1842.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



401 



THE LIGHT OF ALL NATIONS. 



In our Journal for October last, we gave a description of the 

 vrorks then being carried on of the lighthouse proposed to be erected 

 on the Goodwin Sands, and promised to give a drawing showing the 

 construction of the caisson ; since then the whole of the works have 

 been destroyed, in consequence of a vessel in one of the severe gales 

 in the middle of October last, during the night running fonl of it. 

 Notwithst.inding this disaster, we think it will be interesting to our 

 readers to know in what manner the works were carried on, and the 

 construction of the caisson ; as the record of failures is frequently of 

 as much benefit as the record of successful works, we have therefore 

 obtained the following reports of its progress, for which and for the 

 cuts we are mainly indebted to the Naitlical Magazine. 



"On the 28th July, at half-past 10 o'clock, p.m., the Monkey steam- 

 tug succeeded iu getting .Vir. Bush's caisson afloat. She went off from 

 the bead) in fine style, maintaining a vertical position during her 

 transit, although she made a good deal of water. The pumps were 

 kept going nearly the whole of the way out. About 5 o'clock, r.M., 

 being at the appointed place, the tug cast off the towing rope, and 

 the caisson soon settled down, (hough a little out of the perpen- 

 dicular. She at present declines from north to south about 2 ft. in 

 24, yet it is believed that, in the operation of sinking the foundation, 

 Mr. Bush will be able to rectify this. One of the large boats from 

 the dockyard accompanied the caisson to the sand, having on board 

 plates for commencing the necessary work immediatelv. 



"On the IGth August, Mr. Bush reported that the caisson was 

 sunk below the sands l(i ft. at low watermark, and that the whole 

 portion was then 4'2 ft. high, being '.) ft. above high water, and that, 

 in the course of the following week he hoped to add 10 ft. more, with 

 every prospect of speedily finding a foundation suitable for the base 

 of such an undertaking. 



"The annexed wood-cut represents the appearance of the caisson 

 on the morning of the 21st of August, showing the mode by which 

 the couseculive iron cylinders were placed over each other to 

 form the building for the lighthouse; and showing also the settle- 

 ment whi':h hrtd gradually taken place, as well as its inclined position, 

 owing to the sand beneath it giving way over the foundation which 

 is sup])(jsed to be of chalk. This inclination Mr. Hush appeared to 

 have overcome by the report, dated the 12th September. 



Fig. 1. 



.._H!^tK!j!nL_ 



Ty^WitgL-me, 



" Sept. 2. — Mr. Bush reported that lie had in conjunction with 

 Lieutenant Batt, R.N., minutely surveyed the caisson, and found, that 

 after the late stiff breezes it had adjusted itself to a more upright 

 position; that there were 18 ft. of water around it at lovv water, but 

 at 2U ft. distance there were only 5 ft. A basin had therefore been 

 formed by the strong tides, which proved most satisfactorily that he 

 was but a short distance from the chalk ; this was also confirmed by 

 the caisson nut having sunk for the three previous weeks more than 

 5 inches. 



