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that the tower should be erected on the outer Minot, and ' 
confiding its construction to the Topographical Bureau. 
This bureau, having publicly advertised, received sixteen 
distinct proposals to erect the proposed structure, but finally 
recommended, in view of the difficulties to be overcome, and 
the fearful fate of its predecessor, that it should be located 
on one of the inner rocks. In accordance with this recom- 
mendation, an act of Congress was passed authorizing the 
Secretary of the Treasury to “select instead of the outer 
Minot’s Ledge, any more suitable site.” Before further ac- 
tion had been taken, the whole subject fell into the hands of 
the newly created Lighthouse Board. A joint resolution 
of Congress was then passed (1854) giving to this board 
the decision as to the location and the mode of construc- 
tion. 
The question of location being thus widely reopened, 
committee of the board was sent to make a personal eX- 
amination of the locality. General Totten was, of courses 
*a member of this committee, and was not long in making 
up his mind that the outer and not the inner Minot was 
the proper site. His arguments on this subject proved con- 
clusive with the board. He urged that if the light were 
placed on any of the inner rocks the desired object would 
be but partially accomplished, since in a dense fog or thick 
Snow-storm vessels might approach within a few hundred 
feet, without being able to see it, and thus be lost upon the 
outer ledge. 
When the question of practicability was broached, his 
professional pride seemed to be roused. He argued that, 
_ after what had been done on the coast of England in the 
erection of the Eddystone lighthouse a century 220; and 
More recently of the Bell-rock and Skerryvore lights, # 
would be a humiliating admission that the requisite sciene® 
