St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-01-14
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS MAD.
Occupants of the Circular Structure
on Minot Ledge Lose Their
Reason.

on Minot Ledge Lose Their
Reason.
The Minot ledge is famed for the
number of men who have gone crazy
in it, and for that reason is an object
of interest to students of mental dis
eases. 1t is, as everybody knows, says
the Chicago Chronicle, a piece of en-
cheering of the highest order, being
in that respect only second to the IA
nous Eddystone light. More than a
year was consumed in getting a
foundation for it and SO high are the
tides and SO terrific the storms that
the entrance to the light is more than
40 feet above the water.
Then, one above the other, come the
five rooms occupied by the keepers
and used for storage purposes, and
then the watchroom, and, finally, the
lantern. The tower being circular,
and space greatly in demand, naturally
erything is made to conform, so
that no room shall be lost. Even the
beds on which the men sleep are
curved. The tables against the walls
are circular, and the benches are half
moons. Everything is round.
In this lighthouse there have been
at least five well-marked cases of in
sanity, and others in which madness
has been suspected, and the men re-
lieved from duty. Experts in mental
diseases who have made study of
conditions at the Minot ledge light at
tribute the unusual prevalence of in
sanity there to it's peculiar form of
structure. There is no point, they
say, on which the eye may rest, so it
travels round and round in madden
ing whirl.
They therefore suggest that some
means be devised for filing up the
curves and producing corners and an
giles. In support of their theory they
cite instances of men who have lost
their mental balance during long con-
fnement in circular prisons, but have
quickly regained it on being trans
ferred to an ordinary room of corners
and angles.
Baron Trenck spent much of his
time in prison making marks and cor
ners to break the circularity of his
surroundings and kept his reason
from slipping away on the mad whirl
of encircling walls. Casanova, an 1tal-
ian engineer, who was imprisoned in
a round tower, gives much the same
testimony. He says he felt great
mental relief on being moved to an
ordinary square room.
AS it is well-nigh impossible to
make much change in the form OF
the structure of the Minot ledge light
house, the number of men in charge
Of it has been increased to five in or
der that they may have frequent
leaves from duty, and take turns in
going ashore for visit to family and
decrease in the number of cases of
melancholia and more serious mental
disorders.
In fact, but for the frequent changes
made in the service by shifting men
from one station to another, the num-
UGI VI CdSSS VI ILLS SOAI CVOAy WuVAV
would be much greater than it is. In
some cases man is kept in place
for only few months, and then sent
to some less isolated station for
awhile.
To give the men something to think
about other than their loneliness to
occupy the long hours during which
they have nothing to do, circulating
libraries of so books each are pro-
vided. The books are carefully select
ed and changed every three months
when the inspector makes his visit.
In the collection are biography, his
tory, travel, fiction, poetry, illustrated
magazines, and in come cases news
papers. Also medicine chests are pro-
vided for relief in cases of sickness
and careful directions given for the
use of their contents.
Despite the dangers and hardships
of lighthouse life, there are many ap-
plicants for positions in them. When
ever vacancy occurs in the service,
there is always number Of men to
select from And yet the pay is small. |
In fact the law provides that the
average compensation given keepers |
shall not exceed $500 year. Prob
ably the best paid keeper in the serv- |
Ice is the man at Hell Gate, who gets |
81, 200 a year.