The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-09-26
A DREARY EXISTENCE
THE LONELINESS OF THE ENGLISH
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS.

At the Bishop station the Sentinel
That Lights the Waves Lives In Al
most Utter Isolation A Service
with Few EnticIng Features.
During the storms that rage intermit-
tently around the English coast In win
ter the landsman's mind turns I'm sym
patty 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
coast2
L would rather spend my life in a
penal settlement than be lighthouse
keeper" declared n man TO the writer
after n visit to the Bishop lighthouse,
off. the Cornish coast. "A convict does
see little OF the world he lives In, but
a lighthouse keeper sees nothing but a
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 off 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 n similar predlcament. In Il
gale the waves that buffet themselves
against this wonderful monument to
the engineering skill 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 n battery Of guns
nj close quarters. "At such times the
house shakes like tree with man
on the top Of IT," was the graphic de-
scrlptlon 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
menclng at the bottom with the water
tank; then the entrance, the two oil
Ieceptacles, 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 n month the tempestu-
Gus weather continued, and for n
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 not
last long. The incessant pounding OF
the waves against the building, the
loneliness, the want OF fresh air and
exercise reduce the men TO state Of
nervousness that is sometimes pitiful
TO behold. They require fortnights
leave every six weeks, but this liberal
allowance does little to improve their
physical state. A medical man whose
duty It is to pay periodical visits to
one Of these lighthouses confesses that
there is no remedy for the Ills peculiar
to the keepers except retirement
The utter isolation Of the silent sen
tinels OF our coast IS well illustrated by
the case of the Bishop lighthouse afore-
mentioned, which stands right out in
the Atlantic. Not once I'm year is II
calm enough fer the superintendent to
land his stores at the lighthouse steps.
They have TO be hauled up by means
OF a wlndlass from above. \ visitor
bold enough TO visit the place Is lad
mitted" in a similar way. He places
one fot in a moose at the end OF rope,
which is thrown down TO his boat, and,
gripping the rope firmly above his
head, he is drawn up to the "see of,
as the pllnth around the lighthouse is
called. Thence he climbs up per
pendicular ladder TO the door Of the
house.
Superstition adds terror to the life
of the men In this lighthouse, for the
first structure was washed away
bodily, and the keepers believe that the
rock is haunted. A fear Of different
kind keeps the men of Muckle Flugga
lighthouse, The most northern point Of
Scotland, on the tenterhooks Of terri
BILE suspense. On three occasions the
huge black rock on which the light
house stands has been shaken by an
earthquake.
There is something comical, though
characteristic Of the stiff necked Scot.
In a story which comes from n neigh
boring lighthouse which is the charge
Of two families. They live on a desert
island. From year end to year end
they never see visitor except the man
who brings their stores. Eighteen
months ago the heads Of the two faml-
lies quarreled, and ever since they have
ceased to speak.
At the shore lighthouse of Ushlnish
the keepers family has to travel 40
miles to "kirk." 1t is no reflection on
their plety to add that they are not
regular attendants.
A lighthouse keeper receives a maxi
mum wage of f75 a year, out of which
he has to supply his own rations. These
consist of such unappetIzlng edibles as
timed beef and hard biscuits, usually
washed down with weak tea and CON
densed milk. No intoxicating liquors
are allowed.-LondOn Mail.
The children of different countries
have different tastes, but tin swords