The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1897-12-25
LIGHTHOUSES.
Something About Their Keepers aud
the Salaries Paid,

Something About Their Keepers aud
the Salaries Paid.
Women make very competent light.
h0use-keepers, aud there are thirty In
the employment of the United Stotos
They are careful, conscientious ana
regular in their duties. They keep their
lamps and lenses In good order. and on.
dure the lonesome, idle life of n light.
keeper much more %contentedly than
men. Give a woman lighthouse-keener
a cat, a pair of knitting needles and =
sup of tea and she has plenty of com.
pany, where a man would become in.
sane from loneliness; and they hava
equal and often superior nerve and
courage to men. Ida Lewis, or Mrs.
Wilson, as she Is now known, is still
the keeper of the Lime Rock light in
Narragansett Bay, but she is not the
only heroine In the service. She gained
a worldwide fame some years ago bv
putting off alone from her lighthouse in
n little boat to rescue some shipwreck.
ed sailors that were tossing In a TEN.
pestuous sea. But there have been
other equally heroic acts performed by
women llght-keepers that have not
been recorded in human history. Mrs.
Wilson was a sturdy young girl at the
time, and her father was the light
keeper. When he died she was an.
pointed to succeed him; but 1t would be
impossible for her to repeat that exhi.
billion of courage now, for she is not so
young and strong as she once was, and
is so stout that she can scarcely climb
the lighthouse stairs.
Some of the women on the pay roll of
the lighthouse board have been In the
service forty years. Mrs. G.. A. Muir
dock, the keeper of the light at Rond-
out, on the Hudson River, and Mrs.
Nancy Rose, keeper of the light at
Stony Point, were appointed In 1857.
Harriet e. Colfax, keeper of the light
at Michigan City, was appointed in
1861; Julia F. Williams, at Santa Bar
bara, CAL, in 1865; Mrs. Maria Young
haus, at Biloxi, Miss, in 1867; and
Mary J. Succow, at Pass Manchac, La,
in 1873.
The present organization Of the serv-
ice dates back to 1862. Previous to
that year 1t was In an unsatisfactory
condition, and Congress appointed a
board, consisting of Commodore Shu-
brick, Commander (afterward Admir-
all Dupont, Gen. Joseph e. Totten,
Lieut.. Col. James Kearney and Prof.
A. d. Bache, superintendent of the
coast survey, to reorganize 1t. Since
then the service has been under the
care of a board of naval officers, army
engineers and two civilian scientists,
who have entire control. The coast Is
which is under the supervision Of Il
naval officer as inspector, who is re-
quired to visit every light at least four
times a year and report upon Its condi-
ton. Each district also has an army
engineer assigned to 1t to superintend
the construction Of new and the repair
of old lighthouses and the location Of
buoys and beacons.
The pay of light-keepers varies from
$500 to $1,400. They have comfortable
houses to live In free of charge, their
fuel and lights are furnished by the
Government, and at remote stations
which are difficult of access an allow
ance of provisions is supplied at inter-
walls when the inspector makes his WIS.,
1t. At many of the isolated lighthouses
there are libraries of interesting and
useful books, which are changed from
time to time. Each district has a
steam tender, which is constantly in
motion carrying supplies and inspec-
tors and mechanics who make repairs
when necessary. The visit of the ten
der is an important event in the life of
a lighthouse-keeper, particularly those
who have no neighbors.
The keeper of the light in Tampa
Bay, Florida, receives the highest sal
airy paid, $1,400; that at North Brothers
Island, New York, receives $1,170; at
North Landing River, Currituck sound,
North Carolina, $1,140; and those at
Minot's ledge, Massachusetts; the sta
tue of Liberty, New York harbor; st.
Georges reef, California; and Tilla-
nook rock, Oregon, each receive $1,000.
The other keepers receive from $500 to
$500 a year.