Show A lighthouse KEEP KEEPERS E S LIFE the merilou reri lou duty D ity of carl 0 for a beacon ligh lighta A NI nights night the duty of a lee keeper PC r 0 0 oscne cn cne of these great beacon lights is not let arduous a but sometimes it is attended th considerable daimer owing to tile th ecat cat height of the to tower ver and the p peculiarly majr I 1 ly cap exposed d condition theres there is alwa always y 8 th the 0 ell chance co of its being destroyed by a fierce hurricane of wind ind and rain during a dark stormy night flight in april 18 at t the ledge lighthouse near doston boston was thus destroyed s by the combined action of wind rain rain and the heavy sea the lighthouse was a skeleton iron structure situated on a leda me of rock which aa s low water is entirely bare but at bagh tide several feet of water covers it at an unknown I 1 hour of the night the iron posts snapped in two and the alie lighthouse t toppled over into the lie restless sea the keeper s house on tile iron towers is usually situated near tile the top of the lighthouse just under tinder tile lie great revolving I 1 lamp A strong platform is constructed ted on oil the top series of braces and an octagonal structure of wood then built perforated on oil each side by window holes this small structure acts as a storehouse for the oil and other apparatus connect connected eI with the lighthouse and as a living place for the keeper it is made as small as practicable so as to offer the file least amount of resistance to the wind the small cupola above this building where the great reflector is situated is reached by a winding iron staircase to keep tile lamp in good condition for performing its proper work requires cleaning every day the keeper in addition to trimming the wicks and aeple replenishing the vessel with oil each morning has to oil the revolving apparatus and seo see that the glass globe and reflector are clean and clear of smoke before darkness settles over the land the lamp must then bo be lighted and tho the machinery set iu in operation ion if it is an exceptionally stormy the great illuminating apparatus must be constantly watched lest some accident should extinguish the light the glass C globe is of course very thick and strengthened by heavy brass braces but even with this incidents are known where the glab panels have been blown in by the force fora vf 01 the wind I 1 and bail and the light extinguished at once the experiences of a keeper on a dark stormy night are not always ag agreeable gree the wind blowing up from some rough quarter of the globe sweeps across the sea with alarming rapidity lashing the water into light foam and moaning fitfully about tile tall tower at a height of feet feel from the surface of the sea it attains a speed equal to that of a small hurricane and when it strikes the glass lass globe of the lighthouse it whistles in I and out among the iron braces as though it would tear them from their sockets if the wind is accompanied by rain and hail bail the wildness of the scene is increased the glass is thick and strong enough usually to resist the force of the frozen drops of water but the noise made by the constant stant pattering of the dee descending ending hail on it is louder than if it were falling failing upon some hard metal or stone at such a tinie time it would be a dangerous riak to venture out on the plat platform forin surrounding the big light even though clinging to the stout iron railing tor for support agthe As the lighthouses are arranged arran gedat it the present day there is no need of the alic keeper attempting such a feat as the lamp anti and all pe pertaining to it can be readied reached from the inside N Y mail and express |