The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-29
CAPE HENRY SIGNAL TOWER
To Notify Fort Monroe ofthe Arrival o.
Vessels an Hour in Advance

lHNNfflN al lAOli ~
NORFOLK. VA, May0-The signal
tower now being erected near Cape HEN
20 on this coast will be. when completed
rather a novelty I'm structures intended
for observation purposes. According 70
renort. il is built at the suggestion or
the Naval War College. and the site was
selected BY Commanders Cake.of the VIZ
einia Naval Reserves. The tower II was
Se,fd to-day bv the contractor, IL. Or,
Bavne. OF Norfolk, would be completed
within q week or t~hereabouts. Inc sl'e
selected is upon a blum thirty Feet hish
about "a mile inside the Capes ana racing
Chesapeake Bay. il is about a quarter
of a milo distant from the h~fe-saVlhS
stotion at cane Henry. Old Point Com
sort, and Fort Monroe. distant about
twenty miles, cannot be seen from inc
orouud level because OF intervening trees
INT they will be clearly visible from the
ton of me signal tower when this Is NM
isbad The tower is merely q hlsh mast
of nine. about which a framework VIII
ba builr in ored TO support lJ. lhese
eunports. which are twenty rect hlsn'
will he ~surmOunted by q platform pulil
around the central mast. Above TINS
platform viii be q top not uhlihe the
lighting top upon a modern "dI9hIp.
Tbe height OF the mast from the TOP OF
which the signal flags Will ny VIII DC
ninety feet. The first PLATFORM reacn-
ed nv n ladder from the ground, Wilde
OKLA feet.
THE tower will be manned by the Nor
foIk Naval Reserves, four OF Whom'
under the command OF Chlet quarter
wsster cake are now camsed near the
snot where the tower is being built.
+ u. Mcfarland, w. s. Hubbard, a. J.
-Ruckwaiter and c.. +. Cullepher are tne
men who compose Quartermaster Cahs 3
corps Of observers. They are az present
living in a tent 1OXl2 feet IN SIZE OUT Il
new house of wood is being built Tor
them and his will soon be ready ioF
-occupaucv. n will NOT be q very big
house. only 12by % feet. with ceiling )
feet high. but it will be good enough.
tb. bovs say. They nave been camped
ON the beach now for nearly a. Inohtn'
n wos ~dreadfully lonesome. they sald,
al first. but they are getting accustomed
to the life. They complain that tnty
seldom or never see a newspaper. Inc
station is connected with Fort Monroe
ana fine Norfolk Navy Yard by telegraph
and the reserves get their orders rom
Lieutenant W. n. Willard, OF the NaNa'
Reserves. who. from the navy yard az
reefs the signalling from all the sta'ioHS
along this Immediate coast. The @atloh
IS provided with q powerful telescope
with which the signal corps spy UPON
nassing ships. and a telephone line Is now
ieing run to connect 1t with the llne
running from Virginia Beach to Norfolk.
There are about nifty flags at the station
and a number OF colored and whlte
lamps. The men know the merchant
coda Of signals. The officers alone Know
tbe warship code. The main duty OF the
corps is To report 10 the navy yard the
signals shown by passing ships, ana their
renort IS at once sent 20 Fort Monroe
and the commander Of the Warshlps At
Old Point.
From the station signals will be ex-
changes with every passing snip ana.
when the tower is finished, with FORT
Monroe. II will he the duty or the corps
ia report every ship passing up Che-a-
neake Bav. and Colonel Frank COM
iraudent OF Fort Monroe, Lieutenant
willard at the navy yard. and the COM
mander of the fleet 1 Hampton a
viii he advised fully an hour In dvanc
Of the arrival az Fort Monroe OF any YES
sci so that they may prepare a warm re-
cept-on for il IL il should be the vessel OF
an enemy. 800.
The reserves undertaking this night
and dav watcn are not overpaid. Ihey
receive thirty cents a day from the Gov
eminent and out Of this have 10 pay Tor
their FOOD and clothes. But DlueIsh
are cheap. while cab0ages abound on the
coast. and so far. the boys say. they
have been able TO make both ends meet
A., ,rtN,C hard -New York sun.