The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-06-10
WATERY- GRAVE SECRETS
STORMY TERRoRS OF HATTERAS.
A Graveyard Of Ships for Two
Hundred Years and More.

Cane Eutteras, N. c.. Cor. Ba1timor.
San.
This Is the particular portion Of
Nor:I, Carolina best known to the
world. All mariners these two hundred
years and more have known of its
dangers. II is the graveyard of ships
an.i it keeps the secret Of the grave. L.
F. Smith. who for nineteen years has
been the keeper of the lighthouse, says
that in the Diamond Shoals" which
are the dre,.!cd feature of the cape, a
ship o;lce cau.h: is literally swallowed
~. Tie l::rce+t tramp steamers dis
appear in twciitXslour hours.
The secrets Of Hatteras are many,
but some are .nown. The shoals are
the "lnner" and ''outer diamond" and
between these is slough or "lead," In
which the water is 80 feet deep. But
in bad weather the water actually
"breaks" in this depth. The water is
always made additionally heavy by the
sand, and this is made plain by the
fact that when wave breaks over a
boat it always leaves large deposit of
sand.
It Is ten miles from the lighthouse
to the outer diamond, and from the
latter the Gulf stream is only eighteen
miles away. It is the nearest point to
the stream on the Atlantic coast 1t
is very often cloudy and stormy here,
when at places quite near there Is sum
shine.
The attempt to place caisson ON
tie outer diamond was failure, and it
see,.,s that the trial WIS not 2 fair trial.
The caisson was towed down, but there
VIA, hot cEo:sh cement to fill it, nor
were the other sections ready to bolt on
a..:i thus get it we'll above high water
ami aeis,ted with cement. The Calls
sen WAS tipped over and disappeared.
No trace Of it remains. The "experl- |
mental structure, rs it is termed, shar-
ed the same late. The first storm in
clinez: it, and then over it went.
Now the problem is whether'the pro-
posed lights!,ip Will stand the terrible
flashing OF the seas. II is the opinion
OF the Hatteras people that the light
ship VIII have to be placed in the lead
where the steamers go, where the water
Is 30 feet in depth. They consider it
very doubtful whether it will stay there.
The absolute failure of the skeleton
beacon Or experimental structure,
seetI;s 20 show that lightship is the
only resource.
The sand is not quicksand, but it is
eli the while III notion Hence tLe4
q..lck burial Of ships. There is little
or 40 wrackage on the beach save the
remains of ;',c snip Altona The point
OF the cape is now closing" The bea-
con light cr ''b.lg." as it Is termed, was
btli; hfsl, OH the beach. It is now In !.
the surf ut ordinary tides. The shoals +.
do hot reach out nearly so far as those /.
at Cape Lootont, the next cape to the
One OF the light keepers says that
within the "sound" is cape which is
duplicate Of HatteTas, with the double d
shoals Known as the diamonds. This !
he referred to as "the shadow Of the s
cape III the sound" to illustrate how '
strlklng'y the cape is duplicated. !
There is 81 remarkable change in the i
OF the beach at IIatteras.
The beach ai'oye Is practically freelass {
ara very low, SD low that the sea
ii ct many points. Below
Ha;'eFas the'e-are heavy w,od., large :,
sa::d BILLS, and the beach Incomes two q
niles broad. 1t is quite different
World and all IN the space, one may
'aS, OF few yards. The woods con-
lnla twelve miles, all the distance to =
8a;:ei:,s inlet. =
TIE lighthouse, built in 1870, to re- ii
'lace the old one, which was badly p
Tracked, is 200 feet high. Its light is p
'ften seen at Roanoke Island, so miles :,
way.
The old lighthouse was not torn
own, but was blown up and las left ;,
great pile Of masonry two hundred .,
ards nearer the point of the cane than
he present light.
The view from the top of the light
oase is a singular one. With a glass
70 less than five life-saving stations are
lsihie. There are fresh water lakes
ute near the light and in these gar
chs ut soil reclaimed from the lake ~
III dyked. Fan pa;mettces grow in
icnti!ni!y, and this is almost their pl
ortiiern limit. The Spanish bayonet. ,c
'ing TO a height Of s TO 10 feet. Is "a
'e' il, nil directions. The lighthouse t.,
ss'> fE' III "A large area cI green grass.
ne appearance Of the place is lar from
III
E:l.n%.,:a D:xI>~.