Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-11-19
.IDREARY EXISTENCE
THE LONELINESS OF THE ENGLISH
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS.

LIGHTHOUSE ksefehos
AZ the BisAop station the Sentinel
that Lights the Waves Lives In Al
most Utter Isolation "A Service
with Few nntieiAS FeetuRss.
During the storms that rage intermit-
tently around the English coast In win
ter the landsman's mind turns In sym.
bathy toward those who In ship or life
boat are fighting the waves for dear
life. But how often does he give one
thought to the men who immune them
selves In the lighthouses that stud the
coast?
Il would rather spend my Life In q
penal settlement than be lighthouse
keeper" declared a man to the writer
after q visit to the Bishop lighthouse.
of the Cornish coast. "A convict does
see a little Of the world he lives In, but
a lighthouse keeper sees nothing but q
dreary expanse Of water. am not sur
prised that many Of them should lose
their mental balance"
The visitor to the Bishop lighthouse
did not overcolor the picture. 1t was
only the other day that one read OF the
Longships lighthouse, also OF the coast
Of Cornwall, having been completely
isolated for many weeks In consequence
of fearful storms. The keepers had
been reduced to smoking coffee, hops
and tea leaves, though, fortunately.
they had not wanted for food.
The keepers Of the famous Eddystone
lighthouse not infreQuently find them
selves in . similar predicament. In a
rale the waves that buffet themselves
against this wonderful monument to
the engineering skin of the country are
Of such stupendous magnitude that
they rise to height Of 200 feet and
sweep right over the lantern. To those
cooped up inside the sound OF these
waves is like that Of battery OF guns
at close quarters. "At such times the
house shakes like a tree with a man
ON the top Of It." was the graphic de-
scription of one who spent many years
Of his life there.
The new Eddystone is the roomiest
and most comfortable Of all our rock
lighthouses. A sectional view OF 1t
shows the various compartments. COM
mencing at the bottom with the water
tank: then the entrance, the two oil
receptacles, the storeroom, the crane,
the living apartment, the low light. the
bedroom and the service room In the
order named. Formerly only two
keepers were employed In the light.
house, but a grim incident resulted In
their number being increased. One OF
the two men died. So fierce ran the
seas that the remaining keeper could
not get the body Of his late comrade to
the shore. For q month the tempestu'
GUS weather continued, and for q
month the surviving keeper lived alone
with the body as his only companion
He was afraid to cast It into the
waves, for he might be accused Of muir
der.
Keepers Of rock lighthouses do MOI
last long. The incessant pounding Of
the waves against the building, the
loneliness, the want Of fresh air and
exercise reduce the men to a state OF
nervousness that is sometimes pitifu
to behold. They require fortnightt
leave every six weeks, but this liberia
allowance does little to improve theil
physical state. A medical man whose
duty 1t Is to pay periodical visits t.
one of these lighthouses confesses thai
there Is no remedy for the Ills peculiar
to the keepers except retirement.
The utter isolation Of the silent sen
tinels Of our coast IL well illustrated by
the case Of the Bishop lighthouse afore
mentioned, which stands right out II
the Atlantic. Not once in year Is Il
calm enough for the superintendent Il
land his stores at the lighthouse steps
They have to be hauled up by means
Of q windlass from above. A visitor
bold enough to visit the place Is lad
mitted'' In q similar way. he places
one fot in a moose at the end Of a rope
which Is thrown down to his boat, and
gripping the rope firmly above hi
head, he is drawn up to the "see Of,
as the plinth around the lighthouse Il
called. Thence he climbs up a per
pendicular ladder to the door Of thu
house.
Superstition adds terror to the lif'
of the men in this lighthouse, for thu
first structure was washed ava!
bodily, and the keepers believe that thu
rock Is haunted. A fear Of differen
kind keeps the men Of Muckle Fluggt
lighthouse, the most northern point o.
Scotland, on the tenterhooks Of terri
Bile suspense. On three occasions thu
huge black rock on which the light
house stands has been shaken by al
earthquake.
There is something comical, thougl
characteristic Of the sti6 necked Scot
In q story which comes from a neigh
boring lighthouse which Is the charg
Of two families. They live on deser
island. From year end to year en'
they never see a visitor except the MAJ
who brings their sores. Eighteel
months ago the heads Of the two FAM
lies quarreled, and ever since they hav
ceased to speak.
At the shore lighthouse Of Ushinisl
the keepers family has to travel A
miles to "kirk." It is no reflection ol
their piety to add that they are no
regular attendants.
A lighthouse keeper receives a max
mum wage Of f75 year. out Of whic
he has to supply his own rations. Thea
consist Of such unappetizing edibles u
timed beef and hard biscuits, usual
washed down with weak tea and cor
densed milk. No Intoxicating liquor
are allowed.-London Mall
- A General Theory Ul Machines.
In the Complies Rendus Of the Pari
Academy Of Sciences NJ. Koenigs ha
printed a sketch of a general theory O
mechanisms. Every machine consist
of Q number Of material bodies, re
I>l-.I ~