Cape Hatteras |
National Seashore |
U.S. Department of the Interior
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THE CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTSTATIONHISTORICAL BEGINNING Lighthouses have a long and colorful history. The earliest recorded date of a regularly maintained light that guided mariners is 600 B.C. Even the ancient Egyptians built light towers; priests tended the beacon fires. By the 18th century open fires on platforms at or near dangerous points protected the coasts of Europe. Today the typical lighthouse is a steel or brick structure whose electrically timed and operated light probes more than 20 miles out to sea, still warning of hidden reefs and treacherous shoals that menace the navigator. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse stands on a spot of eastern North America dreaded by sailors since the 16th century when European ships regularly began sailing, or "coasting," the Atlantic seaboard. A warm offshore current, the Gulf Stream, flows north at about 4 knots and veers eastward north of Cape Hatteras. Spanish treasure fleets returning from the mines of Mexico and Central America made good use of this northbound current on their voyages to Spain. Southbound vessels followed an inshore counter-current of colder water, the Virginia Coastal Drift. These might have been two very efficient marine highways, except that at Cape Hatteras the Gulf Stream pinches down on the inshore current and forces southbound ships into a narrow passage around Diamond Shoals, the submerged fingers of shifting sand that jut more than 10 miles out from the Cape. More than 500 ships of many nations, trying to find their way around the shoals, have foundered at or near Cape Hatteras, earning for the area its sinister reputation as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." The absence of natural landmarks along the Carolina Coast added to the navigator's risk, as he was drawn dangerously close to shore to get a bearing. THE FIRST TOWER
Recognizing the very real danger to Atlantic shipping, Congress, in 1794, authorized the construction of a permanent lighthouse at Cape Hatteras. It took almost ten years before a "light was raised" in October, 1803. Built of sandstone, 90 feet high, the tower was a start, but only a start, in providing the protection needed in these hazardous waters. A major problem through the years was illumination; the small lamp fueled by sperm whale oil did not penetrate the darkness beyond the shoals. Storms shattered the windows and broke the lamps putting the light out for days at a time. Complaints were numerous and vocal. In 1837, the Captain of a coasting vessel reported that "...as usual no light is to be seen from the lighthouse." In 1851, Lieutenant H. K. Davenport, Skipper of the mail steamer Cherokee complained, "Cape Hatteras light, upon the most dangerous point on our whole coast, is a very poor concern..." Creation of the Lighthouse Board in 1852 made a decided improvement in the conduct of all United States lighthouse operations. Composed of men familiar with the problems involved, the board answered directly to the Secretary of the Treasury, and soon acted to correct the deficiencies at Cape Hatteras. Among the first corrections was to raise the tower to more than 150 feet and to install a new lighting device - a first order Fresnel lens. Developed in France by Augustin Fresnel, the lens utilized prisms and magnifying glasses to intensify a small oilwick flame into a powerful beacon of many thousands of candlepower. The improvements made the Cape Hatteras light one of the most dependable on the coast. Cape Hatteras light burned steadily for only seven short years before the holocaust of the Civil War extinguished it again. Confederate forces wanted the lighthouse destroyed to deprive Federal vessel of the beacon. In a series of battles in 1861, Union forces managed to save the tower, but retreating Confederates took the Fresnel lens with them. Although the light shone again in 1862, the tower had been damaged and the Lighthouse Board recommended extensive repairs. Studies showed that it would be less costly to build a new tower than to repair the old one, and in 1867 Congress appropriated $75,000 to reconstruct the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Because of erosion danger, it was built 600 feet north of the original tower. THE SECOND TOWER
A new Fresnel lens and oil lamp were installed and a light flashed from the new tower on December 16, 1870, the old tower, no longer useful and in danger of falling, was dynamited and totally destroyed. The final "touch" for the new structure was the distinctive black and white striping ordered by the Lighthouse Board in 1873 to make the tower "a better daymark on this low sandy coast." This practical application of paint turned an ordinary tower into one of the most striking and beautiful structures on the Atlantic Coast. THE LIGHTHOUSE TODAY Year 1970 marked the centennial of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. In 1870 the tower stood 1,500 feet from the sea; by 1935 erosion had progressed to the point where the waves washed around the base of the tower. All efforts to halt erosion failed and the lighthouse was abandoned and replaced with a skeleton steel structure a mile northwest of the brick tower. In the late 1930's the erosion trend halted. These natural tendencies plus beach erosion control work by the Civilian Conservation Corps permitted the return of the light from the steel tower to the lighthouse on January 23, 1950. Foundations of the first lighthouse have washed away. The National Park Service acquired ownership of the lighthouse when it was abandoned in1935. In 1950, when the structure was again found safe for use, new lighting equipment was installed. Now the Coast Guard owns and operates the navigational equipment, while the National Park Service maintains the tower as a historic structure. The Hatteras Island Visitor Center, formerly the Double Keepers Quarters located next to the lighthouse, elaborates on the Cape Hatteras story and man's lifestyle on the Outer Banks. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, tallest in the United States, stands 208 feet from the bottom of the foundation to the peak of the roof. To reach the light which shines 191 feet above mean high water mark, a Coast Guardsman must climb 268 steps. There were approximately 1,250,000 bricks used in its construction. THE LIGHT
THE LENS
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The present brick tower, erected in 1869 - 70 by the Lighthouse Board, cost more than $150,000. Major George B. Nicholson, Assistant Engineer, Fifth Lighthouse District, supervised construction. Both this tower and the original structure were built before the present-day pile-driver was perfected; both therefore were set upon "floating foundations." This means that two layers of 6" X 12" yellow pine timbers were placed crossways below the water table. Always submerged, the foundation timbers were preserved through the years. Recent examinations showed no deterioration of the century-old beams.
The Lighthouse Service changed the illuminant to an incandescent oil vapor lamp in 1913. Twenty years later, in 1934, the Service electrified the Cape Hatteras light. A new lighting device was installed in 1950. The present, stronger device was installed in 1972. The illuminating equipment consists of a rotating beacon with two 1000-watt lamps. Each lamp produces a beam of 800,000 candlepower visible in clear weather for about 20 miles. It appears at a distance as a short flash at intervals of 7.5 seconds. Under especially favorable atmospheric conditions the light has been observed 51 miles at sea.
The type of mechanism changed several times over the years. With the installation of the Fresnel lens in 1854 the light changed from a fixed beam to a revolving flare. To rotate the lens, a weight descended slowly from the top of the tower into a well at the base, engaging a series of gears which turned the beacon. It usually took 12 hours to make a complete descent. The keeper then rewound the apparatus for another cycle. When the light was electrified in 1934, this rudimentary device was no longer necessary. Today electricity provides the rotating power and a photo cell turns the light on and off. Although the mechanism has changed, the light itself has remained white.
