Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-03-22
Cheering Lights That Warn and
Guide the Mariner.
A BLAZE OF KEROSENE OIL.

The Wonderful Lamps and Lenses
That Produce the Brilliant and Far
reaching Flame-Why Electricity Is
Not Used In Lighthouses.
The goal toward which the light
house board Of this country ~ striving
is a continuous chain Of lights COM
pletely encircling the United States
and possessions and In the case Of riv-
ers and inland seas bounding the wa
tiers on all sides. SO that ship may
never leave the area Of light thrown
by one lighthouse before entering tho
circle of the light of another. As fast
~ congress will appropriate the money
the gaps are being filled.
But what makes the light? When
the curious inquirer Is told kerosene"
he naturally wonders why his own
student lamp does not give better
light IL the same oil in the lighthouse
sends its beam from FIVE to twenty-6v
miles.
Various methods Of lighting were in
use until 1910, when new system
was introduced of employing nearly
true paraboloid relectors and better
glass lenses. In some cases these re-
Electors gave light which is not sur
passed even today except when ham
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 still remains. The first
cost is great, but by the saving Of oil
over the reflector system this is soon
reduced. With any reasonable care
fine light always results, and 1t is i'm
possible for 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 a pump and pipe system. The oil
Is fed to the wicks so that 1t reaches
the ends where the flame is in the
right time and in the right quantity.
1t Is difficult to look at it. so intense
is the light. In the lenses rather than
in the lamp is the secret. for they pick
up and utilize nearly all the rays Of
light which ordinarily go 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.
The flames which come from the
lamps are largely transparent. So, Of
course, are all other similar flames. If
flames were not transparent there
could be no advantage in having one
flame 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 a central bullseye and reflector.
Vessels getting such a light in range.
either by itself or with another light
and running down the beam. are safe
from Instructions which may be near
by, the range lights or beams of light
| marking out the channel to be fol-
! lowed.
1t is frequently asked Of light keep
ers why electricity is not used in
place of mineral oil. An electric light
Is expensive to install and difficult and
expensive to maintain. There is al
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 ncces-
sary. Failure to have tie light source
exactly in the focal point of the lens
results in sending the lirht rays up or
down instead of straight out. where
they are wanted. Electricity. while
| superior in penetrative power in =, a
fog, has no advantage over a power
| full oil lantern in clear weather. Min
eral Gil, COLA oil or lard oil lights of
the first order could be seen 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-
clusively 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 light for the price set on keep
ers' services it makes slow Roadway.
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 spot
picked for the foundation of Il l!sat
| which will no aractpd n g soon ma funds