Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-25
LIFE IN A LIGHTHOUSE.
HOW DUTY Is PERFORMED ON
 SOLITARY BEACON ROCKS.

Enioyable Existence of 8 Family in Falk.
 Boys and Girls-Culture and Refinement
 in an Ocean Home.
 s'Speaking of lighthouse keepers" said the captain of a vessel in the coastwise trade be tween New York and Portland, Me-, ssthere is not one of them in the service who receives a Eirher salary than $1 ,000 year, and there are some who get not more than S1OO There are at least 1000 keepers in the employ of the government, and under Q recent act of congress their pay averages $500 a 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 se- lected as keepers. Preference is given to men who have spent years of service in tho 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- ion. There are many retired ship masters and mates who arc to-day doing duty on solitary and isolated beacon rocks, where they near no SOuuu put Cue li1Oau GilQ TORT or the ocean, except their own voices and those of their families, if they have any, for months at a 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 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 it's regret and | reluctance at parting with him, genuine and sincere as it must havc been. Falkner Island light first flashed out upon the sea to warp vessels away from that dangerous locality one night cighty-seven years ago, and it has never failed to lift aloft its welcome beacon a single night since.
 FALKNER ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE. "That light is ono of the most important l on our coasts Falkner island lies directly ill the track of all vessels passing either ill or out of the Sound, and if on any night its light should fail to catch the eye of tho sailor | on such vessels the consequences might be fearful to relate The lighthouse is nearly 100 feet high, and its signal beams olit on each of its eight sides every ninety seconds, a flash panel, operated by the most perfect clockwork machinery, contriyed by Capt. l Brooks, revolving about the towers summit | with unvarying regularity Tho sailor on l watch knows whether his ships bearings are l right when he sees that light, no matter in what direction the vessel may be going or coming. It is like no other beacon ill the range of the sailors vision, and Falkner is his guide and hope as long as it can be Seen. | "Capt Brooks raised a large family of l 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- hrac, and other valuable testimonials from shipwrecked mariners the captain and his l daughters and sons have saved from many wrecEs, for even the great light has not pre- vented score of disasters in the treachcrous water surrounding it. Not only sailors, but drowning men, women and children havc been time and time again rescued by Capt. l Brooks and his courageous children. Tho family's home in the lighthouse was a glad surprise to the stranger visiting it. Ono daughter was an accomplished ornithologist, and the walls were covered with artistically I 1 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 q complete cx- 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 ill the study of her favorite science. She was also an accomplished water color artist, and there arc in tho houses of some of New Yorll's wealthiest and most cultivated families al- buns of her botanical collections that wers 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 S2O 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 ill all their original beauty and
 naturalness by an exquisite water color
 sketch of the flower on the card below the
 specimen painted by Miss Brooks. Each
 specimen had it's scientific name and Q de
 scription Of it's characteristics written on the
 back of it's particular card. For these nove l
 knowledge Miss Brooks was paid from S15(
 to $2O0 each.
 | AN OCEAN HOME.
 ''Evcry member of Capt. Brooks family
 was finished musician, and no less than flv;
 different musical instruments were brougi,
 into usc by them on occasion, and their con
 certs were treats to hear. A piano, guitars
 flutes, comets and violins were tho las
 things visitor would expect to sec ill tha , bleak lighthouse dwelling, much less grou]
 of young people who were masters of then , all
 'sCapt Brooks workshop was anothe
 curious sight at Falkner Island lighthouse , He was an expert in electricity, light ant sound, and the results of his experiments il determining the power of luminants, the re fection and refraction of lights under cer tain conditions of the atmosphere. the audi r bility of fog signals and many other subject | of importance to the service were from tim to time adopted as authority by the light house board, and he was honorably mer
 toned and commended in their official docu
 ments All of the intricate and delicate ar
 paratus by which these results were ot
 tained were invented and made by Cap l l.:o r1-el,1 Il.