The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-07-07

y NUM- ol1ST government enter
III prises Uncle Sam Is in the light
house business, and ike every
thing else that he touches, he
has developed Il 10 = remarkable ex-
tent. for when be took over the light
houses from the different States II
17SS their number was only eight.
Now he has about the biggest stock
III trade OF any government III the
business. he has tremendous coast
me TO hight II figures UP s.s5s miles.
lnci1diag the great lakes. exclusive
OF the Onio. Missouri and Mississippi
rIyers, and ne maintains more than
TWO thousand lights and about four
thousand I'VE hundred fog signals,
buoys. monuments and beacons which
are summed up under the general term
OF unIighted aids to navigation
The Lighthouse Board or the United
States, which is charged with lie
supervision and care OF all these,
ranks high among the lighthouse es-
adjustments of the world. Probably.
in point OF practicability, smoothness
OF administration and readiness 10
adapt itself to any emergency which
may be presented, it is first among
all lighthouse establishments. Ger
tainly none other has had so many
varying problems to meet. for in the
planning and erection of lighthouses
our enormous coast line has present.
ed many different conditions of local
ity. There are lighthouses and light
houses, and the Lighthouse Board has
had to determine just what kind OF
lighthouse would do for each particu-
lar point. and in perfectly adapting
each structure to its site the Light
house Board OF the United States
probably has been obliged TO ereS.
more different kinds of lighthouses
than the establishment of any foreign
government.
The solid granite structures of the
New England coast would never do
for the submerged coral reefs OF Flo
rida or for the jetties of the Missis-
sippi; nor. on the other hand, would
lantern hung by nail from a tree.
which actually constituted for many
years one of the lights of the Missis-
sippi River. suffice for the precipitous
cliffs of the Pacific. In fact. in order
to thoroughly and systematically light
the coast of ocean. gulf. lake and
river, our Lighthouse Board had 20
apply an enormous amount of scienti-
fic thought in solving many difficult
problems
Love in Tower.
On the coast of Maine is series
of lights built on rock and of native
granite. The sites and the material
were on hand, like coal and iron IN
Pennsylvania These lighthouses are
extremely beautiful features of the
coast. With their gracefully sweeping
lines, which, however, do not inter-
fere with the. impression Of solidity;
with the original gray deepened by
the stain of numerous storms, the
brunt of which they have CALAMITY
sustained, they seem to have grown
out of the very rocks on which they
rest.
Among the most typical of these
Maine light stations are the twin
towers on Matinicus Rock, far out in
the entrance of Penobscot Bay. Rug
ged though their aspect is, they have
been the scene of one of the prettiest
love romances in the annals of the
service In 1861 the then keeper,
Captain Burgess, was relieved by Cap
tain Grant. who brought a son with
him as an assistant. Captain Bur-
CESS had daughter named Abby. who
for many years had helped him in the
care of the lights and was perfectly
versed in everything pertaining to
them. During one winter. when Cap
tain Burgess had gone over to Matt
nicus Island for supplies. q severe
storm sprang up. and lasted so long
that for several weeks he was unable
to get back. His wife was an invalid,
and during this trying period Abby,
then mere slip of girl. not only ten
ded the lights but looked to the COM
fort OF her invalid mother and several
Younger brothers and sisters. cheer
ing them up during the stormy days
and nights.
When Captain Grant and his son
came to the rock Captain Burgess left
his daughter Abby there to assist the
newcomers a while and instruct them
regarding certain peculiarities of the
lights. Perhaps ii is not at all strange
that the younger Grant proved q very
apt pupil. for Miss Abby was a very
attractive teacher-so attractive. in
fact. that when her pupil had learned
to take care of the lights he persu-
AIDED her to allow him to take care
of her for the rest of her life, a pro
position TO. which she assented. In
Guiding the eight years she already
had been on the rock and the subse-
auent period she remained there with
her husband. II was her home alto
gether for twenty-five years.
The -Americsn Eddsstone."
The most famous lighthouse on the
American coast is that on Minot's
Ledge. OF COhasset, on the coast OF
Massachusetts,. II Is the American
Eddystone. for. like that light. Minot's
Ledge lighthouse rises right out of
the sea The rock which forms its
foundation is entirely submerged and
in a uortheasterly storm the light
house is absolutely exposed to the full
force OF the Atlantic Ocean The first
lighthouse which was erected on the
site. in fs4S. was built on iron screw
niles. and in furious storm which
burst over the coast In 1881 Il was
overthrown and the two keepers on Il
persisted This vas the greatest
tragedy m the history Of the American
lighthouse administration The pres