Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2014L00095:body:0:p10
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Heath, the Portmaster, wrote to the Colonial Treasurer in February 1878 to request that … the Colonial Architect may be instructed to prepare plans & specifications and call for tenders for a Lighthouse at Cape Cleveland & on Dent Island Whitsunday Passage. The towers to be the same size as that at Flat Top Island but with a trunkway in the centre for the clockwork weights to travel up & down as at Lady Elliots' Island. With each of the Light houses two cottages will be required for the keepers. (WOR/A268 In-letter 4484 of 1890, quoted in Thorburn 1967).

The Treasurer passed the request on to F D G Stanley, the Colonial Architect. Stanley reported in April that the documents were almost ready, and in May called for tenders for the erection of both lighthouses. Three tenders were received for each lighthouse. William Peter Clark submitted the lowest tenders — £1820 for Dent Island and £1670 for Cape Cleveland — and his tenders were accepted.

In December 1878 Stanley reported on a visit to Dent Island: Having arranged for detention of the "Victoria" S.S. [steam ship] for two hours in passing through Whitsunday Passage — I landed with the Contractor and with considerable difficulty reached the top of this island and found a suitable spot for the Lighthouse, commanding the Channel both to North and South, also a level site for Cottages. The work is now in progress, the buildings being framed up in Brisbane (QSA WOR/A158 In-letter 6178 of 1878, quoted in Thorburn 1967).

Figure 4 — Contract drawing for the lighthouse, 1878
Light houses: Dent Island & Cape Cleveland, a contract drawing prepared in the office of the Colonial Architect. The contractor William Clark signed the drawing in the bottom right corner, but part of his signature has been lost. (Source: National Archives of Australia, series J2775, item 1717459).

It appears that William Clark got into financial difficulties around this time. He transferred his contracts to others to complete (to John Clark for the Dent Island project and to James Wiseman for Cape Cleveland); James Campbell, supplier of building materials in Brisbane, sued William Clark for payment of debts; the Crown Solicitor and various other lawyers got involved; William Clark was insolvent for a time.

Despite these distractions the building work was finished, and the lighting equipment installed and commissioned. The lighthouse was first lit at the end of October 1879 (Heath 1879). A contemporary newspaper article describing a journey through the Whitsunday Passage mentioned that …a young woman and her baby had to be landed at Dent Island, where a new lighthouse has lately been built, of which her husband is the keeper (Anonymous 1879).

There were