The Red Cloud chief., 1886-01-22
TILLAMOOK ROCK.
How the Lighthouse Was Built,
Despite the Wild Sea.

fIOw INC AlguC.I1OuS0 aS oulII,
Despite the Wild Sea.
"Wcll, yes, I've seen my share of
rough life, and have been in a number
of tight places at one time and another,
since l first came 10 Oregon, in 1880;
but the time wien ! felt most certain
that my last hours had come was the
9Th of january, 1880, on old Tillamook
Rock"
The speaker was a typical Oregonian
pioneer, lean, bony. muscular; 4 man
without a bit of nonsense o. brag about
him: one whom all the world could not
ecare, and whom no emergency would
confuse.
I'VE were at this time loading with
round timber for spars and masts at
A~leoria-those beautiful. clear trunks
of Oregon fir for which the ship-build-
ers # New England now send to the
Columbia River, away round Cape
Horny
Sting ON dcci. that evening, with
the fktl moon just looking up over the
Gist:tRt peaks of Mt. st. Helcn's. our
sailod lads, for two or three OF whom
this tas their first voyage up the coast,
wersyon hand for Of Bill Harris
Oregon experiences. Bill was the MAJ
loading US with lumber, and il was he
whose remark l havc recorded above.
..On Tillamook Rock" questioned
=. several voices. What, Tillamook
Light Rock, twenty miles down the
coast from the barr
The same, only there wasn't any
Itch: on il then. We were blasting
that winter for the foundation of the
present lighthouse"
We had noticed the new lighthouse
rs we bore i'm, to make the mouth Of
the Columbia. IL stands on a lofty.
solitary rock. rising out of the sea, off
Tilan.ook Head, bold prOmOntory of
this rugged coast. l remarked that ii
looked ugly and dangerous.
Well, it is an ugly place." said
Harris. The fact is, putting that
liNt-housc there has been n of the
hoS EST engineering fcats of the CEN
tury, though it has never attracted any
particular attention, for il was all done
AZ quietly rs clock-wOrk, and no brag-
ging. worked there over a year. and
1 know what I'm saying. For years
they had talked of 4 light there. or
else on the head back of il. for YOU
know what a blind. dangerous open
ing the mouth of The river makes. But
everybody who had ever been neal the
rock said Thai il could never be done;
that no mortal MAJ could and on the
rock. much less face 4 gale there.
.st't.. ... - ..-,r ct.ll ahpuf TILL
NOOK. IL has a manner of rising up
suddenly, and cbhiug of round the rock
IN an awfully tlmultuOus fashion.
There is tremendously strong water
all round. with iii undcrtow setting So
powerful IL ijmeS rs TO draw a small
boat down, due 10 suck holes among
the ellis, under water may be, The
rock itself is an irregular. Jagged butte
of rough. black hasait, rising abruptly
out of the ocean. with two hundred and
forty feet of water all around il. At
that time it 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. or
seward side. il leaned out-savc for a
little shelf III ledge just above the
water oyDFha1G,nw the sea, the over
set amounting 10 about twenty fee: ut
the summit. Ga The east, or landward
face, the surface inclined upward at an
angle Of thirty degrees, or rising. till
within twenty feet Of the crest. where
the rock rose perpendicularly. From
the south side there was a great crack,
twenty-five feet in width. which nearly
divided il in two unequal sections. Into
h. .ra,.- mr. i..tFn ffn "a, constantly
threw itself with terrific force. and an
awful guIgiing roar. 10 which was
added the loud. dismal .youk' of the
sea-lions. the only living creatures
Which dared to approach these rugged.
.ea-beleagurcd hedges.
FINALLY. the number of wrecks and
the neces>ii, of having either the head
or the rock lighted. drove the Light
house Board 90 AXE il ur. Major G.
L. Gillespie. then Chief Engineer Of
the board, was directed to examine the
location, and with his usual courage
he at one said that the light must be
put on The rock. l suppose there
weren't two men here a: Astoria who
did not say: 1t cant be DONE Ii
WAS looked upon as \ foolhariy pro-
ject. sure TO result in the loss of life.
This was in the spring of 1870. but
il was rot until June that any vessel
dared to 90 near the rock. At length.
on the twenty-second day Of the month.
the revenue cutter ''Corwin," with Mr..
H.. $. Wheeler. {. E.. and = party of
sailors, steamed down to Tillamook.
II WAS Il very calm day, and by using a
-%surfboat' two sailors were landed on
the northeast side. which seemed that
day 10 be the lee side. But they had
icardiy climbed up the slope, when the
YEA suddenly rose up threateningly,
~ ithout any apparent cause, and near
~ swamped the surf-boat 1t WAS i'm
possible to approach again, to get the
new men OF tie rock. but after an hour
or two lines were thrown to them. and
by jumping into the sea they were res
cuea.
"a few rongh measurements as TO
the height AID dimensions Of the rock
were made, bu: 4 more careful survey
YVES necessary, and for this purpose
NJ. John X. Trcwavas, = master-mason
Of high rerase IN Oregon. was asked to
undertake the measurements. The gem
tlrman had had a large experience in
lighthouse huilding in England.