The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-06-16
II E RES MORE ABOUT
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER
sTARTs on PAGE ONE

Brown, as he greeted a representa-.
tive of The Times Wednesday
afternoon.
Yes. fine weather. but how is
II, Mr.. Brown, that you're not in
the lighthouse keeping watch?
thought lighthouse keeper always
stayed cooped up there alone"
No, son, no need for that here.
except when the weathers bad.
but it's seldom bad this time of
the year"
"How's that? Don't YOU have
to climb up to -the-wen,
that place up there TO blow the
fog ?"
Brown ehuekled and pointed out
that place up there" is the place
where the lantern is kept to guide
navigatotrs at night. He then
said Come with me. III show YOU
the powerhouse.
Explains Its Workings
The powerhouse threw light on
the fog-horn business. II proved
to be the answer as TO how the
horn was blown. There is a gen
orator in the powerhouse. and by
pulling a few switches. a charge
Of electricity is sent through the
cable lying underground from the
powerhouse to the lighthouse. This
electric current turns on a genera
tor in the lighthouse. and by this
means air is compressed into the
horn, causing II to make that eerie
noise that is heard every morning
during the winter from Browns
point to Spanawsy.
Thus. by remote control. the fog
horn at the Browns point light
house is blown 10 guide ships
through the passage on foggy
nights and mornings.
VIII BE 10 On Oct. 10
This will be Browns last year
AS a lighthouse keeper. On Oct.
10 he will be 20 years old. and
on Nov. he will be retired on
government pension, after having
been in the service for - years.
The law calls for optional retire
ment at SIS and compulsory retire
ment at 10 Brown liked his work
so well that he chose the latter
way out.
or all his years as a lighthouse
keeper, he spent 80 OF them at
Browns Point He received his
appointment through Capt. Carlos
G. Calkins, vho had been a nsvi-
eating officer on Admiral Dewey's
flagship The Olympisn. al the
battle Of Manila bay.
At 3 .. m. on Oct. Is. 1908, he
assumed his duties at Browns
Point.
First At F1attery
His first experience az light
house keeper was al Cape Flat
terry in the Straits Of Juan de
Fuca. when he was 81. From there
he went TO Dungeness. also in the
straits. and later TO Smith island.
between Port Townsend and Vic
toria. p. c.
II was At Cape Flattery that he
saw a sight Of which he still has
vivid recollection.
There was heavy fog that
day" Brown recalls. and 30 sail
ing vessels. coming from Tacoma
with wheat. we're punched To-
gether in II, and after the sun had
melted the upper layer Of the fog
ali you could see were the nasts.
all grouped together"
Replaced In 1884
Brown has been keeper ~ two
lighthouses since coming to Browns
Point The first. shsky-looking
wooden structure. VAS replaced in
1894 by white, concrete house,
erected by the Browns Point Car
den club in memory Of May rs.
1892. when Capt. George Van
eouvsr and his associates dined
q; this point"
For the old lighthouse bell
was used 10 warn navigators. This
bell. cast IN Philadelphia in 1852.
vas brought around the southern
most tip Of South America on the
snip shubrick. which required
year 70 make the journey. The