The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-08-24
ABOUTTHE 0LDlIGHTH0USE.
THE PRESENT STONE TONER'S
 RECORD AND HISTORY.

of tho Chief Justice Marshal at South
 End.
 One of the most picturesque spots in
 the vicinity of New Haven is the "old
 Lighthouse" its adjacent buildings and
 the point on which they are located,
 Situated on the point at the eastern
 entrance of the harbor the white, stone
 tower rises abruptly from the surround
 ing rocks to the height of sixty feet.
 Here for over seventy years a light
 hung in the tower, warning to the
 vessels of the dangerous reefs that
 abound and also guid for those on
 their course. Every warm day crowds
 of people take advantage of the cool
 sea breeze, the opportunity offered for
 an outing during the day and gather
 at this spot. A few days since a
 Courier" representative journeyed to
 the point and was warmly welcomed by
 the still hale Captain Elizur Thomp-
 son, now reaching his eighty-seventh
 year. In answer to the question for a
 short story of the place he answered
 in the affirmative and proceeded as
 follows:
 "No," he exclaimed, this is not the
 original structure. That was a small
 wooden tower built in 1904 It was
 about thirty-fivef feet high and the
 dwelling house used then is still doing
 service up the road a. short distance.
 In 1S45 the present stone tower was
 built, as also were the. houses where
 we live. I did not come here till 1860,
 but have stayed her since then with
 the exception of two years. When John
 son was president they put me out, but Grant came then and I returned with
 him to the light. Eighteen years ago
 the new lighthouse was built and then they discontinued this one. My son, Henry Clay Thompson, now has charge of that one, while I work for the gov ernment in this one. You know this is a station of the signal service of the war department and I have charge of it."
 Keep you busy?' 4ueried the re porter.
 Yes, they call me up all times of the day and night, especially in the winter. In the day time flags are dis played and in the night a light from 1 the tower, St When boy the story was around that when: the British landed here
 during the Revolution one of their officers was shot and the old folks told
 me he was buried in under the pine tree next to the yard. Father used to live opposite the stone church in East Ha- ven and in those days the children went barefoot to church and school
 Up there on Beacon Hin We used to all
 go and buy things from the peddlers, such as cider, ginger bread, etc There
 used to befa foreigner who had mast
 rigged up there like a square-rigged
 ship to signal when a boat was on the sound. If it was a large ship he would raise the hogshead and for a brig a
 barrel would be hoisted as a signal Captain Thompson has two books that are exceedingly interesting to relic hunters. In 1S49 when gold was dis covered iii California a party or twefl- ty-four, including the captain. left this city in a schooner and sailed around Cape Horn up to San Francisco. The log book of that boat now does service as a scrap book, where all interesting articles are pasted in for keeping. The other book is Dodd's reg ister of East Haven, published in the year 1924. It contains 8 complete his- tory of East Haven from 1644 to 1900
 In the title page is the inscriptions: Pub lished for the author and sold by A. H. Maltby & Go, No. { Glebe building. The author is stephen Dodd, who was pastor of the East Haven Congrega- tional church about 1924. Captain Thompson has complete list of births, marriages and deaths in the town.
 The book bears the print of T. G. Wood l ward & Co. On the page inside the cover the following words are found in itfaded ink hardly visible; Tradition | has it that Benjamin Andrews on 1oa page of marriages and births was a tory in the time of the Revolution and
 used to carry provisions to the enemy" This book is not to be bought for | love or money" so says the captain. l Captein Thompson well remembers when the Chief Justice Marshal, a Sound steamboat of big size in those days, drifted onto the rocks at South | End and went to pieces. The steamer g steering gear gave out when she was near FaullSner's Island and the boat not being under control, drifted slowly but surely upon the rocks. The loss of life was small, the boat striking so near shore The Marshal had been for merly Hudson river boat. There was great excitement among the people for miles around when the news came that the Marshal was on the rocks A few years Captain Charles H. Town shend of this city obtained of Captain Thompson a description of the scene at the wreck and employed an artist, who made from the description given a quite accurate picture of the wreck and of the shore adjacent from South End
 to the old light. A copy of the picture was presented by Captain Towhshend to Captain Thompson, who prizes it highly.