Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-10-23
GIRL KEEPERs OF THE LIGHT.


A Lake Michigan Beacon That In
Always Burning-An odd Hfsto.
ry.
The fallacy of the time-honored theory
that women are contentious rather than
companionable and unable to live together
in peace and concord, is demonstrated
conclusively in the story told by the Chi
cago Herald of the harmonious relations
existing between the Michigan City light
house keeper, Harriet Colfax, and her
friend, Ann Hartwell, after a companion
ship of more than thirty years. In this
extended period of living isolated from
other friends in continual and familiar in
tercourse. their affection for each other
has not been marred by any discord or un-
kindness. Each vies with the other in
| manifesting her devotion in unselfish acts
| of love and loyalty, and fortunately no
serpent in Eden in manly form has dis
turbed their mutual regard The light
house at Michigan City was built in 1853,
and three years later a slender little wo-
man, with brown hair and gray eyes, was
/ put in charge of the light. The hair is
| touched with silver now, the eyes are
| steady and fearless, and sailors and spec
tators all agree that never was light bet
ter or more faithfully guarded than this
which the woman's hands have tended for
more than quarter of century. Few
wrecks have been known at this point,
| and no lives lost except those of three
fishermen, who were drowned by the cap
| sizing of their boat in a gale.
When Miss Colfax received her appoint
ment through her cousin Schuyler Colfax,
| sneering critics limited that if wax doll
had friends at court it might as well be
chosen ightkeeper- as this pretty girl.
There was at that time and for q number
of years after beacon, light at the ex-
tremity of the raised walk near the break
water, and every night at sundown, too,
the fearless little woman made her way
over the slippery walk with the storm buff
feting her slender figure and the spray
dashing into her eyes, climbed the ladder
and lighted the beacon lamps. The lamps
were fed with lard oil at that time, and on
cold nights the oil must be warmed before
the lamp would burn. One stormy night
after making her way with difficulty along
the raised walk, ever which the waves
dashed incessantly, and with freezing
spray wetting her garments TO the skin,
| the little keeper found that the lock had
been tampered with, and refused to yield
to her efforts. Nothing daunted she
dashed out a window and climbed through
the aperture, only to find that in her de
lay the oil had CONCEALED and the wicl
would not ignite.
But the beacon must be lighted, ant
once more the perilous path was followe,
, through the icy shower, and though sh
slipped and fell, and rose only to stumbl
!, again, she at length reached the house il
safety, heated her oil and retraced he
steps that the morning signal might no
fail the watching sailors who trembled fol
the safety of the keeper as the light greet
1 Isa1t ,c.
no reward would have tempted them t,
trim the beacon that night.
Only one instance of cowardly insul
has Miss Colfax experienced, and this, too
occurred on the way to the Macon ligh
one night late in October, when two mel
stood in the center of the deserted wall
: and barred her progress. To her mil,
, but firm request to pass they paid no at
tention, and in attempting forcibly TO pas
them she found herself a prisoner. Still
fearless and determined the little woman
gave one of the rufiians an uneNpecte'
push, darted past him and set her lamp il
its place, instead of returning to tn
house, as she might have been pardone'
for doing under the circumstances. A
, she retraced her way she found her pas
s sage opposed again, and thoroughly fright
| ened she was about to scream for helI
when boat engineer came to her rescue
, A still more thrilling experience she n
lates of encountering an escaped lunati
on the pier one evening, who insisted upo
), accompanying her inside the structur'
: Fortunately she was unconscious of Il
mans condition, but refused his reques
as it was strictly against the rules of Il
department. He followed her and a
tempted to crowd through the mario
: doorway, but, summoning all her fort
> tude, she looked him fearlessly in the ia,
u and ordered him decidedly to stay outsid
He needed the authority in her tone for q
II instant, and in the interval she slipped il
side and locked the door. Two keepe
soon relieved her OF her unwelcome que
without further trouble; but memories
these narrow escapes render the woma
h not at all sorry that the beacon was ca
& ried away several years ago in a gre
!, storm and has never been replaced.
Her duties now consist in filling tv
L lamps with purest gasoline, one of whit
N she places in the reflector at sundown, al
with the other primed and trimmed Fl
n | duty she mounts the narrow stairway
,e midnight and rapidly exchanges it for Il
ia one that frightened the early watches
ir the night. During all the thirty years
"a her service she has never once retired u
,e til the change has been made, and t
M fresh light is in place.
is Miss Colfax is New York state woma
a. and was, previous to her present work,
practical printer, assisting her brotht
Richard W. Colfax, in his work at editil
the Transcript. She is proud of havin
in the second year after arrival, set up t
Igovernor's entire message alone so acc
u rately that the corrections were all ma
inside of twenty minutes. 1t was at Il
gs time, too, she formed the friendship wi
the bright, CHEEKY little schoolma'am W