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"We have to move the lighthouse without the lighthouse knowing it is being moved", says Joe Jakubik of International Chimney Corp.

Workers continue the process of separating the lighthouse from its base. The diamond cable saw has performed flawlessly as it cuts through the old mortar like butter. The severing process is approximately 50% complete. According to the Park Service, the second 25% of the cutting went twice as fast as the beginning 25%. The difficulties of splitting apart the granite and mortar under the cut has become easier. Supports for the drills have arrived which has greatly aided the workmen. Before the drill stands arrived, workers had to hold the weighty drills often above their heads. It was tiring work. But now the work under the lighthouse is speeding up. Also, a new system of using hydraulic power to splinter the stone apart has been put into use. The welded I beam mat that is under the spiral tower is expanding. More and more shoring towers equipped with hyrdraulic lifts are being placed atop these metal mats. This part of the relocation process is estimated to be completed by late April.

Change is inevitable on a job of this magnitude. Original concept drawings distributed by the National Park Service depicted bracing around the black and white stripes (above the plinth, below the platform) to be used for the move. Now, all reinforcement is being placed in supporting the base and apparently the plan for using bracing has been abandoned. Joe Jakubik contends that the outer column is intact, nothing to be concerned about. The lighthouse is a double wall constructed tower or put differently, a wall inside of a wall separated by an air void. For years, locals have been concerned with the vertical cracks that are evident when climbing the lighthouse. Based on structural analysis of our beloved beacon, it seems that cracks are only present in the inner wall and were caused by heat. No cracks were found in the exterior wall nor was there any evidence of cracks that may have been patched.

The many high-tech sensors placed in several locations on the tower keep the project engineers informed as to any unusual moments. Alarms will sound if there is any hint of stress. Four engineers would be notified immediately if a problem were to occur. Two of these engineers are located in Chicago, one in Buffalo, and of course the site superintendent here in Buxton.

It is expected that the concrete pad which will become the new foundation for our great sentinel will be poured in about a month before the air temperatures get too warm. It is of utmost importance that the concrete cure perfectly. The lighthouse is currently resting on an octagonal pad that measures up to 45'. The new pad will be a 60' square. To once again quote Joe Jakubik, "It will be on a better base than what it is on now."

The relocation project of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is moving right along. March 23 was a busy day at the site. Not only was the Primary Keepers Quarters moved from its home near the ocean, it was immediately placed onto its new foundation. Then just a short time later, the museum was slid onto its foundation next to its old companion. The museum had been sitting on its moving dolly at the new site since Feb.25. Workers are currently connecting the foundations and buildings.

Uprooting the Primary Quarters proved to be a difficult task to the very end. This brick building had numerous foundations which was an unexpected discovery. Preparing the structure for its move took a couple of months. The original plans had called for the smaller building to be moved before the larger museum. But the museum, which is estimated to be three times lighter than the smaller brick building, was moved without resistance on Feb.25.

One day before the actual move, Expert House Movers started pulling the structure out of the hole that was dug around and under it. Once again, the more than a century old structure resisted. This extremely heavy building caused the moving dolly and truck to get stuck. "It was just a mess," said one of the Park Rangers. They just couldn't pull it out of the hole. But Expert House Movers knew just what to do. Two bulldozers were chained to the truck that pulled the moving dolly. With their heavy buckets solidly planted on the ground, the bulldozers then pulled them out of the hole with winches.

Finally, on Tuesday March 23, with tires slackened to negotiate the sand, the Primary Keepers Quarters traveled at walking speed to the new site and was placed directly onto its new foundation. Due to the heaviness of the Keepers Quarters, a different moving dolly was employeed for this move. A hydraulic steering system was connected to the rear tires for independent control. An operator walked directly behind the house, making adjustments to the rear wheels as necessary. The press was scampering all around the move, preserving this moment forever in history. The dewatering pumps that serviced the area of the 2 keepers quarters have finally been turned off. They have been operating since January.

Though he was confined to his wheelchair, Rany Jennette witnessed the moving of the Principle Keepers Quarters on March 23. Rany's father, Capt. Unaka B. Jennette was the last principle keeper at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Born in 1921, inside the brick hou~e that stood beside the lighthouse for so many years, Rany was 1 of 7 children, the last children ever born in the Principle's Quarters.

Capt. Unaka Jennette was the lighthouse keeper from 1919 to 1939. His job was very important to all mariners who passed by this dangerous section of the coast, which is appropriately nicknamed "the Graveyard of the Atlantic." The captain kept the beacon lamps filled and spotlessly cleaned. Every night, he would light the beacon and extinguish it every morning.

The Jennettes lived on the lighthouse grounds until 1933 when the captain moved his family to the village due to a severe hurricane. Rany worked as a seasonal ranger at the sentinel from 1984 until 1998.

During those years, he told stories of growing up living at the majestic Cape Hatteras Ligthouse. The keeper's son worked at the spot upon which he was raised until he suffered a stroke in 1998.

Rany Jennette shakes the familiar hand of photographer Drew Wilson.

His speach is now difficult & Mr. Jennette communicates with the help of his wife Lynn. They were married at the lighthouse and had their reception at the Keepers Quarters. We were curious what were Rany's feelings concerning the relocation. Lynn Jennette said he was not in favor of the move for he was of the opinion that it wasn't in any critical danger, it wasn't urgent. In fact, Rany wasn't even in favor of the groins back when they were installed. "If left to nature," according to Rany's wife, "the lighthouse would survive."

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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