Evening star., 1933-04-30

LIGHTHOUSES AND LIGHTSHIPS OF THE
UNITED STATES. New and revised edition
BY George r. Putnam. Boston: Houghton
Mif1in Co.
LIGHTHOUSES have more than their
practical uses. They have furnished
poets and hymn writer's with symbolism
and painters With subjects of artistic
value DR.. Putnam recognizes their
symbolic significance when he says:
"The lighthouse and the lightship appeal to
the interest and better instinct OF man because
they are symbolic of never -ceasing watchful-
ness, of steadfast endurance in every exposure,
of widespread helpfulness." The history and
description Of our lighthouses and lightships
could be written authoritatively by no one
else by the United States commissioner Of
lighthouses. But he has done more than write
authOritatively. He might have done that in
such a way that only engineers could have
understood him. But he is an example Of an
expert who Is able to write Interestingly, with
out much technicality, for the information and
pleasure of the intelligent general reader
Much new material has been added to this re-
viSed edition, for since the first edition In
1917 important progress has been made In this
country in the development and introduction
OF new and improved apparatus. in the build
ing Of new stations and vessels, and the extern
sion Of the system Of aids to navigation, and
Ii lAupIOVcO COiWuOAS lOI Iue pei ISOIlIlcl. Lie
most notable advance has been in the applica-
tion Of radio for signaling and fo- commune
cation"
The Boston lighthouse was the first one built
in the American colonies, in 1716. only 10
years after the building of the first Eddystone
Light. When the United States became .
Nation. in 1789 the Colonies owned and oper-
ated IL lighthouses; at Boston, Nantucket
Narragansett Bay New London. Sandy Hook
Cape Henlopen, Charleston, Plymouth Ports
mouth, N. H.; Cape Ann Mass; Great Point
on Nantucket Island. and Newburyport. The
prosperous trade of the Colonies, especially
those Of the North, made lighthouse develop
ment take precedence of many othe. forms Of
public works. Sandy Hook Light is now the oldest
light tower In the country; 1t was built in 1861.
from funds obtained by q lottery. Provision
for the maintenance Of lighthouses was made
at the first session of Congress after the organi-
zatOn Of the Federal Government. The salaries
paid keepers of lighthouses in 1893 ranged
from $120 to about 1888 year. with living
quarters. Some Of the advantages urged In
lieu Of better pay the healthfuness of
the locations good sea air Undoubtedly, fuel
which could be gathered on the public land
the opportunity to fish and to have plentiful"
gardens. Even at these rates, there were many
applicants for lighthouse jobs One candidate
appointed by President Mad son. gave as q
recommendation for himself that he was a
mason and would keep the lighthouse white
washed without expense to the Government.
The book IS full of such anecdotes. The COM
p.ex engineering involved in the building of
the many lighthouses in the 19 lighthouse dis
tricts of the United States ard the operation
of the different types Of lights are described
with concrete detail. Buoys. fog signals, and
radio signals are discussed. In final summary
DR.. Putnam gives a statem:nt which is very
impressive of the improvement in the light
house service in recent years. at the same time
that economies have ben ee~~'--'
NEW ENGLAND'S PROSPECT: 1888 Ameri-
can Geographical Society Special Publica-
tion No. 16. BY James Truslow Adams and
others. Edited by John K Wright New
York: American Gcograp phical Society,"
THE title of this book is a revival. In 1884