The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-17
DLOCK ISLaND LIGHr.
A Land OF Crooked Ronds-Ths Eccentrlci-
ties of the FOG II uorn.

BLOCK ISLAND, July GA visit to the
Lighthouse Is the happy thought OF somebody,
ana three Of us find energy enough for the Jour
ney. No place on the earth's surface has so
manS steep, stony little hills as Block Island
has There is not a patch OF level ground as big
as checker-board. aud the bills are crss- cross
ed, and lined. and zig Jagged with stone fences.
TO build which a small percentage only Of the
Dig boulders that encum Der the eravely and
sandy surface have been gathered together. No
road goes straight anywhere. aud the paths
lead over those stone fences In all directions,
except where one wishes TO 20. Tho only way
TO get to any desired point Is to climb stone
fences aud cross lots, and then trust to chance:
Happily ono ends upon the way, ponde covered
WIN WY tsgrant WAFER nl,ss shu masginea WIN
springs Of deicously cool water. one OF them
Favored With iron, which will doubtless anord
highly valuable medicinal waters as soon as the
season opens and the necessary chemicals are
brought from boston or New York.
The Block Island lighthouse Is handsome
and commodious structure on the highest part
OF the Island overlooking the sea. II shows a
rIed Rnt Of tue first order, which consumes
about $50 feet In height, and the elevation u the
lantern ABOVE the Level OF the sea Is so0 feet.
Nathaniel and Charles f. Dodge. The Block
Island ltzht was nr-t shown on the lst Of Febru-
.ry OF the present year I"9 ye1rs pnSt & to mat nat
recently It's power has been doubled by tue con-
struction Of n duplicate engine and horn so that
one may always be ready Tor service.
Mr. y. W. richardson, Assistant supcrinten-
dent Of Construction OF the Third Lighthouse
District, nut at present acting ~ SupeEintendent
OF fog signals, Ia now here erecting the new
horn aud repairing the steam boiler Of the old
one. He explains to US that the laws OF sound
governing fog slgnals are yet but very i'm perfecly
understood, and to facilitate study Of them II
bias been ordered that on each Monday morning,
from "a. M. 10 99O A. NJ, both this signal and
the one On Point Iditn shall bs blown and OBJ
servstions taken for Prof Henry, Chief OF the
Lighthouse Board. Ii has been found, he states,
est distinctnsss, at long distances, when the
wind hAs been blowing strongly at night angle 5
with = line from tho trumpet to the hearer or
directly away from the latter toward the former.
instead OF the reverse a. ts generally supposed.
Furthermore, it has been proven by sxoeriment
that there are what may be termed inaudltory
belts, In tho transmission OF these sounds, as,
for instance when, In direct lns from the
heard for four miles, then not neard at all for
two miles, and again heard clearly for ten or
tw.lgo mlle. furteer. II Is to determine the
causes Of these phenomena that Prof Henry Is
experimenting. The signals at this point anu at
Point Judith, fourteen miles distant, are usually
reciprocally heard, and the sound OF the BLOCK
Island horn has been clearly distinguishe 4
TWENTY-FIVE miles az sea.
The Third District, 10 which Mr.. Richardson
belongs takes In oil from the hrst light above
BarneRat, 10th sides OF Long Island ana tue
Sound, with all the bays and rivers along the
coast Lake ChamDlain, and as far up as Gay
Head Llght, where the second District be.ins.
II Includes about $50 lghts agd lighted beac0hs,
Eve steam horns Gn duplicate throughout, four
D-boll reed signals, onerated bycalorlc engines
eighteen foy Dells struck by the Stevens auto
matte apparatus, and ono fog DELL struck oy the
Custer autom 4tlc machine. which Ia now fast
passing out OF use. After completing his work
Montluk L,ght to repair the fog signal there
which Is reported out OF order.