Sunday, September 21, 2014

Cutter Head

Many of our readers have seen dredges working in Hatteras Inlet or in the Swan Quarter/Cedar Island ferry channel. But I wonder how many have ever seen the dredge cutter head, the working end of the dredge that cuts through the bottom so the sand can be sucked up and deposited in the "hopper," cast over the side from a long pipe, or pumped through a pipeline to a "spoil island."

The other day I noticed that a truck from Cape Dredging Company in Buxton, NC was parked in front of the Pub. On the trailer was a cutter head. So I stopped and made a couple of photos for our readers.





























Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of late 19th century steamship traffic to Ocracoke, and the large Victorian hotel that accommodated the guests. You can read the article here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082114.htm.
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7 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:11 AM

    Never gave the process of dredgi g a thought before. Where are these "spoil islands", and who decides the appropriate place to dump?
    BTW - Thought you'd like to know I'm getting a 404 not found on the newsletter link.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philip9:14 PM

      Some of the small islands near the inlets & channels are spoil islands, not natural islands. I suppose the NCDOT (Ferry Division) and the US Army Corps of Engineers make the decision together, but I'm not certain about that.

      Sorry about the incorrect link. I corrected it. I will publish the Newsletter about the 1861 Unionist Government on Hatteras soon.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:30 AM

      Many thanks

      Delete
  2. Anonymous9:47 AM

    Perhaps one of the coolest "beach digging toys" ever. So this drill head merely bores into the sand, rendering it into solution with the surrounding water, and an adjacent vacuum system draws the slurry up and out, correct?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philip9:15 PM

      I am no engineer, but that sounds accurate to me.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous9:54 AM

    This is the weapon, dredging the "ferry" channel ,a crime against Nature. What amount of sea life is sucked up to die on the spoiled island.? Crime on the low seas. How many Millions of dollars are spent and this is still hurricane season. A storm could change the "progress" in a day or two........

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous5:12 PM

    yes, they do it all for you so you can get home safely and complain about it.....suck it up!

    ReplyDelete

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