The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1874-11-19
How a Lighthouse Was Railt.

The mountain system Of Brittany has
q sort of continuation in a series of reef
aud ingneous rocks which ut out in q
broken line westward of Finisterre. On
one Of these broken rocks, called LIslc
de Sein, there stands a lighthouse, but
the real danger lies 10 the westward, and
the rocks there have literally bristled
with wrecks of vessels making tor Brcst.
In 1860 the committee for Lighting the
coast of France decided to erect a light.
house on the extreme end of the danger,
and after careful examination, NJ.
Ploix, the consulting engineer, decided
on tho Ar-men Rock as the best site. At
the same time he did not attempt to de-
preciate the prodigious difficulty of The
attempt, and characterized it as nearly
Iimpracticable." The currents arc SO
strong, and the sea runs so high, that
neither VI. PIoix, nor the other engin-
GERS, nor the director of lighthouses, was
able 10 approach nearer than fifty feet.
All they were able 10 ascertain IVES that
the rock was gneiss, aboat eight yards
across and twelve in length, md that il
was just visible ut low water. After set
( thing their plans OF operations, they sp-
I Piled to the fishermen of the eIghboring
! island of Sein, as most familiar with the
| locality and danger, to commence the
necessary works. These men undertook
the task, and, provided with life belts,
began To watch regularly for the best OPP
portunlty of landing on tho rock. As
soon as they got their chance they
crouched down on the rock, and elinging
on with one hand, with the other work cd
away with a eoal-chisel 60 as 10 sink
sufficient number of sockets for the inser-
ton of the iron clamps. Every now and
then q wave would break over the rock
drenching them With foam and spray,
and not unfrcquently one of the party
would be carried right off by the heavy
sea, but would soon be picked up by the
vessel kept purposely on the watch.
At the end OF the first season 1867 D
seven landings bad been effected and
eight homework done, which sufiiesd
for the sinking of fifteen sockets, while
the following year the weather was more
favorable, and forty new holes were
pierced, some OF which we're below wa
ter. In1s69 the blocks Of stone were
first placed IN iron clamps about yard
long, rivetcd into the sockets. The
blocks were all hcwn according 10 pat
tern and Joined together with Parker
Medina cement. The work OF dropping
them into position was exceedingly Ia
borious, owing TO tho violence Of The sea;
but two Of the officials were constantly I
in attendance urging on the workmcn, {
and At the end of the season twenty-five
blocks, each about q yard cube, had been
successfully made In 1870 other land
ings took place, and eleven cubes were /
laid, ard IN ls1 40 many as twenty-,hree,
the work by this time becoming easier as :
further progress was made. A steam I
launch rs now used for the CONVEYANCE Of
material, and, = sort of masonry .cafFold- T
ing having been bailt, the builders have
succeeded, during the frss half OF this
years season, in placing IA position TO
less than eighiy-seven blocks The ex-
pense, however, as msy be imagined,
has hitherto proved considerable. Each
of the forty five holes pierced during the
first two years cost upward Of 1000
francs, and on Dee 81 last the charges
bad amounted 10 more than Iss, 90
francs. The light 10 20 be 4 revolving
one Of the first ordsr, asd ntnety-seven 4
feet above hig % water marx; there are 10
be screen stores in the house, and there
Fill also Nc a steam whistle for r.c in
Iog-y veathsr.-4 erf,ag