The news., 1882-12-12

i
hood of the eyes exposed to view.
Mr.. Hubbard was just about to light
the great lamp. He held in his hand a
pair OF small metal lamps, shaped like
sauce dishes or boats, with ringed bands
at the ends to fit upon the finger, and tubes
and wieks extending from the other end
like bowsprits. These he lighted readily
with match and ascended into the final
story of the tower, the one in which the
lantern is contained. The lantern,
crystal cone eight feet in height and Eve
or six feet tn diameter, was covered by
heavy canvass hood The keeper passed
inside Of it from beneath, and holding his
flaming canoes, one on the forefnger of
each hand, ignited in minute the four
wicks ofthe great lamp, which were con-
tained one within the other like the rings
on target He consulted then his clock
and at the moment when according to the
Marine Almanac. the sun should have
gone down, he pulled string and the
canvas hood separated and rolled up
ward, leaving the great lantern uncovered.
The lamp within burned steadily with
clear lustre equal to that of four hundred
wax candles. The keeper fed it with lard
oil by means of a small metal pump, and
regulated the fame by means of dampers
in the cylinder until it stood at the right
pitch. The lantern revolved slowly pro-
PEELED by clock-work and regulated by
the keeper by means of chronometer as
he stood at the lamp. Every eight min
utes the huge cap-like mass of crystal per
formed one revolution. Its circumfer-
ence was divided into eight pear-shaped
sides. Each side contained in the center
convex lens, or bulls eye, one foot in
diameter. For the rest the lantern was
made up of transverse prisms, SO set as to
catch and turn each ray from the lamp
upon the lenses. Each of the eight len
ses then caught the concentrated rayp,
and sent them intensified outward in a
well-defned band of light. Given dis
tant point, one of these bands of light
would fall athwart it every minute. The
effect, as seen at sea, would be an efful-
gence, breaking through the darkness at
minute intervals
Mr.. Seth Hubbard's visitors stood on
the landward side ofthe lantern, between
it and the thick glass windows which
constitute the sides of this top story of the
tower. The strip of beach below, di-
viding the ocean from Great South Bay,
looked so trivial that it seemed as if it
might be annihilated by sudden angry
lash of the sea. The surf ran along its
outer edge in milky line, until il was
absorbed and lost in the darkness: Be-
yond the surf the space was as black as
ink; not star or ships light was visi-
BILE, and the eye could make no division
between the water and the sky. The
fancy OF the beholder was startled, and il
was startled hardly less by the picture
within-that of the man in the lantern.
His size as the lense made him was
matter to marvel at. He-was as big as
the giant Blunderbore, and he looked as
Gulliver must have looked to the little
men Of Lilliput. The strands of his beard
were each as large as a steel knitting
needle, and his hands we're as big as hams
as he pumped the lard oil into the lamp
reservoir, and regulated by the chronom-
eter the movements of the brazen clock
work to nicely.
Not with your bare fingers, if you
please, but with your glove or your hand
kerchiefas much as you please. +" he said
as the reporter touched curiously one Of
the fat bulls'-eyes which made Mr.. Seth
Hubbard look so vast
The reporter then descended and clam
bered up into the lantern ith the keep
er's permission, when Mr.. Hubbard
shrunk at once into ordinary size, and
Lieutenant Mcclellan, who remained
outside, grew instantly into Titan.
The party descended to the room below.
The trap opening into the room below
was closed. The keeper offered chairs,
Of which there were just enough for the
trio, counting the wood-box as one. This
is the room in which the men who watch
the light pass their hours Of vigil Il
was Illuminated by chimneyless lamp,
which smoked and filled The apartment
with a pungent odor. Three circular
windows pierced the wall at the height of
five feet from the floor on the landward
side. Being only one foot in diameter,
and the wall at this point being four feet
in thickness, they looked when the lamp
was held up to them like the bores of
cannon. Thick, immovable lights of
glass we're set in them, and looked like
black eyes set in the whitewashed wall.
A square stove well rusted foared with its
blazing contents, and through its chinks
assisted the oil lamp somewhat in the
illumination of the room. For the rest
in the wav Of furniture there was table
supporting half a dozen books, and box
that looked like refrigerator.
''Is that refrigerator" was asked.
"Well, no. replied Mr.. Hubbard, tax
ing lamp and lighting it with match
obtained from third waistcoat pocket.
"It wouldn't be in reason to suppose that
box was refrigerator, nor is il refrig-
orator in point of fact. We keep in there"
he continued, as a sense of ignorance
welled up in the questioner and became
painful, IAN extra burner and Students |
lamp to be ready in the case of accident" |
Further questions drew from Mr.. Hub
bard the following facts: The great light |
has never accidentally gone out at night, |
and consequently the extra burner and
f1a n - L.