Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-05-24
SIGNAL STATION AT CAPE HENRY
1T Wlll be Put In Operation Next Week
sH-G Ny the Government.


Ny the Government.
The signal tower now being erected
| near Cape Henry, OH this coast, will be-
when completed. rather novelty In
structures intended for observation
purposes According to report it is
built at the suggestion of Captain G.
F. Goodrich. of the Naval War College,
and the site was selected by Command
| er Cake. of the Virginia naval reserves.
The tower will be completed within
| week. The site selected is upon a bluff
thirty feet high about mile
inside the Ca pes and facing Chesa peake
| Bay. 1t is about a quarter OF a mile
distant from the life-saving station at
Cape Henry. Old Point Comfort and
| Fort Monroe, distant about twenty
miles, cannot be seen from the ground
| level because of intervening trees. bur
| they will be clearly visible from the top
of the signal tower when it is finished.
! The tower is merely u high mast of
pine. about which a framework will be
built In order to support it. Those sup
ports. which are about twenty feet
high. will he surmounted by a platform
built around the central mast. Above
| this platform will be top not unlike
| the fighting top upon modern war
ship The height of the mast from the
| top of which the signals will fly will
| be ninety feet. The first platform.
| reached from the ground by a ladder
| The tower will be manned by the Nor
folk naval reserves. four of whom. I'M
| der the command Of Chief Quarter
master Cake, are now camping near
the spot where the tower is being built
! I. D. Mac Farand. w. S. Hubbard
| A. ]. Buckw;Uter and c. +. Cullepher
are the men who compose QuartcrmaS-
| ter Cakes corps of observers. They
are at present living in a tent 10 -
| feet in size, but a new house OF wood is
| being built for them, and this viii! soon
| be ready for occupancy. 1t Will not be
a very big house, only 12 X 20 feet, with
ceiling feet high. but it will be good
| enough. the boys say. They have
been camping on the beach now for
nearly month. 1t was dreadfully
lonesome, they said. at first but they
| are getting accustomed to the life.
| They complain that they seldom or
| never see q newspaper. The station is
connected with Fort Monroe and the
Norfolk navy yard by telegraph and
the reserves get their orders from
Lieut.. w. II. Willard. of the naval re-
serves, who from the navy yard dir
ects the signaling from all the stat
| ions along the immediate coast. The
station is provided with a powerful tel
| Escape with which the signal corps spy
upon passing ships, and a telescope line
| is now being run to connect 1t with the
| line now running from Virginia Beach
| to Norfolk.
There are about fifty flags at the
| station and a number OF colored and
white lamps. The men know the mer
chant code of signals. The officers
| alone know the warship code. The
| main duty of the corps is to report to
| the navy yard the signals shown by
| passing ships. and their report is at
once sent to Fort Monroe and the COM
| mander of the warships at Old Point.
From the station signals will be ex
| changed with every passing ship, and,
when the tower is finished with Fort
Monroe. 1t will be the duty Of the
corps to report every ship passing up
Chesapeake Bay. and General Frank.
commandant at Fort Monroe; Lieut..
Willard. at the Norfolk navy yard. and
the commander Of the fleet In Hampton
Roads. will be advised fully an hour in
advance of the arrival at Fort Monroe
of any vessel. SO that they may pre-
pare g. warm reception for it should it
be the vessel of an enemy.
The reserves undertaking this night
and day watch are not overpaid. They
receive 30 cents day from the govern
nent and out OF this have to pay for
their food and clothes. But bluefish
are cheap while cabbage abound on
the coast and so far the boys say they
have been able to make both ends meet
by pulling hard.-The New York Sun