Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-02-23
LIFE IN A LIGHTHOUSE.
HOW DUTY Is PERFORMED ON
SOLITARY BEACON ROCKS.

Enjoyable Existence of a Family in Falk-
ner Island Lighthouse-Capt. Brooks
Boys and Girls-Culture and Refinement
in an Ocean Home.
"Speaking of lighthouse keepers" said the
captain of a vessel in the coastwise trade be-
tween New York and Portland, Me-, ''there
is not one of them in the service who receives
higher salary than 81 900 year, and there
are some who get not more than 500. There
are at least 1000 keepers in the employ Of
the government, and under a recent act Of
congress their pay averages 5000 year.
That makes 5000, 900 the government pays in
wages for warning sailors off of dangerous
ground, and the maintenance of the light
houses comes to hundreds Of thousands be-
sides. In no branch of the public service is
stricter discipline and greater attention to
duty insisted on than in lighthouse keeping.
The service is controlled by lighthouse
board, and the best men obtainable are Sc
lected as keepers. Preference is given to
men who have spent years Of service in the
army or navy, as they know what discipline
is and know by experience that orders are
to be obeyed to the letter, and without ques-
tion. There are many retired ship masters
and mates who are to-day doing duty on
solitary and isolated beacon rocks, where
they hear no sound but the moan and roar Of
the ocean, except their own voices and those
of their families, if they have any, for months
at time
"One Of the most accomplished and cul-
tured men that ever was in the employ of any
government was for more than thirty years
in charge of one of the United States light
houses. That man was Capt Oliver Brooks.
He kept the great light going on Falkner
Island, five miles off the Connecticut coast,
on Long Island sound. He had been q sea
captain for many years before entering the
lighthouse service, and his example and
methods as lighthouse keeper so improved
the capability Of all other keepers, that he
should have met with more substantial recog-
milton from the government on his retire
ment than the expression of its regret and
reluctance at parting with him, genuine and
sincere as it must have been. Falkner Island
light first flashed out upon the sea to warn
vessels away from that dangerous locality
one night eighty-seven years ago, and it has
never failed to lift aloft its welcome beacon
a single night since.
FALKNER ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE.
'That light is one of the most important
on our coasts. Falkner island lies directly
in the track of all vessels passing either in or
out of the Sound, and if on any night its
light should fail to catch the eye of the sailor
on such vessels the consequences might be
fearful to relate. The lighthouse is nearly
100 feet high, and its signal beams out on
each of its eight sides every ninety seconds, q
flash panel, operated by the most perfect
clockwork machinery, contrived by Capt.
Brooks, revolving about the towers summit
with unvarying regularity. The sailor on
watch knows whether his ships bearings are
right when he sees that light, no matter in
what direction the vessel may be going or
coming. 1t is like no other beacon in the
range of the sailors vision, and Falkner is
his guide and hope as long as it can be seem
"Capt. Brooks raised large family of
boys and girls in his snug quarters in that
lighthouse, and their record of life saving in
that perilous quarter is preserved in the
wealth Of silver and gold plate, rare bric-a-
brac, and other valuable testimonials from
shipwrecked mariners the captain and his
daughters and sons have saved from many
wrecks, for even the great light has not pre-
vented a score Of disasters in the treacherous
water surrounding it Not only sailors, but
drowning men, women and children have
been time and time again rescued by Capt.
Brooks and his courageous children. The
family's home in the lighthouse was glad
surprise to the stranger visiting it. One
daughter was an accomplished ornithologist,
and the walls were covered with artistically
mounted specimens of the birds of that local.
ity, from the enormous bald eagle to the
diminutive wren. Each specimen had been
shot by this daughter on the island, and was
stuffed and mounted by herself. Another
daughter was an authority in marine bot
any, and her collection was complete ex-
hibit of the botanical possibilities of that
island and others in the vicinity. This
daughter spent long time at Yale under the
private tuition of Professor Whitney in the
study of her favorite science. She was also
an accomplished water color artist, and there
are in the houses of some of New York's
wealthiest and most cultivated families al
buns of her botanical collections that were
arranged to order by her, and are probably
the most unique and valuable works of art Of
their kind ever executed. The books alone
cost $40 each in New York at wholesale
Each page was card of cabinet photograph
size. On these Miss Brooks mounted speci-
mems of sea flowers and plants These were
necessarily dried in their preparation, and
their colors could not be preserved. These
were shown in all their original beauty and
naturalness by an exquisite water color
sketch of the flower Oh the card below the
specimen painted by Miss Brooks. Each
specimen had its scientific name and de-
scription of its characteristics written on the
- ,Jor ord Env fhnca nvvov
exhibitions of her artistic skill and scientific
knowledge Miss Brooks was paid from $3.50
to $500 each.
AN OCEAN HOME.
"Every member of Capt. Brooks family
was a finished musician, and no less than five
different musical instruments were brought
into use by them on occasion, and their con-
certs were treats to hear. A piano, guitars,
flutes. cornets and violins were the last
things a visitor would expect to see in that
bleak lighthouse dwelling, much less group
of young people who were masters OF them
.iCapt. Brooks workshop was another
curious sight at Falkner Island lighthouse.
He was an expert in electricity, light and
sound. and the results Of his experiments in
determining the power Of luminapts, the re-
Election and refractioh Of lights under GER
tain conditions of the atmosphere, the audi
bility of fog signals and many other subjects
of importance to the service were from tlme
to time adopted as authority by the hgnt-
house board, and he was honoraply men
TONED and commended in their official docu-
ments All Of the intricate and delicate ap-
naratus by which these results were ob-
ta;ned were invented and made by Capt
Rrooks himself in his little workshop IN the