Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-09
THE LIGHTHOUSE SERVICE
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Two hundred and ten years ago
the first lighthouse on this continent
was built by the Province OF Massa-
chusetts on little Brewster Island, at
the entrance to Boston Harbor. To
day the Lighthouse Service OF the
United States maintains more than
| IA. 900 aids to navigation along sea
and lake coasts and rivers that ag-
ereeate 40,635 miles in length.
In 1746, 80 years after the estab-
iishment Of the Boston lighthouse,
second was erected on Brant Point
Nantucket Harbor. Narragansett Bay
was next lighted in l749 with bea-
con at Beavertail on Conanicut
Island, and the other colonial light
houses in the order of their estab-
Iishment were New London. Conn;
Sandy Hook. n. j., the entrance to
New York Bay; Cape Henlopen, the
entrance TO Delaware Bay: Morris
Island, Charleston. S. G.; Plymouth
Light. on Gurnet Point, Massa'
chusetts. entrance to Portsmouth
Harbor; Cape Ann Lights. Thatchers
Island Massachusetts; Great Point
Nantucket Island, and the Newbury-
port. Mass. Harbor Lights.
In 1889 the Congress of the new
United States of America passed an
act providing for the maintenance OF
lighthouses and other aids to navi-
CATION by the Federal Government
and the IL colonial lights then in op..
GRAFTON were coded to the Federal
Government by the States. -Four
other lighthouses undertaken by the
colonies, but not in operation at the
time of the organization Of the Fed.
sral Government. were likewise coded.
They were at Portland Head, Me:
Tybee. at the entrance to the Sa-
vannah River: Cape Henry, Va, and
Bald Head, at the entrance to Cape
Fear River, n. c.
All Of these stations are still in op-
era ton, but the original structures at
most Of them have been replaced or
added to. At Sandy Hook, however,
the old masonry tower erected In
1894 Ia still in use and that at Cape
| Henlopen, erected in 1765. was used
| until 1924 Then, because OF the ex.
pense of protection and diminished
| Importance, 1t was replaced by an
automatic light. and, as II 1t could
not survive uselessness. 1t crumbled
into the sea on April 10 Of this year.
Different Kinds of Aids.
| Aids to navigation are. of three
| types-lishted aids, fog signals and
| unlighted aids. OF the first the i'm
| portant lights on June 80 last num-
| bered 2,O89, and there were 46 light
| ships, Asa gas buoys, 2S7 gas buoys
with whistles and bells. 1877 minor
lights and 1877 float lights. Fog sig.
| nails, including radio beacons, subma.
rine signals, whistling buoys. bell
buoys and the like numbered / .23s,
while the unlighted aids were 1888
buoys and 3,1s5 day beacons, the
grand total being 1880.
| This represents net increase OF
| 26s aids during the year. although
| es4 were discontinued. while there
was net reduction Of 81 In per-
sonnet. the total number Of employees
In the Lighthouse Service at the
close OF the fiscal year being $3.50.
| AS Commissioner Putnam points
out, the United States Light House
Service 10 the largest rganization OF
it's kind in the world, since 1t lights
and marks the coasts and inland navi.
gable waters Of the United States and
OF all it's outlying possessions. except
the Philippines and the Panama
Canal Zone It's organization was the
earliest public work OF the Govern
ment. having been provided for at
the first session of Congress.
1.-THE establishments has grown with
increase Of territory and commerce.
saws the commissioner land In Its
operations the developments Of science
end engineering are continually ap
piled, particularly In the fields OF
physics, optics, acoustics, and cleo
tricity,. and OF civil. mechanical. cleo.
tricai and marine engineering and
naval architecture. The most rapid
advances have been made in recent
wears. including, for example. the in
PRODUCTION Of quick.revolving lenses
throwing powerful light beams. oil
vapor lights. automatic acetylene
lights. lighted buoys. more powerful
sound. signals, radio fog signals. auto
ma tic gas fog signals, submarine sig
nails, improved light vessels and
tenders equipped with radio and con-
crete construction"
The SesquicentenniaI Exhibit.
The development Of the service was
graphically shown during the past
Summer and Autumn at the Sesqui
centennial Exposition in Philadelphia
by an exhibit which emphasized the
historic features Of lighthouse work
in contrast with new and improved
apparatus. For instance. the first
fog signal used in this country, a can
non which was fired in 1919 to answer
signals from ships In thick weather
was shown alongside a modern inter
, nal combustion engine and air com
, pressor, operating a six-inch auto
matte siren by means OF contro