The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-04-22
REPORT.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,

STA: The report of the Lighthouse Board, APP
pointed under an act Of Congress of tho last
sion, which has been recently laid before Congress
by the Secretary Of theTreasury, is go full of
rors in relation TO lighthouse establish mcnt,
upon which it recommends transfer from this o
flee to board to be composed Of naval and mill
tary officers, as to demand from me q reply.
When it is recoeoted that 80 long ago as 1887 a
long list of charges were made by firm in New
York against my management Of the lighthouse
establishment, one object Of which to establish
board Of navy officers to take the management
out Of my hands, and that these charges were in
every essential particular rcfuted by my answer,
which, with the charges were laid before Congress
and printed. Senate document No. 1888, Cd session
25th Congress.
That, at the commencement of General Harri
sons administration, systematic attack was made
on the lighthouse establishment by persons who
had no interest in the lights whatever, and who
prepared speech to be delivered, and was deliv-
cred by member of the House of Representatives
from the West, who bad probably never seen
lighthouse. BY this speech persons not acquainted
with the subject would be led to suppose that the
lights were utterly Worthless and that many of the
buildings had fallen down, and all were 90 badly
built as to be nble to fall. My answer, which
communicated to the Committee of Commerce.
was published with their report I'd 9th
Congress, House document No. Sll, put these
Cusations to rest.
duced in the House of Representatives for the Com
mittee OF Commerce to inquire into all the alleged
Causes OF complaint, and also whether the light
house establishment ought not to be transferred
from this office to that OF the Typographical Engi
necrs. The report referred to above was rium-
plant vindication of my management OF the estab
lishmcnt, and also contrasted our lights favorably
with those OF England and France, and show the
superior economy used in our establishment.
That about this time the then Secretary Of the
treasury employed one Of these compliments to
examine and report the condition OF the several
llghts on the coast of Maine. AS might have been
expected, this man drew up false Certificates to
the condition Of the lights, which he induced the
keepers TO sign without reading, or having them
read. Seeing that these certificates did not agree
win the reports oil the superintendent made just
before cent copies of them TO the superintendents
to be submitted TO the keepers; and without exoep-
tlon they pronounced them false, and that they
signed them without a knowledge of their contents
Inc report of this person was communicated to the
House OF Representatives on the Oath OF February,
lS43, and is No. 1873. To rebut and refutc other
parts OF his report, instructed the several super
lntendents, from Maine to Louisiana, to obtain the
opinions of captains Of ships and pilots to the
quality Of the lights on the Atlantic coast, and
send them 10 me. These laid before Con-
gress by the Secretary OF the Treasury the 18th
January, 1874, the fret session 18th Congress-
House document No. o. BY this it will be seen
how utterly groundless were ali the complaints Of
this
That, after this period, this person was supplied
by MIR. Lepante the manufacturer OF the lenses, in
france, with two or three Of the four orders, upon
which he lectured in all principal towns, from
Boston to this city, with the view TO influence their
adoption in this country, by which Mr.. Lepautc,
and probably himself, would have made large for
tunes la his lectures he misrcprescnted their ad-
vantagos, which caused TO be corrected at the
time IN some OF the public gazettcs.
That, after this period, viz. in 1916, the then
Secretary OF the Treasury sent two young officers
OF the navy, Lieutenant Richard Bache and Lieu
tenant Thornton A Jenkins, TO Europe, to obtain
Information concerning the lighthouse establish
ments In such Of those countries as possessed them
Their report was communicated 10 the Senate by
the Secretary in August, 1916. and will be found
an Senate Doc. No. ass, OF the LIST Session 18th
Congress. In this report these gentlemen de-
noonced our lights as inferior TO all they had seem IN
Europe, found fault with every thing done in the
lighthouse department OF this country, recon-
mended strongly tnc adoption Of the French len
scs, and also board OF officers 10 devise some
other plan for managing our lighthouse establish
mcur. To this report replied in n comm uEica-
ton TO the Committee Of Commerce of the Senate,
the chairman Of which was the honorable John A.
DIX, 10 whom the report had been REFEREED and, ms
that reply has never been printed, copy is hereto
annexed. The committee, on receiving my ex-
PLANTATION, which referred TO and refuted every
ground OF complaint in the report OF any import
nnce, determined TO take no action upon IT, and
none, as lar as can learn, has ever been taken on
ii since
charges have, from time 10 time, been made against
the lighthouse system, and its management In my
hands, and that they have often been success
fully repeilcd 1t Is matter Of astonishmcnt that
they should now be repeated, with few unimpor-
tant additions, in report lately made TO Congress
by men OF the high standing and talents Of those
composing the lighthouse board, at time, too,
when the hghts on the coast reported TO me to
DC better than they ever were, in consequence OF
my having recently substituted for the old lanterns
containing small psncs of inferior glass, those con-
tanning large plates CT French plate glass and the
improved r,ilectors made in moulds or dice.
The report hnds fault with every thing, and APP
proyos Of nothing, which has been douc in the light
hOuse department. Now, when IL is considered
that, in lsft, IT was shown TO Congress, House
Doc. No. 81 let session, 2Sth Congress, and the
country, that nine tcni he Of the captains Of shps
milling out OF the different ports Of the United
States, coasiwise and 10 and from Europe, from
Maine 10 Louisiana, az well IA the pilots OF each
port, expressed their entire satisfaction with the
lghis On the coast; and, subsequently 10 this pc
nod, the sopcrintendcnts Of lights reported many
OF them 10 have been improved, ne before stated
would respectfully ask whether this be Of itself
ssuficient rciuistion Of the charges contained in
the report. Bot this is not all. The marine so
cieties a, Bo-ton, md Portland, Maine, composed
OF merchants, underwriters, and masters Of shps,
have cent me votes Of thanks for the security nj
fordcd 20 their vessels and the persons board Of
them, by the excellent quality Of the lights upon
the coast The merchants Of Balumorc also, TO
testify their OF the good condition Of the lights
in the Cbesapeakc bay and on the Atlantic coast,
presented to me, few years ago. what cherish
moe, bighly-a gold medal. Copies Of the letters
lr-tNa Oh all iilttt NlAatlOha arc HtttNiAh
enclosed.
Having shown on several former occasions that
our lighthouses and light vessels were maintained
annually at about one third the expense Of the
British lights Of the same kind, upon an average,
and for q somewhat lees sum than The French
lighthouses cost for their maintenance, refrain
from repeating the comparison here; remarking
only that according 20 the expenses Of tho English
hgh,s laid before Parliament, The same difference
continues TO cpist. That Congress may have a
view OF the expenses Of the British lights, send,
herewith, the account Of expenses laid before Par
Lament in lsts, the last return Of the kind in my
possession.
Tho Lighthouse Board complains that the light
bouse towers are badly built, and built without
scicnce. That OF the inferior towers arc
badly built is admitted; and if the board will in =
form me how IL is 10 be prevented at all times,
shall be much obliged to IL for the information.
On all occasions OF building lights, have directed
the proper collector TO appoint respectable me
chanc TO oversee tho materials and work, day by
day, as the contractor progressed with the work,
aud 10 make no payment until the work was done
70 the abstraction Of the overseer These overscers
have sometimes been fsihoss, and given certih-
cafes "a 70 the goodness Of the work when II ought
to have been condemned; and this was not dis
covered until after the contractor paid, and
we had no remedy. The same thing would pro
baby happen III engineers, at ten dollars a day y,