The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-04
A DREARY EXISTENCE
THE LONELINESS OF THE ENGLISH
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS.

! most Utter Isolation A Service
with Few Enticing Features.
! During thestorms that rage intermit'
tcntly around the English coast In win
Ter the landsman's mind turns In SYM
patly 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 immure them
selves In the lighthouses that stud the
coast?
/ would rather spend my life in a
Keeper" declared 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
lighthouse keeper sees nothing but
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
Longshlps 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, b. ps
and tea leaves, though, fortunately
! they had not wanted for food
The keepers Of the famous Eddystone
lighthouse not infreQuently find them
] ealT In CJy In ico In a
! 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 feat and
sweep right over the lantern. To those
cooped ur inside the sound OF these
waves is like that Of battery Of guns
at close quarters. "At such times the
house shakes like tree with 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 IL
shows the various compartments, COM
mencing at the bottom with the water
tank: then the entrance, the two oil
| teceptacles, 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 10
the shore. For month the tempestu-
GUS weather Continued. and for q
month the surviving keeper lived alone
with the body as his only companion.
waves. for he might be accused Of nur
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 20 state Of
nervousness that Is sometimes pitifnl
TO behold. They require fortnigh's
leave every six weeks. but this lit't'ral
allowance does little 10 improve their
phySlcai state. \ medical man whose
duty /, Is TO pay periodical visits 10
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 srtl
tinels OF our coast is we'll Illustrated by
the case OF the Bishop lighthouse afore-
mentioned which stands right out in
the Atlantic Not eace In n year Is IL
calm enough for the superintendent 10
land his stores at the lighthouse steps.
They have to he hauled mp by means
OF a wIndlass from above, visitor
bold enough to visit the place is 'ad.
mtted" in a similar way. He places
one fot in moose at the end Of a rope,
which Is thrown down to bis boat. and.
gripping the rope firmly above his
head, he Is drawn up 10 the ''see OF.
as the plinth around the lighthouse is
called. Thence be climbs UP a per
pendiculnr ladder 10 the door Of the
house.
Superstition adds terror to the life
of the men In this lighthouse. for the
first structure was WaSneu away
bodily. and the Keepers believe that the
rock Ia haunted. A fear of different
kind keeps the men Of Muckle Flngga
lighthouse. the most northern point OF
Scotland. on the tenterhooks OF terri
BITE suspense. On three occasions the
huge black rock on which the light
house stands has been shaken by an
earthquake.
There is oHething comicai. though
characteristic ct the stiff necked Scot.
IN story which comes from neigh,
boring lighthouse which Is the charge
of two families. They live on desert
island From year end to year end
they never see ,Isitor except the man
who brings their stores. Eighteen
months ago the heads Of the two FAINT
lies quarreled, and ever since they have
ceased to speak.
At the shore lighthouse of lslinlsh
the keepers family has TO travel 40
miles to kirk" 1t is no reflection op
A