New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-03

b"
-, Tit-Bsts." introducing description OF The
a,c-trfe fasf..rIlt recently erected hy the Ger
-, go,ernnent an t:e Island OF -iells"Iahd' ie"
- ,s1s. cltiz..s Of The United States Jealous
- lie supremacy 81 lis native land 10 write a
- cl..,lelsras tAe veracty Of this statement
80 c,r,lt-,. be assorted was the nome OF the
,oet r,awe.fll fasniight. Re referred TO Tie Isn't
,-svsefrk Highlands which replaced the old
f0 tights FIVE years s-ro, and according to The
...- az the letrc-. throws beam light having =
Ia mower Of 100000. as compared with q can
-. mower of 100000 al HoGolaud. SO far as can
~ learned the challenger is right 10 ihe extent
fet The highlands Light is more powerful, but II
. 5,r.ftfi! II +. rs us powerful he declares II TO
ire rsa.Iacact ,.rcrs Of the light declared its
,.scity 10 Doe s1No1,e1 candle power, but officials
,tbe lighthouse establishment who have measured
q CIT those figures in two. giving :; credit for
10000
r. the navigating officers Of incoming steamships
r.er sighting the flashing eve OF the Fire Island
rtrl-r the f:st the Atlantic Coast. They
mend or that flash os light TO guide them
,sa hole in the pocket Of the coast at this point
,r-o,gh which they slip into New-York Bay. Every
ne who las been in the Lower Bay after nghtfall
recalls tie regular appearance Of the Hight as much
resembling heat lightning the southwark. This
,eam ~ light, swung around the horizon every five
seconds and seen only for a tenth Of second is
tie light for which the navigator is seeking II is
directly visible from the bridge OF a steamship at
q distance Of thirty miles if the atmosphere be
Gle
clouds has been seen st a distance OF one hundred
miles.
The persons living in the neighborhood OF the
,ight do not ind q friendly neghbor. 1t is
than ''Peeping Tom for every five seconds. with
q regularity that is almost horrible the con-
rnuous dripping OF drops OF water upon the head
es a Of torture, ii flashes into bedroom win
dows Complaints have been made TO Uncle sam
about It, but Uncle Sam has replied that in this
case he could not provide the relief asked fora
dramlug Of the nght-because there might as We'll
he light there at all light which could be
aeen only short distance The power OF its search
ing eye is almost past believing. Before the lens
was mounted in the tower IL tested IN the
lamp shop the branch Of the lighthouse estab-
lshment at Tompklnsville. Staten Island. The
beam Of light was occasionally permitted 10 escape
from the window which opens toward Long Island.
three four miles away. II IS asserted that at
that distance books could be read by its light.
Few persons outside OF those connected with
lighthouse establishments realize the marked i'm
provements which have been made in lighthouses.
widening their sphere OF usefulness. Prior TO the
year ls22 the optical apparatus used in the best
equipped lighthouses was a silver plated parabolic
reflector. The power Of first order reflector light
Of sixteen refiect0rs. ranged frame having four
faces. equal 10 $3.50 candles. In place of the
Tehectors to-day lenses used, which multiply
the light Of an oil lamp to many times that of the
early rehectors and which converge the rays above
and below the centre OF the light until they
parallel 10 those thrown out from the centre. the
cult is it to make these lenses and prisms that
rhere only four places in the world where they
are made-one in England and three in France, the
home OF lenses. One Of these sets OF lenses was
given 10 one of the most prominent American Opt
car Liils 10 copy, but after nearly year CT
pertinent the attempt abandoned Therefore
Uncle Sam is compelled to buy mcst Of his equip
lnents IN Europe. The cost OF the lenses runs
nigh as $4,000. Even when repairs are TO be made
Il Is necessary TO return the lenses the makers
oie would think that they, being of heavy glass
would seldom require repairs. but the visitors TO
some OF the tall lighthouses the Long Island
coast have doubtless observed how badly nicked
are the keen edges of the prisms The keeper OF
one OF these lighthouses was asked for the cause
Of the damage
The birds did IT. he replied. When the geese
ana ducks are migrating they dash themselves
against the plate glass outside. when the glass
breaks the pieces fly against the lenses and break
them"
4Hls plate glass is Of considerable thickness but
1e brds strike IL with force not only breaks
me glass panels. but kills the birds themselves
me Keeper said on these occasions he invariably
Aad game dinner the following day.
me great dIfculty IN constructing the lenses lies
"a 1'iltDlIi-hg me pT1sms I'm such way that every
pa! SAaA Ae parallel with every other ray from
'Lelr source TO the piothouse OF a vessel tust an
bearing over the horizon from ten to twenty-five
miles away. The variation Of a slight fraction Of
eA lAeh al the lens would be exaggerated MANY
iaousandloId al the horizon
a. he wal,
'sp', so called because il consists Of two convex
f,'S or lenses and lTisms, Joined together AT the
'efs 'E htaFF brass bands, which concentrate ALI
''' "s"l INTO TWO beams BY means Of this con-
eehuallon "a more intense light is obtained from a
gwen size OF lamp than possible from the older
style OF lens distributing the light throughout tho
thllie $50 degrees. The fash Is usually obtained
ty moving the entire lens around the light on han
L'aIifas- The apparatus at the Navesink High
--i-as weighs togty-tge ions and could NOT ba
#F| nos -.-t ala.
Haated on mercury. and can be moved win to,,cb
90 the 9as,r
Passengers Or the Boston boats have observed
GA i-e SANDY Bluff on the east side Of CAM Cod
'hire stHaScd white lighthouses with black Ian,
''7- AeSe arc relics OF the old method Of con-
Ne-iHs information 10 the mariner regarding tho
particular Iart n the coast be- was approaching
-' seaman kHe" when H. sighted these three
-'sAts tlat he abreast the centre OF Cane cod
- ''.il al iEst point the tide divided, the cur
-'"'s gong IN opposite directions There arr. soy,
pa -s@i stations provided with two towers End
49, '-' ~ these ls me station Matinicus
-- ~ ."'t--4Fe miles Of Tie mainland south Of
-'''. "Ale- Wa established in 1897 Tor a rerio6
- lis flsto~~ il was cared fa,, h, he ,.o,,pq -
'' or The keeper who Was In The habit OF Ie,,,-ir
t-t Island 10 isl and being gone for long tar,,.e
''-l AID starvation sometimes combined 10 drive
'-e |t-A- lighthouse keeper and the reroair5.r NJ
'-' Keepers family from Their posi-
iHl@ keeper WIS SaI..aeI Tslrgess He was an
t.''o TO I'D" position in The spring Of 49, His
-''-'''S consisted 60. al Invalid wife, four small
.-1''..tia 2r- son. Ao5ie. the eldest da:rf..-
80 N,-a fourteen years ola, his only asslsiap,
- 1is occasional abs-nc" OF he- father the whole
'''Te 90 t1e two lights aoyeved unon iais gin eh
q 4hcofoed as @aylug In her modest way. II tool
{ Efe1l -'al q plile ln my lighthouse work and
islea 10 90 Iay Outs"
ta the morning " Tarsfa--- 10 rs-c - -,
'.3 F''..i-'ti years old. "a terrible gal. tI. or.
N.'.A '-iIltd EHay tae FIRST Lighthouse. erected ~,
80 -'-A, '-.-'"1 The rock. der father was