Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-27
THE FAMOUS RIP RAPs.
Something Ahaut the Historic Old
Fort in Hampton Roads.

rrou the Chitasc
Out where the majestic flood of the James
river becomes Hampton Roads and pours
it's ebb tide out lahraugh the tremendous
gateway betweenssthe Virginia capes, a pile
Of masonry that has stood the storms of
nearly three-quarters sbf a century lifts its
frownng portfolios al hove the swirling, ed
dying currents ana The foam-crested waves
that leap up to its gigantic foundation, In
spite of it's Formidable appearance, how
ever, no dove of 6eace. no olive branch has
ever been more harmless In its effect upon
the destiny of humanity No brazen-
throated dogs of war have ever peered
through the gloomy embrasures nor yomit-
ed from it's sulien gray walls death-dealinp
tons of lead and iron.
Every traveller by boat who passes
through Hampton Roads en- route to Wash
ingtoR, Baltimore, Richmond Norfolk and
Newport News, or bound in and out of the
virginia capeS on his way to or from New
York and Boston, as we'll as the visitor to
Old Point Comfort. Is familiar with the an
peafance of the loW-lying granite strong
hold opposite Fort Monroe, which is gener-
ally known by the name Of Rip Rams The
island fertilization iexcites the interest of
every stranger, but when inquiries are
made of the steamer captains. the hotel
people or the officers and residents of Fort
Monroe he gets little satisfaction vet these
formidable walls have a history
In answer to inquiries regarding the pe-
cuHar-looklng structure, the average deni-
zen Of that section will reply that it is the
Kip Raps, and that he has ''hern tell that
work suspended because the founda-
ton commenced to sink. This seems TO be
the extent of the general knowledge con-
corning the old fort. which originally bore
the name of Calhoun, but was later chang
ed to Fort Wool. A brief search into the
records at Fort Monroe shows that the is
land structure, about which little is
known, is in reality $1,000 900 monument
to some ones incapacity and to Uncle Sam S
liberality.
BY act of March /. 1921, the Virginia leg
islature authorized the governor to transfer
to the United States the land at Old Point
Comfort and the shoals opposite the for
mer not to exceed 80 acres and the latter
not to exceed fifteen acres. 1t was further
enacted That should the said United
States at any time abandon the said shoals
and lands or appropriate them to any other
purposes than those indicated in the pre-
amble of this act, that then and in that
case the same shall revert to and revest in
this commonwealth"
On March 3, 1921, Congress appropriated
$50, 900 for the work of building Fort Cal
houn, as it then known. The strong
hold was designed to guard the entrance to
Hampton Roads and the Chesapeake Bay,
and at that time If was supposed that 500
600 would be sufficient to make creditab BILE
start 1t was understood, however, that
other appropriations would follow when
needed to carry on the work. No start was
made Immediately after the augmentation
The reports of 1925 show that the super
structure of Fort Calhoun was not COM
menced last year, and could not be COM
menced this year for want of an officer to
superintend the work.
Finally, in 1927, work was commenced
and the greater part of the appropriation
was expended on the foundation of the mole
on which the superStructure to be
erected, in collecting materials for the
or r u1hG tnrl CHI
auXliaries necessary in connection with
commencing the supeTStructure.
In 1881 the following report the prog
ress made was handed in by the engineer
officer in charge lof The work: when the
walls and piers of this fort had been car
ried up to the leTel IF the second battery
it was found that the additional weight
caused the subsistence of the foundation.
which made it prudent to suspend the con-
struction of the masonry and confine the
operations of the past year to the reception
of materials, WHICH have been distributed
50 as to equalizer the pressure on the bot
tom as much possible and produce a UNI
form settling; as thi5c still continues it is
judged best to pursue, the same course next
year and to continue # until weight equal
to that the foundations must finally bear
shall have been accumulated there, after
which the construction may with safety be
completed.' .2. - $50 ~. ,H
The report made in the following year
gave the startling information that the
foundation Tor fOrt fiau SUNK SIX
inches. In 1888 the engineer in charge had
this to say: by reference to my last an
nual report it will be perceived that it has
for some time been a leading object at this
work TO compress the substratum by the
accumulat ton of materials upon it to
state which will produce an equilibrium
when it shall be required to sustain the
weight of the fort; 12.500 tons OF stone
have been added to the mole and 1850
tons of building stone deposited on and
near The wallis during the
The officer in charge stated in his report
the following year that the setting process
had almost stopped, the subsistence being
less than One-third that of the previous
year Calculations made blythe engineers
showed that the weight resting on the
foundation when the fort was completed
and garrisoned would reach something like
81 600 tons. In addition to this there would
be a stone breakwater of about 2o,oOo tons
A terrific gale in 1873 washed away the
wharf and another had to be built in order
to carry on the work of finishing the fort
without delay. In that year all of the stone
required TO complete the work was accu-
muiated, but ii was not used then. In 1913
Losing, author of the Pictorial Field Book
of the ReVolution;' visited this section and
devotes paragraph in his work to the Rip
Raps, referring to the half-completed works
of the fertilization and stating that opera
tons had to be suspended because OF the
continued sinking of the foundation. He
gave as the definition of the name Rip
meet in Hampton Roads, producing a con-
unuat ripple, hence the name. Losing,
however, in his attempt at being original,
displayed his ignorance on one point The
word rip rap means a foundation or para
pet made of stones thrown together in deep
water on soft bottom In this case the ar
tifcial island which the Rip Raps is
built was made by casting rocks into
depth of twenty-five feet until the founda-
ton rose above the surface.
In 1862 the name of the island stronghold
was changed from Calhoun to Fort Wool,
In honor of Maj. Gen. John Ellis Wool.
commandant of Fore Monroe and later
commander Of the department of Virginia.
who saved the fort the year before by
throwing UP breastworks in the rear and
defeating the purpose of the enemy, which
had planned an attack from the open rear.
The last appropriation for the Rip Raps
was made by Congress July 2. 1864. the
amount being $500 900. This increased the
total expenditure to s.. 2A6,3713 81. When the
last appropriation was consumed no further
efforts were made to complete the structure