Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-14
ON THE MIGHTY DEEP.
Three Days on a Light Service ShiI
 


 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 (coNcLUDED.)
 Now, we have reached Menan and gone around It's western point, say twenty feet above water, rocky as elsewhere, where the granite lighthouse stands, abiding and lofty to cheer and guard the wayfarers of the sea. Going east few minutes we stop opposite boathouse with long log incline or track over those shore rocks torn and wild to the water. Doors open. Boat ready to be let down, has long, strong cable and windlass to let down and draw it up when not in use, for no boat could be sure of an hours life if left to the caprice of the sea just there. It was quite peaceful then. Sometimes that boat might be used to save lives. Having low cred her boat, the Iris steams out farther, but does not anchor. The lighthouse men were on the rock and met us at the waters edge from our own boat, and one of them kindly helped me over the rocks slippery with rock weed, wet and dangerous to inexperienced feet. Above the long slant we are on good level, or nearly such walking. Sod rather dry for want of rain, but the island stretches eastward. narrow and half mile long, giv- | ing pasture for COWS and perhaps few | sheep. A low barn near the buildings show where they live in winter, with the added poultry, all of which make it home like and comfortable to the people who 1 seldom can have visitors or supplies brought them. The visits of the Iris to all these places, tho brief, is most vel come variation in the monotony of daily 1 life, cut off from most of our vacations l and avocations.
 No doubt the men can Ego a-fshing," | without going far to get good fish. Per l haps dc some shooting when sea food are ! migrating. But there are very definite | duties for all lighthouse men, and it is no l holiday work for them, taking it year in l and year out, as you may know already, through, for those who do not know.
 | And now we have arrived at the base of the lighthouse and are conducted within and begin our steady climb on a spiral worn stairway which follows the walls. | And have to stop several times before rising the vertical hundred feet. I went | up in Trinity church spire, New York once l when young to the end of it's stairway, and never wished to do it second time. | This climb in Menan, tho not so high, re- minded me of it. But beside any landings on the way for resting, at last we came in l to the keepers room, which is just below the lantern room and to get into the lantern must ascend an inside ! 1.J 4,.or Pnfo doing so we rest awhile, where there is a table and chairs, and think lounge also. We have passed several windows on our way up, and the keepers room was well lighted, but one window swinging must be kept open more or less at night to give the requisite draft of air into the lantern to make the lamp burn brightly. At all events the keeper would need coal stove in winter but do not remember it; per haps not then in place. A walk around on the stone deck outside the keepers room, say three feet wide and we'll railed in with iron standards and rods, makes one almost 1 feel giddy. But what 8 prospect 'on all sides The great and wide sea illimitable on more than half circle, the narrow sea and islands and mainland to northward. The lantern and lens arrangement should beIdescribed in another paper.
 Taking special interest in the fashlight lenses of Menan, because so similar to San katy, description of one does for both in these papers. Having climbed up into the lantern we are in plate glass case of numerous sides, about eight or nine feet across, and of greater height, surmounted by dome and little dome above out ot which any lamp smoke and gases car escape. One of the plate glass sides car be opened inward as door, much needed at times to get outside the lantern and clean it off. Snow, sleet, too much frosted rain, in fact, the plate glass must be kep very clean and clear to let all the light pos sible go through. How do men do it out side hundred feet in the air! A marrow deck, say foot wide, outside the base O. the lantern, and some strong iron rods ul and down and one running around up ane down about midway: think one at th' base also, and one at the top. They have l simply to hold on to those rods with one hand or arm, and work with the other The wind may be going at thirty miles ar hour, or ever 80 much more. That work must be done or the light is useless. take it to be so at all the lighthouses which one sees, have the rods to hold onto like sailor going aloft in all weathers holding onto ropes, and clinging for his man cannot do. But how they do get the ice and snow in very freezing weather is still mystery to me. forget whether something was said about hot weather or not. It seems as if that would crack the glass in very cold weather. Of course they have brooms and brushes and scrapers, whatever would help. Certainly the lantern is somewhat warm from it's own lamp; and perhaps hot air from the keepers room helps to warm the plate glass. But we know from our own windows sometimes about the clinging nature of frost work. Ones on the inside; but theirs on the outside. Wish had asked a few more questions. Within the plate glass sides is stone floor, also outside as I said, but inside there is space to walk all around the many sided vertical prism of lenses which may be six feet high, more or less. Every side of this prism corresponds to it's neighbors. One side opens as a door and we go in. Three persons at once can stand inside the prism about the lamp I am talking now about the day time; at night no one would go in there tor, the keeper and myself were thus to gether one forenoon.
 wish l could give very accurate and technical description of the Tense arrange ment. One side would do for all the hect- agon or octagon, or whatever the num- bers, but the sides join very perfectly and nicely at the angles on the verticle lines, as your watch crystal is ground to fit into it's lid closely and exactly.
 New, please to think of the middle of these sides as containing circular lense, around which ever so many others of diff ferent shape are also curved, and their circles widen out and extend in symmetri- cal order to the top and bottom of this prism side. Of course some of these cir cles are incomplete, but the refraction and reflection of this gathered light is all con- centrated on the central circular disk. If you have seen recti- linear three sided prisms of very choice glass in your optic lessons This Tense glass is similarly good. But these prisons are curvilinear, plain, con- vex, concave, all at once. And if you were to feel of them, which would be very rude and impolite (for they are kept most care fully polished), you would find they went in and out in ridges and hollows, but their backs join closely throughout. think the central Tense was convex-perhaps ten inches in diameter and two or three inches thick, like those surrounding; where not ground away to perfect their power as smooth and as irridescent as your lady's