The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-08-02
How WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE HIM,

A Man Who Gets His Food, Fuel and Light
for Nothing and Is Paid for 1t.
II know at least one man in this coun-
try who is able to live cheaply and get
paid for doing it, all because he lives
where the cost of getting his food, fuel
and light to him is about five times as
much as the original cost of the sup
plies themselves" said the captain of a
schooner in the coastwise trade. ut
seems queer that a man can get along
more economically on account of the
high cost of getting his supplies to his
home than he could if the cost were less,
don't it? But it's fact This mans
nearest market is thirty miles from
where he lives and ton of coal viii
cost him SO in that market.
"If ii cost him no more than So to lay
that ton of coal down in this mans bin
he would have to pay for both coal and
delivery, and the ton would stand him
in $12. The same in proportion with
his beef and his pork and his potatoes
and his -four and his oil. But just be-
cause it costs in the neighborhood of
$50 ton to carry his coal from the yard
to his bin, and corresponding prices for
his other supplies, he gets the whole
business for nothing. His flour he gets
free, and his beef and his pork and his
potatoes and his oil, AS well rs his coal.
The entire outfit don't cost him cent
from one years end to the other, and he
gets 81 900 year for staying where he
is and receiving the annual donations.
"It will be queer now If you are not
thinking to yourself that this man | am
speaking of has soft snap. Well,
may be he has. He is lighthouse
keeper. He lives ON big rock at Cape
Ann. No sea going vessel can get within
quarter Of mile of his home. Nc
loaded boat can reach his abiding place
in safety. To get a ton of coal to his
bin, which is perched on the rocks above
high water mark, it must be shipped
from Boston to as near the lighthouse az
the vessel dare approach. The coal is in
bags, and these are placed in small boats
which carry them to the edge of the
shoal water, inside of which the boats
dare not enter. The bags of coal are theI
carried ashore on the backs of the crew
who wade through the surf, Chamber NJ
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 manner
and the government pays the expense
May be he has soft snap, but I'd rather
be on my vessel, tossing and pitching OF
the heaviest sea that his light ever shonC
out upon than to be firmly grounded OF
that Cape Ann rock as he is. Wouldn
you?
"But this man isn't the only one thu
government supplies with free coal, ligh
and rations at its lighthouses. When
ever the keepers are located at stations
where the cost Of carriage exceeds th'
cost of supplies they are provided free
but where the coSDf delivery does no
exceed the price of the goods the keeper
is compelled to pay for both That's 1
queer rule, but government has many
queer way of doing things. At all thu
barren rock lighthouses, like Cape Ann
Minot's ledge and others, the keeper
have even to be supplied with fresh wa
ter from points ON the mainland, They
| collect a great deal from rains in cistern
aud tanl1s. but in most cases it is no
sufficient for the needs of the keepers
and the supply from abroad must be reg
ularly taken TO Them no matter wha
the cost or the difficulties are in getting
it there. New York Evening Sun.