Connecticut western news., 1882-03-15
The Eddystone Lighthouse.

Perhaps there is no lighthouse upon the coast of Great Britain and Ireland to which greater or more widespread in- terest attaches than the Eddystone. It is, indeed, the most historical fabric of its kind in tho world, and the fame of it's checkered and stormy story has lit- erally gone forth into all lands. It will, therefore, be heard with no com mon interest, in all parts of the world, that new Eddystone, the successor of John Smeaton's successful fabric, has just been completed. Who can venture to estimate the number of lives or ships
 which the Eidystone lighthouse, has saved during its benefcent existence of rather more than one hundred and twenty years I? The Eddystone rocks lie abont ten miles south from the Ram Head at Plymouth, which is the nearest point of land in their vicinity Ships running up and down the Channel are exposed to imminent
 risks of striking upon the almost sub-
 merged and treacherous reef, whose
 name indicates the seething and boiling turbulence of the whirling and eddying
 waves. The situation of the rocks with
 regard to the Bay of Biscay and the
 Atlantic is such that they catch the
 swell of both. Sometimes, when the
 sea is to all appearance smooth and
 tranquil and it's surface unruffled by the
 slightest bree ze, the ground-swell smites
 upon the slope of the rocks with tre-
 mendous fury, so as to make 1t impos-
 sihle for 8 boats crew to land there at
 all. Many a gallant ship, which had
 safely accomplished her homeward voy-
 age across the Atlantic, has torn out
 her heart on Eddystone reef, and gone
 down in sight of hundreds of mortified
 spectators on land, who were powerless to rescue their brethren from on awful
 doom. Plymouth, whichs in the if
 teenth and sixteenth centuries, was
 Eugland's principal port, sent up
 many a vail praying for some
 engineer or architect daring and
 cunning enough to fix per.
 manent light upon the monster oi
 the deep which had caused such
 destruction, loss and misery. The same
 circumstances, however, which made
 the Eddystone rock so for midable to the
 mariner, rendered the attempt to erec
 8 lighthouse upon them a peculiarly , difficult enterprise. At length MT Henry Winstanley, of Littlebury, il Essex. being gentleman of som } property, with turn for mechanica , invention, tried his hand, in 1896, upol l the hazardous job. We all know tn , sad fate of the rough stone structure l with an open gallery at the top, il 3 which it's author expressed the hope tha he might hinsef lbe an inmate duSin, 3 the most terrific storm that ever cam . out of the heavens. The unhappy ma - had his wish. On November 26, 17Ua a he was in his sea-tower, superintendin |, some repairs, when the worst storr . ever known in those islands burst upo l him. When morning broke, no signs ( !. the stone polygon remained. Then fol 1OWCu d "OONOA 1nOAASs uOSOd V !, John Rudyerd, a silk mercer on Lut n gate Hill, who began to build in 17O y and finished his work n 1709. Thi
 building, contrary to general expects n tion, stood until December 2, 175l Q when spark from one of the twenty l. four candles by which it was lighted se O it on fire. The general impression ( ,- the neighboring land~men was-in tt Is words applied by Words worth to ''Har !. leap Well" in Yorkshire-'sthe place ,. cursed" At length application WI ,t made to the Royal Society for an eng ,e neer capable of tackling the Eddy stol is Reef, and Lord Macrles field, it's pres
 dent, recommended John Smeatol
 He began his work in 1757, and on Il
 18th of October, 1759, the saving ligl
 streamed forth for the first time fro ]. it's summit. For nearly century al 7: quarter there has been no rcease Is that guiding ray, and had it not bee ell that the rock upon which the structu D. of Smeaton stands was undermined | b. the restless waves, who can say wheth so the triumph of artistic design and six 1e which was due to his ingenious bra to and daring conception might not ha la lasted until the crack of doom?
 a loftier and more solid fabric has nc A ascended upon an adjoining rock, al on we can but hope, that it may be destin Id to save as many lives as the last Edd de stone lighthouse has during it's lol he existence been the means of preservin ly
 ne Under the Sea.