Tobaccoport Saltpeter Cave, Stewart County, Tennessee

August 2019

Gate Type: POWERS FENCE

This is an important site for gray bats, a federally Endangered species. It was gated many years ago, but the bats did not take to it. The gate was later modified with a chute, but it still wasn’t the best, and vandals were sneaking in to the cave. We determined that a proper cupola and chute was going to be too large, difficult, and expensive to build. The next best thing was a Powers Fence, named after the late Mastergater, Roy Powers, who designed the first one at Bellamy Cave. This is the second Powers Fence ever built, and is very effective at protecting the bats while keeping out unauthorized visitors. All photos © Jim Kennedy.

We spent a couple of days cutting out the old gate. It would be sold as scrap iron to offset a tiny bit of the project costs.
A rare shot of Jim, who is usually behind the camera.
There was so much steel that Cory had to rent a skid steer to move it. It was also great for site prep.
The expanded metal grating pallet made a great saw stand.
Once the expanded metal skirting was laid out, we began cutting sills and footers and placing them in position.
We plumbed the columns, supporting them with temporary props until welded to the sill and stabilized with footers.
We progressed further up both sides.
Eventually we closed the gap.
The panels were further stabilized by interior props.
Finally, Lydia welded small pieces of grating to the gaps between the larger panels.
It was impossible to get a photo of the entire fence, but this shows the vast improvement in flight space at the entrance.