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Gay Head Lighthouse in US moves inland to avoid ocean fall | Gay Head Lighthouse in US moves inland to avoid ocean fall |
(about 7 hours later) | |
A US lighthouse will begin a journey inland on Thursday to avoid falling down an eroding cliff side. | A US lighthouse will begin a journey inland on Thursday to avoid falling down an eroding cliff side. |
The $3m (£2m) effort will move the 400-tonne Gay Head Lighthouse in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. | |
The 160-year-old structure helped mariners navigate foggy coastlines during the peak of the whaling trade in the region in the 1800s. | The 160-year-old structure helped mariners navigate foggy coastlines during the peak of the whaling trade in the region in the 1800s. |
The historic lighthouse should arrive at its destination farther away from the Atlantic Ocean by Saturday. | |
As it stands now, it is only 46ft (14 metres) from the edge of a cliff. | |
Gay Head Lighthouse is a popular tourist destination for holidays, on the western side of Martha's Vineyard. | Gay Head Lighthouse is a popular tourist destination for holidays, on the western side of Martha's Vineyard. |
The lighthouse has been hoisted off the ground to prepare for the move. | |
The lighthouse will be passed along steel beams and rollers by hydraulic jacks, which will move it 129 feet (39 meters) southeast of its current location. | |
Within two years, the lighthouse would have been too near to the edge to move safely. | |
The call to move it has become more urgent in recent years due to landslides, strong ocean waves and groundwater, eroding the surrounding Gay Head cliffs. |
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