The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-10-06
BRITISH LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS.
Incidents Of Their Severe and Dancer
GUS Service.

Ouo OGFNlCC.
London Mall.
During the storms that rage intermittent.
" around orr coast In winter the lands.
h'" Inlhd turns In sympathy toward those
Nuo III snip or llfcboat arc hghdng the
wives ior dear life, But how often does
lt give one thought to the men who i'm.
"'uie themselves Ia the lighthouses that
stud our coast llncY
WouId rather spend my life in a penal
settlement than be a lighthouse keeper. ."
'''"rou man to tho writer, after visit
TO the bishop lighthouse. Off the Cornish
coast. "a convict docs 500 !, u,t,o 80 th1
world ne lives In, but lighthouse kaoncr
S'es nouaihg but dreaiy expansc of
Ga,er' an not surprised that many OF
'iUi,u hh"uld lose their mental balance -
lhe visitor 10 the Bishop lighthouse ala
n9l oYercol9r the picture. 1t was only the
V.1er Jay that one reud OF the Lougshps
ithiuousG also OF the coast of Cornwall
having neen completely Isolated for many
weeks, IN consequence of fearful storms
me Keepers mad been reduced to smoking
coiee hops and tea leaves though forth,
haiciy they had not wanted for food
Inc keepers of the famons Eddystonc
,lsuth9use not infrequently lind themselves
III similar prcdicamcnt. In n gale the
waves mat buffet themselves against this
Womderiul monument to the engineering
shlll OF tne country are Of such stupeudous
magnitude that they rise to a height of
%uO rect aud sweep right over the lantern
10 those coopcd up Inside the sound of
these waves Is like that of battery Of
guns az close quarters. AT such times the
mouse snakes like a tree with a man on
the top of II, was the graphic description
81 one VINO spent many years OF his life
The now. Eddystonc is the roomest and
mos ssSomfortable Of all our rock light
houses. sectional view of 1t shows the
various compartments, commencing ut the
bottom with the water tank then the en-.
trance, the two oil receptacles, the store
ROOM; 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
mouse, 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 mis- late comrade to the shore, For a
month the tempestuous weather continued
aud for a month the surviving keeper lived
alone in that solitary place with the body
as his only companion, He was afraid to
cast IT. into the waves, for he might be
accused of murder.
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 ia a state of nervousness that is some
times pitiful 10 behold They require
tortnight'S leave every six weeks, hut this
liberal allowance does little to improve
their physical state, a medical man, whose
duty, 1t Is to pay periodical visits to one
of these lighthouses, confesses that there
Is no remedy for the ms peculiar to the
Keepers except retirement.
The utter Isolation Of the silent sentinels
of our coast is well illustrated by the case
Of the Bishop lighthouse aforementioned,
which stands right out In the Atlantic. Not
once in q year is II calm enough for the
superintendent to land his stores at the
lighthouse steps. They have to be hauled
up by means of windlass from above.
a visitor bold enough TO visit the place Is
admitted in similar way. He places
ono foot in moose at the end of rope,
which Is thrown down TO his boat, and
gripping the rope firmly above his head, he
around the lighthouse is called, Thence
hc climbs up perpendicular ladder to the
door OF the house.