The sun., 1891-07-26

! The cape itself Is narrow V-ehaped spit OF
sand that projects in q southeasterly direction
out to sea. The water over it Geepens SO
| gradually that at mile and a half from tho
| waters edge vessel drawing seven feet would
| 60 hard aground In dead.flat sea. II ever a
dead-nat son could be found there. Tho surf
| over this point j. something remark able Tho
waves como from both directions. and meet
| here to throw the spray twenty-five feet in mir
| on the calmest days the cape over soes. What
they do in gale Of wind. as told BY the hardy
| life savers who live hard by Is beyond adequate
| description here.
Not only is the cape remarkable for Its surf:
there ia another peculiariiy that may we'll
starte the seaman. There Is no drlftwood to
| bo found upon its sands. The tiny. broken.
| blooI.red bits OF shells that are packed there
are as clean as the cutwaters OF an ocean
racer The waves come roaring in. but II ono
will throw any bit OF wood or psper into the
surf he will SEQ it float away out to sea, even In
the face OF gale.
1t is O matter OF fearful Significance that an
or-shore current always prevails about Cape
Hatteras.
Whether the waves como from the north or
the south. or any point between to tho east.
they strike o glancng blow som ewhere on tho
beach above or below the cape. and the trend
OF the surf is toward the pont. The current
thus formed sweeps out along the spit and
away to sea, carrying the sand along with It to
build out the shoal further aud further from
year to year.
1t is this current laden with sand that has
formed the Diam ond Shoals OF the point OF
the cape. and no worse shoals can be found
anywhere. Because OF shifting winds the cur.
rents are never NJ like for two days in success
day to day. but there is usually a channel deep
enough ior ordinary coas ing vessels around the
and tnen come the underwater Islands called
tho Diamond Shoals which make nsvig ,tion
OF sss ssoas that sH 0
dangerous there. For some reason air cur
rents rents az az we well as sea currents ire meet around tho
have shattered more ships and drowned more
sailors than any other storms along he coast.
worse-are ne foes. Ths molstur..Iad:n winds
OF TIE south meet the chilling currents from the
> cloud OF vapor SO thick that the Gashins
beams o. tho Lofty 'ower nre not visible at the
she sars aoaa @ ssa aWa' es wsoss tho
gale gales and tho log combine hat the bewildered
s shp h se Il on %hs b sha
Ana then hope 10 lost, for the shin surely goes
tatod into Tho % waves san and swept Sy the he oshorc
current out TO sea- In a!l tho Years thar q rec.
Cane Hatteras Lighthouse but one seaman has
eyer floated ashore on piece OF wreck. But
od edIes isaed % there % ls ths nar.n ssames
lost on DIAMOND shoals are washed ashore;
"a Of Was on
build M l,ghthoHSss to cost ret over M $4,000 on
out to sea- from the point Of tie cane. A1 unHer t
this act the lighthouse board called for bids
s9d IN sns 20 n
kind Of structure desired The engineers were
notified that tho locality was one OF tho most
was by tho last survey twenty-four feet under
wafer Ht low tide tho tide rising q loot and Q
sitsr a ,cals wa. rsd 10 run four Knots @ sGi an
While hs site o. line
structure. The old accounts Of the difioultiss
Rock Rlnss sops 81
ight Wit with tho storm king. but what was the
epdnx posk S sGd
It was designed T. show q lishI ljO feet
iicient to stand the Impact OF tho winds ana The
waves in the hercest cyclone that ever ragged
a feet down in the sea where a four.knot cur
rent often ran.
ss9s e ~: fssat 5s%s sa;
Jersey City. william sooy Smith Of Chicago
nSssa c. e. Ss% York SS1.4 saa
C":'s bid was thrown out because they would
% not undertake r. to run IN the iiCnt one year before
wanted Sl.so0.0nO for their structure and so |
the cnmpetition WAS narrowed between the |
Jersey City ard tho Chicago contractors. and |
Jersey City won because the Board thought
money much the safer and moro substantial |
Their nrics was S4S50 900.
s' 8 III .a Es's a2 a:
year on a shifting sand bar twenty y-four feel |
under water and nine miles ont to sea, OH the |
can coast, must prove interes ting.
1t was OF necessity planned as o steel strnc- |
stone island there was out OF the question.
A. appears from tho picture II was proposed to |
begin with great steel cylinder or tank for |
the bottom part Originally this was planned |
b feet In diameter and 30 deep. but when work