Charlevoix county herald., 1911-10-28

b seamen in making harbors
- when they were hidden by
darkness or fog ever since man
first discovered that he could travel
on water in boat. In the long ago
great fires were kept up during the
night and if the night was fog-bound
so that the fires could not be seen
men having heavy, coarse and pene-
trating voices would stand at the wa
ter's edge and one after the other they
would lift their voices to the highest
pitch in the "Lili-hi-li-ho!" Mariners
hearing the voices would know in
what direction TO steer their craft. In
those days, however, fires were kept
burning or voices sent out over the
water when boat was expected.
which was not often. Later. the watch
tower was added 20 the fire and the
voice signals.
The United States is generally re-
garded as leading the world in the
protection which she afords to her
own mariners and to those coming to
her shores from other countries. Like
many other of our institutions, the de-
velopment of this service, though COM
paratively recent, has been both rapid
and thorough, and in some respects
marvellous. Other countries, however,
have also made notable strides along
the same line with the result that the
old dangers of travel upon the seas
of the world have been greatly re-
duced.
More than 200 years after the dis
covery of America only one lighthouse
had been built In this country, though
the value of such an aid to navigation
had been known since the days of the
ancients. Since they began to multi
ply, many almost unsurmountable OBJ
stacles have been overcome in estab-
fishing some of the most important
lights and not little heroism has
been chronicled in the work of con-
struction as well as in the subsequent
daily tasks of the keepers. Some most
notable feats of engineering skill have
also been chronicled.
The greatest heroism and skill has,
of course, been exhibited in the erec-
the reefs or on huge boulders. Pas
sengers on passing ships watch the
waves and heavy seas dash over these
rocks on which now stand staunch
lighthouses, and marvel how they
were ever built. The history of such
houses usually includes the loss by
drowning of several OF the builders
- 80 nd M a
hardships on the part Of all. Nor
have all the obstacles been upon the
ocean coasts. On one of the five great
lakes--Lake Huron-there stands a
lighthouse on Spectacle reef which
for nearly forty years has been with
standing not only the storms and
heavy seas but also the pressure Of
great packs Of ice.
Other lighthouses built under much
less difficulty, however, are of the
greatest Importance. Buildings or
much less size built not upon rocks
but perhaps upon artificial cribs a
mile or so from shore are to be found
at many points, especially on the
great lakes, and their lights illumine
the paths OF the immense steel ships
which carry the ore from Lake Su-
perior to the ports on Lake Erie. Some
of those now building on these waters
are said to be forerunner Of many
others of like construction which the
government will build within a few
years. They are constructed OF steel
and concrete along the lines of mod
ern office building. One of these mod
ern buildings has just been completed
and is known to mariners as the White
Shoals lighthouse. Steel instead of
stone and brick means as much to
modern lighthouse building as 1t does
in so many other industrial lines.
The cost of lighthouses ranges from
$1,000 to 100000 and there have been