Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1934-02-14
WATER LIGHTS
FOUND BIG JOB
Inland Waterways, Especially
Mississippi River, Keeps
Hands Busy
SHIFTING OF CHANNELS

ST. Louis. The lighting Of inland
waterways for the safety of trans
pUrtatiOn is big job.
In the Fifteenth district of the
lighthouse service for the inland
river system there are more than
1000 lights, about $500 unlighted
bIoys. $50 lamplighters and three
lighthouse tenders. or supply steam
ers. each with a crew of about TWEEN
ty men. The service for this dis
trict, directed from headquarters
in St Louis, costs approximately
half million annually.
The shifting of river channels
makes the biggest problem for the
men In this service. it was eX-
planned by |. l.. Gill, superintendent
of lighthouses In the Fifteenth dis
trict He now has charge of about
5000 miles of rivers. as the Fiji
tenth district has been expanded In
recent years to include what was
formerly the Thirteenth district,
headquarters for which were at
Rock Island. ILL.,, and the Fourteenth
district, with headquarters former
ly at Cincinnati. This territory in
cludes the Mississippi river from
New Orleans to Minneapolis, the
Illinois to Chicago. the Ohio. the
Monongahela. the Allegheny. the
Kanawha, the Tennessee and the
Missouri.
Lights Moved Often.
shifting channels and caving
banks make it necessary to move
lights often" Gill said. Sound
ings OF the channels are being made
continually by the crews Of the
lighthouse tenders, and lights are
changed to mark the new channels
for steamboats, and other crafts
plying the rivers.
Looking at map, person
might get the impression that the
Mississippi. for instance, is compar-
atively straight. But that old river
has ideas of its own about getting
to the Gulf of Mexico. By direct
route New Orleans Is only about 600
miles from St Louis. BY the river
it Is just about twice that distance.
So there's about GOO miles of curves,
horseshoe bends and hairpin turns.
| suppose the worst part Is about
80 miles above Memphis, in what is
known as the Island country. Here,
in a distance of one mile, there are
nine shore lights, four flashing
buoys and "a unlighted buoys. The
buoys have to be changed from day
to day, the channel shifts 80 fire.
Quently."
Most Lamps Use Oil.
Lights are set up on huge tripods
ranging from 10 to 20 feet In height.
OF the approximate 1900 lights, all
but about $50 are lighted with oil.
Lamplighters make their rounds
regularly. keeping the lights In or
uCI. LII SOAIS CdStS, WuCio thc
lamplighter lives distance from a
light, it Is permitted to burn during
the daytime. If he lives near, he
turns the lights off during the day.
There are In operation now $50
new automatic marine beacon Ian
terms. lighted with current from
electric primary cells. Gill said
the operating cost for them Is only
$50 year. compared with about
S120 for the oil lights. When 4
bulb In one of these new beacons
burns out, another bulb Is automat-
ically switched on. A tiny motor
does this, and also operates the
flashing apparatus. The lights are
of only six candlepower, but the
lens makes light of about 125 can
dle-power, and which can be seen a
distance of four or five miles.
The army engineers department
co-operates with the lighthouse
service In making soundings Of the
river channels. Even working to-
gether they have big Job.