The Van Buren press., 1896-06-13
ENGLAND'S LIGHTSHlPS-
There Are Fifty-six Scattered Along tn
British Coast.

and the Channel islands. and there may
be some more which have been added
since the last official revision Of the
list. A lightship is, as the name im'
plies, stout built vessel, strengthened
to resist the constant beating of the
waves, which is moored in the open sea
off the end of some shoal or shallow,
or in the neighborhood of some danger
Gus rock, in order that the beacon which
it exhibits may warn mariners of the
peril.
A good number of these lightships are
anchored OFF The stormy and rocky
south and west coasts of Ireland in
the most desoate situation that can be
conceived. The official account of the
Saltees floating light, for instance, de-
scribes it as light vessel in 80 fathoms
off Coningbeg rock southermost OF
Saltee islands, The floating lights off
the Arklow bank are described as Light
vessels in 25 fathons two miles from
sand of bank" and Eight vessel in IS
fathoms, from n. end of bank S. E. by
e. one-half 4. three and one-quarter
miles"
There is a kind of livery peculiar
TO lightships by which they can be rec
ognized in the day. 1t admits of few
variations, but they are slight. The
South Arlilow light has a black hull
ornamented with a white stripe. 1t
carries three masts, and there is device
representing half globe over a globe at
the mainmast head.
BY night the lightship exhibits either
a fixed light, which is always visible,
or else revolving one, which acts like
a searehlight and sweeps the entire
range of the horizon in the course of a
minute, or 20 seconds, according to cir
cumstances.
These floating lights are all under the
control of the corporation of the Trim
ity house, which stations, repairs and
inspects them, collects the dues which
are intended for their maintenance, and
pays the men who are in charge of them.
The Seven Stone lightship, which has
all the latest Trinity house improve
ments, is moored off the Lands End
at AZ fathoms, by a mushroom anchor
weighing 40 hundredweight, and 315
fathoms of 1A-inch chain cable. In
the event of her breaking adrift she Is
provided with sails. The cost of her
fully equipped for sea, with her LAM
tern and her fog signaling apparatus
"a siren), was about G9,500.
These lightships are manned, as
rule, by two men, who are supplied with
a stock of provisions for two months,
at the end of which time they are visited,
inspected and reprovisioned, and also
with a surplus in case the weather
should render it impossible to come out
to them. This precaution is wise one,
for the business of running alongside
or sending a boat to a lightship is diff
cult enough ut any time, owing to the
dangerous nature of its position and to
the persistent wash of the waves; but
in stormy weather there is considerable
danger, and cases have been known
when men have been reduced to their
last ration before it was possible to get
near enough to effect n transfer by
means of jibboom.
The man intrusted with this post
must be superior to the ordinary sea-
man. He must have certain amount of
knowledge MS an engineer, in order that
he may be able to attend to the machines
that work the light, and also to make
any slight repairs that may be re-
quired. He must have some knowledge
of the GLACIERS art, for the panes of
the lantern are metimes broken by
the force of the waves, or by stones
hurled up at them, and he must be able
to replace the damaged ones with spare
ones, which are kept on board.
A good deal of clerks work falls to
his lot. He has to keep accounts. He
las also to keep regular log, or day
book, in which he enters reports of the
weather, of the ships that pass, of any
events of interest, and any irregularities
which may happen. Sometimes his log
includes an account of a shipwreck.
Light dues are demanded from ships
that go that way, but they are collected
at the nearest port, not at the lightship.
As n rule the men take alternate
watches at the light, one awake and the
other asleep. If the light is revolving
one it goes by clockwork. This has to
be wound up, and then it goes automat-
ically until it runs down, which event
is announced by bell During the
day their time is practically free-only
both must not leave the lightship at
the same time. There are the meals to
be got ready, clothes to be mended,
the decks to be sluSed, lines to he at
tended 10, the weather to be observed
and the log to be kept. There is boat
which can be used for fishing purposes.
As rule the life of lightship keeper
is a very desolate one. The post at
long intervals brings him letters and an
occasional newspaper. Lately a move
ment has been started by the editor OF
Truth TO supply lighthouse and light
ship men with old newspapers, and it
has been taken up by number of
ladies. Packets of newspapers are sent
to the Trinity agent of the nearest port,
and forwarded when convenient. The
letters which the men have written in
reply show both that the papers are
warmly appreciated and high degree
of education on the part of the writers.
No women are allowed on light ships.
Married men are not disqualified, but
their wives and children are required
to live on shore, and have to be con-
tent with seeing the head of the house
hold on the rare occasions when he OBJ
tains leave on shore.-Pearson' Weekly,
In Kosfon