The Washington weekly post., 1900-09-04

than ,.ea square feet-not wo acres In
extent The focal plate OF the tower lixht
o. i1 feet above the sea level Tha iauu
T. - candle power. and this IL Increased
- s.oso candle power by reflection and re-
fraction The keepers dwelling A. a
square building. with stone for the outeT
nails and brick, iron. and wood on the
interior and II is one story hiYn Thsra
T. derrick for taking up supplies fron,
the bshter when II makes it, nontktr
visit 20 the Tiliamook lighthouse
IN the midst OF large number of rara
2nd valuable cuTiGE in the roon= of
Nsszrs. Edwards and Fuller Ifut.,s5
states steamboat inspectors far fha dIs-
lriel on the willamette, ia Portland lies
q Iolkh. communicating piece of basalt
weighing ninety pounds. A casual glance
at this ordinary appearing nIeca os 49,
usually proVokss comment that n shonld
be i9und among 50 maav seemfnRlv more
valuable relics. As rock a amounts To
1othihS; i,' put as unimpeachable and las.-
ing evidence Of the marvellous never ~
me waves % the Pacific Ocean n is ner.
ha p one or the most interesting marine
curi0s IN existence. '''"i 1iis
fesrfai Force Of the Waves.
Until about ten years aeo ,his ,ts.a =,
rock was a part OF The huge TfiIauaol,
Rock. about twenty miles south az the ar-
trance 20 the Columbia River rha raa.o,
why Tillamook Point is so much dreaded
T. striRihsiy illustrated by the history az
thiS ninety-pound rock. The Paciac
ocean has always belied lts name aad
duIlng one OF the Wsid winter storms
"nich swept over fl about ten years ago
a great wave struck the rock VITA the
iOfee Of giant battering ram iarred
l"ese The ninety pound fragment OF basalt
"aich now Hes at the inspectors office
ana Wlih power that might well be
called miraculous hurled IL upward lsg
ftet. II was BY no means a spent bullet
when II strd>k The lignt. for II stlll re-
tslntd velocity sufficient to carry IL
through the thick plate glass ana drop
Il inside the light.
TWO other chunks OF basalt nearly as
iafSe as the one mentioned came into the
ishtnouse during the same storm. and
are no" In the possession OF the light
mouse department at It's Headquarters Ia
Portland -
Sucn storms as the one which estab-
hshed ihls record for high rolling are. Of
course unusual, but throughout The win
.er arc eftLimes in the summer there are
sVaa hIckeu up by passing storms shat
cause ililamook Rock 10 shake and trem-
pc a sno9sn II was fearful that il would
U hhochtd from Its pedestal and into the
depths OF the ocean. IL Is freely predict
"a that this basalt mass will some day
sl sIEe way under the terrific batterine OF
me sea, which is steadily. though slowly
making iETOads on Tillanook's base This
ihoHgnt Is not comforting one for the
l2nely watchers who dwell there, high
above the ocean.
Inc lighthouse tenders which visit TIL
iamook station 20 there from Astoria
thirty miles distant FreouentIv dnring
TIE winter 1t is impossible for the tender
TO get near enough 10 permit the derrick
from the rock 10 reach her. and for
weeks the men are practically without
CoininuhlGatiOh with the rest of the
world. When the weather admits of a
visit from the tender stores are holsted
from the boats 10 the summit of the rock
by the huge derrick. The keepers leave
ana arrive at the rock by the same meth
9d. huge basket being attached TO the
derrick tackle.