for any indefinite period. until final
ly, in the process OF time and in the grand
progress or man In conquering tO his use
and control the forces of II iture-it may be
in the next century or some later one-the
ocean will be bridged.
AS to icebergs, the patrol vessels will look
after them and destroy them by quick act
ing, destructive agencies-dynamite pow
der, etc.-or by towing or pushi < them
into warm ATTITUDES, where they will melt
and disappear. The winds and waves are
TO be met as thov are now, by vessels strong
enough to Withstand their ordinary power.
The stations and pat ol boats must be as
strong and impreg enable TO storm and dis
aster as human power aud skill can make
them, so as to pick up and rescue ship
WI ecked sailors and passengers.
When chain of lighthouses shall be
established across the ocean, or in any direc-
ton in which many ships and yes els sail,
ships and vessels gong in opposite direc-
tions will keep on opposite sides of said line
or lines. and thus in very great measure
prevent collisions at sea.
The deep sea lighthouse that will be
found best-aside from large ships or float
ing hoteis-will be one in which the main
body of the structure will subme ged
below the action of the waves, and only q
comparatively slender shaft { With the light
house proper at its summit. out of reach of
the waves) will be exposed to their (the
waves) action. thus giving greatest stabili-
ty; the submerged section TO contain rooms
for stores, supplies of all kinds and for liv-
ing purposes, and to be lighted probably by
electricity, and to be supplied with engines
for pumps, both air and water and to fur
Dish the motive power for elevators and lifts
for boats and for the foghorn or siren and
bells, etc. OF course, the shaft would bs
provided with a stairway within and an
elevator, perhaps, according to the size Of
the house, it being one of the possibilities Of
such a system that the different stations
might vary in size according to 10 alton
and requirements; the superstructure for
the larger ones to be of different size, not
only for lighting purposes and needs, but
for the housing of steam launches and life
boats foghorns and sirens, bells, cannon,
rocket tower. etc.
The anchoring of vessels and stations, or
houses and hotels, in the deep sea can, of
course, be accomplished by the usual meth
DDS.