The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-08-30

AhCEc 10 u pat Us LOO ABOUT MinOts
Light, SO isolated, so alone, so in
dependent, so fearless-liable at
any moment of tempest 10 follow
the fate of its predecessor, the far
famed iron lighthouse which was
swept away, with ITS keepers, in
1851.
II is circular structure, of the
best of granite, about II2 feet high.
Ii wasfirst put together on themain
land, every block fitted TO its place,
then carried out 10 the ledge and h
block placed in position and bolted
each to the other with iron. 1t is
solid 40 feet from the foundation,
with the exception of a well about
three feet in diameter, in the centre.
1t is said that the whole tower is
covered by waves at times, in a
heavy northeast gale, and that the
spray flies forty feet above the Ian
tern. Think of its keepers! living
so separate from their fellows, in
this perilious home, surrounded by
the everlasting din of the rushing
seal
A few days since l was invited to
visit the lighthouse. and on n lovely
afternoon a party of ten left Sandy
Cove, in sail boat, for Minot's. a
bright sun, clear sky, smooth water
and favorable breeze, all conspir-
ed to make our sail delightful and
exhilerating. After a voyage of
three miles We reached the foot OF
this wonderful triumph over diff
culties. The door of entrance is
40 feet above US How shall we
reach it2 A chair, securely fasten-
ed by ropes, is soon swung down
from above, in which brave young
woman seats herself. She is tied in
and soon is swinging in mid air,
steadily, though slowly ascending.
1t looks rather fearful to us below,
but she does not seem frightened in
the least. soon the chair is drawn
in at the door, the rope united, and
she rises from her chair, to send il
down for others. The ladies of the
party ascend in the chair, the gen.
tlemen go up the firm, strong cop
per ladder near by. At last we arc
all inside, standing on the first floor
of Minot's Lighthouse, forty feet
above high-Water marl'. Let us
look about us. Here at the rope is
Captain Baxter, thick-set, stout
looking man, carrying goodness and
reliability stamped OH his face. He
is genial and hearty, and welcomes
his visitors most cordially, ever
ready to show them oyer his man.
sion, and who can do it better, fol-
has he not lived in this lighthouse
ten years? There are three other
Keepers. In summer two must be
there all the time. In winter three
must be there all the time. Each oil
them have families whom they Wis
it occasionally.
This first room is the cellar.
Here is coal bin, a wood bin, pota.
toes, onions, fish, lately caught, and
the usual ct cetcras of n cellar. In
the middle is a round, covered place
which we arc told is the well
which is filed with water from the
main land every summer, giving q
full supply for the year. We mount
a short, steep flight of steps and find
ourselves in the kitchen. This
kitchen and dining room-for il
serves for both-is unexceptionable
in its neatness. Here is sink for
washing, ETC., scrupulously clean
The stove is BACKED and shines as
brightly as any housewives. The
cupboard, which 1 insist on open.
ing and examining internally, -ie
in good order: the shelves as clean
as soap and sand can make them
The ceiling and walls arc a spotles:
white. With reluctance-for neat
kitchens have certain fascination
we go up higher, and find q fresh.
looking room, containing, besides
camp stools, a stand, etc., two single
iron bedsteads, with the beds Oh
them so neatly made up, with theil
white spreads, that they would put
to shame some feminine bed makers
we have seen. The next above con
tains a bed also. Here, too, is com
Portable arm chair for the watchmaI
at night. Here is the writing desk
books and newspapers also tho
ledger, wherein every visitor mus
register his or her name. This is s
right pleasant room and we rather
hate to leave it, but up wo must &C
and we enter next the Oil room
Here are the tanks filed with larC
oil, and the various apparatus be-
longing to the lantern. The same
unvarying neatness prevails here
too. Captain Baxter tells us that il
a storm, this top of the lighthouse
Yibrates so that articles are Otter
thrown out of their places. A dool
opens from this room onto n porch
or verandah, round the building
Tho view from here Is grand, thrill
ing. So high are we that the boatl
we left below look like mere toys
One could stand on the porch &
whole day and not then take in thu
grandeur of the scene. The water
view, extending as far as the ey,
can reach, the land view, with i'll
rocks and hills, forming one of thu
grandest panoramas. Here we fine
the "fog bell" which in a foggy
time eyer and anon rings to warn
the mariner off that dire ledge. W.
are shown here ominous cracks al.
ready made in the ponderous block:
of granite, so terribly have they
been wrenche1 in storms. So bad
ly are they cracked that an iron
band had to be put on few years
since. Still up we go and enter the
very lantern. The oil is thrown by
machinery on and around the cir
cular wickss three in number, one
within the other, the outer one be-
ing about three inches in diameter
The reflectors round the light are
powerful lenses, kept as bright and
clean as possible. Outside the re.
Electors are the heavy plate glass
windows. These windows and the
reflector are kept curtained during
L Il Z.