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Like pieces fitting together in a puzzle, the maze of steel I beams, hydraulic jacks, hoses and oak cribbing under the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is becoming a singular creation. The seven travel beams are completely installed. The cross beams have been connected to the travel beams with super sized C-clamps. A bright yellow set of strongback beams now surround the tower which increases the overall strength and adds rigidity to the entire mat. On June 4 or June 5, International Chimney will start lifting the black and white tower skyward. The Lighthouse needs to be elevated by approximately 5' before she can start her journey 2,900' to the southwest.

A new piece ot equipment has arrived on the seaside construction site. A brand new, specially designed unified hydraulic jacking machine is now sitting on the northeast corner ot the Lighthouse. This is an impressive piece of technology. It is perfectly painted in red with gold metal-flake trim Humorously, ICC moving consultIr ant Pete Friezen referred to this machine as "version 1999.5". All 100 lifting jacks will be interconnected with this one central power source. It is designed to move an object in a unified motion regardless of weight differences in the load. If there was to be a loss of power during this critical stage, the jacks would all lock into position, keeping the load even and safe.

The load has been divided into 3 zones and will carry the weight similar to that of a tricycle. A geometric principle states that 3 points define a plane. So if a structure's weight is evenly divided into 3 common pressure hydraulic zones, then it is easier to control and keep level during the move. There are 2 stages of the hydraulics. The first one is 'jacking", the process of lifting the beacon. The other is 'float" which will keep the Lighthouse perfectly balanced during the journey, It will compensate for any unevenness in the move route. This system is designed to keep the structure level throughout the move which will ultimately protect her from any stress that could possibly develop during the move.

Pete Friezen, with a twinkle in his eye, told his audience that the operator of the unified hydraulic jacking machine was "very smart." He shared a story about one hydraulic operator who was overly impressed by the size of the job before him. Friezen told the worker, "It's just a little job, but biggen It's all the same principles." This seasoned consultant for International Chimney is undaunted by the magnitude of the project. Sure, he is 76 years old and has been retired for 4 years. That explains why he is working on only 4 projects. This native of Bellingham, WA has been involved with many moves and will become a familiar face in Cape Hatteras over the next few weeks. At the time of this writing, there was very little left to do before the lifting process begins. The hoses that control the jacks located inside the shoring towers were ready to be connected to the jacking machine. The human rollers and push jacks are still in Virginia Beach and will remain there until the last minute. Why? Because everything rusts in Hatteras. But once they are installed, it will be show time. Earlier estimates stated that It would take 14 days to lift the Lighthouse. Current estimates have cut that in half to 7 days. So by mid June, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will be making history.

The unified hydraulic jacking machine could be a story within itself. The patent is owned by Pete Friezen. The words "Jahns Structure Jacking System" are boldly painted on the red paint. Its origin is Ohio and Cape Hatteras is its first stop. Bill Jahns is the builder of this machine and is handicapped. According to Jerry Matyiko, Jahns is missing one leg but nothing will keep him down. Rumor has it that Bill built himself a cart with a jet engine in it just to 'jet" around town and it goes 80 mph.

Hydraulic oil was an important consideration on the project. When the jacks are in use, there will be a lot of pressure in the hoses. The engineers had to think ahead in case of an accident. If a hose were to leak, the pressure driving it could possibly spill a large amount of oil in a short period of time. An oil spill on the Cape Hatteras seashore could have far reaching ramifications. Chevron makes a biodegradable vegetable oil which will be used in this move. It was created for environmentally sensitIve areas. Sounds perfect so what could possibly be wrong with it? Said Jerry Matyiko, "It draws gnats!"

Currently, International Chimney Corp. is involved with 22 other moving projects. Most of these projects are in the United States. Company President, Rick Lohr indicated that the reason for their success is because they are "so specialized". ICC wasn't the low bidder on the Cape Hatteras Relocation Project. In fact, it was quite the opposite. But the Natonal Park Service only felt comfortable with one company moving our majestic treasure. In speaking about the Cape Hatteras project, Lohr said that the budget was doing okay. He was "comfortable" with how everything was going.

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The Hatteras Island News will be documenting each and every move the lighthouse makes, from ground level and also from the air.

The Hatteras Island News is a free By-Weekly Publication by the Hatteras Monitor. It arrives in our mailboxes twice a month.

Publisher
Richard Jones
Anne McDermott

Printing
Curtis Cromwell

P.O. Box 364
Frisco, NC 27936
252-995-5378