Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-02

curtajlment of service. There are
now about 5000 persons in the serv-
ice, of whom forty are in the admin
istrative Offices in Washington, so
, that this bureau holds The record for
small overhead expense among all
the administrative offices of the gov
ernment-two-thirds of one per cent.
~ -
A LII of the lighthouses coded by the
- states to the general government
in 1889 are still in existence, al
though with many improvements. The
Sandy Hook light, New York harbor,
erected in 1854, and the Cape Hen
lopen light, Delaware, erected in
I7sk. are still using the original
towers. so that these are the oldest
of our lighthouses.
The Sandy Hook light was built
at the Instance Of New York mer-
chants and the assembly in 1861 au-
thorized q lottery to raise the funds.
Among the peculiar provisions in the
deed for the site of this lighthouse
was one granting the privilege Of
keeping and pasturing two cows on
the land" and an agreement that no
public house for the selling Of strong
liquors" shall be erected. The origi-
nal masonry tower Is standing with
apparently no exterior change. The
walls are seven feet thick at the
base.
The fine old stone lighthouse tower
on Cape HenIopen. at the entrance to
Delaware bay. was completed about
1867 although the light was shown in
1865. 1t was built on the same plan
as that at Sandy Hook. but is more
imposing. as it stands at the top of
a great sand ridge about forty feet
above the sea. 1t was also built
under lottery scheme. John Penn
signed a patent granting 200 acres
of land to the commissioners Of the
Province Of Pennsylvania for erecting
this lighthouse, although it was with
In the limits Of Delaware. This light
house also suffered during the revo-
luton, being partially burned in
1877, but on the return Of peace the
damage was repaired and it was re-
lighted in 1884. This tower is YER
Itably built upon the sands and from
the earliest days has caused I'M
easiness as to its preservation. Away
back in 1888 committee Of wardens
reported to Benjamin Franklin.
president Of the Pennsylvania council.
regarding danger from the shifting
sands. and during later years At
lantic coast storms have cut away
the beach, near this pioneer tower.
In the olden days the great men OF
our country took a deep personal m
terest in these lighthouses. Original
letters exist today with signatures OF
George Washington, Thomas Jeffer-
son. James Madison, and. in fact, all
the earlier Presidents. which are in
trinsic proof that they gave personal
attention to details Of the lighthouse
maintenance. A notation dated April
81, 1898, signed by Washington, ap-
proving the purchase of a new moor
ing chain for one of the floating bea-
cons Of Delaware bay, shows his care
fulness with public property. for he
questioned, "Is there an entire loss of
the old one?' Another manuscript let
ter is signed by Thomas Jefferson,
ordering an example be made in a
disciplinary case. Washington, also
In his own handwriting, in 1892, APP
proved a contract for building a well,
with the reservation that II all the
materials in the schedule ARE not
used in the work, a proportional de-
duction shall be made" President JET
ferson, In 1908, increased the salary Of
Ebeneezer Skih. keeper of Gayhead
lighthouse. from $500 to $3.50 a year.
when he wrote:
"Clay and oker Of different colours
from which this place derived its
name ascend in a sheet Of wind opened
by the high cliffs and catch on the
lighthouse glass, which often requires
cleaning on the considerations service
in cold weather, and additional to
what 10 necessary In any other part
of Massachusetts.
"The spring Of water in the edge Of
the cliff IL not sufficient. have carried
almost the whole Of the water used
in my family during the last summer
and until this month commenced from
nearly one mile distant These I'M
pediments were neither known nor