The Western news., 1903-07-15
LIGHTHOUSE SYSTEM.
That of Our Government Is Without
an Equal In the World.
Upward Of Fifty Vessels and over
Four Th ousa I'd Men Engaged In
the ServIce-!ntere~ttng
Particulars.

The necessity for affording aid and
protection to vessels along a seacoast
of excessive length has resulted in
the development by the, United States
government of lighthouse system
which is generally admitted to be with
out a parallel on the globe, says the
Chicago Daily News.
Employed in one. way or another in
the supervision and maintenance OF
the lighthouse system are upward of
50 ve> els and between 1905 ;;n0 5000
men. The phase of the ope, &tions at
once the most interesting anG he most
picturesque is performed by the light
house tenders-vessels of various
sizes within the range of the opera
tions of which are found all manner
OF tasks from the conveyance of ma
terial and supplies to the most isolated
lighthouses and lightships to the re-
plenishment Of the gas supply in those
novel buoys which are iu"minataa
continuously for savn.-l Az onths al the
result of one charging.
There are now in the service of the
United States 35 steam tenders, II
StSh III Id t|II'lltS uIl Two SdlllIlS ttH-
ders--a a lig' thouse fleet without a
coun, pa,t in TIE world-and the ag
gre"ate If the officers and crews Of
which amounts to nearly 1000 men.
If the recommended ion of the United
States 10, thouse board is carried out
the tee, will shortly be increased by
the adl,i; ;on of four new steel tenders.
One of these will be a handsome vessel
to be constructed at a cost of Sl3l.-
600 for carrying on the Porto Rican
lighthouse service. The yes sells now
on this unique squadron. in addition
to the important part which they play
in all works of construction unt err
taken by tire engineer branch of the
lighthouse board and the care given
to the thousands of huoys maintained
by his government, also distribute each
year supplies valued at about $780,
900.
In the lighthouse fleet are vessels of
several distinct types and indeed. the
development Of the tender to its pres
ent high plans of et1icsncy may be
traced by means of vessels yet in serN=
ice. One Of the pioneer craft is the
wooden sidewheel steamer GcraHium.
which is in service on the coast #
Maine This vessel was built in 1863
and is of only 356 tons hurGen, bat sle
steams. on an average, about S00o
miles a year in discharge of ler
duties, which consist principally ef the
maintenance of buoyS. AnasEer wood
en- sidewheeler, the Nerbena, built in
1870, is also in service on he New Eng
land coast.
An adequate appreciation of the
characteristics of the latest approved
type of craft for lighthouse service
may be gained from the stipulationS
in the specifications for the steamer
Magnolia, to he constructed at a cost
of about Sl25o00 for service along the
Florida coast and in the Gulf of Mex
leo. This tender has length over
all of 173 feet; length between per,
pendiculars, 165 feet; beam nodded,
80 feet, and a depth of hold Of L. feet
She is fitted with two compound SUR
face condensing engines and steam
is furnished by two Scotch boilers
capable of developing about $50 indi-
Gated horsepower.
This vessel is unique and of special
interest from the fact that the natural
conditions of the district in which = e
Is to operate render it imperative ffat
the steamer shall be so constru,te3
as to make it possible to alter, W n
necessary, not only her trim, but ="
draft of water. A vessel with gre
draft could not, for instance, act
a tender in the lakes and inland I.
18th which this coast abounds, w
d the other hand, light-draft e.
Hpuld be inefficient and even darc
DIS in performing her duties in =
d zen sea of the Gulf of Mexico.
ppblem has been solved in the cas-
Z to&MagnNlia by the constructions
b of a ballast tank extending
,qnhQttcm of the vessel to WI
n hree feet of the main 4
provision of trimmingta
,E.s..ssEE asaesaasess