The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-10-08
history Or 104 YEAR OLD ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
REVEALS STORY OF DEEP LOYALTY TO a SERVICE

glass, Sn0WerlnS the tender with
burning OIL" he said.
The French first used incandes-
cent vapor in 1898 and il was then
introduced in this country. In the
use of gas, q generator produced
acetylene gas from calcium car
bide. Lens were improved and
beautifully cut and polished prism
ed glass improved the power. The
first electricity for the Key West
Light was not installed until the
10th Century, although electricity
Of arc light type was installed in
the Statute Of Liberty in 1885.
Cmdr. Haskins has q vast fund
of knowledge about the way in
which q lighthouse operates. One
interesting fact brought out was
that the distance at which : light
may be seen at sea depends not
only on the power. but on the cur
vatuTe of the earth, increasing as
the square of the distance. An OBJ
server on q ship is feet above the
surface can see light 100 feet T.
bOye the sea at q distance Of over
IS miles. A tower on q low coast
like that Of Key West does not have
to exceed zoo feet in height.
WREcKlNc BUSINESS
"The wrecking business IN these
waters was q real industry back in
the 1905" Cmdr. Haskins said.
1T amounted to perhaps 4 million
dollars every year for years. The
salvage made people rich in Key
West but it was costly to cargo and
crews and reef lights were finally
set at the dangerous points"
According to the Putnam data.
civil engineer named J. w. p.
Lewis investigated circumstances
(which had a shady eharacter) in
1887 after ship owners complained
that professional wreckers in the
Keys set out false lights and then
boarded the wrecks for salvage
claim. Lewis recommended five
lighthouses for the Florida Coast
but the Seminole Indian Wars de-
layed construction until ISlS when
the second Key West Light was al
ready two years old.
Nowadays" cmdr. Haskins con-
tinued. !" . navigator can look at
the lights along the shore and tell
by its characteristics exactly where
be Is. Every ships captain carries
chart and code noting the diff
ferent characteristics. Some lights
are fixed. some are occulting and
others are flashing. Some are
white. others have red sectors. like
the one at Key West. There are
also green lights. Timing IL &C
curate and must be kept that way.
That was our work when was SER
vice inspecting with Capt. De-
merritt. don't so to the lighthouse
anymore. The doctor says no more
stair climbing. But il was my life's
interest for - years"
kEEPER or THE ToMaR
Keeping q beam for ships a. sea
wasn't The life interest of John
Fleming. present tender of the
Giant Over the Keys" but he's
spent n years al the jCh.
Il was bis eeth birthday On Sept.
IS. the afternoon Ellis Finch, Cifi.
Een staff photographer. ard myself
called Il closed 10 the public site
On Whitehead street L. Glen
Pearson ct the u. s. Coast Guard
had Kfvea permission and fore.
warned Fleming wh0 met Ms az the
gate with cid world ecursesy. touch.
lag tie peak Il bis cap IN wel.
come.
FiemlnE b = RUGGED man. stand
ing alx feet tar. he moves with 40
easy stride and keeps his bread
sh0ah3ers squared. I thoaKhs e .
soldieF. ard I was right. He imKAs
Ia me Beer War with he lstA Lar
GERS from Fsao 10 iso1 The hrixht
sa1el sges undaE sEaggy Usnrcxa