Evening star., 1915-01-29

tuTc VI the cdTIn y surface "Oulu
wise conceal it. At the same time the
lighthouse must often be placed upon
tiny island or a barren cliff. Where
1t will be pounded by the surf and buf-
feted by the wind. Strength and sim
plicity of construction, combined with
lighthouses striking beauty.
Stannard Rock light, which marks
the most dangerous reef in Lake Su-
perior. is farther from shore than any
other American light, being twenty.
four nautical miles out. and situated
in eleven feet of water. Spectacle Reef
lighthouse. in Lake Huron. is ten miles
from shore and stands in water ten
towers were built by constructing
cofferdam. pumping out the water.
leveling off to bed rock and building g
the lighthouse of solid stone upon that.
Perhaps the most daringly perched
lighthouse in the world is that on
T lila m ook
Worlds Most Daringly rock. south of
Perched Lighthouse. liver and
about one mile from shore. Landing
on the rock was SO difficult that a man
was lost in the attempt. The top OF
the rock had to be blasted off in order
to make room for the lighthouse, which
when finally completed after great diff
ficulty stood 1876 feet above the level OF
high water. Despite this fact, the
keepers reported that in great storm
in 1887 the seas broke over the top OF
the building. The windows were smash
ed. the light put out and a part of the
rock torn away. but the tower stood.
On the Florida keys pyramidal iron
towers are used, the highest of which
is the one at Sombrero key, which IftS
its light 142 feet above the water. The
keepers quarters are hung on the iron
framework and are thirty-seven feet
above the water.
Being keeper of lighthouse must be
ranked as hazardous occupation. the
danger of fire from the great lights is
constant; the sea at times undermines
the towers, and lighthouses and light
ships are struck by vessels. In winter
nearly all of the lighthouses in the
great lakes are locked In ice and the
frozen spray often obscures the lights
In other places the constant bite OF the
wind driven sand does considerable
damage. Migratory birds are another
source of risk, for thousands Of them
are attracted by the lights and dash
themselves to death against the tow
ers, occasionally breaking windows and
lights. Wild ducks have been known to
fly through the lantern at Cape Charles,
Va, and fall to the floor dead.
Despite the fact that it is danger
GUS and lonely life, and the rewards
Splendid Glass of Men large. the
in Hazardous Service. service = cat at
tracts a splendid class of seamen. and
the annals of the service are full rec
ords of bravery and faithfulness. One
keeper died a few years ago at the
age of ninety-three. after having
tended his light for fifty-two years.
The keeper Of the light at Cape
Sarichef, Alaska, obtained his first
leave of absence after three years OF
service A keeper on the Columbia
river, in Oregon. has taken only two
days Of leave in twenty-three years.
one of these holidays having been for
the purpose of getting married.
There have been a number of woman
light keepers in the service. One of
these, who tended the light at Angel
Island. in San Francisco bay. kept her
hours during a heavy fog. when the
machinery had been disabled by a
storm. Ida Lewis was a widely known
woman light tender. who died a few
years at Lime Rock lighthouse. in
Newport harbor. to which post her
father was appointed when she was
twelve years old. She saved num-
Der of people from drowning.
The unavoidable dangers of living in
a lighthouse are great enough to daunt
many men. but the hardy seamen who
make up the personnel of the service
undergo even greater ones gratuitously
in attempting to rescue persons. Every
year wrecks occur on the dangerous
points where the lighthouses are To-
Gated, and every year a long list of
heroic actions are briefly set down in
the records of the service. with here
and there an instance where a light
house keeper has lost his life in the
effort to save some one.
In December. 1911, the steamer Santa
Rosa went ashore near Point Arguello
light station |