The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-08-26
IN A LIGHTHOUSE.



"Yes, we see and hear some curious
things" said the lighthouse keeper, "and
as for monotony it's enough to drive one
mad, and has done so in some cases. Mar
ried men fare better, as when women and
children are around it isn't quite so lone
some; but it's bad enough. My station for
number Of years was rock about two
hundred feet long and one hundred feet
wide, and in q gale of wind the house stood
right in the water, with the seas rolling all
round.
Eyes, it was shaky. One night call to
mind especially. 1t had been blowing
gale for two days; the sen was making
clean breach over the ledge, and every
time it hit the house it would jump sixty or
hundred feet into the Dir and come down
on the roof like rocks. On the ledge were
four or five boulders that must have weigh
ed over two tons, and the first thing we
knew one of them fellows came at the door,
burst 1t in and In second we were oil
a-swimming. The stone couldn't get in; 1t
Just stuck there, so we took to the Highland
sat on the stairs, and nigh froze to death,
all night. Me and my man took turns in
going up every half hour, and dye know,
the lighthouse swung 80 that you could
hardly keep your feet. thought more than
once that we'd go over, but she didn't. The
feeling is different from most anything else.
There is shaking and vibrating oil the
time, and then when the big gusts come
you can feel the whole thing tremble and
culver, SO that you'd almost lose your feet.
We get regularly pelted with birds in tho
light and that is the reason the glass is made
so thick, as almost every night one or two
birds hit against it. Sometimes in the
spring and fall hundreds of 'em will strike
in the course Of night. You see at this
time the birds are migrating and flying of
shore along the coast and on foggy nights
they only see the blaze of the light. They
make break for it and down they 90,
and in the morning the rail, iron and glass
will be oil blood and feathers.
You can hardly imagine such sight"
said the lighthouse keeper. ~ remember
one night late in September there was what
We call dry fog, the kind that CLEANS and
looks bright sometimes without a light.
went out ON the rock around the light,
thinking heard curious noise, and the
ninpte got out I tell you was taken
back. There were thousands of birds, l
should say, darling about in the luminous
log, with the light dancing on their backs
and wings, so it reminded me of insects
about lamp. The roar of their wings and
their cries was such TIM. you couldn't hear
yourself speak or even think, and l hung
on to the rail almost crazy from the uproar.
But came to mighty quick, can tell you,
for the first thing knew got knock ON
the head, o bird taking mo right side OF The
neck; then, as turned another struck me
in the back, and don't doubt but that I'd
have been fairly bombarded off IL l hadn't
got in. The birds kept IL up oil night, and
In the morning we counted over six hun,
dred dead at the foot of the lighthouse
They were oil kinds-sparrows, hawks
robins and mostly duck and snipe, birdi
that travelled along the shore going south
You see, they had seen the light, and get.
ting confused ran right into IL. One NIGH
We were sitting at dinner, when the Are
thing we knew the window went witt
q crash, and some big thing came whizzinl
and sprawling across the table, hitting m,
man fairly in the chest and knocking hin
clean out OF his chair. II was duck thai
had seen the light and came a-poundine
through the window, dropping dead on the
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