The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1909-10-28
IspzlL ooJ JTa1loY on z4r OcEAH cur
yHEN the sailor nears

W " IL may seem TO the
landsman. land is the
sailors greatest men
ace. especially when beset by fog
More wrecks are caused by standings
than by any other cause OF by all
other causes combined.
Hence the continual effort OF gov
ernments TO better their systems of
lighthouses. fog signals and other
aids TO navigation.
San Francisco is ono OF the most
admirably equipped seaports OF the
world In this respect. and numberless
are the wearied mariners who heaye
a sigh OF relief when the lights. first
OF the Farallones. then OF Point Bo-
nita and Fort Point. come In sight,
are picked up" as the sailor himself
says. or. In case OF thick weather.
their fog signals heard. Glad. too. are
tidings Of a ships arrival that are her.
aided by the lookout OF the San Fran
cisco Merchants exchange stationed.
day and night. In his little sentry box
overlooking the Cnff house and Mile
rock and the sea for miles beyond.
The keepers OF the Fort Point light
and OF the Merchants exchange gnal
station are interesting characters.
They may well be termed the keep
ers OF the Golden gate"
For 30 years John Hyslop has been
the lookout OF the Merchants ex-
change. He is TO the port OF today
what cid Telegraph hill was TO the
forty-niners. With the aid of his big
telescope. a finely adjusted instrument
costing thousands OF dollars, Hyslop
can sight a vessel far out at sea and
classify and name her while she is yet
miles away. He knows every liner.
every steamer. every ship. every lum-
Der carrier. every fishing boat. every
schooner that passes his post. A look
nj vessels rigging is enough for him
20 identify her: and remember he is a
landsman, or lacking that. the sound
OF her whistle or note OF bell. For
80 years he has trained his powerful
telescope on the ships OF 20 different
countries.
Jim" Rankin has been the light
house keeper at Tort Point for IS
years. His hair was brown when he
FIRST entered the government service
and undertook tho responsible task OF
warning vesFels o. the rockbound
shores OF the Golden gate and guild
ing them safely to the commodlous
anchorage within. He is now griz-
zled. but his eye is as keen and his
nerves as steady and his devotion to
duty MS stern as 4 quarter of a cen
fury ago. In his period of service he
has seen wondrous changes In the
maritime life OF San Francisco.
When n gale is or there Is always
an oil clad figure and a rudy face
under a lowered oilskin cap climbing
the steps from the lighthouse tower to
another one just opposite. where a
fiaring mouthed trumpet hangs over
the rocks below. Every 80 minutes
the big lamp must be visited. Every
80 inmates the big machine which
blows breath into the steel and iron
lungs of the hoarse voiced trumpet
must be examined and tested that II
may be ascertained II Il is working TO
its full capacity. The duplicate ma
chine which stands ready to take up
the work should any part OF its twin
suddenly fail is kepG in perfect condi-
ton by daily inspection; but It is sell
dom called on to perform extra duty.
Changes as great as In the topo-
graphica, and architectural surround
ings have been observed by both lily.
slop and Rankin In the maritime and
commercial conditions OF San Francis
co bay during their long terms of
service. The decline In sailing tonnage
and the increase OF steam tonnage en-
tcring and leaving the port. the great
expansion OF Pacific ocean trade and
many other events have taken place
In the last three decades.
Twenty big grain carrying vessels
used to sail out tho gate In a single
week. At the present time there are
not that number In a year. They have
been replaced by the big freighters,
each OF 'shich can carry as much
grain as ten Of the old-time sailing
ships. On the China steamers dozen
passengers used to be registered as a
fair list. A China steamers passen-
ker capacity is tested to the utmost
to-day By lists running as high as $50