Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-07-28
THE ]. 5. Light
HOUSE SERVICE

| by governments to facilitate this traffic and
minimize its hardships and dangers2 This
Question was suggested to the writer last
week after four days trip to the light
houses and light ships on the Delaware and
of the New jersey Maryland and Virginia
coast in the hght-hous tender sZizania,
Captain Atkins master, on invitation Of
Commander S. P Comfy of the U. S. Navy,
| the present Inspector Of Lighthouses Of the
Philadelphia District.
We boarded the Zizania about 9o'clock
Monday morning, and our first stop was at
Edgemoor, where is located, besides
light house, a store house or supply station
for this service. On the piers here are
buoys Of all sizes and patterns from the
channel markers to the gas buoys,
that when filed and placed burn for per-
iod Of six months.
We anchored inside the breakwater Mon
day night, and with the first light of day
the anchor was raised and the tenders PROV
was turned seaward, and up the Jersey
coast. Our destination, we were told, was
lightship off Herford Inlet, and it seemed
strange to us that the course was always
seaward and gradually the land line sank
lower and lower and finally disappeared
from view It never occurred to our un-
initiated mind that light houses lay in that
direction until ship, minus sails or smok
ing funnel, rising and falling on old oceans
swell, appeared in view, and we were in
formed it was Northeast End light ship.
THE LIGHT SHIP.
The light-ship is vessel of especial cons
struction for the service size is designed to
perform. The new ships are built of iron
but there are Jet snany wooden sesssis
in this service. They are, of courses
staunehly built, their length being about
100 feet with a beam or width Of so feet,
and are manned by crews Of about ten
men. They are securely anchored and in fair
weather and foul, year in and year out, the
only duty OF the light ship crew is to keep
the ship tidy, and all through the night
the lights at the mast's head burning
brightly. The government maintains sixty
of these light ships on the Atlantic and
Pacific, and their signals are discernable to
mariners at a distance Of twelve miles.
As with the lighthouses on the coast line,
every ligbtship has a peculiar light as fam
liar to the navigator as the street signs are /
to the landsman, and is the first warning q
his approach to land and by whif fH
shapes his course to the harbor Of b
tination. Each Light Ship has a +
nal which in thick weather perfoI
important function in warning va
their approach to shoal water. f.
If the country boys chaffe at the -
of life in the country, and the mon my Of
life on the farm, what will he say Of life on
the lightship, whose only inspiration is the
knowledge Of the responsibility of the ser
vice Of which he is part. Other light
ships were visited and the Zizainia again
anchored within the sheltering piers of the
breakwater on Wednesday night, and
Thursday morning turned her Prov up the
Delaware, where the Inspectors duty took
him to the numerous lighthouses that
blaze the channel of bay and river. We
anchored late Thursday night well on our
way to Philadelphia, and completed the
journey next day.
LIGHT HOUSE INSPECTOR
The light house service is IN charge Of
Commerce & Labor Dept. of the government,
and is divided into districts, each in charge
of naval officer Of high rank. The in
u n
under Dept. of Commerce q Labor. It is thd
inspector duty to pay four visits of inspect
tion per year to each light house and light
ship in his district and report its condition
to the Light House Board The inspector is
also the disbursing officer Of his district,
and is one the few disbursing officer IN the
governments service not required to give q
bond for faithful performance Of duty.
The service is maintained at cost Of
over Sc. 600, 900 per year, and we are in
formed that no instance Of malfeasance IN
office has ever occurred tribute to the
high character of our naval establishment
and the men who administer it.
THE LIGHT HOUSE SERVICE.
! The lighthouse service is one Of constant
growth. The first light house on the
Atlantic coast was the Boston Light,
erected nearly two hundred years ago. Cape
Henlopen was built about 1869, and
was one Of those inspected on this trip.
The service IS ever expanding and being
improved, the most marked improvement
| in the navigation Of the Delaware being
the system Of range lights, by which the
Comparatively narrow channel Is as safely
| traversed IN the darkest night as ara the:
streets Of our well lighted cities.
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