The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1869-06-26
VOLUME 3.
Il Home In the Ocean.

while The storm is at full power. This
ledge is covered by water, except for a
short time Ut very low tide 1T rises in
Boston bay about twenty niles from
Bostoa, aud one mile and hulf from
CSAassct. Tnto it are fitted and boltcd
down the stones of the tower, which are
doyetailed aud bolted into each other in
such u, fashion that no stone can be moved
without lifting tower and ledge with it.
The tower, light and all, is ia feet in
height; all over it, clean to the very
top, the waves are dashing. Does not
their thunder make your very heart
frehbie? But these keepers tell you
there is no danger! For forty feet the
towers are ba;!t up s,s;!!;;aa except the we'll,
which is in the centre, thirty eight feet
deep. 1t holds supply of water for one
year. The water keeps good and pure.
The well holds 1000 gallons. 1t is
rather warm in the summer, and in the
winter becomes as one the keepers says,
ga kind of porridge ice. We will sup
pose we, enter the tower from boat. To
do SO VIC should either climb,ea ladder
forty feet long, fixed into the side of the
tower, or be swung up in chair. AT
the top of the ladder are two sets of
oaken doors, against which are now beat
ing the hungry waves.
Between the tother doors aud the
inner is an entry about three feet long.
Entering this room (Which is the cellar),
from the doors are seen on the right
hand tho coal aud the wood. There
stands also -four barrel, and over these,
suspended on hooks, hangs buckets of
various sizes, containing, doubtless, many
good things for food. On the left is the
oil pump for umping oil into the tank
In the oil room. Here are chests, ropes,
br6oms, tubs. PORK barrels, and little of
everything needed for light keeping and
lsuzksrp It is dark aud .dti,iss
hero, and we had better ascend. Ah!
how good it smells here, in tho room
next above the cellar. Kitchen and
dining-room and everything cosy, COM
Portable aud neat. a table well set
Int cakes aud hot coffee and boiled fish.
{ "0f course We will" And down we sit,
nut waiting sccond invitation. Well
is not tliis d singular situation? 1t
seems like dining in VIII lies belly
Stormed about and dashed about and
poured abont by the rcmorscless sea, aud
eating relishiul meal quite at our ease
1t is certainly one "new thing under the
sun'fto some of us Each of the four
keepers is off one week aud on three.
Communication with the land is often
dangerous ald impossible. In the win
ter they cannot get home as often as
: once in three or four weeks. They all
have families on shore; and here they
sit during storms that shake to its foun-
dations their lonely tower and envelope
its crystal summit in foam, and they
think of wives and little ones who may
bc sick or dying without the possibility
of sending word to their beloved watch
men on the sea.
''Do you not take pleasure in the
sights you must behold during all these
isolated days and weeks 2" asked one.
a
Oh, yes! We have very extended
prospect, and one which is never twice
the same. Both sea and sky are forever
changing, and everything that is on the
sea comes and goes. There is nothing
stationary but our tower. We see all
the vessels that go in and out of Boston
harbor, and in the summer we are visited
by pleasant parties in sailing vessels and
steamers, the latter of which sometimes
bring out bands Of music, which play to
us. They approach close to us, and give
three cheers for Minet Ledge light.
When visitors come into the Light we
sometimes find as much amusement as
they do. We have all sorts of visitors,
as you may suppose. They come from
China, California, and from all parts of
the world. We have many famous and
some infamous names upon our visitors
book. 1t may seem strange that so far
as we are from shore we should be visited
by birds, insects, IN. and butterflies
from the land. The butterflies are OF
huge dimensions. / have in the morn
ing swept off the walk that surrounds