Recently I received an old post card, circa 1902, depicting work on one of the piers at Fair Haven. At the risk of landing in “deep water” I have decided to write about the construction and repairs of the East and West piers. My limited knowledge on this subject has been obtained from early newspaper items.
Historically speaking, the piers at Little Sodus Bay are one of the oldest protective structures on Lake Ontario, having been progressively constructed in the period 1854-1905. The Lake Shore News of Sept. 4, 1879 reported “The pier at Fair Haven is undergoing repairs. Its old top is being removed and replaced by new timbers. Quite a large force of men are employed.”
An item from the Fair Haven paper dated May 18, 1894, “U.S. Engineer Churchill of Oswego, and a half a dozen local laborers are engaged in tearing up the planking on the piers preparatory to repairing the structure. A large amount of crib work has been washed out during the winter which will necessitate the rebuilding of quite a portion of the piers. The government dredge, The Frontenac, arrived Tuesday and commenced dredging in the channel.”
March 6, 1902, “The people of Fair Haven are rejoicing over the fact that Congress has appropriated $25,000 for extending the east pier and making other improvements at Little Sodus or rather Fair Haven Bay. This favorable action was secured through the influence and efforts of Representative Payne. Each year Fair Haven Harbor is becoming more important as a point for shipping coal.”
A short item found in the Aug. 15, 1912 Fair Haven paper stated, “The pier on both sides of the channel is completed.”
The last items that I have in my file are dated Sept. 23, 1965 and May 5, 1966. Excerpts from both items are reprinted: “The Furnco Construction Company, Buffalo Marine Contractors are scheduled to begin work on a major rehabilitation of the East and West Pier at Little Sodus Bay Harbor. Over 1,400 linear feet of the East and West Pier will be repaired during the next 14 months at the cost of $640,000.
“The current construction project, under the direction of the Army Engineers, is designed to restore the old structures to the necessary protective measures.
“Two parallel walls of steel piling tied together near the top with tie rods of steel bars will be driven. The spaces between the steel pile walls will be filled with granular material. On top of the granular material and between the new walls, concrete will be placed to form a new deck. The top or deck of the new cap will average approximately 8.5 feet above the water surface.
“On the west side of the West Pier some of the existing riprap will be removed to permit the driving of the steel pile wall. When repairs have been completed, the riprap will be replaced.
“In the East Pier repairs, the end piling of the new steel sheet pile walls will interlock with the end piles of adjacent sections of the structure that was previously repaired by similar means.
“The East Pier will be repaired in two areas - one 200 feet long and one 100 feet in length. The outer 1,150 feet of the West Pier is the area requiring immediate corrective measures.
“It has been 20 years since the Army Engineers made any repairs to either East or West Pier on the East Breakwater.”
From Sept. 20, 1965, when the contractor commenced operations, approximately 200 feet of the West pier has been rehabilitated. Records in Engineers office indicate the last major repairs to the West pier occurred between 1907-1913.
According to the Army Engineer specifications, the West pier is to be restored before work is performed on the East pier. No major rehabilitation has been performed on the East pier since 1945. Work will continue throughout the present construction season and was scheduled for completion by Nov. 1.
Hallie Sweeting is the historian for the town of Sterling.
An item from the Fair Haven paper dated May 18, 1894, “U.S. Engineer Churchill of Oswego, and a half a dozen local laborers are engaged in tearing up the planking on the piers preparatory to repairing the structure. A large amount of crib work has been washed out during the winter which will necessitate the rebuilding of quite a portion of the piers. The government dredge, The Frontenac, arrived Tuesday and commenced dredging in the channel.”
March 6, 1902, “The people of Fair Haven are rejoicing over the fact that Congress has appropriated $25,000 for extending the east pier and making other improvements at Little Sodus or rather Fair Haven Bay. This favorable action was secured through the influence and efforts of Representative Payne. Each year Fair Haven Harbor is becoming more important as a point for shipping coal.”
A short item found in the Aug. 15, 1912 Fair Haven paper stated, “The pier on both sides of the channel is completed.”
The last items that I have in my file are dated Sept. 23, 1965 and May 5, 1966. Excerpts from both items are reprinted: “The Furnco Construction Company, Buffalo Marine Contractors are scheduled to begin work on a major rehabilitation of the East and West Pier at Little Sodus Bay Harbor. Over 1,400 linear feet of the East and West Pier will be repaired during the next 14 months at the cost of $640,000.
“The current construction project, under the direction of the Army Engineers, is designed to restore the old structures to the necessary protective measures.
“Two parallel walls of steel piling tied together near the top with tie rods of steel bars will be driven. The spaces between the steel pile walls will be filled with granular material. On top of the granular material and between the new walls, concrete will be placed to form a new deck. The top or deck of the new cap will average approximately 8.5 feet above the water surface.
“On the west side of the West Pier some of the existing riprap will be removed to permit the driving of the steel pile wall. When repairs have been completed, the riprap will be replaced.
“In the East Pier repairs, the end piling of the new steel sheet pile walls will interlock with the end piles of adjacent sections of the structure that was previously repaired by similar means.
“The East Pier will be repaired in two areas - one 200 feet long and one 100 feet in length. The outer 1,150 feet of the West Pier is the area requiring immediate corrective measures.
“It has been 20 years since the Army Engineers made any repairs to either East or West Pier on the East Breakwater.”
From Sept. 20, 1965, when the contractor commenced operations, approximately 200 feet of the West pier has been rehabilitated. Records in Engineers office indicate the last major repairs to the West pier occurred between 1907-1913.
According to the Army Engineer specifications, the West pier is to be restored before work is performed on the East pier. No major rehabilitation has been performed on the East pier since 1945. Work will continue throughout the present construction season and was scheduled for completion by Nov. 1.
Hallie Sweeting is the historian for the town of Sterling.
