New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-17
SCIENCE MEANS TO WIN.
,,rr,1rpro ENGINEERS HAVE FAILED In
THEIR EFFORTS TO ERECT Ll"1i'
HO1rsE ON DIAMOND sHoAL'

Another attempt is to be made 10 eo's ,,aS 9.
,,,btbouse on the outer Diamond ShoS'' >,.h
si,uafed about seven miles on cape hh''e isa the
Carollna This has always been oo'Siue 90
-, ,oorous mint on the Atlantic coast am
80, y GOOD ship has been lost on the "e1
Gus sands. ,.o ,,non the
In 1862 the first Monitor went asho'' w. -.
sboaI and together with the steamer 800 -,
became 4 total loss Ine M 90, and her
OR Huron was also lost of me reel "'1
,. ~ 10o men went down with her' \ '"0
49,. Tho largo steamer Metropolis was "recheu
an the same spot 20 persons being u'o""eL roau
are the important wrecks. but SCORES ni,.
vessels have gone down on the O"'e' ''
our eaving a trace Dehih"' -. ,,oh, 10
The keeper of the Hatteras POINT "s" -
,.t. mat last wear twenty-seyen vessels OF oiie'
ont sizes were lost off the reef. II snip o"
strikes the shoal her destruction IS Ger -
al-,os, Invariably every one on BOARD II u'o"'
Several attempts have been made 70 plaoe -
house on the shoal and thus to ROB II Oh ius 'e''
but none has hitherto been successful - 'e' th
would not be able to stand the feariul "ea'"e
which frequently prevails on this part o. '"'
1t would be almost Impossible TO 1ioV'ue q"
choregc strong enough TO noH me sup 10 -.
the terrible nor heasterly gales which sweep ''e
coast in the latter months OF the year = P'op,
si-ion was made 20 construct skeleton steer
tower resting on screw piles. with an electric e"'
on the top The current was to be suppheu W
cable running from the shore 10 the tower
decided that measures mus, be taken to stop the
Great loss Of life on the Diamond Shcal. ana cap
tain Anderson contracted 20 bi.lt stee- tower
y, n concrete iou2dation. A giant steel caiSso"
was built in Norfolk. Va. and toved I'D miles 70
w. scere of operations. This in itself Was dr.
ecuI, undertaklrg for the great steel cylhdef
WEIGHED l20j tons. and was forty feet N helsn'
IN. delicate work OF plotting this mass OF me-
tbro.izh the rough. choppy seas anu o'e'
shallow, dangerous bar was suc'ess'u'y So,
nlsb.d For time good progress Was Hla"7 80
-, .,ts-oo was sunk TO deyth OF th!Tty-'e 'e9''
Woilo the wind blew ofshore no difficulty was eN
,o,ic,ce1 in WORKING but soon as the WIZ
,..,.cd ,ho esa became so rough that the men
..r, t,ool 70 20 ashore They intended 10 "at
49,. tho weather moderated blt soon atter they
landed a storm sprang up, and Wheh t'r' ~.
finally able 10 return To "oFN ''i'
trey dis2pr AIRED. ...
THO nroiec, wa abardon i because no contractor
could he found willing TO take the enormous r'SA
which the undertaking involved lac annual ~
mort ~ the Lighthouse Board announces the N
,enton OF the United States Government 70 N"ot'
take the work Itself Surveyors in GoVe'hh'II
o,,,rov are now engaged IN preparing an elaborate
survey of the shoal with view 10 ieaFI.ns 20
soot best nttod for tn erection OF Hs"'"o"7e'
some os the difficulties which VIII nave 70 DC w.
,,,. before the structure is erected may be real
izod when the conditions under which the WORK
r,,l.e, be carried are understood
Before a sold foundation can be assured '"e
concrete base VIII have to be- carried lo1 lse1 O'"
~. bottom Of the sea. The bottom itself Is COM
uosod OF treacherous shifting sands wAich are con-
tinuai.y changing THE position OF the s"o'' ".u
u,ktrr a new survey necessary. The water over
the shoal IS rot more than ten iee' IN "eP'" -
! that little wind is required TO KICK up eoi''ue'
able sea \ strong tide runs at th's pol"' "'.u
, smooth SEA is rare. Dense foSs are OF ireque.t
occurrence. owing to the proximity Of the urI
strc,n. These fogs add another terror 10 ue
/ shoal Work is only possible when the WIG -
/ OF shore and a Jew hours unfayorabie wihu WI,
! c,rse A heavy 10 roll N from the o'e~" '.
/ md, A weeks work in an hour All these uii-
Identities have so far defed the efforts OF engineers
! and the Government has been compelled 10 ,aAe
! a hand itself This time OF the year Is tne oeS'
FIR work on the North Carolina shores anu ope'@-
tions will probably be begun shortly c....
In the construction OF the lighthouse 'He NV -,
| ,,.ot Will be enabled 70 profit by s,udE % VIC
! method used to build the Kothersana i'iSi'' o'
! month OF the Weser River. in the North sea INC
/ conditions were similar, though the u'ii'0
! were not quite so formidable as III 'he az - 80
Ha,,eras Reef. In the Rothersand Hsh'''ouSe 80
/ ,.,,totiors were carried only tmrty-e'shI 'est
| ,h,. hotton, ~ the sea and the winds. though
| - an h. relied on 10 blow longer from d
! C,,,r,hra quarter The water is also deeper Gov
| so,pen,lv not so susceptible to the influence %
| the Wild. -, s, o,is-
| Notwithstanding these advantages the INST cas-
| so, SINK Al Rotnersand was broken OF snort Sc,
| ' -, ,h bo,,on, by the waves. and the whole
feet
! I'll DESTROYED \ second attempt was H'''e
! ,i.b US nearly a failure. bat by hard LABOR anu
| sifufrl engineering the work was many hh's.su
| rr. cost ~ the Rothersand lighthouse was 80 49,
! $4,000 and the greater difhcu.F "''"."VU ,,,
| construction Of lighthouse y" ~
| make its cost Sl.0oeNe. ,,,r
,rra ,ostbod Of construction which will prooaoE
be adopted does not differ much from ina -. ~
| yiorsly employed. The pneumatic caisSo" %
| only method which is now employed LOT P' '.h
large foundations on a sandy bottom !" 49,,
u.,.oc ,,s use is attended with littie troupe' oo
! f. , turbulent sea great difficulty Is experience
8, handling such a huge mass OF metal. &c"
davs OF calm weather viii allow the srea' " y.
cylinder TO be sunk deeply into the s'i"' 80 80,
- nrod with concrete additional cylinders VIII pe
! ho.ted on and Sunk until the require" ueP'" "
~, 4 solid concrete foundation Is mus pre-
sented which g capable OF resisting any 80.
aud n superstructure can be addeu "''" y.
trouble Many engineers atuloo u,fT ' line chosen
Sor The beginning Of the operaNTHuts I'LL 70 sweep
when he nor,he sitb T ntte warning
stone may be constructed on the sides exposed ,
tbc dlreci action OF and wind, thus enab SS;
the workmen to continue tler eaIy increase
10 cost but lessen the danger 10 the eNpehSsEe.
stee. caissons The Lighthouse Board IS nnr
finished viii even surpass IN diiGuiLty OF ON on
the cd 6a%o@ Of llama TIL.
was again and again destroyed before i' - that that
completion. y feature ~ Us -. -, the
every stone is key into its reighoor so ma en-.
lighthouse will have 10 be overthroTn ~ no be
,i,etv before IL can be destroyed. IL cahneV' "a.
demSSshed pecemeal The foundation ,S O., us ns
| Eddvs,one lighthouse is solid rock so Una, ~
constructlon was much easier than that o. "''
Diamond shoa Hight VIII be ,,o, mariners have
70 kaen clear OF The shoa Ia the Hatteras v w,
light This however. is seven miles ai ,sn hay
weather Should the expeditions OF S,n ne isht-
bousa Hoard be realized, the Diamond shoai -.
house viii prove a great boon TO seamen anu man IN
"omraratyeiy harmless what is at prsse"' Wv
most dangerous spot on tG' Aua"''o 'o