Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-02-04
TILLAMOOK ROCK.
How the Lighthouse Was Built,
Despite the Wild Sea.

''Wcll, yes, I've seen my share Of
rough life. and have been in number
of tight places at one time and another,
since l first came to Oregon, in 1850;
but the time when ! felt most certain
that my last hours had come was the
eth of January, 1880, on old Tillamo ok
Rock"
The speaker was typical Oregonian
pioneer. lean, bony, muscular; man
without bit of nonsense or brag about
him: one whom all the world could not
scare. and whom no emergency would
confuse.
We were at this time loading with
round timber for spars and masts at
Astoria-those beautiful, clear trunks
of Oregon fir for which the ship-build-
ers of New England now send to the
Columbia River, away round Cape
Horn.
Sitting on deck, that evening. with
the full moon just looking up over the
distant peaks of Mt St. Helen's, our
sailor lads, for two or three of whom
this was their first voyage up the coast,
were on hand for one of Bill Harris
Oregon experiences. Bill was the man
loading Us with lumber, and it was he
whose remark | have recorded above.
.eOn Tillamook Rock?' questioned
several voices. What, Tillamook
Light Rock. twenty miles down the
coast from the bar"
The same, only there wasn't any
light on it then. We were blasting
that winter for the foundation of the
present lighthouse.
We had noticed the new light house
as We bore in, to make the mouth of
the Columbia. 1t stands On lofty.
solitary rock. rising out of the sea, off
Tillamook Head. bold promontory OF
this rugged coast. l remarked that it
looked ugly and dangerous.
We'll, it is an ugly place" said
Harris The fact is. putting that
light house there has been one of the
boldest engineering feats of the CEN
fury, though il has never attracted any
particular attention, for it was all done
as quietly as clock-work, and no brag-
ging ! worked there over a year, and
[ know what I'm saying. For wears
they had talked of q light there. or
else on the head back of it, for you
know what blind, dangerous open
ing the mouth OF the river makes. But
everybody who had ever been near the
rock said that it could never be done:
that no mortal man could land on the
rock, much less face gale there.
1.-The sea is never still about Tilla-
NOOK. II has a manner of rising up
suddenly, and ebbing off round the rock
in an awfully tumultuous fashion.
There is tremendously strong water
all round, with an undertow setting Sc
powerful At times as to draw small
boat down, due to suck holes among
the cliffs. under water may be, The
rock itself is an irregular, jagged butte
of rough, black basalt, rising abruptly
out of the ocean. with two hundred and
forty feet of water all around il. A,
that time il rose one hundred and six.
teen feet above the sea level in calm
weather. but during severe storms the
waves dashed over it. On the west, OF
seaward side, it leaned out-save for 6
little shelf or ledge just above tho
MISUNDERSTANDING the sea, the over
set amounting 10 about twenty feet al
the summit. On the east. OF landward
angle of thirty degrees. or rising. til
within twenty feet of the crest, where
the rock rose pcrpendicularly. From
the south side there was great crack
twenty-five feet in width. which nearly
divided il in two unequal sections. Into
this crack. or fissure. the sea constantly
threw itself with terrific force, and Al
awful gurgling roar, to which wa
added the loud. dismal .youk' of ths
sea-lions. the only living creatures
which dared to approach these rugged
sea-beleagured lodges.
Finally, the number of wrecks ant
the necessity CT having either the heat
or the rock lighted, drove the Light
house Board TO take il up. Msjor g
L. Gillespie. then Chief Engineer o
the board. was directed to examine tn,
location, and with his usual courag,
he at cnce said that the light must b'
put on tie rock. l suppose Their
weren't two men here at Astoris wht
did not say: 1t can't be done /
was looked upon as foolhArdy pro
iect, sure to result in the loss of life.
This was in the spring of 1870. bu
il was not until June tina. any vesse
dared to go near the rock. At length
on the twenty-second day of the month
the revenue cutter ''Corwin," with Mr.
III. S. Wheeler. c. E.. and 3 party o
sailors, steamed down to Tillamook
II was very calm day, and by using /,
&surfboat' two sailors were landed OF
the northeast side, which seemed TIA
day to be the lee side. But they hax
ATl9y climbed up the slope, when tn