Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-05-05
Desert Rock. Light House.

The coast OF Maine presents the most va
ried and picturesque outline of all our sen
board States. The traveller from Nor,her
Europe Will be reminded, in its ionumerable
bays and inlets, It's succession Of pretty is-
lands, its quiet and sheltered harbors. IN
banks dark with pine and fir, of the shores
of Norway and Sweden. As i'm those co,,n-
tries, this peculiarly of its coast is destined
especially 10 influence the future of this M
yet, undeveloped State. The bays and riv.
ers connecting with the farlhest interior OF
the country, The stores of excellent timber
and the facilities for the produce and manu-.
tacture OF hemp, promise 10 make Maine The
great ship building State on the Atlantic
shore OF the Western Continent. Atpresent,
however, the most interesting feature Of thi j
coast IL its wild and picturesque beauty
Ihe traveller, as he skirts the shores in the
swift and conHnodlous steamboats,, or more
leisurely In the coasling schOoners,' is con-
tlnually surprised at the bold and changing
scenery. Al ene time, the grey, granite
rocks, beaten forever by the full sweep of the
Atlantic tides, face the sea at another, un-
dulatng bills, frowning with dark pine and
spruce ana hemlock, reach TO the very shore !;
then come group of peaceful little islands
sprinkled tar out in the ocean, and each per-
haps frlnged 10 the waters edge with woods /;
then appears one OF The broad quiet harbors,
with mighty river flowing into the sea-so
wide that the blue banks Of the one side are
hardly visible from the other.
This coast, though well adapted for shelter
from Tough weather, is exposed to the vio-
lent storms Of the Northern Atlantic. The
'Easterly blows'-so dreaded BY sailors on
our. seaboard-sweep in here with a force
which, ut various times, has strown the whole
shore from Cape Sable to Cape Ann with
wrecks: The danger is increased by the
heavy fogs, which from June to September
gather OH the coast. One OF the first cares
OF the Government was to erect light houses
al various points, where wrecks had occurred.
II was not, however, till within twenty years
that the DeserlRock Light House was built.
The rock is dangerous granite ledge, lying
about twenty-eight miles from the nearest
mainland, and about eighteen from the near
est cluster of islands, which form the East
side OF Penobscot Bay.
1t contains some ten acres at low wafer,
and more than five or six at high tide. The
waves never fairly sweep it, though the spray
HES over u IN oil severe storms, but not so
muck as to destroy the growth of grass and
few vegetables on half acre at the top.
The writer of this remembers 10 have been
informed thai in violent easterly gale, some
SIX or eight years ago, the waves beat with
such force on the rock, that almost every
square of glass in the keepers house was de-
stroyed, and The outer door was broken in by
rock, weighing above sixty pounds, thrown
up BY The force of the breaking surf.
The Light itself is fixed white light,
from common oil lamps and rehectors.
II is not unfrequent, in The foggy season.,
Tor vessels bound from Europe TO ST. John
and other ports on the Bay Of Fundy, to make
this Light, as their first Iandface, whence
they can grope their way to port with more
certainty than if they try to find the danger
Gus shores of Cape Sable or Grand Menan
-.IeyerS UniUerSun