White Construction of New York was the contractor for this fire control tower. They used a "sliding form" or "slip form," allowing for a continuous pour of concrete. In June of 1942, about fourteen piles were driven into the ground. Two wooden cylindrical forms of tongue-and-groove board were placed one inside the other, with a one foot gap between them. Iron reinforcement bars (re-bars) were positioned in the gap and the concrete was then poured. As the concrete set, the forms were jacked up and the pour continued. Rectangular boxes were stuck in the gap between the forms to create window openings. You can still see the line in the concrete near the top of the tower where the pour was ended and more traditional forms were used to create the top and the cap of the tower. Amazingly, it only took 2 ½ to 3 days to build the shell of Fire Control Tower No. 23. Finishers moved in to create the floors and details, and the tower was completed by September 1942.

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Show me all markers in:  Cape May, NJ  |  Cape May County  |  08204  |  New Jersey  |  United States of America

The Top of the Fire Tower
History of Coastal Defenses
Fire Control Tower No. 23
The abrupt end of Fort Miles
Landscape
Cape May during World War II
The Construction of Fort Miles
S.S. Atlantus
Ens. Harry V. Groome, Jr.
St. Peter's by the Sea

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