Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1894-01-11
THE LARGEST LIGHTHOUSE.
On Clear Night the Light Is Visible One
Hundred and Thirty Miles.

On Clear Night the Light Is Visible One
Hundred and Thirty Miles.
If there is one thing the French gov
eminent has endeavored to do well it
has been to warn mariners of danger
GUS parts on the French coast, and II
there is a spot where the Service des
Phares dc France has largely expert
mented with view to providing the
best method of lighthouse illumination
it has been at the lighthouse at the
Cap de la Heve, near Havre Four diff
ferent kinds of apparatus have al,
ready been tested at this lighthouse.
The first comprised oil lamps with re-
Electors, giving luminous intensity of
eight thousand candle power, visible
in clear weathera distance of forty-one
miles. In the second case oil lamps
were used with fixed lenticular appa-
ratus, yielding a candle power of nine
teen thousand, capable of being seen
in clear weather a distance of forty
nine and one-half miles. The third
comprised the employment of the cleo
trio arc light, with fixed lenticular ap-
paratus, giving an illumination of
twenty-four thousand candle power,
the light being visible fifty-seven
miles away. In the fourth case the
use of the electric arc light was com
bined with lenticular flashing appa-
ratus, yielding twenty-four million
candle power, and capable of being
seen on a clear night no less than one
hundred and thirty miles distant.
A new light has, however, now been
practically completed at this light
house and this will give a luminous
intensity of 40, 600, 0O0-candle power and
it will be the most powerful lighthouse
light in the world AS far as the cleo
trical apparatus is concerned, the ole
magnetic machines have been dispensed
with and four new generating ma
chimes have been substituted. These
are two reimbursement dynamos
giving each from twenty-five to 100 am
peres at pressure of seventy volts
and two new De Meritens alternating
| lCIO y
from twenty-five to 100 amperes at al
electro-motive force of from forty t
forty-five volts. The current yielded
by these machines will be utilized TO
producing light in Serrin regulating
lamps fitted with cylindrical carbons
The optical apparatus which has re
placed the old fixed lights is of a new
type, devised by NJ. Bourdelles, one o
the chief engineers of the Service de
Phares, and who was prominen
member at the recent internationa
maritime congress held in London
This apparatus gives white fiashe
which succeed each other every fiv
seconds, and it possesses this peculiar
ity-that the number of lcnticula
panels, which in lighthouses of the frs
order ranges from eight to sixteen, ha
been reduced to four. The difficult
of revolving the panels at the necessar
rapidity to produce the flashes at stuff
GENTLY regular intervals has hilbert
prevented the realization of this in
portant Improvement; but this has nov
been overcome in an ingenious manner
and it is now possible to make a con
plete revolution in twenty seconds, a
compared with minimum of four mir
utes with the ordinary lights of tn
first order. The square lantern ha
been demolished and a circular on
substituted. The new light will, a
| n lran Il ~ IN on tipnnd ba tha 1orract lirb-
house light in the world. During eleve
months of the year the light at tn
Cap de la Heve will be visible from il
geographical bearing a distance {
twenty-three miles while with the oil
fixed lights this limit has only bee
obtained for eight months in the yea
leaving out of consideration the create
luminous intensity obtained with tn
new apparatus. Pail Mall Gazette.