Evening star., 1936-01-19
Saga of Minots
Ledge Light
By Frederic J. Haskin.

in spite of the battering of the furious
seas of that bleak and rockbound coast
and the people of the region, as we'll as
officials Of the United States Lighthouse
Service have been observing the notable
birthday. Minots Ledge Light ranks
among the most notable lighthouses of
the world, and its construction is recog-
nized as an outstanding engineering feat.
Even in the mild months OF the Sum-
mer, this coast often is pounded by heavy
seas and the water never grows warm,
for the Labrador current pours down
the coast ard offsets the modifying
effects OF the warm Gulf Stream which,
here, is far out to sea. In the long
Winters the region is one OF bitter
weather. Fog drifts in from the Atlantic
and the gales lash the waters.
Yet just within is Boston Harbor and
the way must be kept open. Not only
do the freighters and liners find 1t nee
essary to make the port, but the stout
fishing schooners which dare the dam
gers of the Grand Banks and Georges
Bank to fish for cod must find their way
TO the T Wharf to land their catches.
All count has been lost of the number
of ships which have gone down on MinotS
Ledge. Some were Whalers, some fish
ing vessels, some cargo clippers. In
every New England churchyard are
many headstones which bear name
and date and the terse legend Lost
at Sea-" Even though the body never
came back from the sea, headstone
always was erected in the hometown
churchyard. Some were lost in typhoons
in the China Sea, some in the Indian
Ocean, and not few met their deaths
right outside on MinotS Ledge.
It was not until 1845. some 225 years
after the coast first was navlgated by
New England settlers, that it was
deemed practical to erect lighthouse
on the Ledge Then Capt. w. H. Swift
of the United States Typographical En-
gineers was assigned by the Federal Gov
ernment to make survey OF the Ledge
with a view to the erection OF light
house.
Structural Steel as it is known now.
was not known then, but New England
was famous for it's ironmasters. So 1t
was decided to build light in the form
of an iron skeleton. The design called
for the sinking of wrought-iron piles and
the building of an iron superstructure,
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Such is the action of the sea at Minots
Ledge that it is possible to work only
in the most favorable weather and tor
short periods at low tide. The workmen
would advance as the tide recedeo ana.
when the sea was calm. put IN as many
hours of work as they could. Then they
would have to retreat as before an
enemy Sometimes days and even weeks
and months would pass without Its pelng
possible to perform any work at all. llllS
was especially true, of course, during the
colder months of Winter. Even when
the sea was quiet and the tide at the
ebb, the forming Of ice on materials ana
tools made work superhuman task.
On several occasions workers were
washed overheard from the boats and
RATS and the rising structure ON which
they worked. They were hardy men,
however, and managed to persevere. 1t
took two years merely to prepare the
foundation, and a considerable time
thereafter to rear the superstructure.
The structure, rs feet high, was not COM
pleted and light shown until January
/, 1850. The work had cost S3S, 900,
which was a great sum OF money IN
those days.
In 1850, the traffic of Boston was under
sail. Brigs and barkentines, schooners.
sloops and clippers, under clouds OF
white sail. passed in and out OF Boston
Harbor, their shippers and crews thanK-
full for the beam from Minots Ledge
Light But that lasted only for a year.
In mid April of 1851. there blew one OF
the worst gales ever known on the coast
of New England. After furious pound
ing. on April l6, the light was battered
down, it's two keepers going with 1t. only
a twisted mass of iron remained OF the
once proud structure.
The advantages of the light had been
so obvious that four years later new
determination was taken to erect SAFE
guard on Minots Ledge. This time Lieut..
Col. B. S. Alexander of the United States
Corps of Army Engineers was placed IN
charge of the undertaking, and on July
l, 1855 a small band of skilled work.
men effected a foothold on the ledge
at low tide. They began the light which
now has been standing for Is years.
The idea of iron was abandoned except
as a reinforcing material. Huge blocks
of New England granite were cut and
fitted on the shore at Cohasset. begin
ming the work of erecting what ranks
as one of the greatest Sea-washed light
houses in the entire world.
Each block had to be shaped almost
as though by a sculptor. The great
tower is conical in shape and each block
had to be cut to make its individual small
part of the arc. More important still,
each block is cut so that it dovetails
into the next Three years were required
for this work on shore before the actual
work on the ledge was undertaken. The
blocks were f1oated out to the ledee ana
fitted into place. They were tied to-
| gether vertically by means of iron bolts
| and. in addition, eight long iron posts
we're passed through the lower courses
and anchored to the solid rock OF the
| ledge itself.
So difficult was the work that during
the first year only 157 hours of work
could be accomplished on the ledge.
The next year this possible working time
was reduced to but 1870 hours. Then fol-
lowed a milder year in which 208 hours
were put in.
The bottom section of the tower is of
solid rock except for small well. The
iron post anchoring and the dovetailing
of the granite blocks make the tower
practically a part of the ledge itself.
The tower rises to a height of 81 feet.
with rooms for the keepers and the
equipment above, and the lantern cap
ping all.
Nine years had passed since the de-
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