TERMITES EAT LIGHTHOUSE
The Coast Guard nor Orkin
neither one can tell how a wave of termites made it to the
Smith Point Lighthouse,
off Sunnyland, Virginia, just a bit north of Reedsville, Virginia,
two and a half miles off
shore in the Chesapeake Bay.
But they did and before
being discovered had eaten a good bit of the third floor, the wall
s
and baseboards. At first
it was thought dry rot was the culprit but an examination by Orkin
found the damage had been
done by termites.
The Coast Guard and Orkin
managed to defeat the termites on the first attempt.
How the termites got to
the lighthouse, two and half mile out, remain a mystery. They
need water to survive but
the Smith Point Lighthouse is in 17 feet of water, sits on a
concrete caisson sunk 40
feet in the bay bottom , 2-1/2 miles from shore, so tunneling
was out of the question.
Orkin experts say the wind could have blown the wave out that far
but tend to believe they
some how hitched a ride with Coast Guard deliveries of supplies.
Anyway, the sea going
termites are gone now, knock on wood.
Abstract 08/16/18 by
Harrison H., from the Cumberland News of Cumberland Maryland,
Tuesday 19 May, 1970
to www.iinni.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment