The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1915-11-26
our COAST LIGHTS
These Beacons Are Invaluable as
Aids to Navigation.
THE SERVICE NEVER SLEEPS.

Night and Day at All Seasons of the
Year the Flash of the Lamp or the
Song of the Fog Siren Welcomes or
Warns the Watchfu Mariner.
The work of safeguarding navigation
on the coasts of the United States is
| far greater and more complex problem
| than most people appreciate, for there
Is multitude of complex conditions to
| be met, each one varying with the pc
| culiarities of it's location. The terri
| tory to be covered is also unusually
| great, as it includes not only the entire
ocean fronts of the country, both on
| the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but of
| Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, portions
of the West Indies and the great lakes
as well. and the service never ends
| either by night or day, summer or win
| ter
The lighthouse service comprises
! force of 5000 men, on whom devolves
the duty of maintaining over $4,000
| aids to navigation of various kinds, In
| Guiding lighthouses lightships, light
beacons and buoys of various descrip-
tons, together with many fog signals,
and an important incidental duty Is
that of protecting the shores in the
neighborhood of stations from damage
by erosion that might endanger the
| structures.
The desirable distribution OF lights
| and other aids along coast depends
on It's maritime development and its
physical characteristics and is influ-
enced by the prevailing meteorological
conditions. Thus the north Atlantic
coast has large foreign and coasting
trade, and the shores are intricate and
in part rugged, and along this coast
the main lights are, with few excep-
| tons, placed at such intervals that
their arcs of visibility overlap. On
portions of the coast of simple con-
tour, and with smaller traffic, there
are unlighted stretches between the
lights which stand on the projecting
capes. The design and construction
of lighthouses vary with their loca-
ton and the surrounding conditions.
no two being exactly alike.
Next to the lighthouse, the lightship
is one of the most picturesque objects
seen along our coasts. This vessel is
ninety-two feet on the water line,
twenty-f feet beam and has a
draft Of eleven feet four inches. 1t is
built of steel and incombustible ma
terials throughout and has five water
tight bulkheads. 1t is self propelled,
being provided with an internal COM
bustion oil burning engine Of 200
horsepower, and has an oil vapor or
gas light fifty feet above the water,
located on a tubular mast, through
which access to the light can be safely
had in any weather. The fog signal
is siren using compressed air, and
submarine bell is also fitted. Fifty
two light vessels are maintained, and
that there may be no interruption of
the service there are fourteen relief
ships, so that If anything happens to
ship or station another can be quick
ly sent to take its place. All of these
vessels are very strongly built to en-
, able them to withstand the severe
service they are required to perform
and have flush decks for increased
safety.
Only one light, that at Navesink
N. j., is equipped with electric light fol-
which current is generated at the sta
ton, but there are thirty minor stations
where electric lights, either incandes
cent or arc, are used which obtain cur
rent from outside sources. In most OF
the coast lights oil vapor lamps are
used having mantles of either thirty
FIVE or ffty-five millimeters diameter
and arranged either singly or in groups
, giving light fntensities of from 600 tt
$500 candles. These lamps are not
only very powerful and reliable, but
are much more economical than the ole
oil wick lamps as they require but
from 0.6 to 0.SS gallon per candle pow
er per year as against 4.S to 7.6 gallons
for the old oil lights. The increased
Illuminating efficiency is about eigh
| times.
. Beacons, both fixed and floating, are
numerous and depend on either gas OF
electricity for their lights, and these
are especially valuable in inaccessible
places where attendance is difficult
These, however, are only put In sta
| IlOHS OI SuDOfu1udIe lLupOFlduce. Liz
majority of such beacons use gas ant
are provided with tanks of sufficien
capacity for storing a supply of acety
. lene gas for about five months.
Fog signals are of particular value il
many places, and these are distributed
along the coast. according to conditions
prevailing. Thus on the coast of Main,
. there is an average of 1,057 hours o
fog during the year, while on the soutl
Atlantic and gulf coasts the average Il
, only 180 hours. There are 328 fog sig
nails from Cape Lookout northward ou
Of q total of 567 maintained by th,
service. There are 127 fog signals OF
the American shores of the great lake
and eighty three on the northern Pa
cific and Alaska shores. while in Port'
Rico and Hawaii, where fog is rare, N
signals of this kind are required.
The principal fog signals used are al
sirens, steam whistles. reed horns bell
controlled by clockwork and submarin,
bells operated by compressed air, all o
which are valued by rs.-Engineer
Ing News.