West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-01-29
TILLAM00K ROCK.
How the Lighthouse Was Built.
Despite the Wild Sea.

L,
Despite the Wild Sea.
well, yes, I've seen my share of
rough life, and have been in number
Of tight places Mt one time and another.
since l first came to Oregon, in 1850;
but the time when 1 felt most certain
that my last hours had come was the
9TH OF January, 1880, on old Tillamook
Rock"
The speaker was n typical Oregonian
pioneer, lean, bony. muscular; a 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 masls mt
Astoria-thosc 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 Hclen'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
'On Tillamook RockP" questioned
several voices. What, Tillamook
Light Rock, twenty miles down the
coast from the barpn
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 lighthouse
as we bore in, TO make the mouth of
the Columbia. 1t stands on a lofty.
solitary rock, rising out of the sea, off
Iillamook Head, a bold promontory of
this rugged coast l remarked that il
looked ugly and dangerous.
well, it is an ugly place." said
Harris. The fact is, putting that
lighthouse there has been one of the
boldest engineering feats of the cen
fury, though it has never attracted any
particular attention, for it was all done
as quietly as clock-work, and no bra0-
glng. L worked there over year. and
know what I'm saying. For years
they had talked of a light there. or
else on the head back of it, for YOU
know what a blind, dangerous open-
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 a gale there.
'Ihe sea - never still about Tilla-
NOOK. 1t has manner of rising up
suddenly, and ebbing off round the rock
nm an awtufiy tumultuous fashion.
There is tremendously strong water
all round, with an undertow setting so
powerful at times as to draw a small
boat down, due to suck holes among
the cliffs, under water may be. The
rock itself is an irregular Jagged Juiie
OF rough, black basa,t, rising ABRUPTLY
out of the ocean, with two hundred and
forty feet of water all around it, At
That time II rose one hundred and six
teen feet above the sea level i'm calm
weather, but during severe storms the
waves dashed over it. On the west. or
seward side, it leaned out-saye for a
mite shelf or ledge just above the
water oYcrhanging the sea, the over
set amounting 20 about twenty feet at
the summit On the east. or landward
lace, the surface inclined upward at am
angle OF thirty degrees. on rising. tin
within twenty fec of the crest. where
the rock rose perpeudoularly. From
the south side there was e grcgt crack.
twenty-five feet in width. which nearly
divided u in two unequal sections Into
Ems crack. Orissurc the sea constantly
threw itself with terrific force, and an
aWtul gurgling roar, t0 which was
aoded the loud. dismal 'youk' Of the
sea-ilons, thc only living creatures
which dared 90 approach these rugged
sea-beleagursd lodges
FINALLY, Che number of wrecks and