The Portland daily press., 1894-08-29
LIFE ON THE BREAKWATER.
A Visit to Mr.. Angelps Curious Abode

ISecaus OF His LamenesS lie is Kept Ihere
All winter-They Use Rain Waiter
Boiled-the Wood Pile Floats to Their
Door-Costs to Fight Rats.
Did you ever walk outron the breakwater
to the queer abode at the end. where the
keeper of Bug Light and his family live as
snugly and comfortably as if they had all
the spaoiousness of great mansion and
ancestral acres. As you approach the
house you realize that there is no front yard
or front door to this abode. You pass the
wood pile first. And it is as good pile as
is found in many.a country door yard. Mr..
Albus Angel. the light keeper, has all the
wood he wants without the trouble of cut
ting and hauling. 1t drifts into his back
yard. and it is really astonishing how much
wood is thrown up on the rocks of that
breakwater. And if it goes floating by Mr..
Angel goes out in punt and captures it.
The government allows him ton and
half of coal a year, an he sometimes has to
buy more, but he never had to buy wood.
There is always enough of that.
After passing the wood pile the visitor,
conducted by Mr.. Angel. who is very
genial elderly man and somewhat lame, en-
ters the wood shed where the winters sup
ply is being stored away after being split up
on the outside. just beyond the wood shed
is an unroped enclosure. in which is great
wooden tank where the rain water is col
lected by the cutters and conduits from
the roof. This is all the water they have
at Bug Light, and that portion of it which
they drink is always boiled. In severe
storms in the winter, Mr. Angel hastens.to
ofor, Mi, for ha 6aGt
over.the roof and the. salt water in large
quantities, would flow into the tank.
From this open enclosure you pass along
the side of the house, upon gallery over
the water,and enter. the structuresby a.door
treally the front door, that opens into
sort of entryway at the foot of the iron
light tower. The lower floor of the tower is
the store house for the oil, etc. The next
floor is Mr.. Angell's bed room. and a very
cosy, circular ships stateroom it is. In the
floor above is the.Ight itself.
To ssthe left of the entrance, Edown below
are the two rooms of the little house where
the family live and.where they almost hiber-
nate in the winter. For after the snow
has come to stay. Mr.sAngell, beause of his
lameness, never attempts to go ashore over
the slippery breakwater until the spring
sunshine has melted the ice from it.
is;family consists of himself. wife and
gandchild, young girl aged ID years. All
winter long she goes ashore to school over
the bleak and slippery stone causeway and
wild, indeed, must be the storm that pre-
vents her. Last winter she only missed five
days. and these because she was i'll.
One would suppose that Mr.. Angel would
have TO lay in full supply of provisions
for the winter, but he does not, because he
cannot keep anything which is perishable
by the cold. His flour, pork and sugar are
all right. but such things as potatoes can
only be bought in small quantities, because
they have to be kept in the kitchen at
night to keep them from freezing. There
is, of course, no cellar on the end of the
breakwater. During the winter, in pleasant
days, the little girl, or Mrs. Angel. go as
hore and buy necessary groceries, or per-
haps, the grocer sends man down the
breakwater with half bushels of potatoes.
Of course. Holsters are caught close under
the windows'and SO are lcunners, founders
and.othersfsh.
The house is built on great square beams
laid across the rocks. The wind has a free
passage under the house between the
beams. But this house has three floors.
The lowest is of thick plank and three in
ches of cement. The next is of two lay ers
of hard sspine plank with tarred paper be-
tween, and above that is the floor of tue
rooms. Of course very little wind can get
through these floors, but it seems as if the
house would be warmer if there were no
open space underneath. The whole thing
is so solidly built, and bolted to the rock
that it does not shake in the strongest gale
or even when northeaster in winter has
hurled "a coating of ice, six inches thick,
and stuck it fast to the wall of the house.
But we must not forget the cats. They
are verysimportant members of the family.
Mr. Angel has Lived there sevensyears
and the first few years he was bothered
very seriously by the rats. They swarmed
by scores over the rocks. and at night
everything had to be placed in earthern or
tin receptacles to save them. Besides that
they gnawed the wood work.
Finally Mr.. Angel secured big tom cat
He wassa fghtersand waged relentless war
on the rats. He would even, strange to say,
stand watching a rat hole in the rocks till
the rising tide had almost covered his body
He was taken sick and died, and now there
are several successors. sThat cat,n said
Mr.. Angall. yesterday. pointing Ito pretty
Maltese has brought insassmany.as.five big
rats in one evening.