Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-11-04
Wally, the Wreck-Boy.
A Story Of the Northern Coast

His real name is Wallace, but his
mates always called him "Wally," and
although is now Il big, broad-ShOuldered
young mariner, he is still pointed out as
the "wreck-boy." One summer not long
ago Wally sailed with me for week out
upon the blue waters across the bar af-
ter blue-fish, or among the winding tide
water creeks for sheep's-head. and 1t was
then, by means of many questions, that
L heard the following story:
Wally's father was lighthouse keep
er. The great brick tower stood aloft
among the sand-hills, making the little
house which nestled at its base look
dwarfsh and cramped.
Wally was about twelve years old, and
seldom had the good fortune to find a
playmate. Two miles down the beach,
at Three Pine Point, stood a handsome
cottage that was occupied by Mr.. Bur-
ton, a city gentleman and a great ship
owner, during the summer, and some
times his daughter Elsie, a bright-eyed
little girl, would come riling along the
sands from the cottage bcnind small
donkey, and ask VALLEY to show her his
museum"
1t was a matter of great pride with
the boy to exhibit the many curious
shells, bits of sea-weed, sharks teeth,
fish bones, and the full-rigged ships he
had whitfield out and completed on win
ter nights, and Elsie was an earnest lis
70, 70 oil oh TOr
him in return the pictures she had made
in her sketch-book.
Not far from the lighthouse stood a
life-saving StatiOn-a strong twO-stOry
building, shingled upon its side to make
it warmer. Here through the winter
months, lived crew of brave fisher
-men, who were always ready to launch
the life-boat, and so out through the
stormy waters to help shipwrecked
sailors.
Waliy was favorite here and spent
much of his time listening to the tales
they told of ocean dangers and escapes !;
but he liked best of all to trudge along
the sands with the guard on dark nights.
with lantern in hand, watching for ships
in distress. The Captain of the crew,
who was an old seaman, taught him the
use of the compass and quadrant and
other matters of navigation, while the
rest showed him how to pull an oar,
steer and swim, until he could manage a
boat as well as any Of them.
Just before sunset each day Wally's
father climbed the iron steps Of the light
tower and started the lamp, which slow
ly revolved within the great crystal lens.
40 N,,t tn re
beam Of warning across the stormy wa
ters. Every few hours it was the
watchers duty to pump oil into holder
above the light, from which it flowed in
steady stream to the round wicks be-
low. If this was neglected the lamp
would cease to burn.
Wally, who was an ingenious boy, had
placed a small bit of mirror in his little
bedroom in the attic so that as he lay in
bed he could see the reflection of the
flash across the waters. One wild OctO-
beT evening he had watched it until he
fell asleep, and in the night was awaken
ed by the roaring gusts of the gale which
swept over the lonely sands, and he
missed the faithful flash upon his mir
ror. The tight had gone out!
Many ships out upon the sea were
sailing to and fro, and there was no
light to guide them OIL warn them of
dangerous shoals. Nearer aSd nearer
some of them were drifting to their fate,
and still the beacon gave no warning of
danger.
The light-keeper, hours before, had
gone out upon the narrow gallery about
the top of the tower to look at the storm,
just as large wild fowl, bewildered by
the glare, had flown with great speed to-
ward it, and striking the keepers head
had lain him senseless upon the iron
grating.
| have seen fractures in the lenses. or
glass reiectors, of light houses as large
as your two fists, such as it would require
a heavy sledge hammer to break by hu-
man force, caused by the fierce flight of
wild fowl; and netting of iron wire
is usually spread upon three sides of the
lens rs IA protection to the light. Some
times a large number of dead birds will
be found at the foot of the lighthouse
in the morning after a stormy autumn
night, when wild geese are flying south
ward.
Wally sprang from his bed, full of
dread lest his father had fallen to the
ground; for he knew he would never
sleep at his post of duty. But first in
his thoughts was the need of starting
the lamp again. Calling to his mother,
he sped up the spiral stairway, which
never seemed so long before, and began
to pump the oil. Then he lighted the
wick from a small lantern burning in
the watch-room and pumped again until
the old tank was quite full. His mother
in the meantime had found the form of
the keeper and partially restored him.