The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-12-16
The Proposed Light ON HALF Way Rock

To theEditor of the Press: 1s sd r
The communication in Fridays paper on
the proposed location of light and steam
whistle on Half Way Rock, calls for word in
reply. Had not the name of the much re-
spected writer been appended thereto, 1 should
never have suspected that gentleman of writ
ing such an article. Nautical men are gene
rally distinguished for their directness and
brevity. # he bad stopped at the end of the
first paragraph, his communication would have
been good one, but he wasted half column
in arguing proposition upon which there is
NJ difference of opinion and which is quite
foreign to the subject, namely, that steam
whistle should be substituted for the bell at
Portland Head Light That would be good
plan, no doubt, but it is at Half Way Rock,
some eight or ten miles distant that 1t is pro-
posed to erect these marks.
Let it be borne in mind first, that whistle
is used as livery poor) substitute for light
in thick weather. If, then, as is admitted,
there is need of light at Half Way Rock,
there must also be the same needof whistle.
Against both light and a whistle no good OBJ
lection can be urged. With one whistle at
Portland Head Light and another on Half
Way Rock, they would be so far apart as to
occasion no confusion. The blowing Of each
could be easily arranged so as to be readily dis
tingushed from the other. Let one for in
stance blow five, and the other ten seconds at
time. - ---.r
1t is hardly fair to attempt to disguise by
nautical verbiage the advantage of this whis-
tie, or to suggest the necessity of a vessel
coming from the westward running down to
this point TO take her departure. These marks
are not intended for the convenience of YES
sells coming from the westward, but of those
coming from the eastward. If a shipmaster
coming from the westward had plenty of time,
he might run down to Half Way Rock before
taking his departure for the sake of the sail,
but if he was in hurry, he would come straight
in without casting even his thoughts in that
direction. 1t is admitted that ga bug Fight
there would be useful to small vessels coming
from the eastward in thick weather." Would
not iohistle there in thick weather lie quite as
useful as light?
BY "small vessels from the eastward Mr..
Willard perhaps means the English steam
ships of $500 tons, and other steamers plying
between here and ST. John, Halifax, Bangor,
&c. There are some small vessels, however,
on this coast that would find the whistle USE
full. Some five or six hundred of them occa-
sionally find it convenient to make our hal Dor
to avoid storm. Probably such feet c; rcies
on an average twelve men to a vessel, and is
worth eight thousand dollars or more, repre-
senting in round numbers not less than six
thousand men and half million of money
The presence Of so large a number Of men in
our harbor must be of no small advantage
to our t'adesmen
These are only few of the interests which
this light and whistle are designed to pro-
mote have frequently asked the opinion OF
navigators in regard to the necessity of plac-
ing such marks on Half Way Rock. and
have never heard any other than the most de-
cded endorsement of the plan-and not of a
bug lghC" either, but one suitable for fbe no
sition. Prof. Pierce, when here a sbort ,;no
since, gave this matter careful cxam,ro.io,
| and he also was convinced of the neces.;tn 80
both light and a whistle. With such i'm
provements, the navigator, unasssted, could
make this harbor, from any quarter and in any
weather wi2h both ease and safety. NJ,