The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1898-09-01
LIGHTHOUSES In WAR
Can Be Used to Lure an Enemy's
Ships to Destruction.
Special Duties Of the Keeper In Tine
81 TPouble-Hsw the Lights
Might Ne Manipulated
to Advantage.

NC uButuUusc KEEPER mas MS bpcc1dl
duties in times Of war, and it is in his
power to render valuable service to his
country's cause. The extinguishing OF
the lights in the bay was the beginning
of policy which was outlined early in
March by the lighthouse board.
At that time general instructions
were issued to the keepers of the light.
houses ordering them to familiarze
themselves and their assistants with all
the requirements incident to the ext.
gencies OF war. The extinguishing OF
the shore lights will be last resort, as
the extensive commerce of foreign mer.
chant vessels would be seriously inter.
fered with by it. The order to put out
these lights will only come in case OF
actual danger of invasion by foreign
men-ofwar.
In considering the various means by
which the lighthouse keeper can render
service in war TING, IL is necessary t..
know something of the lights them.
selves. In every lighthouse station the
beacon has some characteristic with
which the mariner is familiar, or which
he may readily recognize by an exami.
nation of his chart. In some cases the
beacon is a fixed, white light, which
never changes, but sends its rays far
out to sea, where the watchful pilot
recognizes il at glance.
Other lights change from red tc
white, or the reverse, or show disk
one side of which is white and the other
red. The approaching mariner knows
at once in what direction he should
steer. II the red light is on the right
and the white on the left side of thc
disk, he knows that by keeping to the
left he will find safe channel, while
dangerous shoals await him in the op.
posite direction. OF course, it is ohyi.
Gus that the lighthouse Keeper by re.
versing the colors on the disk could dc
incstimable damage to unfriendly yes.
sells. In all such cases it is obvious tina:
our own mariners must be warned in
time of the changes contemplated.
Other lighthouses have beacon flash.
ing white at regular intervals. Thus
the characteristic of the light at Fire
island is zone flash every minute" II
this were changed, so that the light
would flash only once in two minutes
the mariner would be as badly off as il
there were no light at all. With the
idea in his head that he had reached a
point near Fire island, the unusual sig.
nal would signify 20 him that his cal.
culations were wrong, and that he was
in an entirely different locality.
Another means by which the pilot
gauges his location is the distance OF
visibility of the light. Shinnecock light
for example. is fixed white light stu.
ated on Panqnogue point, on the north
side Of Shinnecock bay, Long island,
one mile from the line Of sea beach and
about midway between Montauk point
and Fire island light stations. 1t /:
visible at a distance of 49,. nautical
miles. Now, if it were known that an
encmy's ship were approaching, the
light could be screened so as to not be
visible at all or to be visible at a halt
or quarter Of the usual distance. The
vessel might thus be led into a trap be.
fore its pilot realizes his proximity tc
the dangerous coast.
The changing of fog signals has also
been contemplated as an effective
means OF deceiving the enemy. 1t is the
opinion of those most familiar with the
subject, however, that in cases of actual
invasion Of our waters by the enemy's
ships the signals would be discontinued
altogether.
The characteristics Of fog signals are
indicated by the length of blasts and
the intervals at which they are given.
and it is thought that changes might be
misleading even to our own pilots
n. Y. Sun.