Evening star., 1927-10-30

of light. The radio beacons are just
as distinct in signals, and the ships
carry with their charts a list of all
the houses and their own signals, so
that when one see a light or hears
the radio Signal, he knows just which
one it is. In daylight, he can tell by
looking at the house which one it is.
Now we are painted this black-and-
white in vertical bars and other
houses are painted differently"
Mr.. Mullenfeld then pointed to two
big horns, Curving upward, over and
downward out of a brick building on
the beach, and he explained that they
are air trumpets which are sounded
when there is fog, so that vessels not
equipped with radio compasses are
warned of the shore.
Proud of His Garden.
But it's not all a matter of oiling
motors, testing electric cables and
polishing lenses, for the keepers at
Cape Henry live in comfort with their
families in little white, red-roofed cot
tages on the beach. From the van
tage point of the lighthouse deck, a
bird s-eye view of the little settlement
watch YOU, probably, as he did the
reporter, to see where you are look
ing. When your eye wanders across
a rectangular patch Of garden, look
ing out of place in that desert, he'll
smile and he might scratch his mead
in a moment of shy pride.
That's my garden you're looking
at, young man." he told the reporter,
NV boy and my wife and l hauled
that earth from back over the other
side of the sand and we dumped 1t
there. cause somehow little garden
makes a place more homelike. Then,
too, we have our own fresh greens for
our table,
Lonely? Well, Keeper Mullenfeld
doesn't think 1t is.
1--WE have no kick in the world"
he says, there's everything here or
just within reach that there Is any
place else, and there's a whole lot
of health besides. In the old days 1t
might have been different in the way
of living quarters and Work-and
reckon it was"
First u. S. Lighthouse.
To appreciate the advances repre-
scented by Cape Henry Light and to
realize the truth of what Keeper Null
lenfeld 'reckons," you have to go back
to the old lighthouse on the sand
dune. It's story began with the open
ing chapter of the United States Gov
ernment, for that sandstone tower
was the first lighthouse to be erected
by the Federal Government after its
founding in 1889. George Washington,
himself. authorized it's erection, and
later, the first President even ordered
the OI1rch1Sn of ire oil
Although it was actually built by
the United States, the old tower was
proposed by the Colony of Virginia, as
is shown in a letter of December 18
1889, by Gov. Randolph of that State
which sets forth that 1.-The State some
years ago placed upon the shore al
Cape Henry a quantity Of materials
to complete such a lighthouse as was
at that time thought convenient
which have been, in the course OF
time, covered by sand. Measures are
taking to eXtricate them from this
| situation" The material was Offered
| for sale to the Government, subse
quently purchased, and used in the
construction of the tower.
During the Civil War, the lantern
was destroyed, only to be replaced and
in operation under military guard in
1868. In time, a number of cracks ap
peared in the heavy walls and the
original tower was considered unsafe