The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-03-30
IT TURNED HIS HAIR GRAY
UNCONSCIOUS AFTER IL DAYS
VIGIL IN LIGHTHOUSE.
Awake Night and Day by Heavy Fog
That Hid Signals. Shared Last
Food With His Dog.

! FOOU WIN his DOSs
! SOUTH NORWALK, Conn.-After
being continuously on duty for elev-
en- days, with the light always burn
ing and the greater part of the hime
with the foghorn sounding, LIE Roy
lC. Loughborough, assistant keeper
of the Norwalk light, in Long Island
Sound, was found lying PROSTATE by
the side of his engines starving and
exhausted by his long vigil. His
hair was turned white by his expe-
rience.
By his side was his faithful dog,
and more than once Mr.. Loughbor-
ough had considered killing it for
! food. But he did not have the heart
to do this, and shared with the faith
| full pet the last of the potatoes and
dog biscuits, which had been their
| food for eleven days, while the only
drinking water was the condensation
of the steam from salt water which
was boiled.
John M. Kairson, keeper of the
/ lighthouse, left for Norwalk for the
purpose of getting provisions and the
salary orders for himself and his as
| sistant. He was expected back the
same night, but he did not come.
/ AS day after day passed the as
I sistant keeper saw his small stock of
| food grow smaller. There was no
way to divide the rations so stated
amount could be used each day, for
/ fn fol WI Of
would reach him. Whenever the
man ate there was portion for the
dog that shared the lonely watch.
What added to the difficulty of the
| situation was that a heavy fog set
! tied down on the coast, and made it
necessary that the gasoline engines
be run night and day to sound the
! foghOrns. He had raised his flag
inverted in the hope that help would
come, and the fog that kept him at
the engines night and day prevented
any passing boat from seeing this
signal.
Falls to the Floor.
Two days the, man and the dog
had been without food. The last
night he found his way to the side
of the engines and kept the light
burning for any ship that might
pass, but when daylight came and
he could shut down the engine he
fell PROSTATE by the side of it.
When John S. Haywood, assistant
superintendent of lights, arrived
from New York on the tender Pan
! sy there was no one to greet him
or salute him, and his calls brought
no response. AS he entered the en-
CINE room the man was found I'M
conscious on the floor, and the only
welcome was from the starving dog,
just able to lift his head and wag
his tail.
Il am all alone Sir" the keeper
said in a half apologize tone, as if
to excuse himself from being found
in that condition, when Mr.. Haywood
aroused him. An examination of the
books showed that for the first. five
days all the light registrations had
been made by Mr. Loughboroqgh,
and that for the last six days, which
continual fog, there had been no en-
try.
!; Keeper Was Celebrating.
With a little warm food Mr..
LOughbOrough soon recovered enough
of his strength to assist in the
search, which was started for Mr..
Kiarson, who had left the light
eleven days before. He was finally
found in Bridgeport, where he had
been celebrating.
mot for all the money in the
United States would l go through
; that experience again." said Mr..
Loughborough, after he had recov-
cred sufficiently to tell of his expe-
rience. Il feel ten years older, and
can see that my hair has turned
gray as the result of the loss of
sleep and the strain that | was I'M
der.
1T would not have been so bad
except for the awful fog that kept
me over the engines night and day
There were times that l thought l
would go crazy, and | would raise
the flag inverted, thinking that if
some ship would come along l would
escape to the mainland and abandon
the light. Then l would go up and
take the flag down and make up my
mind to stick through to the end. -
LITTLE SPRING COST S4,135. 1876.
Was in Scales That Weighed Sugar
Refining Company's Cargoes.
A little spring in some scales on
the New York docks where big Sill