St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1892-08-13
OCEAN SENTINELS.
FACTS OF INTEREST ABOUT OUR
LIGHTHOUSES.
Lights to Mark Shoals-Supplies ana
kcepers-Deeds of HerOism,


guard dangerous points near the shor.s
Of ocean and lakes under Uncle Sans
jurisdiction. In addition to these there
are eight spare light ships, for purposes
of relief. When a light ship is reported
of its station, steamer is sent out to
look for it aud tow it back.
If it las Disappeared altogether, an"
other light-ship is dispatched ut once to
take its place. The territory covered
by the Lighthouse Service is divided
into sixteen districts, each OF which IS
managed by one engineer officer OF the
army and one navy officer. While the
former attends to all matters of con
struction and repair, the latter has charge
Of the running of the light-ships and
light houses, receiving telegraphlo re
ports of anything that is wrong and hay
ing at his disposal a small steam vessel:
Light ships are more thickly distributed
off Cape Cod than anywhere else. They
are acknowledged, carrying one or two
lights which are octuple lanterns with
retlectors surrounding the masts and sus-
pended from them. 1t costs $4,000
year to maintain light-ship.
There are $50 lighthouses on the At
lantic and Gulf coasts, 100 on the Paclflc
shore and $50 on the great lakes. On
rivers there are 1,6OO "postlights' which
are mere lanterns with lenses fixed to
posts They cost $40 apiece and Sl6O
year is required to maintain each or
them In this way many rivers are Lighted
like streets, the Mississippi, Hudson, and
Ohio being actually illuminated from end
to end The main "depot' of the service
is at Tompkinsyile, Staten Island, There
all supplies for the sixteen districts are
bought and kept as well as spare lenses,
fog signals, buoys, anchors, etc. Cans
! are manufactured there also for trans
porting the 100000 gallons Of oil con-
| sulned annually.
Formerly rapeseed OIL and then lard
oil was EN- ployed, but kerosene is now
used exclusively on account OF its
cheapness. At the same place all the
lamps and fittings for light-ships are
made as we'll as the tools for handling
all kinds of lamps. One supply steamer
of large size, provided with search
light 80 that it can 90 into port at night,
distributes supplies among the light
houses and light ships along the Atlantic
and Gulf Coasts. These supplies IN
clude rations, with which keepers at
isolated stations are provided.
Keepers are paid from $50 to 1000 q
year, the highest salaries being given to
/ those who occupy isolated posts like
Minots Ledge, and those on the Florida
Reefs. Each one Of them has book OF
1872 pages which tells him what to do in
every emergency.
If his light goes out he is discharged,
no matter what the excuse may be-.
Experts called 'lampists go
from lighthouse to lighthouse
continually, examining and repairing
lamps. A first order light consumes y
gallons of oil in long winter night:
| The oil is fed TO it by clockwork, and
the flash is controlled by similar mechan-
ism.
An opaque pane in the cylinder of
glass revolving about the light makes a
dark interval, and a red pane produces
red flash. The lens OF tirst-order
light is six feet in diameter, and the
lamp mas four concentric wicks, the big
gest being four inches in diameter. One
of the greatest of human inventions is the
| Fresnel lens, low ueed in ali lighthouses,
which condenses the light by an Ut
rangement OF compound refractors so as
to throw all the rays in a single sheet.
By its means first order light, natur-
ally of 450 candle power, obtains power
of II, 900 candles.
The most celebrated Of lighthouse
keepers is Ida Lewis, who in deeds OF
heroism has surpassed the famous Grace
Darling She is now 80 years old and
has charge of the Lime Rock Lighthouse
at Newport. When she was II years OF
age her mother kept the light, her
father being helpless cripple. That
was in 1854, and i'll September OF that
year she rescued four men from cap
| sized sail boat. In midwinter Of 1867
she saved a soldier of the Fort Adams
garrison who had been similarly upset,
| and he was restored to life at the light
| house.
In the fall of 1867 three men were
swamped in their boat near Lime Rock
while trying to pick up valuable sheep
that had fallen from wharf. She saved
them and the sheep also. Not long at
terward she saw a man cllnging to q
spindle that marked reef near the
lighthouse. In gale in March, 1869,
she rescued two more soldiers from a
swamped boat. On February 4, 1880,
two members of the Fort Adams garrison
band broke through the ice between the
| lighthouse apd the fort, and she pulled
them out. Thus far she has saved thir-
tesn persons from drowning.
Many deed of heroism is performed
by the light keepers in Uncle Sans en-
ploy. Scores Of people have been saved
from wrecks by the hardy mariners OF
the New South Shoal Iightship, who
never hesitate to launch boat in the
midst of the most violent storm for the
| purpose Of rescue. On one occasion
twenty seven persons were snatched by
them from watery grave, when the
City of Newcastle ran upon the Nan
tucket banks and sank stern foremost.
On another day they caught sight of a
black object driven before the gale, and
putting forth in pursuit of it, rescued q
man on a raft. whom they found seated
upon the corpse of fellow-castaway
his head buried in his hands, and hope
less Of the aid which came at last.
In February, 1881, the Sharp's Island
lighthouse was carried away by ice in
(hesapeake Bay. The keepers tended
the lii ht to the last, and chung to the
structure when it was swept from its
foundation, finally saving, not onl y them
selves, but a great part Of the valuable
apparatus:
Some of the devices employed by the
Lighthouse Board are regarded by resi-
| dents on shore as extremely objection
| able. Worst of all are the "steam
SIRENS" which are trul y dabolical in
vention from any other point Of view