The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-21
A WOMAN TENDS this LIGHT.
MRS. WALKERS LONELY HOME
on ROBBINS REEF.


Only Woman In such . POst-Her Fam.
ily With Her-They Like Their Home.
The only woman in the world In charge
Of lighthouse entirely surrounded by
water lives in New York Bay. About her
is population Of e,oOO,OOO people. yet she
Is not part Of II and has not it's ways.
When she leaves her sea-swept home
once or twice a year to shop In New York
the rush and confusion Of the great crowds
all about 80 fll her with loneliness that
almost before she has begun her purchases
she turns her back on the things dear to the
feminine heart and fees precipitously to
Robbins Reef lighthouse. There. she says,
she has not known lonely minute In the
seventeen years that she has watched the
endless procession OF vessels up and down
the bay.
This woman is Mrs Katy Walker, and
the beacon which she has In charge rises
sheer out Of the water Ave miles south Of
the Battery. 1t stands on the eastern end
Of the reef to which, in the days Of the
Dutch Governors, the boys Of New Am
sterdam went out in rowboats to shoot
seals with their blunderbusses. just a
half mile to the east runs the channel that
the ocean liners and other sea-going craft
follow on their way to the Atlantic.
Mrs. Walker il content to live isolated
a. she does The very noises of the great
marts about her that sometime come
family out to the reef make her tremble,
for these echoes Of trade recall the lonely
moments Of her city trips. And just as she
thinks the metropolis is the most God
forsaken spot on earth. so she believes
that Robbins Reef lighthouse Is the most
blessed. 1t is her home, and there her
son Jake, who is the assistant keeper, his
wife and three little daughters and her
own daughter live with her.
Mrs. Walker cares for the companionship
Of no other human beings. To her other
people are as nothing except when they can
be kept from shipwreck by her light. or
saved from drowning or crushing ice foes
by Jake in his small boat, or when she can
warm with coffee the half-fro7en clammers
who. in winter. work within calling distance
OF the reef
For years sailors have spoken OF Robbins
Reef lighthouse as -Katy's Light" So
conscientious il Mrs Walker in taking care
Of the lighthouse that since her husband died
fourteen years ago she has not failed one
night to look after the lamps Sometimes.
son relieves her for part Of the night, but
for the most part she has kept the light
bright with no outside help.
1T Is my work, she says, and 40 love to
For weeks in winter Mrs. Walker never
closes her eyes In sleep at night. Then II is
that the windows enclosing the light can be
kept free from frost only by constant cleans
ing.
At this time Mrs. Walker will not let Jake
come up into the little room where the light
CLOVIS until dawn. Then he brings her a
cup Of coffee, and. after she has drunk it, she
descends the ladder and goes to bed.
That In, she generally does. but II the day
is foggy and a blanket OF white hangs over
the bay so that the ships are lost to view,
out Of order, sets in motion the clock-like
mechanism that rings the fog bell. After
that she stays up until the fog lifts entirely
or the worst Of it ia over.
With the exception OF one year, Mrs.
Walker has spent all her time in America
since she landed on Sandy Hook with her
son, whose father died in Germany shortly
before she set sail for this country.
She had been working on the Hook only
keeper OF the Sandy Hook lighthouse,
met her and fell in love with her. and in
lees than a year after her arrival she was
taken to the lighthouse "a Jacob Walkers
bride. her boy going along as Walkers
adopted son and taking his name.
luctC BIG uct uubOoAiu IOuT
years. At the end OF that time he was
transferred to Robbins Reef light, where
he remained until he died;
Mrs. Walker believes that her husband
would be living still IL it had been possible
to get a doctor to him while he was ILL.,
But because the bay was choked with ice
no one could reach the lighthouse. and
40 a heavy cold developed into Q fever
and pneumonia and he died one night
when a storm ragged and while his wife
~ q - ~le - Al
80 that II should shine clear.
After the funeral Rear Admiral Rodgers,
who was then q Captain and inspector
Of the Third Lighthouse district. learned
that Mrs Walker wanted to be appointed
keeper Of the lighthouse. Although it was,
and still is. against Government regula-
tions to put woman In charge Of a light
house out at sea, he interested himself in
Mrs Walkers behalf
For three years the Government refused
to break 2 rule that i bad made. but. in
willing to 60 to the lonely post, Mrs. Walker
was left on Robbins Reef.
Twice the Lighthouse Board thought II
had q man to take charge Of the light. but
each one, after he had gone down the bay
and viewed its isolated position. refused
the job. So finally the board. despairng
Of ever securing q man a. keeper. adopted
Capt Rodgerss suggestion and appointed
Mrs. Walker.
Her son Jake has been assistant keeper
for about ten years, and, although she has
been entitled to ten days vacation a month
since that time. abe has not taken advantage
Of the regulation for a single day. She has
never been absent from the lighthouse
for more than six or eight hours at a
stretch.
In all the years that she has been in charge
Of the lighthouse Mrs. Walker has never
received a reprimand or had a complaint
entered against her, despite the fact that
she has charge Of light which stands in
one Of the worlds busiest harbors. Her
lighthouse has the reputation Of being
the cleanest and best kept in the Third
district.
Mrs. Walker is very modest about her
record. In her quaint. broken English
she says to those who compliment her:
you think it fine? | am glad. But I
like to work II keeps me contented and
happy. And why don't ! take a vacation
once in a while and let Jake take care OF
ha oh A1h 7 In