The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-05-04
THEY BECOME INSANE.
Because They Live In Circular
Lighthouses.

The Minot Ledge Light Is famed
foi the number of men who have gone
crazy In 1t, and for that reason " Is
an object of interest to students of
mental diseases. It is, as everybody
knows, piece of engineering of the
highest order, being in that respect
only second to the famous Eddystone
Light. More than year was con-
sumed In getting foundation for 1t,
and so high are the tides and so ter
rifle the storms that the entrance to
the light is more than forty feet
above the water.
Then, one above the other, come
the five rooms occupied by the keep
ers and used for storage purposes,
and then the watch room and finally
the lantern. The tower being circu-
lar and space greatly in demand,
naturally everything is made to con-
form, 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 a study Of
conditions at the Minot Ledge Light
attribute the unusual prevalence Of
insanity there to its peculiar form
of structure. There is no point, they
say. on which the eye may rest, so
II travels round and round in mad
dening whirl
They therefore suggest that some
means be devised for filing the
curves and producing corners and
angles. In support Of this theory
they cite instances of men who have
lost their mental balance during long
confinement in circular prisons. but
have quickly regained It on being
transferred 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 keep his reason
from slipping away on the mad whirl
of encirclng walls. Casanova, an Ital-
ian engineer. who was imprisoned in
a round tower, gives much the s"r't
testimony. He says he felt great
mental relief on being removed 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
order that they may have frequent
leaves from duty and take turns In
going ashore for visit to family
ed in decrease in the number of
cases of melancholia and more seri-
Gus mental disorders.
In fact, but for the frequent
changes made in the service by shift
ing men from one station to another.
the number of cases of This sort ov-
erywhere would be much grefHer
kept in place for only few months,
and then sent to some less isolated
station for while.
To give the men something to think
of other than their loneliness, and to
occupy the long hours through which
they have nothing to do, circulating
libraries of fifty books each are pro
vided. The books are carefully Sc
lected and changed every three
months, when the inspector makes
his visit In the collection are biog-
raphy, history, travel, fiction, poetry
illustrated magazines, and in some
cases newspapers. Also medicine
chests are provided for relief in cases
of sickness and careful directions are
given for the use Of their contents.
Despite the dangers and hardships
of lighthouse life, there are many ap.
plicants for positions In them.
Whenever a vacancy occurs in the
service there is always number of
men to select from. And yet the
pay is small. In fact, the law pro-
vides that the average compensation
given keepers shall not exceed $500
year. Probably the best paid keep
er in the service Is the man at Hell
Gate who gets $1,000 a year.-Chi-