Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-29
Goes Thirteen Miles for Mail.

"a light-keeper on a small island In the
great lakes goes for his mail and provi
sions to town thirteen miles away in an
open boat eighteen feet long and five and
a half feet beam, and simply a three
horsepower engine. Those are govern
ment boats that endanger the lives Of
ight-keepers While there are many ex-
cellent boats to be found in the service,
1 know of a number that any old expert
enced sailor would condemn at first sight.
There are a great number of light
keepers and their assistants who in order
to educate their children have to go to
the extra expense Of renting house and
maintaining home in some town or viii
lage where there are schools and churches,
while the husband and father, depriving
himself of their company, lives alone or
with one or more assistants. tucked away
in light tower far from land out on
dangerous reef, or on a storm-swept
lightship ten. twenty or even forty or
forty-f1ve miles away from land.
Il know OF no light-keeper who has
been able through his own earnings, apart
from what may have come to him through
the death of relatives. who has been able
to lay away anything worth speaking
about for his support in his old age, but
do know quite number who are In
them SO hopelessly in debt that for the
life of me can't see any chance Of their
ever getting out with their present wages.
Living expenses are increasing each year,
but for nearly forty years. apart from a
little ration allowance. there has been no
increase of wages.
Wife Had to Work Out.
when I visit assistant keepers who
have families and who have to rent
houses they are always found in a
oh 80
lage. and they have to scrlmp along on
the cheapest sort Of food and clothing.
I was greatly surprised and panied on
one occasion during this season to find
that the wife of an assistant keeper
was earning little money as do
mestic with wealthy family in the
town where they lived, that their four
children might attend school and
church and dress a little bit like other
children, and that she and her husband
might keep out of debt. This brave and
excellent woman. the daughter of a
most valiant life-saver, now dead, has
a remarkable record as a life-savsr her
self. Before she was married and while
still living with her father, who at that
time was captain of a life-saving crew
on one Of the great lakes, she alone,
without the assistance of any person,
rescued three children from drowning
1T may interest you to know that
fully one-ffth of the lieht-keepers have
been the means of saving, at least, one
person from drowning while on duty,
and quite number can be found who,
during their many years of service on
islands. have not only warned vessels
from danger, but IN several cases the
fght-keeper. with one assistant, has
rescued shipwrecked crews.
There is little island in Saginaw
bay. Lake Huron, and on that island
called Charity, there Is a lonely grave
the resting place Of a shipwrecked sail
or. The ight-keeper there, now an old
man. one of the noblest men in the
service on the chain of lakes and the
champion life-saver in the lighthouse
service. could tell a story about that
grave and the part he had in making It,
but more especially OF thrilling rescues
of shipwreeked crews on two different
occasions through himself and his as
sistant.