Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-02
UNCLE sANps LIGHTHOI SEES.
An Unbrokcn Line Stretches From
Boston 10 Galveston.

| ANlh hit LohisNllie iteN
| All along our Atlantic and Pacific coasts,
and usually situated on some lonely. Storm
beaten point of land, where the great
| waves never cease their sGllen roartn2s,
| the lighthouses of the United States like
giant sentnels, keep watch and ward. And
| then, far out from the shore, where the
| danger from rock and storm is greatest.
| with only the unquiet ocean and the chang
| ing skies for company, swing and tug at
| the moorings the Hghtships Of the coast.
| Hundreds of brave men and thousands OF
| dollars worth in ships and merchandise
are saved annually from the waves and
| the rocks by these watchful guardians.
| VINO have eyes that never siumber ana
| warming voices even the noises of the
| storm cannot drown. The Witness Of their
! situations, the lonesomeness OF their sur
| roundings, the character Of their dutics-
! the SAVING of human life and property
! cast Il glamour over the lonely lighthouses
| and storm-tossed lightships. and make all
that pertains to them OF fascinating in
| terest.
Stark and white upon the bare white
/ beach OF North Island. :. G, stands the
historic Georgetown lighthouse. The tower
| is elghty-flve feet high, and its light can
| be seen foe fifteen miles. 1t throws plain
white light which shines with unbroken
radiance far out over the dark waters a
beacon OF hope to the storm-driVen marin
ers. This light has watched while history
was made 1t Was built in lSU1 and rebuilt
after the war
Another light famous in history is the
one at Cape Henry off the coast of Nir-
ginia, at the entrance OF Chesapeak bay
| Ii is los years old, and its light has often
guided the father of his country on the
way home from his travels. Recently
new house, l51 feet high, was built at this
place and equipped with all the latest APP
pliances-electrie light signals, a steam
siren, etc. A steam siren is a trlmpet
blown bV which lar.
mariners away from destruction, and has "A
voice so loud that il can be heard for many
miles at sea The song of this siren is a
blast five seconds long, then a silence of
ninety seconds. blast of five seconds fol-
lowed by a silence of ninety seconds, and
so all through all the hours of day and
night. The light is white in color with
red rays between southwest and west and
south-southwest, and shines steadily.
The Cape Cod lighthouse is connected
with Boston by telegraph. A signal display
station reads the messages signaled from
passing ships. and within a minute these
messages are in Boston. The light is sit
uated on the highlands of Cape Cod, facing
the ocean, 100 feet above the level OF the
sea. The building is all white and can be
seen by vessels twenty miles away. Its
Daboll trumpet sends forth continually
blasts eight seconds long, with intervals
of half a minute of silence.
The entrance of Delaware bay IS guard
ed by Cape May lighthouse. 151 feet high.
This light can be seen for distance OF
houses in the United States is the one at
Block Island, r. L. 1t is 2tl feet high and
shows fixed white light that can be seen
for a distance OF twenty-five miles.
The lonesomeness and the dangers of the
position of lighthouse keeper are SO aD-
pa rent that one would hardly expect to find
women serving in that capacity, and yet in
the United States some twenty women hold
tits responsible and ofttimes dangerous
post There are heroines, too, among them
whose deeds have been so heroic as TO
command the admiration of the brave
everywhere. Ida Wison-L Lewis the story
of whose bravery is too well known to need
reteliing here, keeper of Lime Rock light
house. Newport, r.. l., has rescued eleven
persons. Five people owe their lives to the
courage Of Mrs. Blake. keeper of the light
house at Robins Reef. off TompllnsVille
New York harbor. Heroic Jane Malby
keeper of the Elk Neck lighthouse in
Chesapeake bay, during q terrible storm OF
wind and hail in 1894, pushed her own boat
out from the safety of Elk Neck Rock in
to the angry waters and rescued six men
whom she struggling I'm a fran boat
which the great waves threatened TO swamp
each minute.
Few people, except seamen. know ANY,
thing about the number of lightships which
the United States keeps moored in danger
Gus places far out In the ocean, and ex-
posed to all the peris OF the stormy sea.
From Boston to Galveston there Is an al
most unbroken line of these floating light
houses, placed where they can best warn
the mariner of dar ger. Fastened TO the
oceans bottom with great anchors, strong
chains hawsers, these lightships keen
and when the heavy storms and seas sweep
down the coast the bright flashes of their
electric lights, the loud blasts of their
steam whistles or the deep boom. boom or
their great bells warn the storm-tossed
sailor lads from hidden dangers and guide
them on their way 10 Ravens of safety