Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-09

she left II briefly to get needed food. TO
care for the lamp and, at night to keep IL
burning
On the third day of her vigil the signals
of distress she had kept steadily flying were
seen. either from the shore or q passing
vessel, and she was relieved.
Matchless Navesink.
The light at Navesink is one OF the most
remarkable in the world.
1t is a bivalve light, standing on the
heights, $40 feet above and back from the
shore. Though the light itself is not num-
bered among the most powerful in exist
ence, technically speaking, the construction
, of its bivalve lens makes 1t one OF the most
powerful In effect All the rays produced
by the lamp condensed into two great
straight white beams of light which are
thrown out over the sea at fve-second IN
tervals 1t has been reported by sea cap
tains that the intermittent flash from the
Navesink light can be plainly seen seventy
five miles out a sea.
Sharps who know about the distance at
which lights can be seen at declare
that the power and elevation of the Nave
sink light are such that it cannot possibly
be seen directly more than twenty-five miies
away, consequently the Hashes reported p9
the sea captains must be reflections. Al a
distance of twenty miles from shore the
beam of light when it chances to rail- d.
rectly into the human eye Is so strong ana
sharp as TO be positively DNiiullS'
1t would be hard to find more impress
sive sight than the view of the NaVeSlnk
light seen on quiet starhght msht
from the beach a mile or two 10 the south
Regular as the ticking Of some gigantic
clock set seemingly at a great height, the
broad bue-White beam from the great pl-
valve lens streams out, sweeping the entlfe
horizon in vast swing that seems to en-
brace the whole earth and the whole sea.
as indeed it does take in everything within
the range of vision.
Just above the observer the beam seems TO
cut athwart the sky only a little be ow
the zenith. though really less than 2oO feet
above the beach. From its apparently dizzy
height it bends down to the horizon in the
distance, moving along with incredible
F, swiftnesS from The south to the north, nrSl
| appearing away to the south near Asbury
| Park, and disappearing forty miles away
| from the park at the place on the northern
| horizon where the lights OF Coney Island
are twinkling over the low shore.
It might be expected that this great, re-
volving beam would be more impressive on
, a dark and cloudy night than when the sky
is studded with stars. But though the con-
trast between black night sky and the
big white beam is remarkable. the beam is
of such brillance that 1t shows quite
much contrast against the stars and the
blue as against dark clouds, and the very
fact that 1t seems to blot out the stars
adds to its impressivcness when they are
shining.
Women Light Keepers.
The two women connected with light
house life who have left their impress on
the records of the worlds brave deeds are
Grace Darling, the daughter OF a lighthouse
keeper on the Farce Islands, off the English
coast, and Ida Lcwis-now Mrs wilson
the keeper for many years of the Lime Rock
lighthouse In Newport harbor. Miss Oar
ling helped her father save nine lives in
1888. when she was only young girl. Six
or seven years later she died of consump-
ton.
Ida Lewis has saved eighteen lives alto
gether. Her boat has been exhibited at
worlds fairs and in many other places. and
she has been heralded the wide world over
as heroine; but, like all truely brave souls
she has never been puffed by the praises
that have been showered upon her. She was
married thirty-five years ago, but she is
still at the lighthouse.
Without detracting whit from the de-
servedly shining reputation of Mrs. Wilson,
1t LIS well to remind the world OF another
woman lighthouse keeper, whose daily life
shows as much heroism the more IA
keeper is Mrs. Walker. who keeps the light
on Robbins Reef. Like the Lime Rock
light. the one on Robbins Reef is in the
midst of harbor. surrounded by shipping
new world. 1t is in one of the busiest har
bors. too, not Hike Newport harbor, visited
mostly by pleasure craft.
Yet, and also unlike Lime Rock light, the
light on Robbins Reef, from its peculiar
situation, is inaccessible much of the year:
there are whole weeks in winter, when,
with great cakes of ice piled high in win
dows about it, II is practically impossible
for even the stoutest boatmen to effect a
landing there. Indeed. the whole year
round Mrs. Walker almost never has a
chance to speak to any one from the main
Il