The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-20
and ff;y-four Ii ut ships in nc.,,,o,. =.

and ff;y-four Ii shs ships in po.ition. =,
r:.,s me coasts OF the United States are d..
i"so ntteeu districts, only two Of which
extend along the Pacific coast
Ever each District 10 an inspector q navy Of.
Mce.. ano An army engineer. It IL the duty Of
.Ae Inspecsor' under the direction Of the board.
~ suppy the lighthouses and light ships. to In
Ie<uAoaons OF the board Each inspector and
euxineef mas At his command . steam weasel
cA1'ea lighthouse tender, with which to per
.ofn ms duties, the officers of which he nom.
mates -. and the crews OF which he ships.
me secretary of the treasury il BY Law an.
.nonzeo TO assign collectors of customs a. super.
.neendenfs OF lights. and it 10 their duty to nom.
NE through the board TO the treasury depart
.aens' persons Tor appointment into the light
mouse service and to pay the salaries Of ouch
rsnt kespers a. they may be directed to pay.
TOT this service each superintendent ID entitled
unoef the law. when his compensation does not
exceed 1900 year, to . compensation not To
exceed $4o0 year.
There are employed in the fifteen districts. In
'ne different lighthouses. stations and light
ships about 100 keepefs ana assistant keepers
with salaries from 500 to 81 900 per annum. the
average ~ being limited by law to $500 per annum
mere are also employed . number of persons a
superintendents OF construction, clerks 70 the
several inspectors and engineers, and other per.
sons on board Of lighthouse tenders
The lamps used for Illuminating purposes. To-.
gether with their lenses, are In their construc-
ton necessarily expensive, the one used ct
cape Hatteras and other frst-class lighthouses
costing ~ high rs $4,000. The lenses are what
loot up this great expense. There are six orders
OF lenses arranged according TO size. The three
nrst ana largest are used il sea coast lights and
the three last In harbor and river lights and
those OF lesser importance. These lenses are
beautiful to behold. They were invented BY
Augustiu Jean Fesnel, a French physicist. Who
was born in Brogiis May Is, l7ss, and died ut
vile d'Avray. near Paris. July p. 1897. The
nrst order Fixed lens apparatus is about six feet
In diamenter and nine feet high. The central
zone consists OF tho central plano-convex
belt OF sixteen steps (echelons) arranged in
equal numbers above and below it The lower
set OF prisms are six in number and the upper
set thirteen This last Get IL arranged In . cone,
and the whole forms . beautiful object. The
lamp II placed IN the center OF this apparatus,
tho burner being three and one.half inches in
diameter. giving . flame about four and one.
half inches high and containing four concentric
wicks. The intensity OF the light gives great
heat, and a. there might be danger of melting
the burners and burning up the wicEs, to avoid
this dimculty system OF clockwOIk pumps up
TO the burner four times - much oil as it con-
sumes BY this means the burners are always
HSl's SoHpd COOl, Suu Tue WlCk0 some.
times burn whole night without requiring
trimming. II would pay FOR the trouble to any
one to make a trip to one of our lighthouses for
the purpose of examining one OF these lamps
and lenses For q second order lens apparatus
lamp with three concentric wicks is used; for
the third and fourth order. two concentric
wicks. and for the fifth and sixth ordinary Ar
gand burners are used.
The early principle adopted by the lighthouse
board since its establishment has been to build
all principal sea-coast lighthouses of ire-proof
material.
In all governments excepting the United
States commerce is directly or indirectly made
to pay for the expense of the lighthouse estab-
lishments. In Great Britain a tax is laid upon
every vessel, domestic OF foreign. that uses the
particular light which 10 to be supported. In
some countries light due is levied, but the
United states supports its lighthouse establish
mont without any tax upon vessels, domestic or
foreign. The lighthouse board issues for free
distribution to mariners throughout the world
a complete list In book form of ali lighthouses.
light vessels. buoys, beacons and day masts
throughout the sea coasts. lakes. harbors and
rivers, giving the order of the light, the loca-
ton. latitude and longitude. f. BIoNDL
Port Townsend, Feb Is. 1893