Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-16
NEW HOUSES.
CONSTRUCTION or THE coFFER-DAM
FOR DIAMOND SHOALS.
Fleet to Convey the Materiai-cape-
Charles Light.
From Our Rerular Correspondent.l


WASHINGTON. May 15.-The Light-House
Board are receiving regularly reports as TO
the progress Of the work Of constructing
the new'lIght-house 10 be placed at Dia-
mond Shoals OF Cape Hatteras. II will be
remembered that Congress appropriated
100000 for this project, and that it re-
quired several years of constant persistency
to impress the national Legislators with the
Importance of the undertaking TO navlga-
ton on the coast that will be benefited by
the money that is 20 be spent. For many
years the board in their annual recommen-
dations to Congress spoke of the number
OF wrecks of the cape. and they said il was
the " graveyard of shipping. At last the
necessary steps were taken. and the con-
tractors are doing the preliminary work at
Norfolk. 1t is one OF the most interest
ing pieces Of work of its kind ever under
taken.
IRE coFFER-DAM.
At present they are building at Norfolk
an immense coffer-dam, which when com
pleted will be towed down to the proposed
site of the new lighthouse at Diamond
Shoals. The coffer-dnm is 70 be some
thlnglik one hundred feet high and about
fifty feet wide. IL will be built rambler
shape and when completed, which will be
in the month Of August, the thing will be
towed down. II will be absolutely neces-
sary 20 have Mt least twenty-four hours ot
clear weather with favorable winds, ana
the Signal Service will be relied on for ac-
curate forecasts for that period of time.
Few chances are 10 be taken. however, and
O number Of steam vessels will accompany
the tow 80 that il will be possible to start
back in hurry should a squal be en-
countered. Between Norfolk and the
Shoals there is no convenient place to turn
into for refuge should gale be encoun-
tered on the way down.
A SOLID FOUNDATION.
A large number of schoOners loaded
with cement and stone will be ready 70
meet the coffer-dam when 1t is towed 70
the place where 10 IL 20 be SUNK. The
coder-dam will have false bottom, and
when II is sunk down and the water ls let
in the bottom will be knocked out by the
pressure, and then the process Of filling
with stone and cement will commence;
The contractors hope TO make II rs soha
and firm "a the rock OF GIbral-
tar so that no wind or waves
can prevail against it, The structure
will have an iron exterior, and 1t
Is quite likely that the co1er-dam proper
will 90 down two thirds in the sands.
Owing 10 the quicksands at the surface the
engineers have not heretofore been able To
get a foundation for "A lighthouse al this
point that would stand. Now it j. be
lieved that the scheme which IS being tired
will work like a charm, and when the
Golfer dam Is placed in position the grand
new lighthouse will be built on the toun-
dation thus secured.
THE CAPR-cHARLEs LIGHT-HoUsE.
Plans are also being rapidly drawn for
the new lighthouse at Cape Charles on
the Virginia coast, which has an appropri-
alton of $50 900. The point had washed
away TO such an extent that new site had
10 be secured. The Page's-ROck light
| house. in York River, for which S25,OOU
was voted at the last session OF Congress,
will be contracted for in the near future.
PUBLIc BUILDINGS.
Special agents Of the Treasury will pro-
| badly not be sent TO tho Virginia cities IN
which new public buildings are 70 be
erected until after the lst Of July. The
Supervising Architects Office has such q
small force and there are 50 many new
sites 10 bee purchased that there will neces-
sarily be considerable delay. The cities IN
| Virginia for which publlc-buildlng appro,
priations were voted at tho last session Ci
Congress are Roanoke, Norfolk, and Staun-
| ton, and in North Carolina lseidsyllle Is
| one place that was thus favored.
| PERSONAL.
Representative Breckenridge, of Ken
| tucky. and Mrs. Breckenridge have gone "a
| Old Point Comfort for few days, and
from there they 60 TO Coyington, Va, to
visit their daughter and son-in-law, who
reside at the latter place.
G. h. Orcutt, of New York city, and his
associates have made application 10 the
COMPTROLLER of the Currency for authority
! TO organize a national bank OF Newport
News, Va.