The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-23

of these light ships, Last year there were ninety three first class ones alone. averaging $50 tons each. There were l22 vessels in the light house navy
 You have little idea of the steadys hard work done by the light house board until you count up the items of what they have accomplished. There are the 1.700 light houses and beac- ons, the 122 ships. about 2,oO0 post lights on rivers, about 50 electric and gas huoys, about 500 fog signals, 100 whistling buoys, 200 bell buoys and thousand day or unlighted t\acons,
 The oldest light house the United States can show is Boston light, on Brewster's Island Boston light, as it is always called in spite of the fact that there are a good many other lights in Boston harbor, dates from 1115 The Massachusetts coast was the first to have light house. and it still leads in the number it can show. There are several times as many on and off the Massachusetts shore as there are on the whole Pacific coast. This is not a case of partiality. The New England shore is the most dan gerous and, owing to the amount of shipping involved, the risks are dou- bly great.
 This is not saying that more protec- tion on the Pacific coast is not need ed. On the inland route to Alaska there are only thirty-five lights pro tecting the entire 1000 miles. Nine teen of these are along the Canadian coast.
 This does not compare very we'll with Japanese inland sea, where there are forty lights covering a distance of 250 miles.
 The Pacific coast, however, enjoys the distinction of having some of the most famous of American light hous- es. The Tillmanook light was one of the most difficult problems Ameri- can engineers ever tackled. It cost s125,O0O to build and, is one of the famous achievements in its line.
 The pay of light house keepers averages from $10o to s1,O0O year, lHt lSoldltu OHeS dIe Supplltu Nllu food and fuel too. As matter of fact 1t often costs more to get these supplies to the light houses than the supplies themselves cost.
 Men who receive $100 year or other small salaries do not have charge of first-class light houses. They are the men who attend to lighting one of the small beacons. but even in that case they earn their money Light house keepers are not allow ed to take up any occupation that would interfere with their duties but some of them manage to turn an hon. est penny occasionally by making shoes or doing tailoring or other in termittent work.
 One is reported who preached ev- cry Sunday at little church near the light. Another was the justice of the peace. Another taught school
 Several more or less famous men and women have spent part of their lives at a light house. Celia Thaxter the poet. was born and brought up in the light house at the Isles of Shoals l Perhaps people who have read her well known account of My Island l. Garden" do not know that the gov ernment supplies light house keepers with all the seeds they want. In the nature of things some of them wan mighty few. but the government en- courages all the beautifying possible | One of the most allevating features of modern light house existence Is the travelling libraries. These collec- tions. numbering about forty volumes each, are provided by philanthtropic organization of women, M l They are carried to the light houses by the tenders which change the books at any one light about twice a year At isolated stations these li- braries are worth almost their weight in gold during the long winte months.
 The summer isn't so bad anywhere On the Northern Atlantic coast things go to the other extreme. Summer folks become a veritable jest at many of the lights Those which are near 1 'AhN '0'i S' i'N'i iN dif lflduE ltle DU- jective point of hundreds of yachting parties of launches. of idlers in any kind of thing that will float.
 When these visitors come by scores every day and must all be taken up tc see the light--a very respectable lit. tie climb of the to yer happens to h I hundred or more feet highland must all he fed with the same facts all of them indigestible to the average | mind on a sum1er vacation-an6 must all peek and peer into the pri- | vate quarters of the family. then the isolation of January doesn't seem tc be without it's redeeming features.
 The wife of a light house keeper has no sinecure One wonders whai happens if a man in that position marries an untidv wife According tc ! the testimony of one woman who lives in light house the inspector would make short work of a domestic slat. tern.
 He examines every corner of tho house every time he comes" said the woman. Looks at the windows to set if they have spot on them, lifts the kitchen drain to see if there's anN grease, draws his fingers across thu parlor table to find out if there's dust looks over the travelling library to set | if we wash our hands before we teucr the books. and as for anything thai, made of brass-and you've no ides how many things in light house arr made of brass-if it doesn't shine sc that it makes him squint-well. ht sQuints anyhow, but it's out of hi' | other eye. so to speak"
 In spite of the loneliness of the If, many women seem to like it Some O them have even stuck to the place If ter the death of their husbands
 Mrs Baker. who was the keeper o the house al Robbins Reef. of Tomp kinsville. in New York harbci. sue