The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-03-15
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Il know ct least one man In this
country who b able to live cheaply
and get paid for doing II. al because
10 lives whero the cost Of getting his
food, fuel aud light to him IL about
Ave times ~ much % the original cost
Of the supplies themselves. and he
lives mot more than thirty miles from
Boston. at that" said the captain Of q
vessel In the costwise trade between
New York and Portland, Me- 1T
seems queer that man can get along
more economically on account Of the
high cost Of getting supplies to his
homo than he could II the cost were
less, don'titP But It's . fact ~ the
same. For instance, 81 ton Of coal costs
about 96 in Boston. II 1t costs no
more than e6 to lay it down In this
mans bin. he would have to pay for
both coal and delivery. and his coal
would stand him el2 for every ton.
The same in proportion, with his
beef and his pork and his potatoes and
his hour and his oil But Just because
Il costs in the neighborhood Of $50 q
ton to carry his coal from Boston
70 his bins and correspondin z
prices for his other supplies, he
gets the whole business for moth
ing. His -four he gets FREQ and his
bscf and his pork and his potatoes
and his oil. as we'll ~ HIS conL The
entire outfit don't cost him cent and
he gets may be 91. 600 year for stay.
ing where he is and receiving the
annual donations.
1T will he queer. now, II you amt
thinking to yourself that this man l
am speaking Of has soft snap. Well.
may be he has He is a lighthouse
keeper. He lives on "a big rock at
Cape Ann. No seagoing vessel can
get within quarter Of milo Of his
homo. No loaded boat can reach his
abiding place in safely. To get ton
Of coal TO his bin, which is perched on
the rocks above high-water mark, It
must first DO shipped from Boston to
~ near the lighthouse as the vessel
can approach. The coal is In bags.
and these are placed In small boats
and taken to the edge of the shoal
water. inside Of which they dare not
enter The bags are thon carried
ashore on the backs of tho crew. who
wade ashore through the shoals,
Chamber up the rocks with their
burdens. and empty the coal
in the lighthouse bin. The
other bulky supplies are delivered
to the Cape Ann light-keeper in
the same. way. and the Governm ent
pays the expense. May be he has a
soft snap but I'd rather be on my
vessel, tossing. and pitching on the
heaviest sea that his light ever shone
out upon. than to be firmly grounded
on that Cape Ann rock like he is.
Wouldn't your
''But this man isn't the only one
the Government supplies with tree
coal, light and rations at its light
houses. Whenever the keepers are
located at stations where the cost of
carriage exceeds the cost Of supplies
they are provided free; but where tho
cost Of delivery does not exceed the
price of the goods the keeper is COM
peled to pay for both. That's q queer
rule. but Government has many q
queer way of doing things At ali Of
the barren rock lighthouses. like
Cape Ann. Minot's Ledge and others.
the keepers have even to be supplied
with fresh water from the points on
the main land. They collect great
deal from rains In cisterns and tanks.
but In most cases 1t is not sufficient
for the needs Of the keepers. and the
supply from abroad must be regular
ly taken to them no matter what the
cost or the difficulties are in getting
II there. IN = Sun