Contract for
Building a Light House and Keepers Dwelling and Fitting
Up the Light House at Pointe aux Barques.
July 3rd, 1847
Transcribed from a copy of the
hand-written document - May 13, 2002. Several words
are unintelligible and are noted by dashes. One word
is crossed out and is noted by x's. Much of the teXt
is without punctuation so I have added extra spaces
or paragraphs for smoother reading.
--David A. McDonald
This Agreement made this third day of July Eighteen
hundred and forty seven between David Chandler, Thomas
M. Perry and David Shook of the first part - and Charles
G. Hammond Collector of the District of Detroit of
the second part witneseth:
That the said party of the first part for and in
consideration of the sum of four thousand dollars
to be paid to him by the said party of the second
part upon completion, and approval by the party of
the second part and delivery to the party of the second
party by the party of the first part of the lighthouse
dwelling house and appurtenances hereafter set forth
within the times hereinafter specified, doth covenant
and agree to build furnish and deliver the same as
follows.
They shall be built upon such a spot as the party
of the second part shall designate near Pointe aux
Barques on fractional section two in Township eighteen
North of Range fourteen East on Lake Huron in the
state of Michigan of the following materials, dimensions
and description.
The tower to be built of xxxx stone of hard brick
the form round the foundation to be sunk as deep as
may be necessary to make the whole fabric secure to
be laid in good line mortar the height of the tower
to be sixty five feet from the surface of the ground
the diameter of the base to be twenty five feet and
that of the top twelve feet the thickness of the walls
at the base to be five feet, to be uniformly graduated
to two feet at the top; the top to be arched and on
it to be laid a deck of soap stone or other stone
of proper quality fourteen and a half feet in diameter
and five inches thick the joints filled in with lead
on one side of which is to be a scuttle twenty four
by twenty inches to enter the lantern the scuttle
door to be an iron frame covered with copper. The
outside wall is to be pointed with Roman Cement and
whitewashed twice over. There shall be six windows
in the tower twelve lights each of eight by ten inch
glass in strong frames and a door of five feet by
three feet made of double inch boards cross nailed
with substantial hinges locks and latch the ground
floor to be paved with bricks of stone. A sufficient
number of circular stairs shall lead from the ground
floor to within six feet of the lantern connected
by a center post; the stairs to be made of yellow
pine clear of sap and well seasoned; the stairs and
floor to be two inch plank planed. From the top of
the stairs to the entrance of the scuttle to be an
iron ladder with steps two and a half inches square.
On the top of the tower shall be an iron lantern of
octagonal form the posts to be two inches square to
run five feet into the stone or brick work and secured
by anchors. The height and diameter of the lantern
shall be sufficient to admit an iron sash in each
octagon to contain fifteen lights of fifteen by twenty
from inch glass and a tier of similar panes of copper
at the bottom, the rabbets of the sashes to be three
quarters of an inch deep and glazed with double plate
glass. In one of the faces of the lantern shall be
an iron framed door covered with copper four feet
by two in the clear to be shut tight into the rabbits
with a strong turn button. The top to be a dome framed
by sixteen iron rafters concentrating in a hoop of
iron five inches wide and nine inches in diameter
covered with copper thirty two ounces to the square
foot which is to come down and rivet in the piece
that forms the top of the sash which is to three inches
wide. On the dome shall be a traveling ventilator
two and a half feet long and fifteen inches in diameter
on which is to be secured a van three feet long and
twenty inches wide the ventilator and vane is to be
framed with iron posts an inch and three-eights square
connected by three railings three quarters of an inch
square. the upper one to be four feet from the deck.
The lantern and woodwork of the tower to be painted
twice over with white lead except the dome which is
to be black. The light house to be furnished with
one complete electrical conductor three quarters of
an inch in diameter with a point.
The dwelling house to be of stone or brick thirty
four feet by twenty of one story eight feet in the
clear. The walls shall be eighteen inches thick; there
shall be a cellar seven feet deep under the floor
of the whole house. all the stone and brick work to
be laid in good lime mortar. The roof is to be rectangular
the house to be divided into two rooms with a chimney
in the middle and an entry six feet wide in front
of the chimney a door into each room and an outside
door a fire place in each room and closets with shelves
and doors back of the chimney stairs to lead from
the entry into the chambers which are to be partitioned
off, one door in each, lathed and plastered and double
floors well nailed. The inside wall of the entry rooms
and ceiling to be lathed and plastered double floors
well nailed three windows in each room each to contain
twenty four lights of seven by nine inch glaze, and
one of the same size in each of the chambers. There
are to be cellar stairs from one of the rooms inside;
at each end of the cellar to be a small window glazed.
Attached to the house to be a porch or kitchen fourteen
feet by twelve in the clear, the walls the same as
the dwelling house, double floors the walls and ceiling
to be lathed and plastered one window of twenty four
lights of seven by nine glass, two doors, one to lead
into the rooms in the house and the other outside)
a chimney with an iron crane trammel and hooks, on
one side an oven of middling size with iron door on
the other a sink with a gutter to lead through the
wall out of the house. The roof of the house and kitchen
or porch to be covered with good seasoned boards to
be jointed and halved, all the doors to be four paneled
with substantial iron hinges and latches, the two
outside doors to have strong locks and hammer dressed
stone sills, all windows to have suitable shutters
hinges and fastening iron mantel pieces of the fire
places and oven chimney collared with sheet lead gutters
on both sides of the house with spouts to lead off
the water; All the woodwork inside and out to be painted
twice over, including the floors the walls of the
house and cellar to be well painted and white washed
twice over. An outhouse five feet by four boarded
and shingled all the woodwork inside and out to be
painted twice over.
The whole of the above work to be completed in a
good and workmanlike manner by the 1st day of October
next subject to the approval of the Collector of Detroit.
And the said party of the first part furthers agrees
within one month after said Light House shall be finished
as aforesaid to fit up the same in the same manner
as the Lighthouses in the States have been fitted
up by Mr. Winslow Lewis with thirteen patent lamps
and thirteen fourteen inch reflectors the reflectors
to be made in dies or moulds as done by Mr. Lewis
and by M---- Hooper & Co of Boston each reflector
to be six ounces of pure silver and to finish two
spare lamps double tin oil b--- sufficient to hold
five hundred gallons of oil; one lantern canister
and iron trivet one stove and funnel one tin wicks
box one tin tube box one oil carrier one oil feeder
six wick formers one hand lantern and lamp, two tube
cleaners, one glaziers diamond, two files and two
pair of scissors. All of which fitting up and furniture
is subject in like manner to the approval of the Collector
of Detroit.
And the said party of the first part further agrees
by the first day of October - next to clear five acres
of the lake front of the ten acres of the light house
reservation on the said fractional section, to be
approved like manner by the Collector of Detroit.
And the said party of the second part as Collectors
aforesaid does covenant and agree for himself and
his successors in office to pay the said party of
the first part upon completion approval and delivery
of all of the work and articles above specified within
the time above specified the sum of four Thousand
Dollars - aforesaid. But subject always to the condition
and proviso that the said party of the second part
may at any time within ten days from the execution
of this contract, on notice to the party of the first
part - Elect to contract with and other persons and
to exempt and except from this contract the provision
for fitting up and furnishing said lighthouse after
the same is finished as aforesaid. And in case the
same is excepted from the operation of the above contract,
the said party of the second part shall be entitled
to deduct from the sum herein before agreed to be
paid to the party of the first part upon the completion
of his contract the amount of seven hundred and seventy
five Dollars.
In witness whereof the parties aforesaid have hereonto
interchangeably set their hands and seals the day
and year first aforesaid:
David Shook (Seal)
Daniel Chambers
by David Shook (Seal)
Thomas M Perry
by David Shook (Seal)
C. G. Hammonds (Seal)
Collector Port and District
of Detroit, Michigan
