Evening star., 1929-01-02
Tillamook Lighthouse
Called Dead Mans Post

From the Portland, oregon, journal
That's dead mans job" said Cum
derson, once a lighthouse keeper, So
years on the sea in ships and now living
in retirement at Seaside, Greg. Gunder-
son was speaking of the life of the keep
ers in the lighthouse on Tillamook
Rock. Asked if he had ever served as
keeper in that lighthouse, his reply
was, mo, that's dead mans job"
Along the broad pavement at Sea-
side. known locally as the prom" or
promenade" sand, small stones and
debris still are scattered in protuSlon.
Though the prom" is on the brow OF
the upland many feet above the beach.
the debris was thrown up on the walk
by an aroused sea in the great gale OF
last week. With such exhibitions OF an
oceans fury along a safe Snore, Wnat
terrifying things must sometimes ps
done by an enraged ocean at the hgnt-
house on Tiilamook Rock, miles on
shore from Cannon Beach, mile and
half from frowning Tillamook Head
and 20 miles south of the Columbia
River entrance?
It was. however the isolation and
solitude under which the watchers at
the light live on the lonely rock that
Gunderson referred to when he said
that life out there is "a dead mans
lob" The isolation of the rock Is SO
complete that book on the subject OF
lighthouses says that a party OF en-
gineers detailed to go on the rock ana
make a survey for ascertaining the
feasibility of light there waited and
worked nearly six months before hnally
making landing and reaching the TOP
of the rock. One party, after several
failures, was superseded by Secono
party headed by John r. TreWabas OF
Portland, an engineer OF experience III
such undertakings.
THE rock. a hard mass of basalt, rises
out of the water to height OF l2O feet.
Readings from the lead dropped into
the sea around the base showed water
depth of 90 to 240 feet. The area at the
top is less than an acre, and split al
most in two. The sight around When
the ocean is aroused is described as ter
rifvinp. The waves fall with shivering
force upon the base of the rock, rush
up it's ragged side and sweep over its
crest in a dense curtain of frothing
water and whipping spray" says one
description. Because of whirlpools ana
MANY currents in the broken and froth-
ing waters around the base the early
landings were attended with great peril.
Engineer Trewabas, after several un-
successful attempts to bring boat
near enough to land. finally leaped
from the bow of his craft to a CLEFT IN
the base of the rock. His feet slipped,
he slid into the whirlpool. was sucked
under and never seen again.
The selection of another engineer to
head the landing party brought Bal
lantyne into the struggle. what Bal
lantyne and his men had to contend
with in finally gaining foothold can
be glimpsed by the account OF a storm
reported in the lighthouse records after
Tillamook Light was finally built.
In 1887 during great storm, mass
of concrete filling weighing 1000 pouncS
was thrown over into the lighthouse in
closure at height of 88 feet above the
level of the sea. Even this incident does
not bulk large, however, in comparison
with some others of record during ana
after the work of constructing the light:
After the death in the whirlpool OF
Engineer Trewabas, and because OF the
great difficulty in effecting a landing.
public opinion became aroused, and \
strong demand was voiced for abandon
ment of the effort to light Tillamook
Rock. Men along the coast began TO
claim that the rock was hoodoo for
lighthouse purposes. as it had been for
ships in the many wrecks that had been
strewn around it and the nearby shores,
including the Lupatia, which went down
with all on board even while the light
was under construction.
Ballantyne and his men finally
reached the top of the rock November
l, 1879. The conquest of Tillamook
Rock is described officially as one )f
the most brilliant tasks the lighthouse
service has ever accomplished.
Its brilliant white beam, flashing
every five seconds, carrying 100000
candlepower and visible Is miles, has
been welcome beacon to many wor-
ried navigator on sea along a coast
once known to mariners as most in
hospitable shore, and which, until Tilla-
nook Rock was lighted, was the scene
Of frequent wrecks.
And that friendly light out on the
midnight sea examples the things that
men and governments do to shield life
in a world where dangers make all men
kim.