The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-06-06
The Lighthouse
Keeper

| rvery third month . hroad-shoul
dared. souarsly. built man promsnadsd
eiooe IL quays Of The little Ashiag "
lase on Tie Islaod Of PslwoFm. He
vas dressed IN . black Prince Albert
coat white vest and stevspipe. has
when he walled along the Quays, but
when he disappeared b took, up his
vocation Of attending tho LIGHTHOUSE
on Bishops rock.
Why be had entered this branch Of
the government service have never
been able to hnd out. Now, at the age
Of forty.nine, he was filled with . hor.
ror Of the sea, and the Prince Albert
coat, which he wore during his week
off, he put on as a protest against his
work. Nothing gave him more pleas.
ure than to be taken for drummer.
Ziegler was his name.
The sea is a smooth as a polished
floor" he caid to me one day when we
were sitting together on the shore
locking westward to where the light
house was dimly visible against the
sky. but the sea is treacherous.
around bishops rock there are Nn-
dertows, currents and eddies which
nobody knows. Fortunately have
only one more winter to spend there.
though 1t would be just like my luck
if the old tower should blow down this
winter in a storm from northwest"
He voiced the general opinion of the
islanders. The former lighthouse had
been swept away by the waves. and.
although the new one had been stand
ing for several years. every one knew
that a fog.horn situated sixty feet
above the rock had been carried away
by the foaming waves during stormy
night.
Ziegler trembled and stood up.
thank the Lord. l have only one
more winter to spend out there" he
said.
"And them" I queried.
"Then am to be transferred to the
North Foreland lighthouse and will be
able to live ashore with my wife and
boy. BY the way. I wanted to speak
to you about Leopold. He will soon
finish school. and what are We to do
with him then? Come along home
with me and have q chat with my wife
and the boy"
! Frau Ziegler was red.cheeked.
buxom matron. whom no one would
suspect Of morbid ideas. but she. new.
ertheless. shared her husbands horror
OF the sea.
1T seems . miracle that It has not
blown down." she said. "ior It looks
to me like Z challenge to Cod"
Thsn We talked about the boy and
bis prospects.
II hope to meet you next year." ]
said when left n shall call on you
In your new home. Ziesler."
III the lighthouse does not topple
over this winter" he replied.
The lighthouse did not topple over
that winter, but Ziegler was moi
transferred to North Foreland light.
Two years passed before returned.
But one day in spring once more Wis.
tied the island. and my first walk took
me through the little cemetery. A
new tablet In the wall caught my eye
read the inscription. 1t said that
Ziegler had died the year before on
Christmas night OF his death the In
scription gave no information.
! walked slowly toward the little
fishing village and involuntarily I turn
ed my steps toward the signal house
on the cliff was so filed Will
thoughts of Ziegler that l was not a
all surprised to find his wife there
staring toward the lighthouse as o
old.
Il had heard nothing about It,"
said as shook her hand.
Then she told me how her husband
disappeared.
On Christmas eve the light was tt
have been lit at four o'clock. but the
minutes passed and at half past III,
Bishops rock was still dark. On tn,
island people realized that something
had happened and the cutter wal
made clear.
OF the three men IN the lighthous,
only two were found. They said thai
Ziegler had taken the day watch while
the other slept. He was to call then
little before four. but when they
woke up It was dark and Ziegler wal
not about.
When they III the light they saw
that he had made an entry in the
journal at $40 that schooner vas In
sight. They looked everywhere. ANAL
" descending the spiral stairway. The
lower door was open. From this q
narrow iron ladder led down to the
little landing
There was only one explanation
Ziegler must have gone out on the
iron ladder, then stumbled and faller
into the sea.
This is what Frau Ziegler told me
and I wondered why she should want
to 60 on living here.
She shade! her eyes with her hand
ard stared access the sea.
| There IS tbs cutter from the licht
house" she sail Come down 10 the
n -,