The Tucson citizen., 1901-12-17
A DREARY EXISTENCE
THE LONE LlNESS OF THE ENGLlSH
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS

At the hiNh0p station the NentIu~I
That Lights the Waves Lives In Al
m""i tt'"r Isolation a service
Win I"W EnticIHK Features.
I During the storms that rage intormit.
t"nily around the English const IN win
ter the IandsmHn's mind turns In syn.
pathy toward those " no in shin or life.
boat arc fighting the waves for dear
Ilfc. But how often does he give one
thought TO the men who immure them
selves IN III" lighthouses that stud the
rOastl
would rather spend my life In n
penal settlement than hc a lighthouse
Keeper declared man to the writer
after visit 10 The Bishop lighthouse.
OF the Cornish coast. A convict does
see little II the world he lives In, itut
lighthouse keeper sees nothing bur
drrary cTpnDse Of water am not sur
prised that mauy OF them should lose
their mental balance"
The visitor 10 the Bishop lighthouse
did not oVercoIor the picture. II wa=
ouly the other day that one read OF the
I>ougships lighthouse. also on the coast
OF Cornwall, having been completely
isolated for many weeks In consequence
" fearful storms. The keepers haA
been reduced 10 smoking coffee. hops
and tea leaves. though. fortunately,
they lad not wanted for food
The keepers Of the famous Edd stone
lighthouse not Infrequently end them
s~lvss la q similar pFedies ment La a
gale the waves that buffet themselves
against tbia wonderful monu ument t0
The engineering skill Of the country arr
81 such GtupsndoAs magnitude that
they rise 20 a Insight OF 100 feet and
kaeep right over the lantern. To those
cooped up inside The sound Of these
waves In like that of a battery Of guns
at close quarters At such times the
house shakes like tree with man
On the tot, of H." was the graphic de-
scrption OF one who spent many years
Of his life there.
The new Eddysi0ue 10 The roomiest
aud most com Portable Of all our rock
lighthouses sectional view Of IL
shows the various compa rtmen's, com
nlDnctng at the bottom with the water
,auk then the entrance. the 'wo oil
t@osifaries. the ssorefoom, the crane,
the lIylpg apartment. the low light. tise
bedroom and ihe service room 10 the
order named Formerly only two
Gsel,ers wetc empiosed lu the light
Loa~e. but a KFi.H Incident resulted ia
their number heing increased one of
tbs two men died 10 ferce ran the
seas t4at The remaining keeper could
moi ge, the body ~ his late comrade ia
he shetv FoF "a month tGe tempesff.
ous weather continued. and for
month she surviving keeper lived alone
With the body as ijls only companion.
He was afraid to east II Into the
waves. Tor be Night be accused Of mur-
dsr
Keepers ~ rDek lighthouses do not
last long. The Ineesssnt pounding Of
the wares against The building. the
len4l uess. the want ~ fresh sir and
exercise retincs the men 10 state Sf
n<FTo- snesx that 10 sometimes piuful
TO h. soid They frcGire fortnight &
iea ~ every AK eeAs, but this hlSers
allowance does little 10 improve their
duty Il Is 10 pay periodical Waits 10
t.pe OF these lgbl houses confesscs that
there lie nO remedy for the Ills EsNcullar r
10 the keepers except retirement
The otter isolation ot the silent asn-
iinels Of our coast ia well illustrated by
The case Of the Bisbop lighthouse afore-
mentioned. which stands right out in
ihe Atlantic. Not oD"e ia n year IL IL
calm enongh for the superintendent TO
land hls stores 81 tbe lighthouse stepa-
They have To he hauled UP by Dea na
og a wBndiass from above. visitor
bold enough 10 visit the place 10 ''ad-
mitt~d- in a similar way. He places
one Tot Ia noose st the end OF a rope,
which 10 thrown dowp 10 his boat, and.
gripping the rope hrmly shove his
head. be is drawn up to the "see OF. -
a. the pilnth around the lighthouse is
CO he'd Thence he climbs mp a per
pendicular lHdder 10 tie door Of The
house.
Superstition adds a terror 20 the hfe
of the men Ia this lighthouse for the
first structure was washed away
bodily. and the keepers believe that the
rock IL haunted 4 fear Of different
Kind keeps the men ~ Anckle FiugRa
lighthouse. he unost Northern point or
Scotland. on the tenserbooks Of II terri
ble suspense On three occasions The
huge black rock on which the light,
house stands las been shaken by an
earthquake.
, There is something comlCai, though
characteristic of the sim nccked Scot,
tn "A story wuich comes from . neigh
boring lighthouse which Is the oharg"
~ two families. They I've on IA desert
island From wear "pd I" year end
they never sco a visitor except lbn man
"a ho brings their sIorts. Eighteen
months ago the heads ~ fhe two faml-
, iirs aualrrlcd snd ever Naucc they have
, ceased Ia speak.
Vt the shore lighthouse II shinish
the keepers family bns IA travel 81
. miles 10 "Asrh II ~ Uo reflection "n
their Idctv to add tiat they are net
rcgular attendants,
\ HghfuoH~, keeper receives maxi,
mum wage uf i,5 a yrar out nf which
lc ua> a. supply his own rattouS Tics"
. t.-ftt.. ..,ifi .1faZ q