The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-10-30

PORTLAND, Oct. %, 1882.
Hon. T. B. Reed, Rep. from Maine:
DEAR SIR,-Capt. W. Ryan. chairman of
the committee appointed by the Board of
Trade, of the city of Portland requests me to
write you such views as present themselves to
my Judgment, regarding the proposed change
in the Cape Elizabeth lights and my reasons
why such changes should not be made
list, and of great importance, l believe it
will be productive of loss of life and property
if the changes in the lights is carried out as in
all probability it will not be known to ship
masters, especially those in distant foreign
ports; and they will arrive upon the coast with
out knowledge of such change having been
made; should such be the case, they would be
deprived of the great advantages and desira-
bility Of the well known "Two Lights" at
Cape Elizabeth, to run for at night in making
their harbor. Also, after the position of the
ship off the 1.-TWO Lights was determined,
they must wait till morning Tin possibly a gale
of wind,) before running in for the harbor, as
they would be deprived of the 1.-TWO Lights"
as a range to assure them that they were clear
of the lodges of the Cape sufficient distance,
to enable them to run for Portland Head
which they can only guess at, without the
"Two Lights" as they exist at the pres
emit time AS / understand the pro-
posed change, it is proposed to extin-
guish the fixed white light on Cape Eliz-
abeth, and keep lighted the fixed white light
flashing every sixty seconds Half Way
Rock is a fixed white light flashing red ev-
cry ninety seconds. These two lights, SO near
together, would, in my Judgment, be often con-
founded, Especially Ly mariners color blind,)
and great loss of life and property result there
from. Cape Elizabeth light is visible Is miles;
Halfway Rock 10 miles. The soundings also,
between point, say FIVE to ten miles off Cape
Elizabeth, as far as the Kennebec river, be-
tween which points is Halfway Rock, are quite
similar at that distance from either point five
to ten miles distant) both as regards depth of
water and also the description of the ground,
which will add very materially to the dedep-
tion of confounding Cape Elizabeth with Half
way rock, or vice versa, and therefore the over
confident navigator is liable to great danger,
while, II the 1.-TWO Lights" existed as at pres
emit there could not be any chance for errors
of Judgment
Finally, my individual opinion is, as purely
matter OF economy, no government can afford
to extlnguish, or even radically change, as is
proposed IN this change, any lights that have
been known for five or ten years as prominent
headland lights at the entrance of harbors of
such Importance as harbors of refuge as Port
land IS known to be. Another point has sug
gested itself: "The Two Light were estab-
lished by Congress, if l am correctly informed,
years, many years since. Possibly the Light
House Board has not the requisite power to
change the Two .Lights,-provided all argu-
ments fail.
You will pardon me if again urge upon
you the great doubt that exists in my opinion,
that many mariners will nor see the advertise
ment OF the change by the Light House In
spector, which ignorance will be surely pro-
ductlve OF loss of life and properly, solely from
ignorance of the change, and from no want OF
capacity. | am, respectfully, yours,
j. w. DEERING.