Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-10

SOS S~0&~>"%/9 a<o>-S@>/
eOoNBRERo REYLIGHT
ON A CORAL REEF
O. marking = reef upon which a number
of unsuccessful attempts hav" been made
10 erect Il lighthouse is moored Diamond
shoal light vessel No. II. in one of the
most dangerous and exposed positions on
which any aid to navigation Is MAIN
tanned. The last few years have been
adventurous ones for this ship.
In January, 1912, a schooner ran into
the ship in a fog-collisions with light
ships in thick weather are not infre-
quent-and smashed her up badly In
September. 1919. storm dragged her
ueasly a mile from her noorings, and
shook her up. Various minor storms dis
turbed the vessels equanimity not at all,
but in the storm of February IA of this
year the elements went after her hard.
Read this portion of the report of Charles
l. SWanberg. master Of the vessel. and
draw your own conclusions as TO the
comfort or living on lightship:
Il respectfully report to You that all
day yesterday and all last night We had
the heaviest southeast gale that l have
experienced here. About midnight she
was breaking all over the ship. One sea
came over and carried away the two
windleaders on the port side: the after
one went over. but the forward We man
aged to save. She broke in the two after
engine room skylights and broke off the
after part of the forward railing on
port side but we managed to keep on the
station and the light and fog signals GO
ing all night Everything that we are
able TO will be put in order. All is well
on board"
Columbia river light vessel No IS,
stationed near the entrance to the Column
hta river and Off the Oregon coast. a
station of many storms and great danger.
seems to get rather more than her share
OF bad weather. judging by the records in
me lighthouse bureau The chief eng-
neer of this ship. by the way is Michael
. Rourke. the same Michael O'Rourke
who has figured. without disguise of
name. IN series of popular fiction stories
written about the work of the lighthouse
service ORourke is the same phiIoso-
sopnical. witty character in real life that
ne is pictured in fiction
IN reporting on the storm of January
last the master Of this vessel terseiy
described how the seas that came
ABOARD smashed his pilot house. carried
away considerable OF the superstructIre
OF the ship. tore the bridge binnacIe
from the deck. flooded Mickey O'Rourke.s
engine room. cut Seaman C. Carlson
ABOUT the head with bits Of flying glass
from broken lantern and washed Sea
man II. X. Hansen away with the wrecl,
or the wheelhouse. Hansen grabbed tho
railing as he was starting overheard and
SdNeu nlrnSef.
IN the record of the previous year-fscaI
year i'i5-the crew of this Columbia river
hshtship gets notice for having brought
70 night vessel part of crew of steamship
basV freeman which had stranded.
mat was hazardous and heroic bit of
work. taking off in a high sea men from
a which
on the beach
The same llghtship crew also is men
toned for the care il took of the survivors
Of the wreck of the steamship Rosecrans
and the crew of the Port Adams life
saving station, all of whom took refuge
on the lightship and We're cared for until
weather permitted them to get ashore.
The Rosecrans was wrecked off the Co
binary fury. The Port Adams lifesavers
went 10 her rescue. but could not make
their way back through the cross seas
They and those who Were rescued finally
were gathered in by those efficient
mariners. Capt Kenney and Engineer
O'Rourke. While this was going on the
lighthouse tender kanzanita risked the
roughness of the bar-windswept until Il
Was almost bare in places-and rushed e
the Rosecrans, She stood BY. but the
iifesavers had got the survivors off By
that time
cane Lookout shoals light vessel. off the
coast of North Carolina, has had almost
as much wild adventure as the Columbia
river ship. July - five of her crew in
her whaleboat We're attempting TO put the
mail from the hghtshp aboard the steam
er city Of Atlanta while high sea was
on. The steamer ran down and crushed
the boat and all five men We're drowned,
In the gale of February n the ship was
dragged from her anchorage and for four
days she made a desperate fight against
the wind and waves to keep near her
station. So thick was the weather that
il was impossible to see more than 300
Yards. Battling every moment of the
lime against wind and tide. the ship.
heavily powered as she is, managed to
keep within few miles of her proper
position and finally got back there.
The annals OF the lighthouse service are
full of tales Of herosm. Not a month
passes but finds a number of these re-
corded. The bureaus annual report for
the fiscal year ending June 30. 1913. con-
tains, In terse. official language. reports
Of ninety-two OF these cases. Since that
date almost as many more have been
placed on the records. Here is one that
is typical:
January 49, 1914. at 20 a m. five men
from the dlsdpieu SCHOONER John Paul
We're taken on board relief light vessel
No .. on station at Cross Rip. Mass, I'M
der command of Richard +. Il. Phillips
master. Owing To the extreme cold the
men We're in a helpless condition when
taken Oh board the light vessel. one of
the crew having died before reaching it.
They were given food and dry clothing
and taken care of until the morning Of
the 18th. when the tender Anemone ar
rived and took them TO Vineyard Haven
Mass"
Here is the official statement in regard
Presque Isle pierhead light station, Pa
dramatic in the very curtness of its
phrasisg: Rescued two persons who
we're about 10 drown while bathing in
Lake Erie. Life saving medal awarded
b. Treasury Department
Here are Tie bones of a story OF ORA