The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1877-10-04
A Night at Nrinots Ledge Light.


should have said il had been dull
threatening afternoon, the sun going
down in mass Of black, portentou,
clouds. We were advised to slip on our
rubber coats and go out on the balcony,
on the lee side. We did so, and looking
up, were rewarded by a most beautiful
sight. The rain, borne on the stiff
southwest wind, swept over our heads
at an angle of about forty degrees, and
as ii passed through the plane Of light
each drop became diamond, sparkling
and dancing like thing of life. Diff
ferent birds and insects fitted to and
fro, now In, now out, the plane Of light,
and they became living, moving gems
and minute particles Of living fire.
Lightning played from several clouds
low down on the horizon, aud OCCASION
ally the rumble Of the distant thunder
fell on the ear. At our feet the restless
Atlantic, breaking at the base of the
tower, surglng round 1t, and tumbling
over the half.uncoycred Lodges tt was
nearly low tide, was highly phOsphor-
escent, and revealed with startling
distinctness every rock, the base of the
light, the buoy and the ropes extending
to it, From the ends Of the bronze
boat-dayits on the balcony streamed
electric flames-blue, weird and un-
earthly. The rain was Of but short
duration, aud before one O'Clock a light
fog rolled in, Then different phenO-
menon, no less surprising than that of
the rain, took place. The lantern is
partly secured by twelve hr0nse braces,
extending from Its top to the upper bal
cOny. The light east a shadow of each
one on the fog, and the effect was to
lead us to suppose that We were In the
apex of the dame of some vast building
Of glass and iron, the shadows being
the rafters stretching far away into the
gloom. Casting our glance on the wa
ter, and following it to where it met
the horizon, it seemed to assume the
shape Of huge bowl, ourselves being
in the centre, and the extreme circum-
ference rising to about level with the
eye. After an hour or so, the fog dis
appeared, and the dismal tones of the
fog bell, which has rung out its warm
ing to mariners 50 many hundred times
during the past seventeen years, were
hushed. Here let me say this bell
(Which is a gOodly-sized church bell) is
rung by automatic machinery, propelled
by compressed air. Five minutes labor
at the air pump suffices to keep it in
operation an hour, giving stroke
every twenty seconds.
Ascending to the wantorn deck" and
going out upon the balcony Surround
ing it, we were rewarded by the sight
Of the most beautiful solar speCtrums.
Broad bands of the seven primary col
ors, from two to to seven inches in
width, appeared in all parts of the lens,
and every movement of the head showed
them in new and unexpected places.
For an hour we remained outside, wit
Messing their beauty, and viewing them
from every available point. We had
hoped to behold the sun rise, but were
disappointed. Thick clouds shrOuded
the eastern sky, and the only notice we
had of the advent of day was the grad
ual change from the black of night to
the gray of a dull morning. At a few
minutes past tive-it being then light
enough to distinguish the shore, distant
some two miles--the light was eXtin-
guished, having been lit at seven min
utes Of seven, burning about ten hours
and twenty minutes, and consuming
one gallon and one pint Of oil. A care
ful record of the time of lighting up
and eXtinguishing, and the quantity of
oil consumed, is keptin book furnished
for that purpose. The length of the
days, or rather the nights, can be easily
traced from the amount of oil consumed,
varying from one gallon and one gill in
the summer to considerably above two
gallons in the winter.-Gagctte.