The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1914-01-02
LIGHT HOUSE KEEPERS
TALES OF UNCLE SAINTS GUARD.
IANS OF 65,O0O MILES OF
COAST AND CHANNELS.
is HFROISN IN THEIR LIVES
String of Lighthouses Twice Around
the Earth Protect the Lives and
Property of the Seafaring. Report
of Commissioner Interesting.

VI COMMISSIONER interesting.
The United States government,
through its lighthouse service,
guards and protects the lives and
property of the seafaring by means
of lighthouses and other aids to nav
igation dotted along 64,S28 miles of
coast line and river channels,
length equal to nearly twice the cir
conference of the earth. In this
distance it has 1884 aids to navi-
cation OF all classes. sufficient to
place one every two miles around
the equator.
Behind the brief official reports on
file in the office of George R. Put
nam, commissioner of lighthouses in
the department OF commerce, are
many stories of heroism, sacrifice
and devotion to duty. Some Of these
Commissioner Putnam has brought
to light in an article he recently pre-
pared for the National Geographic
Society at Washington.
Although the pay is small and
the life often lonely the work at
tracts as a rule an excellent class Of
faithful men, willing to take large
risks in doing their duty and also in
helping those in distress, writes
Commissioner Putnam. Following
are a few instances The keeper Of
post lights on the St. Johns river,
Florida, after being severely injured,
went on with his work, as he tells in
his report, in May, 1912: ] took
the lamp out, and as / went to blow
it out it exploded and knocked me off
the light (22 feet), and / did not
know anything until II n. When
came to | found the lamp gone.
erawled back to the boat (250 feetl,
got another lamp and put it on the
beacon and lit it. Then came home
6 miles,. Injury, broken leg Just
above the ankle, and severely bruised
shin and bruised arm and Lick on
head
There is a pathetic story Of the
keeper of Key West light. who after
35 years Of service became 50 absorb
ed in his duty that he would not
leave his task, even for short va
cation, laboring under the delusio1
that no one but himself could prop
erly care for the light The keeper
of Van Weis Point, New York. died
recently at the age OF 9s years, hay.
ing tended this light for 50 years
The keeper of the most distant light
In Alaska Cape Sarichef returned
to duty recently, his first absence In
three years. At this station there
is sometimes an interval Of five
months between mails, and the keen
er's only neighbor is trapper ten
miles away. A lightkeeper on the
Columbia river, Oregon, has taken
only two days leave in 20 years, and
one Of these two days for the paE
pose Of being married.
There are a number OF women
One Of these, the
keeper Of Angel Island light in San
Francisco bay, reported that after
the machinery Of the fog signal was
disabled on july 2. 1906, sue had
struck the bell BY hand for 20 hours
and IS minutes until the fog lifted.
and that on July 4, when the machin
cry was further disabled she stood
all night on the platform outside and
struck the bell with a nail hammer
with all my might The log was very
dense. A widely known woman
1ightkeeper was Ada Lewis who died
about a year ago. She lived at Lime
Rock lighthouse. on a ledge IN New
port harbof. for 81 years. her father
having been appointed keeper when
she was IL years old She was keep
er Of the light for 80 years. There
are reports of her having rescued
thirteen persons from drowning. en-
one occasion, it is said. she saved
three men who had swamped while
attempting to pick up sheep. and
then she rescued the sheep also.
In respect to territory covered aud
aids maintained Commissioner Put
nam says the service is much the
most extensive Of its kind under a
single management. There are 1852
lights above the order of river most
lights, 762 lights having resident
/ keepers, 81 Light vessel stations, and
49S lighted buoys. There are 93s
/ fog signals, e.2s1 unlighted buoy:
and 1,474 daymarks, or unIightee
beacons. About 5000 men are re
quired for the lighthouse work, ..
whom 211 are. in the executive or en-
cheering and clerical force, 1,73s
are keepers Of lights and depots, =
$40 care for post lights, 1916 are o.
/ vessels, and 489 are in the eonstrue
ton and repair force. The entire
+ personnel is under the civil service
rules. The annual maintenance cos
/ is close to s5,000.000, Appropriated
out Of the general revenues.