The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1909-03-05
OUR COAST BEACONS,
Cheering Lights That Warn and
Guide the Mariner.
A BLAZE OF KEROSENE Oil.

The Wonderful Lamps and Lsnsea
That Produes the Brilliant and Fsfr
reaching Flame Why Electricity IL
Not used IN Lighthouses.
| The goal toward which tho light
house board Of this country Il striving
Il q continuous chain Of lights com
pIeteIy encIrcIing the United States
and possessions and In the case Of riy-
err and inland seas bounding the wa
teFs on all sides, 10 that d ship may
never leave the area Of light thrown
| by one lighthouse before entering the
circle OF the light Of another. As fast
as congress win appropriate the money
the gaps are being filled.
But what makes the light? When
the curious inquirer Ia told kerosene"
be naturally wonders why bis own
student lamp does not give better
| light If the same OIL In the lighthouse
sends It's beam from Ave TO twenty-five
miles.
Various methods Of lighting were In
use until 1910, when a new system
was introduced Of employing nearly
true paraboloId reHectors and better
glass lenses. In some cases these re-
Electors gave a light which Is not sur
passed even today except when han
died with intelligent care In 1852,
when the present lighthouse board was
instituted, the Fresnal system Of len
ticular glasses was introduced from
France and stiII remains. The first
cost Is great but by the saving Of oil
over the reflector system this Is soon
reduced. With any reasonable care d
fine light always results, and It Is i'm
possible for a keeper to maintain a
poor light with this apparatus without
fragrant disobedlence Of instructions.
Even with such an apparatus no
common lamp can supply the light
First order lamps have five wicks, one
inside the other. and are fed with oil
by pump and pipe system. The oil
is fed to the wicks so that 1t reaches
the ends where the fame Is III the
right time and in the right quantity.
1t is difficult to look at 1t, 50 intense
Is the light In the lenses rather than
IN the lamp is the secret, for they pick
up and utilize nearly al the rays Of
light which ordinarily 60 astray. The
Fresnel apparatus collects almost all
Of this waste light and reflects and
refracts 1t out In one great broad
beam Of light parallel to the surface
Of the sea, where it IS needed.
i The flames which come from the
lamps are largely transparent. SO. of
course, are all other similar flames. II
! flames were not transparent there
could be no advantage in having one
fame inside another and a third inside
the first two, ETC. The lights from
the inner flames could not get out and
would do no good.
In some lighthouses, usually for
range light purposes, the light is all
to be concentrated in one beam. This
is done BY concentric rings of prisms
and central bullseye and a reflector.
Vessels getting such a light in range,
either BY itself or with another light
and running down the beam. are safe
from distinctions which may be near
by, the range lights or beams Of light
marking out the channel to be fol-
lowed.
It is frequently asked Of light keep
ers why electricity Is not used in
place Of mineral OIL. An electric Hight
Is expensive to install and difficult ana
expensive to maintain There "a az
ways difficulty in keeping the arc ex-
actly In the focal point Of the lenses,
the carbons never burning twice alike
and constant watching being neces-
sary. Failure to have the light source
exactly In the focal point Of the lens
results In sending the light rays up or
down instead Of straight out where
they are wanted. Electricity, while
superior in penetratiye power In Z
fog, has no advantage over a power
ful oil lantern In clear weather. Min
eral oil, COLA oil or lard oil lights Of
the first order could be seen q hun
dred miles were It not for the curva-
ture Of the earth, and as long as the
light Is visible long before the coast
Is all purposes are served.
1t is only within recent years that
mineral oil has been In use. Lard oil
succeeded COLA oil and was used ex-
cluslvely up to 1880 and with mineral
oil up to 1889. Since the latter year
mineral oil has been used entirely, ex-
cept where electricity has been expert
mented with, or coal or acetylene gas.
So far coal oil, for power, efficiency,
cleanliness, ease Of operation and
cheapness, holds its own against all
other means Of light making,
Electricity If it can be successfully
installed, is the best light, but through
expense Of maintenance and In the In
ability to get skilled attendants for
such a light for the price set on keep.
ers' services 1t makes slow headway.
The traveller who cruises up the
coasts and who sinks one light before
picking up another must know that
somewhere in the dark circle Is a spot
picked for the foundation OF q light
which viii be erected as soon as funds
and time allow. Scientific American.