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Show Nautical Novelties Tallest, most celebrated, and, according ac-cording to many, most beautiful lighthouse in the United States is the 193 foot brick tower which stands at Cape Hatteras. For 6G years this North Carolina landmark land-mark has guided mariners through one of the wickedest bits of ocean along the Atlantic coast. Renectly the sea which it has thwurted so long finally humbled the old tower. Having munched away a mile of the sandy cape since the lighthouse light-house was built in 1870, the waves finally ncared its base and forced the government to order it abandoned. aban-doned. The second Hatteras light to succumb to the ocean, the present pre-sent black and white becon, replaced re-placed a 112 foot sandstone structure struc-ture built rn 1798. Anothe mile inland, in-land, the government will shortly build its third lighthouse, this time of steel. Strange as it may seem, one of the biggest problems for ships at sea is the scarcity of water that is fresh water. Fresh water is used exclusively, except for scrubbing decks, and is made from the salt water of the ocean through an evaporation process. The salt water is boiled at less than 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Modern bat- tleships of the United States navy I are capable of making apnroxi-I apnroxi-I mately 50,000 gallons of fresh water daily. If, while on a cruUe, i the evaporators should fail, pad-I pad-I locks are placed on all fresh water faucet; and the water is rationed I out to members of the crew. |