The New York herald., 1872-11-25
How the System is
Maintained.
The Lenses, the Lights and the
Lighthouse Keepers.
Organization Of the Board---lnieresting Details
Of the Seryice-.-A Hint TO Inventors.
STATISTICS OF SUPPLIES
Description Of Visit to the Headquarters
Of the Third District.

OF pleasure or business, patronlZe tne Terry from
Whitehall slip TO Staten Island, cannot have failed
TO notice. on approaching the island several large
buildings OF neat proportion and trim surround
ings, located just north OF the Quarantine grounds
at the TompkinsviIe landing; but comparatively
few Of these thousands have any idea OF the service
to which these structures appropriated or
OF the peculiar and important features OF that
service. Indeed, 1t might be somewhat start
ling to them to know that II the duties car
fied In this establishment were suspended
and not compensated from other sources the
prosperity of the whole country would be para
lyzed its commerce botted out, and the nation It,
Self almost as Isolated from the world as the
aborigncs OF the Continent before Columbus dis
covered it.
On the 7th Of August, 1889, was approved IAN
act for the establishment and support OF light
houses, beacons, buoys and public PIERS" which
provided ssThat all expenses which shall accrue
from and after the 18th day OF August, 17S9 In the
necessary support, maintenance and repairs Of all
lighthouses, beacons, buoys and public piers
erected, placed or sunk before the passing Of this
act at the entrance Of or within any bay, inlet,
harbor port of the United States, for rendering
the navigation thereof easy and safe, shall be de-
frayed out Of the Treasury of the United States"
This was the basis OF the many laws acts, pro-
visos and amendatory clauses which govern
THE LIGHTHOUSE SYSTEM
of the United States, and the buildings and estab
lishmcnt above alluded to are the general supply
depot Of the Lighthouse Board and the headquar.
ters OF the Third Lighthouse district, which en-
braces the seaboard from Gooseberry Point, Mass,
to and including Squam Inlet N. j., the Hudson
River and Lake Champlan The Lighthouse Board
Is composed OF two officers OF the navy, OF high
rank two officers Of the corps Of engineers OF the
army, two civilians of high scientific attanments,
whose services may be at the disposal Of
the President, and an officer OF the navy and an
pficer OF engineers Of the army as secretaries.
Tho Secretary Of the Treasury Is er-oNct0 presi.
dent, and exercises the sole power of appointment
upon recommendation OF the district boards The
duties Of the Board embrace the absolute con-
trol Of the construction, repair. supply and opera
lightships and other marks and aids to
nsyasn vsrs on q h ,e ana lakes and
a29 lighthouses lighted beacOns and noating lights
on the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts, extending
from st. Croix River, Maine, to Point Isabel,
trsSso % 70 puget's sound washington Territory. S
Hudson River, Lake Champlain the st. Lawrence
and the Northern lakes are about two hundred in
number. m aking over six hundred In all. In ad-
amounting to many thousands, OF towers, 'blind"
beacons. buoys, stakes and spindles, which
Of all these structures and objects is the
duty Of the Lighthouse Board, and it
gigantic one. The establishment at Staten Island
il charged with the supply and equipment OF the
entire system from Maine to California and Puget's
reau or branch OF the government service charged
EQUAL RESPONSIBILITIES
ana so great an amount OF physical labor and per-
lormance which is administered SO economically.
There are two departments, the Inspectors and
Official
are as follows -
Ispector's department. Commodore
Storekeeper, John r. Van Cott;. Clerk, James
Heard; Assistant Storekeeper. D. Van Cott; Fore
Engfneers Department General J. C.
Woodrul. Corps OF Engineers, rs U: 3 IA a.; Saperin'
% ToS Hra
Clerks George verners, Henry j. Buete and S. AS
pinwal; Foreman, 4. Davis; messenger, J. Butler.
not more than forty men, and the amount OF labor
performed by them, and the variety OF their avoca
Viewed irom the water there are observable ioar
g0Odsized buildings OF brick and stone, OF uniform
color, the foreground being occupied by piers COW
cred with great red painted 'can" and "nun"
buOys that to the ordinary eye are very suggestive
Of the popular idea OF marine torpedoes. At the
docks lie probably couple oil steamers and one or
two slO0ps or Schooners taxing IN or d1scharging
supplies.
above noticed are occupied as stores, workshops
and Offices, and are all July occupied. The most
southerly edifce is devoted almost exclusively to
mechanical purposes and the storage OF lenses.
Here are located the blacksmith shop, the lamp
shop and rooms devoted to pnotometric expert
shop is run by twenty horse power osciatng en-
gine, located in the basement The next building,
northward, is occupied the official headquarters
and clerical department. and still further north
ward much larger building is wholly occu-
Sy edce ses Of
do0red vaults, excavated laterally into the hill
side. These are known as the oil vaults and are
In fact extremely interesting, though greasy. With
In the vaults are divided into five connecting COM
partments, the roof being supported by stone
piers and buttressed walls. AT the rear of each
compartment is large boier-iron tank capable of
holding eight thousand gallons. These are kept
full, and there is In addition storage capacity
equivalent. to fifty thousand gallons. The con-
sumption Of oil by all the lighthouses reaches the
somewhat startling annual quantum OF ninety
thousand gallons. BY far the
MOST INTERESTING BRANCHES
OF the establishment, however, are the lamp and
lens departments and the photometer. There is
not, certainly, one man In a thousand who has any
correct idea OF the construction OF lighthouse
lens. nor OF the lamps, nor OF the amount of
been resOrted to to produce them In their present
state Of perfection. The lenses now In use by the
OF that country having obtained such skin and pre-
cisi0n in the manufacture OF the prisms that they
have monopolizcd the trade. few years ago an
attempt was made In this country to manufacture
the lenses. but IL was unsuccessful. The prlsms
were inferior in material and not Of that mathe-
matical accuracy which Is absolutely necessary to
insure the greatest concentration OF rays The
lens now used Is known as the cata-dioptric lens,
being combination Of the two principles OF refec-
tiOn and refraction. 1t is not necessary here to
enter into scientific description OF the construc-
tion Of lighthouse lens. Those who have never
seen thcm however, may imagine
A GREAT RH0MB0ID,
the walls OF which are constructed OF curvilinear
sectional prisms OF the most perfectly cast and
polished colorless glass; These are SO placed as to
concentrate the rays OF light from above and be-
low the local line Of vision and throw them into
convex belt Of glass, which forms band around
the centre OF the rhomboid. For what are known
as revolving OF nashng lights the circumference OF
the rh0mb is divided into eight panels. In the
centre OF The panel Is clear "buseye,n
surrounded Dy concentrc prisms, aud it Is
BY revolving the lens so as to bring
the "buseye' and the prisms alternately on the ia
cal line Of vision that the flashes and eclipses are
produced. Great and unfang accuracy is required
In the rate OF revolution OF the lens for the reason
that navigator, being informed that light on q
certain point has
AN ECLIPSE AND rLAsa, Il