Abstract:
In 1890, the U.S. Government awarded experienced marine contractors Anderson & Barr of New Jersey a contract to build a lighthouse on Diamond Shoals, nine miles off Cape Hatteras. The Shoals, an area of strong undersea currents and shifting sands, has doomed many a ship and mariner. It was more than a match for the contractors, despite their heroic efforts. Unable to keep the lighthouse base level because of shifting sands, the workforce withdrew on July 4, 1891, in the face of a hurricane which destroyed the remains of the lighthouse.