The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-09-04

Uncle sans Beacon Lights
Every night Uncle Sam iahsSlls
fires in 1905 lighthouses. beacons anJ
buoys. over his dark OCEANS they
shine 10 welcome and guide tho ships
Of all the world They stand Ia ialand
states on every river where vease.s
float They beckon the laundering
steamboats, OF the mighty Mimissippi.
They are sacred fires indeed Who
ever might NEEDLE with United
States light. or set up false llghtss
would be liable 70 imprisonment for
aen years.
Uncle Sans lights are dHided into
four great classes Leading thenE all
are the primary seacoast lights. that
send out immense beams, many Of
which can be seen sixteen miles at
sea
In the second class are this sec 3
dairy seacoast lights and lakB coasa
lights. Though they are called SEA
ond class" 10 distinguish them from
the FIRST class monster lights, they are
the finest lights IN the world, eCualled
only by a few famous lights ca the
British and French coasts.
The third class is made up OF light
vessels. the strangely shaped sturdy
ships with basket-worh like fat metal
disks on the tops Of their stump mastk
these disks are the day signals and
the big lights, mostly electric, are
hauled up the masts, by wire cables
at night.
In the fourth class a lights Uncle
Sam has grouped his sound. bay, river
and harboU lights. They are of all
kinds Some of them are big light
houses. Others are lanterns fed with
oil and suspended from mere poles set.
ON banks or ia shallow waters.
The most interesting and impress
siYe Of these lights are the huge float
ing metal bu0ys that are filled with oil
or gas enough to keep the light burn
ing for two months without needing
attention.
The lights on these bouys are never
extinguished. They burn Gay and
night Ii is cheaper ami better to let
them burn constantly after the buoy
has, been filled, than 1t would be to go
out each morning anG extinguish the
light and each night to re-kindle It,
for some Of them lie far away from
shore and most OF them lie in danger
GUS places.
Among the finest oG the American
lights are thu two that burn 1913 feet
above the sea in two great towers on
Cape Elizabeth at Casco Bay in
Maine. One of these is a steady white
beam. The other shows a steady beam
varied BY a white fash that appears
once every minute. The two lights
can be seen II IA miles out at sea-
Cape Ann has two lights that a re
set so high above the ocean that they
can be seen even farther away, ships
having sighted the pure white rays
10 miles at sea.
The Cape Cod light which flashes out
a. dazzling beam every Eve seconds has
been seen 30 miles at sea in clear
weather
A beautiful light is che one at Gay
Head on the Massachusetts coast. ItNRs
visible 10 miles away and it sends out
a great fash every ten seconds. Three
times it flashes white. Then a deep,
fiery red flash shoots over the water.
Then come three white flashes again
and so on, as regular as the finest
clock.
But the mightiest of them all is tht
great Navesink light that towers FROM
the high land at the entrance to New
York harbor It stands 246 feet above
sea- level, and every five seconds flashes
a white electric beam more powerful
than most searchtights, Fifteen miles
away, its glare blinds the behOlder. In
ordinary weather it is visible % 1s4
miles at sea and the sailors have r e
ported that they saw the flash on the
sky IS miles and even so miles away
frun Iand.-New York Press