World Lighthouse Society Qtr 2008...World Lighthouse Society 2 nd Quarter 2008 Newsletter Volume 6 Issue 2 Page 2 of 29 CONTACTS I f you wish to contact the World Lighthouse Society

2nd QUARTER 2008 NEWSLETTER Volume 6 Issue 2

World Lighthouse Society

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Greetings to All: As mentioned in the last issue (1st Quarter 2008) of the World Lighthouse Society Newsletter, this issue is being published late due to your editor having gone on holiday in mid-June for a period of 3 weeks. I’m back in the U.S. now, a bit jet-lagged, but anxious to get the Newsletter out to everyone so I can put fingers to keyboard and write an article for the next issue about my lighthouse adventures in England and Wales. My husband and I had a wonderful holiday and were able to view about 15 lights, although some were from a distance. I’d like to thank WLS Administrative Officer Peter Williams, WLS members Pat and David Gumbrell, and the Association of Lighthouse Keepers gang (especially Keith Morton) for all of their hospitality and friendship during the trip. Together you all provided us with many opportunities to see lights and included excellent details of the lights and their histories. We arrived home deeply grateful the experience and new friendships that were forged. We can’t wait to return! Now I’m happy to make some announcements: a hearty welcome to new member Paul McSweeney from Ireland. If I’d known ahead of time just how short a trip by ferry it is from Wales to Ireland, I just might have arranged to meet you and welcome you in person! And, on behalf of the World Lighthouse Society, I’d like to offer sincere congratulations to two of our members, Patrick Tubby and Joy Adcock who became engaged on Thursday, 15 May 2008 at Skerryvore Lighthouse, off of Tiree, Scotland. We look forward to the announcement of your marriage and the “official” joining together of these two lighthouse-huggers! Not to forget our Newsletter, this issue comes to you with a wide assortment of news and information about lighthouses from all over, including among others the United Kingdom, United States, China, New Zealand, and Tanzania. Also included on the last page is the 2007 Administrative Officer Report. I’ve kept you waiting long enough for this issue, so I’ll just keep this short, let you get started reading, and hope I haven’t forgotten to include anything in my haste to get this out. Keep those lights burning! Donna Suchomelly 1 Ironstone Drive, Reading, PA 19606, USA. Tel: 001 6107793260 Email: [email protected]

CONTENTS

Letter from the Editor ......................................................1

Contacts ..........................................................................2

Executive Board ..............................................................2

Chairman’s Letter............................................................3

Membership.....................................................................3

Member’s Profile – Ian Wright ........................................3

A Brief History of South Stack Lighthouse ......................4

Lighthouse Builders & Inventors......................................5

Book Review - Lighthouses .............................................5

Gone, But Not Forgotten................................................6

Identify the Lighthouse ...................................................7

2008 International Lighthouse Weekend ......................7

A Dedication Service in St. Mary’s Lighthouse .............7

2008 Maryland Lighthouse Challenge ..........................8

9th Annual New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge®............9

A History of the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® .10

A Milestone for Canada’s Lighthouses .......................11

Hospital Point Range Lights ..........................................13

The Solarization of Sambro Lighthouse .......................14

British Light Vessel News................................................16

New Book & Postcards Capture History of San Diego’s Lighthouses ....................................................................17

News from Around the World.......................................18

Letters to the Editor .......................................................27

Newsletters.....................................................................28

2007 Administrative Officer Report..............................29

WLS Members Joy Adcock and Patrick Tubby celebrating their engagement by hugging Skerryvore Lighthouse.

World Lighthouse Society 2nd Quarter 2008 Newsletter Volume 6 Issue 2 Page 2 of 29

CONTACTS

If you wish to contact the World Lighthouse Society please contact:

Chairman: Jürgen Tronicke Aachener Strasse 37, D-53359 Rheinbach, Germany. Tel: 0049 2226908850 Email:

[email protected]

Vice Chairman: Egbert Koch Stauffenbergstr. 13 22587 Hamburg Germany Tel: 0049 40860442 Email: [email protected]

Administrative Officer: Peter Williams 1 Marine Gardens, Milford Haven Pembrokeshire, SA73 3JH United Kingdom Email: [email protected]

Webmaster: Ian Wright 18 Heol Conwy Abergele Conwy LL22 7UT North Wales Email: [email protected] Website: www.worldlighthouses.org All contributions to the newsletter should be sent to:

Newsletter Editor: Donna Suchomelly 1 Ironstone Drive Reading, PA 19606, U.S.A. Tel: 001 610 779 3260 Email: [email protected]

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Jürgen Tronicke (Germany) Chairman Egbert Koch (Germany) Vice Chairman Peter Williams (Wales) Administrative Officer Ian Wright (Wales) Webmaster Donna Suchomelly (USA) Newsletter Editor Esbjörn Hillberg (Sweden) Donso Backe 16 S-43082 Donso. Sweden Email: [email protected]

Lord Hector McKenzie (Scotland) 60 Oxhill Place Keil Park, Dumbarton G82 4QU Scotland Email: [email protected]

Gerry Douglas-Sherwood (England) 32 Queens Road Bungay, Suffolk NR35 1RL England Email: [email protected]

Rosalie Davis Gibb (England) Japonica Lodge 54 Nelson Court, Watton Thetford, Norfolk IP25 6EN England Email: [email protected]

Kathy Brown (Canada) 5 Whimsical Lake Crescent Halifax, NS B3P 2P9 Canada Email: [email protected]


Ian & Jayne at Pafos Point Lighthouse,

Cyprus.

CHAIRMAN’S LETTER

Dear Members:

First I would like to welcome all the new members who have joined our Society since the beginning of the year. Welcome on board! Please think about joining one of our Work Groups. We need your knowledge and your active support! Again one of our members asked if the WLS makes its membership list available to current members. In his opinion it would be interesting and helpful to know who is a member, for those who are thinking of approaching potential new members. We have discussed this matter again in the Executive Board and we still think that data protection does not allow us to publish a membership list, even inside the Society, as long as we don’t have the approval from each member. To be honest I don’t think it is necessary to publish such a list. If any member wants to approach potential members he/she can do so without such a list. To contact other members in his/her region, country or other countries he/she can use our forum. The members who want to get in contact with this person will answer in the forum and everything else is their personal matter. I hope you all can live with that. Finally I feel the urgent need to thank our creative Newsletter Editor for the brilliant job she has done over the last years. Donna, many, many thanks to you for spending so much time in creating the most interesting and informative issues every three months. We know that a good Newsletter needs the support and the contributions of the members but one can feel that you do your job with heart and soul and it has become “your baby” like we say in Germany. The Newsletter plays one of the most important roles for our Society and so your engagement is for the benefit of the World Lighthouse Society. Best regards, Jürgen Tronicke (Germany) WLS Chairman

MEMBERSHIP

If you know anyone who might be interested in joining WLS, a once only joining fee of £20 [30 Euro, US $35*] to cover administration costs has been instituted, to cover both individual and organisation memberships. For members without Internet access, hard copies of the newsletter will be mailed for a yearly “donation” of £6 (10 Euro, US $10*).

Payment can be made by GBP£ cheque made payable to ‘World Lighthouse Society’, UK banknotes, or Euros. PLEASE NOTE: We cannot process any checks other than GBP Sterling cheques, and we can no longer accept MasterCard or Visa. Membership applications and fees may be sent to: Peter Williams 1 Marine Gardens, Milford Haven Pembrokeshire, SA73 3JH United Kingdom Email: [email protected] *U.S.A. Membership applications and fees (U.S. check or money order made payable to ‘Donna Suchomelly’) should be sent to: Donna Suchomelly 1 Ironstone Drive Reading PA 19606 U.S.A. Email: [email protected]

MEMBER’S PROFILE

Ian Wright

My day to day job is as a

Service Engineer repairing laser and inkjet printers with SGBE Field Engineering Ltd. Maths/sums not my strongest point, I wasn’t able to gain a Degree in Engineering and had to settle for a HND in Electronics. I’m still trying to get the Incorporated Engineer letters after my name though. I live with my fiancée, Jayne in the seaside town of Abergele on the North Wales coast. We’ve been up here nearly 2 years. I am originally from the biggest village in Wales called Rhosllanerchrugog. An old coal mining village, it’s 4 miles S/W of Wrexham.

We are getting married next year in Paphos, Cyprus, where I proposed to Jayne while visiting Pafos Point Lighthouse. After the ceremony it’s back up to the lighthouse for wedding photographs. Outside of work, I am the new WLS Webmaster. An amateur radio enthusiast and with a strong connection to Pharology, Jayne and I are administrators of the

British Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (www.barls-gb.supanet.com) since October 2006.


We are also members of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers. So my interest in lighthouses stems from Jayne. Every holiday/vacation we now go on centres around lighthouses to see. So far we’ve seen nearly 200 in 13 countries. All our trips can be seen on our website www.gw1mvl.supanet.com. Ian Wright (Wales) WLS Webmaster MIET. GW1MVL / GWØVML

A BRIEF HISTORY: SOUTH STACK (YNYS

LAWD) LIGHTHOUSE

Off the coast of North Wales lies the island of

Anglesey, which must be rounded by ships making the passage up or down the western seaboard. South Stack rock is a tiny island off of Anglesey and separated from Holyhead Island by a 30 meter “gut” of turbulent sea. The coastline here consists of large granite cliffs rising 60 meters straight up from the sea. A patent to erect a lighthouse at South Stack was first presented to Charles II in 1665, however it was refused until 1809. The lighthouse was finally erected by Trinity House and lit on 9th February 1809. It provided the first beacon along the northern coast of Anglesey for east-bound ships. Serving as a waymark and landmark for vessels crossing the Irish Sea to and from the ports of Holyhead and Dun Laogghaire, it warned passing ships of the treacherous rocks below.

Set 200 feet above sea level, the tower was designed by Daniel Asher Alexander. Alexander, a Surveyor to the London Dock Company, who worked both as an architect and engineer. He was responsible for the early development of the

London Docks, and designed prisons (including Dartmoor) as well as lighthouses. Built at a cost of £12,000, the round stone tower was attached to a 1 story keeper’s quarters and a service building. The entire structure was painted white. The revolving light was shone using silvered parabolic reflectors and Argand lamps. Around 1840 a railway was completed, allowing for a subsidiary light to be lowered down the cliff to sea-level when fog shrouded the light above. However, the subsidiary light proved to be of limited use and was removed in the 1870s when a new oil lamp was placed in the lantern. No records of the light’s source have been found, but it is probable that it was a pressurized multi-wick type. This lamp was replaced in 1909 by an early type of incandescent lighting, which was in turn replaced by a more modern form of incandescent mantle burner in 1927. The station was electrified in 1938. Before the lighthouse could be built, a stairway of some 400 steps had to be cut out of the rock cliff on the mainland side for use in transporting passengers and stores down to the gut. From that point, they were transported across the 27 meter (90 ft) chasm by a hempen cable along which a basket was drawn 21 meters (70 feet) above the surface of the water. At some point a rope catwalk was erected over the gut, however the entire system was replaced in 1828

with a 1.5 meter (5 foot) wide iron suspension bridge. The suspension bridge was replaced by an aluminum bridge in 1964, but by 1983 the bridge had to be closed to the public, due to safety reasons. A new aluminum footbridge was completed in 1997 and the lighthouse was reopened for public visits.

On 25 October 1859, a fierce storm, know as the “Royal Charter Gale” struck, driving over 200 vessels to shore or their doom with a loss of life to 800. On that same evening the Assistant Keeper at South Stack, Jack Jones, had been struggling against the storm to make his way across the iron bridge leading to South Stack where he planned to join the Principal Keeper, Henry Bowen. The fierce power of the wind and waves swept a rock from the cliff, which struck Jones on the head, knocking him nearly senseless. Covered in blood and crying for help, he tried to drag himself along the path, but eventually collapsed in exhaustion. He was eventually found by Bowen, but was unable to move. Unfortunately, Jones died 3 weeks later from his wounds, which included a compound fracture of his skull. The keepers were withdrawn on 12th September 1984 when the lighthouse was automated. Control of the station was then handed over to Holyhead. In 1999 the station was fully modernized with new lamps and fog signal (operated by a fog detector) and control was transferred to Trinity House Operational Control Centre in Harwich where the light and fog signal are controlled and monitored by remote.

South Stack Lighthouse Creative Commons photo by saconfenken at www.flickr.com/photos/saxofenken/359267263, some rights reserved.


One of the best known lights in Britain, thousands of people flock to the lighthouse every year, thanks to the public transport service from Holyhead’s town center. The descent and ascent to and from the mainland provide an opportunity to see some of the 4,000 nesting birds that line the cliffs during the breeding season. The towering cliffs are part of the RSPB South Stack Cliffs bird reserve and provide nesting areas to thousands of seabirds such as guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, puffins and the rare chough.

Statistics: Location: 53° 18.4’N; 04°41.9’W Height of Tower: 28 meters (92 ft) Focal Plane of Light: 60 meters (197 ft) Lamp: 1,000 Mbi Optic: 1rst Order Catadioptric Character: White flash every 10 seconds Range: 20 nautical miles Fog Signal Character: Once second blast every 30 seconds Fog Signal Range: 3 nautical miles Donna Suchomelly (U.S.A.) WLS Newsletter Editor

LIGHTHOUSE BUILDERS AND

INVENTORS

This column will give you an insight into the people who developed both lighthouses and the equipment to support them. Each future issue of the WLS Newsletter will cover four of these important builders or inventors and give a short description of their contribution.

Stevenson, David A. (1854-1938) - First son of David, and Engineer of the Northern Lighthouse Board (1887-1938).

Stevenson, Robert (1772-

1850) - Scottish builder of many lighthouses and inventor of lighthouse illumination elements. Chief Engineer of the Northern Lighthouse Board (1799-1843).

Stevenson, Thomas (1818-1887) - Fourth son of Robert and Chief Engineer of the Northern Lighthouse Board (1878-1887).

Teulère, Joseph - French lighthouse illumination equipment maker, and Chief Engineer of a French province, who proposed a refined catoptric illumination system in 1783. Tom Tag (U.S.A.) WLS Member

BOOK REVIEW: LIGHTHOUSES

By Sara E. Wermiel

Lighthouses, by Sara E.

Wermiel, is an excellent resource for those who are interested in researching the history of lighthouse architecture in the United States. Dr. Wermiel specializes in the history of building-construction technology and early industrialization. The 358-page book is an addition to the Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks Series, and is illustrated with hundreds of images from the collections of the world’s largest library. The captions accompanying the images provide essential information, such as subject, location, date and the Library of Congress call number. The call number proves even more valuable when used in conjunction with the accompanying CD-ROM, which includes links to the Library’s Website and its vast collection of records. In addition, the CD contains high-quality downloadable versions of all the images in the book. Through its links to the Library’s online catalogs, doors are opened to “hundreds of thousands of high-resolution photographs, measured drawings and data files in the Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering Record”, as well as many of the Library’s other resources. The book begins with an introduction to the Building of America’s Lighthouses, then continues in

somewhat of a chronological presentation of the different styles of lighthouses from the early stone and brick structures through the lighthouses built with 20th-century materials. An appendix of Lighthouses in Art is followed by an extensive Bibliography, which in itself serves as an excellent

resource for lighthouse research. The book finishes up with a brief glossary of terms and a short introduction to the included CD-ROM and suggestions on how to use it for researching the Library of Congress Online Catalogs. Information on what to do when trying to locate images that can’t be found in the catalogs is also included.


I found Lighthouses to be an extremely valuable resource, and one I would recommend to anyone, if for nothing more than the priceless images contained within its pages and accessed through the accompanying CD-ROM. Lighthouses

Author: Sara E. Wermiel Format: Hardcover, 384 pages Publication Date: December 2006 Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc Dimensions:11.5"H x 9"W x 1.25"D; 3.54 lbs. Pages: 358 Images: 540 black & white ISBN-10: 0393731669 ISBN-13: 9780393731668 List Price: $75.00 (U.S.) Donna Suchomelly (U.S.A.) WLS Newsletter Editor

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN – SANTO

DOMINGO LIGHTHOUSE

The old Santo Domingo Lighthouse, located in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was quite an unusual light, although very little is known of its history. Santo Domingo lies where the Ozama River empties into the Caribbean Sea, creating a very useful

harbor. Orders came from the president of the republic to place a lighthouse on the site of the ancient Fort San José on the west side of the river, in order to point mariners toward the entrance of the river, and warn them of the dangerous coral reefs that lay along the coast. The lighthouse, designed and constructed by James Bogardus, was constructed in 1853. Bogardus modeled the lighthouse after his first fire watch tower, which he built on 33rd Street in Santo Domingo. In February 1853, a press account appeared in the Illustrated News, reporting that the cast iron parts of

the structure had been fabricated and was ready for shipment:

“The tower is built in many respects similar to the fire alarm bell tower which was constructed by the same firm in 1851 for the corporation of this city… The size and shape of the castings render them easy of transportation, and convenient for ship ballast… Each piece of casting is made of uniform size and weight, and so accurately joined that one part will fit any other part. The simplicity of the tower is such that it may be put together by an ordinary mechanic, and with no other apparatus for its erection than a derrick and a wrench… We understand that the total expense of the structure, on board ship, is about $6,000.”

When completed, the octagonal cast iron tower was painted white and had a red gallery. It sat on a high rocky ledge of Fort San José, placing it 113 feet (34 meters) above high water. The octagonal base was 17 feet (5 meters) in diameter and the structure rose from it in four stages with eight columns on each level, and was anchored into the ground by long wrought-iron shafts sunk 8 or 10 feet into the rock under each column. An octagonal lantern was placed on top, raising the structure to a height of 75 feet (23 meters). The lantern was fitted with ten reflectors and had a fixed white light visible for 9 miles. Later, the light was altered to revolving and alternating red and bright white at one minute intervals, with its beam visible for 15 miles. Reports indicate that the light was severely damaged by a major hurricane in the early 20th century, and was later destroyed. Today, visitors to Santo Domingo are treated to a new, faux lighthouse, the Faro a Colón (Columbus Lighthouse). Constructed in the shape of a cross to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas, the structure houses an impressive tomb that reportedly contains his remains. In place of a navigational beacon, a giant cross is projected into the sky by 149 searchlights.

Santo Domingo Lighthouse Post Card image from the collection of Michel Forand.


Donna Suchomelly (U.S.A.) WLS Newsletter Editor

IDENTIFY THE LIGHTHOUSE

Can you identify this lighthouse? No prizes – just to

test your own knowledge and give yourself a pat on the back if you know!

The clue: Architect Florentin Granholm revealed his design for this unique lighthouse at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900. Answer in the next Newsletter. Last month’s lighthouse: The Old Fort Cornwallis Light, originally known as the Fort Point Lighthouse, is located in George Town, Penang, in Malaysia. Constructed in 1882, it is the second oldest lighthouse in Malaysia. The 21 m (69 foot) white cast iron tower is topped with a hexagonal lantern and gallery. Discontinued in 1914, the tower resembles a ship’s mast with two spars. It underwent renovation in 2006 and is open to public admission. The tower was replaced in 1914 by a white steel skeleton tower

New Fort Cornwallis Light) with an enclosed upper portion. The newer tower is an active aid to navigation. A small museum is located nearby. Photos courtesy of Gerry Douglas-Sherwood. Donna Suchomelly (U.S.A.) WLS Newsletter Editor

INTERNATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE

WEEKEND – SATURDAY 16TH & SUNDAY

AUGUST 17TH 2008

The seventh International Lighthouse Weekend intends to raise the profile of lighthouses, lightvessels and other navigational aids, promoting our maritime heritage. Many lighthouses and places of associated interest will be open to the public, and there will be special events at lighthouses and lightvessels throughout the world. There will be radio and press publicity before the event. Trusts and Friends groups will be able to use this day to raise awareness of their work and involvement in the preservation of the history of lightkeeping. Also on this weekend, amateur radio operators around the world will be transmitting from lighthouses with the objective of fostering international relations. Over 350 lights in 50 countries will be on the air. See www.illw.net/2008_list.htm for the latest list of participants. If you would like to be involved, please let us know, so we can publicise as many events as possible. We would love your organization to be involved, and get as many lighthouses as possible open to the public. Please publicise this important event in your journal, in local newspapers and radio, and on your website. For the latest news on what’s happening, visit the Association of Lighthouse Keepers website at www.alk.org.uk. Joy Adcock (England) WLS Member Press and Publicity Officer Association of Lighthouse Keepers Email: [email protected]

A DEDICATION SERVICE IN ST. MARY’S

LIGHTHOUSE

Editor’s Note: The following is a follow-up to an article that appeared in the Summer 2006 issue of

the WLS Newsletter. The article provided details of a

Faro a Colón Creative Commons photo by Gran Tibanense at www.flickr.com/tibanense/1304674013


war time incident during which a Hampden bomber

crashed in a field near St. Mary’s Lighthouse. The

article was originally brought to our attention by

WLS Member Patricia Gumbrell, who at the tender

age of 2 lived at the lighthouse with her mother and

father, who was Assistant Light Keeper at St. Mary’s

during that time. The article in the Newsletter

prompted the family members of one of the

incident’s unfortunate victims to contact the Friends

of St. Mary’s Island, and revealed to them the

circumstances of his tragic death, which up until

then had only been known to them as “killed in

action.”

In Spring 2006 the Friends of St. Mary’s Island Newsletter contained an article by Russell Gray about the crash of a Hampden bomber in a field about ½ a mile from St. Mary’s Lighthouse, Whitley Bay, with the loss of four young lives.

We were very pleased to welcome the family of wireless operator Denis Sharpe, including his sister, to St. Mary’s Island in the autumn. While they were here we decided that a memorial should be placed the passageway leading to the lighthouse tower, because the site of the crash can be seen from its window. The wording on the memorial was discussed and we also chose photographs to display round it. On Saturday 12th April the dedication ceremony was held, and a helicopter from Boulmer circled the lighthouse tower - a flypast before the ceremony. The memorial was unveiled by Group Captain Jayne Millington, Commanding Officer R.A.F. Boulmer, and dedicated by Canon Robin Greenwood, Vicar of St. Mary’s Parish Church, at a service in the confined space of the lighthouse tower. The Royal Air Forces Association Dedication and the Kohima Epitaph, were given by the Guard of Honour, cadets from 1156 Whitley Bay Squadron A.T.C., and their President. Among those present were members of Denis Sharpe’s family and an old school friend, Russell Gray of the Crash Investigation and Archaeology Group, and members of the lighthouse staff and Friends. The Council was represented by the

Chairman, Councillor Joan Bell, and four of the local councillors. Sadly we were unable to contact family members of Sgt. Andrew McNicol from Cumbria, or Pilot Officers Wilfred Roberts and Keith Brooke-Taylor from New Zealand. Apologies were sent by the Mayor and his deputy; the last keeper at St. Mary’s, David Appleby; and Wing Commander Brett Marshall, Air Advisor, New Zealand Defence Staff who wrote movingly of the bonds which exist between our two countries, particularly in time of war.

“I have been trying to see if it would be possible to attend but unfortunately other commitments will preclude this. My thoughts however will be very much with you all on the day. I think it is a wonderful act in order to remember these men who gave their lives to defend those things that all of us hold so dear. I know that in my current posting in the UK, New Zealand seems a long way away and for these men it must have seemed even more so. When I left New Zealand I wondered when, not if, I would see home again. However, the fact that so many New Zealanders came to the UK and Europe during WWI and WWII, knowing that they may not return home, shows the strong bonds that existed, and still exist, between our two countries. Those who gave the ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten and acts, such as that carried out by the Friends of St Mary's Island, aids in keeping their memories alive. I wish you well with the ceremony and hope to visit the Lighthouse and memorial at a future date where I will lay a wreath on behalf of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

On behalf of the Chief of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Graham Lintott, and the people of New Zealand, thank you for organising this.”

Should anyone wish to visit the lighthouse to see the memorial the lighthouse opening times are displayed on www.friendsofstmarysisland.co.uk. Morag Horseman (England) Friends of St. Mary’s Island

THE 2008 MARYLAND LIGHTHOUSE

CHALLENGE

Nine Lighthouses, One Lightship, Two Days—6th Year! This year’s Challenge, with an Election Year Theme!

The Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society and the Maryland Lighthouse Organizations will host the 2008 Maryland Lighthouse Challenge –

St. Mary’s Island Lighthouse


Road to the Lighthouse on the weekend of September 20 and 21.

Throughout that September

weekend, the public is invited to participate in this educational and fun-filled event shining the light on the state’s land-

accessible lighthouses, including: the Chesapeake Lightship, Concord Point, Cove Point, Drum Point, Fort Washington, Hooper Strait, Piney Point, Point Lookout, Seven-Foot Knoll and Turkey Point. The annual Challenges are held to promote awareness and visitation to these historic structures. The Challenges are the only time

of year these lighthouses are open simultaneously for public access, and climbing wherever possible. To lighthouse enthusiasts this is a highly anticipated event!

This award-winning driving tour will take participants to some of the most scenic spots in the state along the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary, the Potomac. At the first lighthouse visited, participants will receive the promotional brochure, which includes driving instructions to all the lights. At each lighthouse stop along the route, they will receive a complimentary souvenir depicting that lighthouse. Participants are welcome to visit any or all of these lighthouses, and in any order. Participants who “meet the

challenge” by visiting all of the lights within the allotted twenty hours (8:00am – 6:00pm both days) will receive a special commemorative souvenir to mark their accomplishment. In light of this being an election year, they will also be asked to “cast a vote” for their favorite Challenge lighthouse!

NEW THIS YEAR: For participants’ viewing pleasure and to really put the “challenge” into the 6th annual event, organizers are including TWO BONUS LIGHTS--offshore Sandy Point Shoal (to be viewed from land) and the newly constructed Blackistone Lighthouse Replica (a short boat ride from the St. Clement’s Island Museum). Visiting these lights will earn participants two additional Challenge souvenirs. Because of the additional time necessary to view them, they are optional “add-on” attractions and do not count towards Challenge completion. …. Come September--be prepared to “see the light!”

Karen Rosage (USA) Event Chair 410-437-0741 Email: [email protected]

NEW JERSEY LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY

PRESENTS ITS 9th ANNUAL NEW JERSEY

LIGHTHOUSE CHALLENGE® — 11

LIGHTHOUSES & 2 LENSES!

Looking for a fun-filled weekend? Want to explore New Jersey and visit 11 historic lighthouses and two 1st Order Fresnel Lenses? Join us for our 9h Annual Lighthouse Challenge® on

Saturday, October 18th and Sunday, October 19th, 2008 when 11 of the land-based lighthouses will be open to the public: Sandy Hook, Twin Lights of Navesink, Sea Girt, Barnegat, Tucker’s Island (a reproduction located at the Tuckerton Seaport), Absecon, Hereford Inlet, Cape May, East Point, Finns Point and Tinicum. And two new sites have been added! We are pleased to introduce the addition of two beautiful, historic pieces of maritime history to this year’s Challenge: Barnegat Light’s original 1st Order

Fresnel Lens which is on display at the Barnegat Light Historical Museum, and Cape May Light’s original 1st Order Fresnel lens, which is on display at The Cape May County Museum. At each lighthouse and museum that you visit between 8 am and 6 pm on both days you will receive a souvenir token of your visit, courtesy of the New Jersey Lighthouse Society. (Please note that although you can get your complimentary souvenir

during those hours only, some of the hours for the

lighthouses may differ. Please check the Challenge

page of our website:

www.njlhs.org/challenge/challenge.html for

additional information.) If you complete the

Challenge and visit all 13 locations, you will receive a complimentary souvenir token to commemorate your achievement! Night Climbs will also be available at 5 of the lighthouses (Sandy Hook, Tucker’s Island, Absecon, Cape May and Tinicum) between the hours of 6 pm to 8 pm on Saturday night. The complimentary souvenirs as well as a special Night Climb souvenir token will be given to those who visit these sites during those hours. For more information, visit the Challenge page on our website: www.njlhs.org/challenge/challenge.html where you will find a link to this year’s brochure and driving directions to each lighthouse, as well as a list of Frequently Asked Questions. If you would like any additional information or a brochure sent to you, e-mail us at [email protected] with your name and address.


Looking forward to seeing you at the 2008 New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® for 11 Lighthouses and 2 Lenses! Laura Portée (U.S.A.) NJLHS Challenge Co-Chair

A HISTORY OF THE NEW JERSEY

LIGHTHOUSE CHALLENGE®

As the success of the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® increases with each year it is presented, so has media interest increased. We are frequently asked questions about its history such as: “How did it all begin?” and “Who came up with the idea?” In an effort to answer these questions, we have put together the following history of the “Original” Lighthouse Challenge; how it began and

how it continues to be the successful event that it is today.

What is a “Lighthouse Challenge”? The New Jersey “Lighthouse Challenge” is a not-for-profit event held every third weekend in October. The primary goal of the Challenge is to promote awareness of New Jersey’s lighthouses, specifically and lighthouses in general. In addition, the hope is that the event will assist the lighthouses financially through participant donations and gift shop sales. So it is during this weekend that all participating lighthouses are open for visitation and climbing. While this might seem easy to accomplish, actually some of the lighthouses on the Challenge “route” are generally open only once a month or only a few times throughout the year. During the Challenge weekend, participants are “challenged” to visit all eleven sites and receive a commemorative souvenir (climbing is optional). After visiting all eleven lighthouses, participants receive a completion souvenir. Through the years, souvenirs have included stamps, or cards with a picture and history of the lighthouse. The past two years, puzzle pieces were given which were inserted into a beautiful display board, suitable for framing.

How did it all get started? The Challenge is the brain-child of Richard (Rick) Weber, a NJLHS member and former member of the NJLHS Board of Directors. He had the idea of a “lighthouse challenge” back in 1998. As a member of the New Jersey Lighthouse Society, he was fortunate enough to be able to visit lighthouses in New Jersey that are normally closed to visitors. While guiding tours at Sandy Hook Lighthouse and talking to the visitors, he realized that many people wanted to see these other lights too, but rarely had the chance because of their limited openings. New Jersey is somewhat unique because all of its lighthouses are about 40-50 miles apart along the coastline and fairly accessible. They are also under

the care of some public or private non-profit organization. Rick’s realization of these facts developed into the idea of getting all these lighthouse groups to open their lighthouses for the same weekend thus allowing other lighthouse enthusiasts to visit them. He thought it could be done, but it was only a guess. He did not mention his idea to anyone at first but it still remained in the back of his mind.

After Rick was elected to the NJLHS Board of Directors, he approached then Society President, Tom Laverty, with his idea. Tom liked the idea and suggested Rick write up a proposal. He did and presented it to the Board, which approved it. The idea was then presented to the lighthouse organizations who also liked it and the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® was born! To prevent the lighthouse organizations from bearing the brunt of the Challenge logistics, they were told that their participation need only be minimal: all they were asked to do was to be open that one weekend. The New Jersey Lighthouse Society handled the advertising, souvenirs and staffing of volunteers who greeted the “challengers” at each site. As all of the organizations agreed to participate, they were encouraged to add anything else to the event that they wished and some took that encouragement to heart! For instance, Hereford Inlet generally invites numerous artisans specializing in lighthouse related memorabilia to its site. This has been so successful that some returning participants look forward to seeing the artisans and their new wares! Fortunately one of the hoped-for outcomes soon became reality as the lighthouse organizations learned that the Challenge could be a profitable event for them. Some of them actually sold out of their gift shop stocks that first year! Since then, the lighthouse organizations have reported that the Challenge is their biggest fund raising event of the year!

How did the Challenge get its name? The first lighthouse challenge was actually called “New Jersey Lighthouse 2000”. After seeing the success of the first challenge, the NJLHS board decided to present the event again and call it the “Lighthouse Challenge”. As popularity of the event

Rick Weber


Doreen Berson & Laura Portée

grew, it began to draw attention from other lighthouse societies interested in presenting their own “Challenge”. So to protect its name it was necessary to eventually trademark the title “New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge” as well as the Challenge logo (designed by Doreen Lagattuta Berson).

Is the Challenge just for Lighthouse Enthusiasts? Absolutely not! As outlined in Rick’s original proposal, the purpose of the Lighthouse Challenge is: “To promote awareness of the lighthouses of New Jersey and encourage the public to visit and contribute to their restoration and upkeep”. This goal was realized because lighthouse enthusiasts are not the only ones taking the Challenge! Many people who never knew that these historic structures existed or knew anything about their historical importance as aids to navigation have also participated. Families, senior citizens, motorcycle and car groups, scout troops and school children (even a class monkey!) have been among the many thousands of participants of the Challenge throughout the years. All have become more aware of lighthouses and have contributed to their preservation and upkeep through generous donations and/or purchases at their gift shops. For many participants, this event was the springboard that expanded their interest in lighthouses beyond New Jersey and have explored lighthouses in other states and countries.

How much has participation increased since the first year? It was estimated that approximately 1,500 people took the first New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® in 2000. A total of 342 people completed the Challenge that year, becoming members of the “11 Points of Light Club”. Since then, participation has increased each year. For our 8th Annual event, the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® 2007, over 2,500 people participated of which a total of 1,792 people completed.

Other Lighthouse Challenges The success of the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® has sparked interest among other lighthouse organizations around the country. In 2003, the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society organized their first “Maryland Lighthouse Challenge”. In 2005 the Long Island Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society organized the first “Long Island Lighthouse Challenge”. Both of these Challenges have become annual events. Last year, the Mid-Coast Maine Lighthouse Challenge was started. This year, two new Challenges will be introduced: Martha’s Vineyard Lighthouse Challenge and the “Lights Across the Border Lighthouse Challenge”, which includes lighthouses of northern Maine and Campobello Island, Canada. We’ve heard that

several other organizations are planning Lighthouse Challenges for the future. The New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® is proud to be the “original” Lighthouse Challenge. The New Jersey Lighthouse Society intends to continue to present the Challenge as long as there is increasing interest from the public. “Thank You” to Rick Weber for his contribution to

this article.

For more information on the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge®, please contact Doreen Berson at 732-202-7420 or [email protected]. Please visit the Challenge page of the New Jersey Lighthouse Society’s web site: http://www.njlhs.org/challenge/challenge.html, for more information leading up to the 9th Annual New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge® on October 18th and 19th, 2008. To become a member of the New Jersey Lighthouse Society, please visit the society’s web site: www.njlhs.org and from the home page, click on “To Join the NJLHS” icon. Doreen Berson and Laura Portée (U.S.A.) New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge Co-Chairs

A MILESTONE FOR CANADA’S

LIGHTHOUSES

May 29, 2008 marked an important day for

lighthouse preservationists in Canada when the long-awaited Bill S-215 (an Act to protect Heritage Lighthouses) was given Royal Assent by the Governor General. This historic event marked the end of a nine year struggle that began in Nova Scotia in late 1998. Up to now, the only heritage protection afforded Canadian lighthouses was through FHBRO (Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office). This “policy only” means of designating Federal heritage buildings has no provisions for enforcement – hence, maintenance of buildings under the FHBRO umbrella is left to the conscience (and budget) of the custodial department. Shrinking budgets within the Coast Guard over the past couple of decades has meant limited or no lighthouse maintenance and when asked why they were not living up to FHBRO policy, Coast Guard’s response was quick “We have no mandate for heritage, only marine safety – talk to FHBRO.” Given the deteriorating state of many of our lighthouses, we knew it was time to act.


Sambro Island Tower and Gas House

In late 1998, a “Lighthouse Protection Act committee” was formed, an action plan developed and by March of 1999, a package was put together consisting of a Statement of Principles, a document pointing to the reasons why Canada needs a lighthouse protection act and photos of some of our lighthouses, most at risk. This “package” was then sent to every Member of Parliament and Senator in Canada. In

February of 2000, (the late) Senator Michael Forrestall presented our committee with a draft of Bill S-21, “An Act to Protect Heritage Lighthouses” Bill S-21 was introduced in the Senate of Canada and received First Reading on April 12, 2000. Senator Forrestall was soon joined in his efforts by Senator Pat Carney who had long been a champion of all things maritime on Canada’s west coast. A combination of Federal elections and dissolution of sessions of Parliament saw this legislation die on the Order Paper SIX times before it’s recent passage into Law. It is rare for legislation to last this long in the Canadian Parliamentary system and speaks volumes to the tenacity of all those involved in the process. Hats off to now retired Senator Pat Carney who continued the crusade after the death of Senator Michael Forrestall and who made it her last order of business in the Senate of Canada. Thanks as well to Senator Lowell Murray who guided the Bill through the Senate, following Senator Carney’s retirement. Also on the political side, we owe debts of gratitude to MP Gerald Keddy, who carried the Bill in the House of Commons on a couple of occasions; MP Peter Stoffer who was a consistent, strong supporter and MP Larry Miller who carried the Bill for the last time and did much toward it’s success. The work and dedication of the Heritage Canada Foundation was also integral to the

success of Bill S-215. Executive Director Natalie Bull, Communications Director Carolyn Quinn and Policy advisor Chris Wiebe worked tirelessly, providing much-needed expertise.

So, what will this Bill do for Canadian lighthouses?

The new Act to Protect Heritage Lighthouses:

• Provides a means for the selection and designation of federal heritage lighthouses;

• Prevents the unauthorized alteration of federal heritage lighthouses;

• Requires that designated federal heritage lighthouses be maintained in a manner consistent with accepted conservation standards;

• Facilitates the sale or transfer of federal heritage lighthouses in order to ensure the lighthouses’ public purpose.

Significant features of the legislation:

• Increased protection of the heritage lighthouses under federal stewardship.

• A clear process for the identification, maintenance and divestiture of federal heritage lighthouses.

• New mechanisms for public involvement in the protection of federally owned lighthouses: o Public nominations of lighthouses to be

considered for heritage designation; o Public consultation before alterations

are made to heritage lighthouses; o Public notice of lighthouses considered

surplus to the federal government; o Public notice of the transfer of a federal

heritage lighthouse to a community group or municipality;

o Public meeting if a lighthouse is considered for sale to a private owner;

o Public notice and public meeting if a lighthouse is to be demolished.

The next phase towards enactment of Bill S-215 is establishment of criteria for the legislation as well as development of the process to be followed by interested groups in applying for inclusion under the Bill. This work is being done by the office of the Minister of the Environment, which will administer the Bill. So far, a time-line has not been established for completion of this work. One very positive aspect of all that has happened so far is the spirit of cooperation which exists between Government and non-government organizations. Testimony given before the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans was requested and provided from lighthouse and heritage groups from all across Canada. This resulted in our law-makers coming away with a truer sense of how much our lighthouses mean to Canadians.

As one seasoned politician recently told me…” while it takes the work of politicians and bureaucrats to put the legislation in place, it is people in the grassroots movement, who really deserve the credit for this Bill.” Indeed, it is the work of many volunteers which not only inspired this legislation, but endured,

Ottawa FOPO Committee


Front Range Lens

despite many set-backs and disappointments along the way. I want to thank everyone who worked on and supported this initiative and while it is we who reap the immediate rewards, it will be our grand-kids and their grand-kids who will continue to enjoy these historic beacons, as a result of our work. BRAVO, everyone! Barry MacDonald (Canada) President, NSLPS WLS Organization Member

HOSPITAL POINT RANGE LIGHTS,

MASSACHUSETTS

The Hospital Point Range Lights are in the city of Beverly, only a few miles north of Boston. Nearby Salem was a busy port for fishing and trading in the 19th century. The twin towers on Baker’s Island marked the entrance to Salem Harbour from 1798 until 1916 when the smaller lighthouse was extinguished. Today only the taller tower exists and is still an active aid to navigation.

During the 19th century, sometimes called the Golden Age by American historians, Salem sent fleets of ships to East Africa, India, China, etc. In 1815 there were vessels of a total of 35.5 thousand tons registered at Salem/Beverly. In 1840 it went up to 37.0 thousand tons, and in 1860 it decreased to 33.8 thousand tons. In 1887 there were only 14 vessels registered at Salem with two thousand tons. Over the years Boston and New York took over Salem’s trading. In spite of this dramatic decrease in tonnage three lighthouses were built in 1871 to guide ships into Salem Harbour: Hospital Point Light, Winter Island (Fort Pickering) Light and Derby Wharf Light. Hospital Point was originally known as Paul’s Point. The present name comes from a smallpox hospital at that location which was built in 1801. It was destroyed by fire in June 1849. In 1871 a temporary

light was established on the point on a wooden structure, which was replaced in 1872 by the present Federal Revival-styled tower. The town of Beverly transferred the ownership of some two acres at Paul’s Point to the U.S. Government for the purpose of constructing a lighthouse (Beverly changed from a town to a city government in 1894). Like Derby Wharf, it is a brick tower, whereas Winter Island (Fort Pickering), is a cast iron tower. The base of the tower is of granite. The wooden keepers’ dwellings are adjacent to the tower. These “Queen Anne Revival-styled” dwellings were substantially modified in 1968. The original structure had two balconies on its seaward side. They probably were removed in 1968. The light was automated in 1947. Since then it is the home of the Commander of the First Coast Guard District. The First Coast Guard District is comprised of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, most of New York, and New Jersey to the Shrewsbury River. Hospital Point Lighthouse had a third order Fresnel lens (375 mm focal distance) which is still used. The light is visible over 360°. The lens has a condensing panel (vertical magnifying prisms) offset from the main lens. It is a 24 inch tall convex lens with three prisms on each side. It concentrates the horizontal beam on the centre line of the Salem Channel (274.3° - 278.3°). The retired Rear Admiral Richard A. Baumann, who was once Commander of the First Coast Guard District, said about the condensing panel, “I have climbed well over 600 lighthouses in this country and have never seen another condensing panel like it.” The lighthouse station is at 42° 32.8‘ N and 70° 51.4 W, and has the International Number J 0290. The ALL (Admiralty List of Lights) describes the lightstation as follows: White pyramidal tower. Elevation 21metres. Intens on leading line. The characteristic is F W. Floodlit. There is no indication about the range. According to the Light List of A.G. Findlay, the light was visible in 1900 for 13 nautical miles. The light was automated in 1947 The First Baptist Society of Beverly’s first church was built in 1801. In 1869 that building was sold and a new church was built at the present location. It was of wood construction and was enlarged in 1898, with the existing spire.

Hospital Point Front Range Light


Hospital Point Rear Range Light

Hospital Point Rear Range Light

In 1927 a rear light was added to Hospital Point Lightstation. According to a Memorandum of the U.S. Coast Guard dated 29 December 1965, the rear light was established on 1 May 1927. The German Notice to Mariners, No. 1665/27 of 1927, reports that around 2 May 1927 “a light will be established in the spire of the First Baptist Church of Beverly on 42° 31‘ N, 70° 53‘ W. The range light – about 1 nautical mile west northwest from Hospital Point, will guide ships through the Main Ship Channel to Salem Harbour on 276° bearing.” The steeple had been used as a daymark before 1927. After the light was established, the structure was also known as “the church with the harbour light.” The light was mounted 187 feet above sea level and 127 feet above the street in the upper part of the steeple. At that height there was little space to install an optic. The problem was solved by using two 200 mm reflector lens lanterns - discarded lightship optics. They were partly dismantled making it possible to superimpose them in a vertical height of about 21 inches. Two 94 Watt headlight type electrical bulbs were installed, one being a spare bulb in reserve. There was a switching relay to bring the spare bulb into operation if the service bulb failed. The light was automated from the beginning using an astronomic clock arranged for the time of sunset and sunrise in the latitude for which it is located. The clock was wound up each day at sunset by a small motor. The candlepower of the light was 1300. Inspections were made approximately once a month. Today a FA 240 range lantern is used, made by Automatic Power Inc. The Coast Guard has an annual contract with the church which calls for the payment of a small monthly stipend. The Coast Guard pays for the electricity and has its own key to maintain the light.

Hospital Point Rear Range Light is located at 42° 32.9 N, 70° 52.8 W, and has the International Number J 0290.1. The ALL list describes the light as follows: Church spire. Elevation 56 metres. Visible 274.3° - 278.3° (4°). Characteristic: F W. According to U.S. Coast Guard information the nominal range is 16 nautical miles. On August 26, 1975 all of the church was destroyed

by fire except the steeple. Some people called it a miracle. The light was out of service just one night. The Coast Guard relit it the next day. State fire laws precluded use of wood for the new church so it had to be built of brick. The architect cleverly incorporated the old wooden steeple into the new structure. The steeple is a separate building in itself, although you would never know it from the outside. Hospital Point Rear Range Light is not the first church to have been utilized as an aid to navigation. The St. Philips Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, USA was similarly used before and during the Civil War. The light on St. Nicholas Chapel on Lantern Hill at Ilfracombe, Devon, England is still an active aid to navigation. Further examples are the church on TunØ , Denmark, the rear light on the steeple of the church at Den Hoorn, Netherlands, and the light on the church Nuestra Senora de la Guardia at Puerto Deseado, Argentinia, to name a few. References:

Massachusetts Lighthouses: A Pictorial Guide, Courtney Thompson, narrative material by Jeremy D’Entremont New England Lighthouses, Bruce Roberts and Ray Jones The Lighthouses of Massachusetts, Wally Welch Great American Lighthouses, F. Ross Holland Jr. Meyers Konversationslexikon, 1890 New England and the Sea, Robert G. Albion 1994 Inventory of Historic Light Stations, National Park Service Letter from The Beverly Historical Society and Museum Letter from U.S. Coast Guard, Boston Department of Commerce: Lighthouse Service Bulletin No. 47, 1927 The Lighthouses of the World, 1899-1900, Alexander George Findlay Admiralty List of Lights and Fog Signals, Volume J, 1994 (ALL) German Notice to Mariners, No. 1665/27, 1927 Jeremy D’Entremont, e-mails

Egbert Koch (Germany) WLS Vice-Chairman

THE SOLARIZATION OF SAMBRO

LIGHTHOUSE, OLDEST OPERATING

LIGHTHOUSE IN THE AMERICAS

The solarization of the Sambro Lighthouse was successfully completed by the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) on Easter Sunday, March 28, 2008. Members of The Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society had been concerned about solarization of Sambro for several years. The CG has been solarizing lighthouses in recent years, some of them in a manner which was not well received by lighthouse enthusiasts and mariners alike. Fortunately for Sambro, some changes in staffing at the CCG Base in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and the


Sambro Island Lighthouse March 2008

Sambro’s new lens

Sambro’s new fog horn

appointment of Tom Roberts, an understanding and caring technician, to supervise the project lead to a very successful conclusion. In addition, there was good media coverage of the situation and members of the public and mariners made their opinions and wishes known. In April, 2007, a strong storm surge tore out the underwater power cable which connected Sambro Island to the mainland, supplying the electricity to operate the light and foghorn. This happens every three or four years. Replacement of the cable is extremely expensive. Solarization of the lighthouse was deemed the only solution, since the ongoing expense of maintaining the power cable was drawing money away from necessary repairs to Sambro and other lighthouses. Approval for the project from the Federal Heritage Building Review Office (FHBRO) was necessary because Sambro is a classified building. Approval was received in December, 2007. The Coast Guard maintained the light for months, using auxiliary diesel generators and flying fuel to the lighthouse by helicopter, a very expensive situation. The foghorn was deemed unnecessary and was shut off pending a four month long period during which mariners were invited to voice their opinions regarding the necessity for continued operation of the horn. Many submissions were filed, the majority calling for continuation based on historical and personal grounds. Initially the light recommended by the CCG Level of Service people was an Automatic Power APRB252 with a 2.03 amp lamp in it and a range of about 14 miles. Tom did not consider this a system sufficient to

match Sambro’s DCB36 which had a range of over 24 nautical miles. There was a Tideland TRB400 lens system at the CCG shop and Tom requested that lens be installed instead. It nearly matches the DCB lantern’s brilliance. Tom’s managers did not argue with that request. Due to the public protest and some sympathetic staff in Dartmouth, the decision was made to reinstate the horn.

Twelve 80 watt solar panels have been installed on the island, on the spot where the outdoor fuel tanks once stood. Nine batteries run the entire system, four for the light and five for the fog detector and horns. The lens must rotate 24 hours a day to prevent burning up the lamp changer inside. If the lens did not rotate, the sun's rays would be concentrated on the lamp changer mechanism much like a magnifying glass, and this would be hot enough to melt the unit. (The lens is a contemporary Fresnel.

Since 1906 there has been a Fresnel system lens in the Sambro tower.) The nominal range of the TRB-400 with a 50 watt quartz lamp installed as it is on Sambro is 24 nautical miles. The light beam will be different because the unit is much smaller and more focused on the water than what came from the previous DCB36. The DCB36 is an aviation lantern which is focused more on the sky for aircraft.

Tom oversaw the installation with great care. As a result, we have at Sambro Lighthouse a powerful solarized light and foghorn as close as possible to the previous system, and worthy of a landfall lighthouse. In Toms words: “Those participating in this project included carpenters and technicians from Dartmouth and Saint John, helicopter pilots and engineers from Shearwater, as well as our truck driver, crane operator and labourer from Dartmouth. The teamwork and dedication of all of these people have restored Sambro to its proud heritage as the lighthouse that will always be closer than any other to the hearts of the people it protects. The Sambro Light and fog alarm not only reflects a powerful beacon still visible 24nm away, but it reflects the hearts and souls of the people of Sambro Village. It

now stands as not only the oldest working lighthouse in the Americas, but also the most

technologically advanced one as well. You will note in the photo that Sambro Lighthouse badly needs painting. This will be done this summer. Sambro Lighthouse is 250 years old this year.

Kathy Brown (Canada) WLS Executive Board Member

BRITISH LIGHT VESSEL NEWS

Juno Light Vessel for Sale

Trinity House light vessel LV72 though nearly fifty years old during World War II has a distinguished war service. On 10th June 1944 she was placed on the approaches to Juno beach to mark the safe


Calshot Spit Light vessel on her station.

approach to the D-Day beach through the minefields. As the Allies advanced the light vessel moved with them to mark cleared approached first at the port of Le Havre and then at the entrance to the River Seine. After the war was over, following a major refit she returned, like all GI's, to her previous civilian life. For her it was to return to pre-war stations at Smiths Knoll and Varne before completing her service at the English and Welsh Grounds in the upper Bristol Channel.

From here in 1972 when she was sixty-nine years old she was finally laid up at the Trinity House Depot in Swansea, South Wales. Sold out of service the following year she made the short voyage up the River Neath to lie alongside their steel scrap wharf awaiting breaking up. Luckily that was not to be as the scrap yard's owner thought that the old ship and all her history was worth saving. Plans were made that she was to be taken back to Swansea and made a focal point of the then new marina being constructed, earning her keep as a floating night club. Sadly this was not to be and she stayed alongside the scrapping wharf, slowly deteriorating. Now the original owner has died and his successors are hoping that the ship can be sold to someone who would be able to restore her to her former glory and that she could act as a living monument to the light vessel crews lost during the war.

John Crown and Company at Sunderland built light vessel No 72 for Trinity House in 1903. She has an iron hull and when built was fitted with a catoptric lens

system with oil burners. In 1948 she was electrified, fitted with Ruston -Hornsby generators.

North Carr Light Vessel Restored

The light vessel that was the only manned light vessel operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board has had a major above water refit. The ship is now a headquarters ship for the Dundee unit of the Maritime Volunteer Service whose members did the work, which was financed by a grant from the National Heritage Lottery fund. The cost of the work was just over three times her original cost of £15,430. The light vessel was built by A and J Inglis at Pointhouse Shipyard, Glasgow in 1932. Her station was North Carr off the east coast of Scotland where she remained until decommissioned in 1975. For a short period during WWII she returned to her birthplace on the river Clyde where repainted grey, she served as a convoy assembly area marking vessel. After decommissioning she was a museum ship in Anstruther harbour but in 2002 moved northwards to Victoria Dock, Dundee for restoration and her present role. Restoration will be continued as money comes available to maintain this major piece of Scotland's heritage.

Calshot Spit Light Vessel to Move

The Calshot Spit light vessel, LV 78, at the entrance to Southampton Water guided transatlantic liners clear of the spit from 1914 until 1978 when she was replaced by an automated light float. In redundancy the light vessel was set in concrete as feature in retail complex at Ocean Village, Southampton. Now her future is under consideration, as the site developers want her removed to allow them to expand their operations. The outlook was bleak for the ninety-four year old vessel as it was thought that she would have to be broken up in situ to remove her from the grip of the surrounding concrete plinth. Now the future is looking brighter after a survey found the hull is in good condition with the possibility that the vessel

could be lifted out of the concrete and moved to a new home. Even better news was released recently when the owners of Southampton docks, Associated British Ports, offered to help save the historic light vessel by offering her a new home. The ports are currently involved in planning a new cruise ship terminal. The project on Southampton

waterfront will include the now derelict Trafalgar Dry Dock. This dock, now partially filled in, was once the largest dock of its kind in the world, and a forgotten

Juno Light Vessel

LV 72 as she is now, note the fixed lantern tower added in 1948.


part of Southampton's maritime heritage. For over eighty years it was used to repair the great transatlantic liners. The plan is that the heritage dock will be restored and will house the light vessel where it will be seen by thousands of cruise passengers annually that will board Cunard and P and O cruise ships that will use the completed terminal.

Just as when the light vessel was taken from the water to Ocean Village over twenty years ago, moving her back to the Trafalgar Dock will be a major operation. The 200-tonne ship will have to be removed from her plinth and hauled to the dock side where ABP's large floating crane will lift her back into the water to be towed round to her new home. ABP's port director said," we are doing this because of the heritage value of the old ship, ABP are committed to retaining the heritage of the city and it would be sad to see her broken up and scrapped.

Unusually for Trinity House, the Calshot Spit light vessel (LV78), built in 1914, was constructed at the Southampton shipyard of J.I.Thorneycroft. She was designed specifically for, and only ever used on Calshot Spit station. This smaller than usual light vessel was normally manned by a crew of just three men who looked after a dioptric lens with a 55mm IOV burner and a reed fog signal powered by a 15bhp Hornsby diesel engine.

Spurn Light Vessel

And finally, a quick update on the Spurn light vessel, Humber Conservancy Board LV 14, currently being refitted in Sharpness, Gloucester Dry Dock by WLS members Jan and Agnes van der Elson. Work to restore the light vessel is proceeding well as she is being converted into a floating complementary medicine centre, yet retaining the essential features of the light vessel. LV 14 was built in Beverley, Hull in 1958 for service on the Spurn station at the mouth of

the Humber estuary on the east coast of England. Her new home will be far inland at Gloucester. For a detailed look at her progress visit www.lightshiptherapies.net. Peter Williams (Wales) WLS Administrative Officer

NEW BOOK & POSTCARDS CAPTURE

HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO’S LIGHTHOUSES

Press Release

Lighthouses of San Diego presents a glimpse of the

famous and lesser-known lighthouses of San Diego, thanks to the memories and photographs of men who kept the lights burning. In more than 200 vintage images, Lighthouses of San Diego is the new pictorial history and set of vintage postcards which will no doubt charm residents and visitors alike. Other highlights of Lighthouses of San Diego: • Shows World War II, when lighthouse business

was halted in a blackout on San Diego’s Point Loma – Japan’s closest neighbour

• Firsthand accounts from families who lived in San Diego’s lighthouses, who dedicated their lives to the safety of the mariner

• Meet the U.S. Coast Guard team, and journey with them as they disassemble the third order lens, crate the glass panels and lower them from Point Loma’s leggy tower along with the authors

Kim Fahlen (WLS Member) and Karen Scanlon are identical twin sisters who work together on lighthouse-related projects and volunteer at Cabrillo National Monument, tending its lighthouse lenses. Scanlon is an early childhood educator and writer, and an award-winning freelance author of maritime history. Fahlen travels the U.S. and Europe photographing and studying lighthouses, with particular interest in their optics. Available through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or by writing to

Arcadia Publishing, 420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464; telephone 001 843-853-2070. Lighthouses of San Diego

By Karen Scanlon and Kim Fahlen Images of America Series

Price: $19.99 (U.S.) 128 pages/softcover

Calshot Spit light vessel being lifted into place in Ocean village in 1989


Belle Toute Lighthouse. Photo by Howzie (http://www.flickr.com/photos/howzey/2147225280/). Some rights reserved.

Lighthouses of San

Diego

By Karen Scanlon and Kim Fahlen Postcards of

America Series

Price: $7.99 (U.S.) 15 postcards

Kai Oliver-Kurtin (U.S.A.) Publicity Manager Arcadia Publishing [email protected]

NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Editor’s Note: The following revised news articles have been published here with the permission of

the original author, Sue Clark, who publishes the

blog, Lighthouse News (http://lighthouse-

news.com). The original articles and Internet links to

additional information regarding each article may

be found at her Website.

Clare Island Lighthouse - A Nice Birthday Gift (Ireland)

Clare Island Lighthouse has been sold at auction

to a German doctor, who bought it for his wife as a birthday present. So, just how do you wrap up such an item? And how do you explain you spent € 1.05 million for this lighthouse on a cliff in County Mayo, Ireland? And how do you deal with the islanders who are understandably upset that a piece of their history was so blithely sold without the chance for them as a community to purchase it themselves? According to a story in The Mayo News, Clare Island businesswoman Anna Wettergren has criticized the State’s failure to buy important heritage buildings such as the lighthouse. “The lighthouse is situated in an incredibly beautiful location on the edge of cliffs at the northern face of the island. It has lain largely empty for the last number of years, which is really a pity. There should have been some sort of Government facility which allows communities [to] buy such properties that are integral to the history of an area,” said Ms Wettergren, a long-time resident, who operates a cafe at her cottage during the summer months.

Two years ago, islanders called on their minister, Eamon O Cuiv, to lobby for the state to purchase the real estate. However, he declined, stating that the State

had already a huge portfolio of heritage properties and “is not in the business of buying privately-

owned properties, so hard choices had to be made.” Originally built in1806, it was decommissioned in 1965 because fog often obscured its beam. It was replaced by an unmanned lighthouse on Achillbeg. It was then sold to an Irish American couple, and then to a Belgian couple, Robert and Monica Timmermans, who invested lots of money to bring the old house up to a livable state. It was used as a rental by them, with such local VIPs as the television star Ray D’Arcy and Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith staying there. It was sold again in the late 1990s to Lady Georgina Forbes. Offered at first for €2.1 million, it languished on the market for months. Recently, though, in an effort to move the property, the price was dropped to €500,000. That move had the opposite effect: too many buyers were now interested. So, Lady Forbes did the smart thing and auctioned it instead, getting twice as much as the last offered price, although only half as much as the original price tag.

Belle Toute Lighthouse To Be Bed and Breakfast (England)

Although the

Belle Toute Preservation Trust didn’t become the owners of the Sussex lighthouse, at least their goal of having the lighthouse as a bed and breakfast will become a reality. The new owners of this lightstation near Beachy Head, Eastbourne have indicated they will be fulfilling the dream of Rob Wassell and the Trust to have it opened to the public, and preserved for generations to come. And that may include moving it away from the crumbling cliffs near which it resides. The final selling price of this landmark light was £500,000 ($991,295 USD), a far cry from the original asking price of £850,000. To recap the story quickly, last year in September the Belle Toute Preservation sought and was given permission by the Eastbourne Borough Council when the lighthouse went up for sale. The Trust sought donations, but was unable to get enough to purchase the lighthouse, when a private person put up an offer. That deal fell through, and the lighthouse went up for sale again at a greatly reduced price. Before the Trust could regroup, it was snatched up by a “foreign” couple for the above-mentioned price.

Clare Island Lighthouse. Photo from lb3595 on Community Webshots (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1203887289060618922jkXCdG).


A story in the Argus.Co.Uk interviews the new owners, the Belle Toute Lighthouse Company Ltd. The company was formed by David Shaw and his wife Barbara Davison Shaw, who currently reside in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. They will be moving back to England, to oversee the renovations. In the story, Shaw revealed his plans to turn the building into a B&B and tea shop for walkers. He also said he was investigating the costs of moving the lighthouse away from the cliffs as it could be threatened in as little as 20 years. He said: “It is a fantastic project - it is not every day the opportunity to buy a lighthouse comes up. I have had an interest in the area relatively recently and when I heard it was for sale, my ears pricked up. It has got a fantastic history and I want to restore it to something akin to its former glory. As a commercial investment it is not a very good idea but it has not dented my enthusiasm. Having spent a lot of money, it would be nice to think that it would have a shelf-life of 100 years, so it is preserved for future generations.” Shaw, who was originally rumored to be a physician in Germany when the sale was announced, is actually chairman of a group of companies that run nursing homes and are involved in health care. In a press release issued last week, Rob Wassell speaks of the Trust’s plans. The Belle Toute Lighthouse Preservation Trust Press Statement 28th May 2008 In April 2008 the Belle Toute Lighthouse was bought by someone else. This was obviously disappointing as the trust had put so much hard work and effort into trying to obtain the lighthouse. The new owner has been in touch and announced their intention, which I am pleased to report, involves opening the lighthouse to the public as a visitor attraction and bed & breakfast. This is obviously the same intention that the trust had for the lighthouse and we are very pleased as this means that the public will still have the opportunity of visiting this amazing building after all. As the trust can no longer realise its aims it will be wound up, however, The Belle Toute Lighthouse Preservation Society will be formed to allow previous trust members to retain a watchful interest in the future of Belle Toute. We wish the new owners every success in their venture. The trust once again extends its thanks to everyone who helped us get as far as we did. The website is currently being updated to reflect this gratitude,

who helped us, what we did, how we did it and what the future holds for Belle Toute. Rob Wassell Chairman Although it is regrettable that the lighthouse will be privately owned, which leaves no absolute guarantee of its future as it would if the Trust had been able to acquire it, at least the new owners have the means to move (for the second time) this grand lady away from the eroding cliffs. And it will be available to the public if their plans come to fruition.

“French Lighthouses Are Disintegrating”

Harsh words perhaps, but this is a direct quote

from Marc Pointud, the founder of the National Society for the Patrimony of Lighthouses and Signals, as stated in an article from the Tuscaloosa News. Pointud, an expert in maritime treasures, is sounding the alarm to save at least some of these national treasures from the rot that has overtaken them since lighthouse keepers were put out to pasture. Or sea in this case. Between automation, time and the tolls of weather, rot has set in. The lighthouses are still required by French law, but unfortunately their preservation is not required. All that’s wanted is light that is visible up to 30 miles out to sea. The French, after all, don’t quite trust GPS. France, as almost every lighthouse lover knows, contributed one of the biggest improvements to our lights at sea through the physicist, Augustin Jean Fresnel. Fresnel singlehandedly re-engineered the lighting system with his creation of the amazingly efficient (and amazingly beautiful) Fresnel lens in the early nineteenth century. Fresnel devoted his life to the study of light waves and optics, and through a series of prismatic reflections and diffractions, came up with a way of concentrating light waves and magnifying them. As Commissioner of French Lighthouses, he installed them in towers, and the lens was quickly adopted throughout Europe for use in lighthouses. In a part of Brittany called Finistere (The Ends of the Earth) is one of France’s most beautiful of its 150 or so remaining lights. Philip Gentry, head of the Department of Lighthouses and Signals in this region, is doing his best to save the Eckmuhl Lighthouse, built in the 1890s. Its construction was due to a bequest from the daughter of one of Napoleon’s marshals, to make up, she said, for the blood her father had spilled. From the story: What was constructed is beautiful: a tower of local Kersanton granite 60 yards above sea level, with a curving staircase of 272 steps tiled in pale blue-green opaline glass, rising to a wood-panelled room with a statue of the marshal and a marble ceiling,


Cape Ray Lighthouse. Photo by hanahk1 on Webshots (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1177523759025827121iFTHFR).

with brass finials. Now, many of the opaline tiles, no longer made, are cracked or broken, the iron is rusting, and the panelling and the ceiling have been dismantled to replace the rotted beams. The marshal is kept in a storeroom.

After convincing his department, and working with the Ministry of Culture, Genty has acquired $239,000 to caulk the granite and to replace the rotting beams and rusted iron. Genty is working with Pierre Alexandre of the Finistère office of the Culture Ministry, who notes that the region’s lighthouses, because of both their navigation and historical value, are the most important in France. He is providing some money for technical assessments of the five lighthouses here classified as historic monuments. Unfortunately, Alexandre is quoted in the story as saying, “At this point, we can’t think about investing in the lighthouses in the high seas. It’s not considered feasible.” A schoolteacher in Brest, a Mr. Fichou is also quoted in this story. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on French lighthouses and has published three books on them. “The question is what we can afford to save,” Mr. Fichou said. “It’s very expensive, and we’ll never be able to save those on the high sea. Nor can we get tourists out there — it’s too expensive and too dangerous.” Building them was a great engineering challenge, and the engineers tried to make them elegant, he said, “but it was a time that’s finished.” Because they are deteriorating, “of course our interest is awakening,” Mr. Fichou said. “But there is beauty also in the fact that some are crumbling.” Brest ferry captain Didier Salud disagrees. The ferries have two G.P.S. systems, but they are often inaccurate, Captain Salun said, adding, “We know the signals and rocks. And the lighthouses. It’s the first landmark you see, the beam of light, and we know where we are.”

Reading the entire article is highly recommended (http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20080423/ZNYT03/804230318/1005/ENTERTAINMENT). There is a lot more there, including the state of some of the historical lighthouses, Le Stiff, Kereon and Creac’h, and an interview with a former lightkeeper. It is sad to read, that the home of our beloved lenses has let the lighthouses get to this state.

Cape Ray Lighthouse Closes This Year (Canada)

With all the

lighthouses opening up now in the northern hemisphere, it was a shock to read that one won’t be providing visitors with the chance to climb to the top. Cape Ray Lighthouse, in Newfoundland, is suffering from a lack of volunteers to man the lighthouse and museum, and is being forced to close. Dennis and Bernice Tavener managed to run the museum gift shop and lighthouse tours all by themselves last year, but can’t see themselves doing it all alone again this year, according to an article in the St. John’s Telegram. The two retirees say they can’t dedicate another summer to running things without any help. The story goes on to say that the local committee to run the lighthouse was formed about 11 years ago, with 10 members. Six students were also hired each year to help with the workload, through the help of the former South West Coast Development Association, who did the applications and helped manage the students. When the Development Association closed its doors a few years ago, the volunteers also dwindled. The students, funded positions which are hard to get, was down to only 3 last year. The Taveners, besides singlehandedly working six and sometimes seven days in July and August, would also regularly drive into nearby Port Aux Basques to purchase candy for the gift shop when supplies ran low. “We spent all of our time out there,” said Bernice. “You get burned out.” Besides doing all that, Bernice was the treasurer for the committee, and Dennis would decorate the lighthouse and gift shop with lights and wreaths at Christmas. He said in the story that if only a few people had stepped up to help manage the students, and put in a few hours at the lighthouse, they’d still be able to open. “But nobody stepped forward to fill the gap.”

Eckmuhl Lighthouse Lantern. Photo from Magicsmile (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixie/1073161216/). Some rights reserved.


Five Islands Lighthouse Photo from Community Webshots (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1209473165059801198bPlbuS). .

It’s not only Cape Ray that has the problem of a dwindling force of volunteers, although their’s is an extreme case. It’s every lighthouse group that has to come up with creative ways to find and keep volunteers. The traditional volunteer, a mother with time on her hands after the kids go to school has long disappeared off the landscape. The retirees, who are still active, have carried the burden for too long. And their numbers are shrinking. Lighthouse groups need to do more to recruit and retain volunteers, and should have a committee, or at least one existing volunteer, dedicated to that task. Groups also need to think outside the box at times, and realize that not every person is suited for a docent role. Also, that an effort needs to be made to recruit the younger generations, rather than strictly accepting retirees. We need a multitude of different talents to keep out beloved beacons preserved and teaching us our history well into the future. Let me quote something that Bob Trapani, Jr., CEO of the American Lighthouse Foundation, recently wrote: “In the world of lighthouses, there are few joys that surpass the opportunity to climb the stairs of a light tower, up to the lantern in the sky, where at once the enchanting realm of the sea and coastline takes hold of our thoughts and stirs our innermost emotions in a profound manner.” It is extremely sad that visitors to Cape Ray will not have this opportunity to experience a memorable moment such as Trapani describes.

Sandy Point, Nova Scotia, Gets Funding (Canada)

The Sandy Point Lighthouse, Shelburne, NS will get a new lease on life thanks to investments by the federal, provincial and municipal governments. Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is investing more than $38,000 (CA), Nova Scotia Economic Development is investing $20,000 (CA), and the Municipality of the District of Shelburne is contributing $10,000 (CA) towards the project. The project includes the construction of a walkway along the beach, a stairway to the top of the lighthouse base and a railing to make the beach more accessible. The initiative also includes strengthening the lighthouse base, adding interpretive panels, and enhancing the lighthouse’s visual appeal.

Lighthouse Moved, Moved and Moved Again (Canada)

Situated at the end of Sand Point Beach in the Bay

of Fundy at Minas Basin, Five Islands Lighthouse (Nova Scotia) Preservation Society is setting the stage for another move. The lighthouse, last moved in 1996 due to the “highest tides in the world,” is

once again sitting perilously close to the edge. However, a bigger determining factor is its location on a private campground. The Society would like to see it moved to public land owned by Colchester County to guarantee future accessibility by the public to this pepper-pot style lighthouse.

Originally built in the winter of 1913/1914, the light was first moved back in 1952 and again in 1957. It was placed as far inland as the property allowed and remained there until 1996. Nearly all of the land was gone, the base of the light was washing away and the Coast Guard was trying to dispose of the light which had been deactivated in 1993. It was purchased by Colchester County in 1996.

According to the story on The Chronicle Herald: “It’s a big open field with a beautiful view of the islands,” says Gloria Lewis, president of the Five Islands Lighthouse Preservation Society. “And right now it’s not being used,” she said, referring to more than four hectares of land on Broderick Lane. “It also has great access to the beach.” Mrs. Lewis said one of her society’s members was involved in a previous move and says it can be done again. “It’s an important part of the community and its history,” she said. “Hopefully, if we(’ve) got to move it, it would be even more accessible and get even more visitors.” Currently, there is no timetable for the project, as the talks are still in early stages, but at least one Colchester County Councillor, Doug Cooke, representing Five Islands, is agreeable. “I’m certainly in favor of this,” he reportedly told fellow councilors.

Lighthouse Map Designed for Maine-Canada Event (Canada/U.S.A.)

The International

Lighthouse Challenge has released the image of the new map that will be used for the Lights Across the Border

lighthouse event that will be held on Saturday, August 9 in Cutler, Lubec and Campobello Island. The souvenir map will be given to everyone who takes part on the semi self-


Tchefuncte River Range Rear Light House. Photo by JimmyWayne22 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/auvet/2215737438/). Some rights reserved.

guided tour of the area’s five lighthouses. The colorful map, designed by Cutler artist, Pam Britton, shows major roads and scenes of the area and will be stamped at each lighthouse location. Five stamps are needed to complete the Challenge in order to get the Certificate of Completion. The Challenge will begin at Head Harbour Lighthouse on Campobello Island and finish at Little River Lighthouse in Cutler. The map, depicting all five Challenge lighthouses will also appear on the free tote bags that will be given to people as part of their $15.00 (U.S.) registration fee for the event. It will also be on souvenir items that will be available for purchase for the Lighthouse Challenge at Head Harbour Lighthouse on Campobello Island, Little River Light in Cutler and at West Quoddy Head Light in Lubec. Although you won’t be able to climb the tower at Mulholland Light on Campobello Island, the tower will be open for a rare glimpse inside. However, the event will include a boat ride to visit Little River Lighthouse, which is on an island in Cutler’s harbor and a lighthouse that very few people have ever visited. West Quoddy Light in Lubec and Head Harbour Light on Campobello Island will also be open for tours and tower climbs, weather permitting. Machias Savings Bank, and the University of Maine, Machias, and Lighthouse Digest Magazine of Whiting are sponsoring the Lights Across the Border lighthouse event which is being hosted by the Friends of Head Harbour Lighthouse, West Quoddy Head Light Keepers Association and the Friends of Little River Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. The sponsors and host groups are proud of the fact that this is the first international lighthouse challenge to be held anywhere in the world. It was patterned after similar events held each year in New Jersey, Maryland, and Long Island, New York. Registration for the August 9th event is $15.00 (U.S.) per person and includes a free Lights Across the Border tote bag with goodies, the tower climbs and

the free boat ride to Cutler’s Little River Lighthouse. Registration fee can be mailed to Lights Across the Border, P.O. Box 671, East Machias, ME 04630 or you can register on-line at www.LittleRiverLight.org or by calling 001-207-259-3833 . Event pamphlets are available at Owen House on Campobello Island, West Quoddy Gifts in Lubec, Machias Area Chamber of Commerce in Machias, Machias Savings Bank in Machias, and various other locations. They are also available by mail for a $2.00 fee.

Tchefuncte River Lighthouse Work Begins (U.S.A.)

After delays caused by the two infamous 2005

hurricanes (Katrina and Rita), restoration work on

the land at the Tchefuncte River Rear Range Lighthouse (Madisonville, Louisiana) is underway. Recent plantings of cypress trees by volunteers are the humble beginnings of a project that aims to reduce the erosion and make the light accessible again. The lighthouse has been subjected to erosion over the years, and all that remains of access is a privately owned marshland behind it. Currently, the only access to the lighthouse is by boat. If the owners of the marshland behind it agree, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum may also build a boardwalk to the lighthouse, creating not only land access but an opportunity for visitors to learn about wetlands ecology. The planting is a joint project of the town of Madisonville (owner of the lighthouse), the Museum and the Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. The road leading to the mainland disappeared underwater in the 1950s or 1960s. As the lake encroached upon the promontory, the land on which the lighthouse stands threatened to become an island. A line of rocks four or five feet into the lake marked what was the shoreline less than 20 years ago. “We’d like to get the trees growing and then the area can get re-established. But it’s a long, drawn-out process,” said Michaelyn Lombard, an instructor in biological sciences at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. Although the entire restoration effort is expected to cost $10 million dollars (U.S.), the lighthouse itself isn’t a major part of the amount. According to the museum, it’s in need of a paint job and some new mortar, but other than that, the tower is structurally sound. However, the story does mention that those people who arrive by boat can climb to the top, and unfortunately have carved their initials into the tower. Further restoration plans include moving the keeper’s cottage back to the lighthouse location (it’s currently on the museum grounds) and building a replica of the bell tower. Half of the $50,000 (U.S.) in grants already received comes from a hurricane relief award given by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Southeastern Museum Conference. The other half is a matching grant from the Southeastern Louisiana University Development Foundation.


Lighthouse on Little St. George Island. Photo by mmm29 on Webshots Photo Sharing (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1041212624011957923wvCCWE).

Leaning Lighthouse from Florida State Archives

The museum and town hope that the lighthouse will be a tourism draw, and includes an educational program allowing children to stay overnight at the lighthouse.

The Recycled St. George Island Lighthouse (U.S.A.)

The first St. George Lighthouse was cannibalized from parts of another lighthouse that was built at the western end of the island in 1833. Not long afterward, it was noted that the ships approaching the Bay could not see the lighthouse, and it was decided to recommission a new light at the southern edge of St. George. In 1848, the new light, built from the old, was lit. This second lighthouse didn’t even last three years. A strong storm in August of 1851 flattened the tower, along with two other nearby lighthouses, including its sister beacon, the Cape San Blas. Once again, the lighthouse was rebuilt with material salvaged from the destruction. But this time it was moved 250 feet further inland, for a total of 500 feet from the water.

In 1954 the Army Corps of Engineers cut a swath through the center of the island, so ships wouldn’t have to go around. Perhaps that sped things up a little, but barrier islands do tend to move around a bit, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 removed even more sand from the island. By 1994 the Coast Guard took note of the fact the

tower was almost engulfed by the Atlantic and decommissioned the light. The Keeper’s house and oil house were also damaged in the storm, although the keeper’s house had already been damaged by the Coast Guard using it as a source for firewood. Hurricane Opal made landfall in 1995, and the tidal surge from this storm caused enough of the remaining sand supporting the tower to wash away, leaving the beacon tipped precariously. A low tech solution to the leaning lighthouse was formulated in 1999, when a local contractor with a backhoe dug out the sand underneath the opposite side of the lighthouse, allowing it to settle down to a straightened

condition. A ring of concrete ten feet deep was poured to further stabilize the light, and to which the tower was held by holes that had been drilled through the base of the walls. Although Hurricane Dennis was the final insult to the lighthouse, it actually stood for two months after the Category 3 hurricane hit the barrier islands near Apalachicola Bay in 2005. But at 11:45 a.m. on October 21, it ended what had been a long career marking the entrance of the bay. However, volunteers refused to let the light stay down. The St. George Lighthouse Association jumped to the forefront when the tower collapsed. Within six months, their members and other volunteers, using excavation equipment, had salvaged most of the pieces. They were loaded on a barge and transported to Eastpoint where a local radio station provided storage for the materials. They then spent months cleaning the bricks, one by one, and raising money. A new lantern was built, as the old was beyond repair, and the actual reconstruction began.

Because the original site was no longer viable, the Association chose to put the lighthouse fourteen miles from there, in the center of the island. Visitors to St. George Island cross on a causeway, and the first sight they now see is the newly recycled lighthouse. On April 1, the lantern room was lifted onto the top of the rebuilt tower to mark the holes where the bolts would hold it in place. The following day, the lantern was successfully fastened to the tower. After raising over $500,000 (U.S.) through grants and donations, the St. George Lighthouse Association completed the rebuilding in only two and a half years, using bricks salvaged from the original beacon. And in another two months, the interior is expected to be completed and St. George Island Light will be one of only seven in Florida open for climbing.

St. George Lighthouse Under Construction. Photo by Jimmy Wayne22 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/auvet/2198007653.) Some rights reserved.


Point No Point Lighthouse by Jan Tik (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jantik/382043936/). Some rights reserved.

Manukau Head Lighthouse by Erez B (http://www.flickr.com/photos/erez_birenzwig/1647042893/. Some rights reserved.

Volunteers also built a temporary Visitor’s Center/Museum at the site of the rebuilding, and have plans to replace the Keeper’s House when the tower is done. The center opened in January and attracts about 20 tourists a day. From a story in the Tallahassee Democrat: “Half our visitors are here for the primary reason of seeing a lighthouse under construction,” said Elaine Rosenthal, director of the center. “There hasn’t been a brick lighthouse like this one built in 120 years.” Congratulations to this amazing and dedicated group of people for doing what most would call impossible. It’s a proud day for Lighthouse Lovers worldwide.

US Lighthouse Society Moves To New Home (U.S.A.)

What a view from their new office! The US

Lighthouse Society has moved from San Francisco, California to Hansville, Washington. A dramatic move to be sure, but one made even more dramatic by the new view out of their windows. The Society signed a lease with Kitsap County commissioners establishing their new partnership, and getting cool new digs in the process. Point No Point Lighthouse former Keepers quarters (a duplex)

will be the new home, with the Society offices, library and museum in one half, and the other half kept open for the public to rent. Jeff Gales, Executive Director of the USLHS, hopes to start rentals by mid-May, with information posted on their website.

According to a story in the North Kitsap Herald, the

goal of this partnership is to increase the chances of Kitsap County securing ownership of the lighthouse from the Coast Guard. They currently hold a long term lease on the site, and have purchased surrounding acres for park development. In the story, Commissioner Steve Bauer credited prolific lighthouse author and president of the Washington Lightkeepers Association, Elinor DeWire, for getting this partnership started. “Frankly she was a pain this summer,” Bauer said laughing. “But it was her perseverance that made this happen.” The USLHS has 12,000 members worldwide and runs the popular Lighthouse Passport Program. Their new mailing address is:

United States Lighthouse Society 9005 Point No Point Rd. NE Hansville, WA 98340

American Lighthouse Foundation Chooses New Logo (U.S.A.)

In other Lighthouse organizational news, the American Lighthouse Foundation (Rockland, Maine) Board of Directors recently chose a new logo to represent their mission. The new logo, which is designed in the form of a swallowtail flag, contains the colors red, white and blue. The logo also incorporates an American flag to signify the organization’s national status, as well as a lighthouse with a Fresnel lens to convey ALF’s efforts to help keep lighthouses “standing tall and shining bright” for present and future generations.

Lighthouse Lit for Maori New Year (New Zealand)

The Maori New Year

celebration in New Zealand was kicked off by the lighting of the Manukau Heads Lighthouse recently. The two week long festivities, begins in late May or early June, whenever the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades (known as Matariki) appear in the sky. The lighthouse, dark for thirty years, was once again lit in this fitting beginning to the festivities. A fundraiser for the restoration of this lighthouse led to one lucky person receiving the honor of “flipping the switch” and lighting the light once again. What better way to celebrate the Festival of Light than by offering someone a chance to turn on the lights! This lighthouse is actually a replica of the original 1874 tower. It was rebuilt, beginning in 1999, using the original parts by a dedicated group of volunteers, the Manukau Heads Lighthouse Trust. The whole community of Awhitu came together for this project. It was finished in 2006, and was dedicated by New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. The light sits opposite from its original site, where the station actually failed to prevent New Zealand’s greatest maritime disaster, the wreck of

ALF logos from ALF


Table Cape Lighthouse by HelenK (http://www.flickr.com/photos/helenk/13797569/). Some rights reserved.

Guia Lighthouse by Georgio (http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgio/16930333/). Some rights reserved.

the HMS Orpheus. The ship ran aground on the Manukau Bar in in 1863, with the loss of 189 men. The Port of Auckland owns the land, and provides a twenty year lease to the Trust. The lease is for a nominal sum, payable on demand, which the Port of Auckland will not be demanding. Guided tours are available, in fact, the group running it is always looking for lighthouse “keepers” to lead the tours.

Table Cape Lighthouse To Be Restored (Tasmania)

In an unusual alliance, the Table Cape Lighthouse, Wynyard, Tasmania, will be operated by a tulip growing company after renovations to better allow tourist access to the site. Van Diemen Quality Bulbs will take over operations as part of a combined lighthouse and farm tour. The Waratah-Wynyard Council has been working on the project for several years, and at their recent budget meeting,

committed $185,000 (AUD) to help provide the site improvements. According to a recent story at The Advocate, Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said, “Table Cape offers unrivalled views along the North-West Coast and inland. It is already a popular tourist destination and this project will greatly add to the region, where tourism already makes a significant contribution to the local economy, its future security and jobs.” The council still needs to get permission and a license from the Parks and Wildlife to act as a third party operator. Parks and Wildlife leases it from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. AMSA became concerned about vandalism at the lighthouse last year and has erected a fence around the light. The light is set at the edge of a sheer cliff, with scenic farmland as the backdrop. Linking the lighthouse tours with farm type experiences seems to be a natural progression. The lighthouse tours will require experienced guides.

China Acts To Protect Guia Lighthouse

The World Heritage listed Guia Lighthouse will not have to bow to developers after all. In recent news out of China, the UNESCO protected site will not fall prey to developers seeking to build high rise housing units around the lighthouse and fort, and instead will be forced to limit the heights based on their locations from the historic beacon. Buildings in the

1,400 meter (about 4600 feet) area just under the Guia lighthouse that goes from the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf to the Tap Seac Square will be subject to a new height limit under the new government regulations, director of the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau, Jaime Carion, said. The buffer zone was also extended, from 2 meters (6 1/2 feet) to 2.8 meters (9 feet) and is described as a cone-like shape, with varying heights allowed. “We need to find a way to balance the city’s development with its cultural heritage sites,” Carion said, adding that if the government were not to take any action, it would soon “pay the price” for failing to protect Macau’s cultural heritage sites, which are listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The lighthouse is the first Western style lighthouse in East Asia or the China coast and is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Cultural site. The Macau government has proposed a 90 meter (295 feet) height limit at the foot of the hill, but one lawmaker said it was “not enough.” A building with a height of 90 meters can still block the view of the heritage site, said Ng Kuo Cheong, urging the authorities to lay out detailed urban planning concerning the hill’s surrounding areas for the immediate future, and arrange public consultations on the matter. The other heights in the “cone area” will be limited from a maximum of 52.5 meters at the foot of the Guia Hill, to 47.8 meters, 42.5 meters, 31.7 meters, 26.4 meters, 21 meters, 15.7 meters, 10.8 and 5 meters for seafront constructions in these perimeters. The Special Administrative Region (SAR) government of Macau had previously admitted that a letter had been received by China’s State Bureau of Cultural Relics from the Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Center, Francisco Bandarin, expressing concern that the view of the lighthouse (still operational) will be impeded if construction projects were allowed to proceed. This was followed by months of debate on whether or not to comply. Macau’s Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Lau Si Io, claims the government gives priority to protecting the city’s world heritage sites and environment and that when it comes to public affairs, people’s voices will always be listened to.


Horsburgh Lighthouse. Photo by m00nman26 (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1190733878059738473YdnMDI).

Phillippine Lighthouse Will Maintain Rustic Look

The ruins of the 18th century Spanish lighthouse at Sitio Guisi, Barangay Dolores, Nueva Valencia on the island of Guimaras might be rehabilitated into an observation deck for tourists if the Department of Tourism Secretary has his way. According to a story at The News Today, Secretary Joseph Ace Durano wants to rehabilitate the ruins of the Lusaran Point lighthouse, while at the same time maintaining the “rustic look” of the site. Plans are to turn it into a viewing deck for tourists. The Tourism Department will provide the funding for this project.

There are no plans to pave the road leading up to the lighthouse. In fact, the Secretary merely wants the road/trail to be graded as the terrain is quite rugged. But preservation of the rusticity of the site is important. According to the story: Global tourism is now the trend but with emphasis on the preservation of the ecology and environment. The Guisi Discovery Quest will enable the tourist to experience nature, experience community life and tourism services [that] are provided by the community. Tourists now want to experience community life especially those in Western countries. They are curious on how people in the community live, Durano said. The announcement was made in conjunction with the launch of what is referred to as the Guisi Discovery Quest. This is a package tour for up to five persons, and gives the visiting tourist an opportunity to explore the Trail of the Adventure in the island’s heritage site. The tour starts from Sitio Guisi where the ruins of the 18th Century old Spanish lighthouse is found. Tourists can also enjoy mountain hiking, enjoy local food and its cultural presentation. Guisi Discovery Quest is a community-based heritage tourism project of the Tourism Department, and was launched after the Department of Tourism (DOT), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources completed its development program.

The light was built in 1894 and is not active. It stands 58 feet tall (17.5 meters) and is built of cast iron. The keeper’s house is also in ruins.

Malaysia Loses Claim to Horsburgh Lighthouse

The United Nations International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands, announced its decision in the 30 year dispute between Malaysia and Singapore over the island called Pedra Blanca (or Pulau Batu Puteh in Malaysia) and awarded the island to Singapore. The island is home to Horsburgh Lighthouse, built in 1851, and is an important navigational aid at the busy entrance to the Singapore Straits. Malaysia didn’t come away empty-handed, though, as the World Court gave them rights over a smaller, uninhabited rock outcropping. A third disputed cluster of rocks was left to be determined later between the countries when they sort out their territorial waters, the ruling said. The sixteen member court said that although it agreed that Johor (a Malaysian state) had historical ownership, but it was unclear whether sovereignty had ever been transferred. It nonetheless agreed with Singapore that it had exercised sovereign powers over the rock since 1851, with no protest from Malaysia until 30 years ago. The following is a repost of an article first posted by Lighthouse News (www.lighthouse-news.com) in November of 2007.

Pedra Branca, which means White Rock in Portugese, is located 24 nautical miles east of Singapore at the entrance to the Straits of Singapore. It is home to the Horsburgh Lighthouse, built by the British between 1847 and 1851. The island also encompasses two clusters of rocks, the Middle Rocks, and the South Ledge, and is called Pulau Batu Puteh (PBP) by the Malaysians. In 1979, Malaysia published a map claiming the island. In response, Singapore lodged a formal protest with

Malaysia in early 1980. The issue of ownership has been a sore point in the two country’s relations, so both Singapore and Malaysia finally decided to put the dispute before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. This suggestion was first made by Singapore in 1989 and agreed to in 1994 by Malaysia. The two countries then agreed in 1998 on

Lusaran Point Lighthouse. Photo by Explore Iloilo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iloilocity/438167647/). Some rights reserved.


a Special Agreement that was needed to submit the dispute to the ICJ. The Special Agreement was

signed in February 2003 before the ICJ was formally notified in July. A judgment isn’t expected until next September, 2008 and it will be final and binding and without appeal. Singapore claims that Pedra Branca was a “no man’s land” when Britain took possession of it in 1847. And since no one owned it, Britain didn’t need permission to erect the lighthouse. Malaysia, on the other hand, claims that the British were “just lighthouse operators” and were only given permission to build a lighthouse on the islands, not to claim sovereignty over it. Malaysia’s stand is that the features are part of the Johor sultanate and the British sought permission of the rulers to build and administer a lighthouse for navigational safety on PBP. Singapore has sought to dismiss the claim, citing that Pulau Batu Puteh was an uninhabited island with no people to pledge allegiance to the ruler. James Crawford, Foreign Counsel for Malaysia, said in the story: “Singapore is the administrator of Horsburgh Lighthouse and nothing more. Britain’s and Singapore’s activities in respect of the lighthouse do not amount to conduct a titre de sovereign (acts consistent with sovereignty). “Singapore’s claim that its conduct on the island went completely unopposed by Malaysia is not to the point. There was no open conduct a titre de sovereign to be opposed. “Singapore’s conduct was at all times consistent with that of a lighthouse administrator littoral state of the Singapore Straits.” But Singapore said it had done many activities and constructed many other structures, besides the lighthouse on Pedra Branca, because it knew it owned the island. Non-lighthouse related activities include having reclamation plans for the island and installing military communications equipment. Singapore argued that it would never have done all these if the island belonged to someone else. Singapore also claims it has a letter dated in 1953 from the Sultanate of Johor stating that the island was not owned by them (Johor). Malaysia disputes that, saying the letter has no legal standing as it was sent by a minor official who had no authority to disown the islands. In the midst of this controversy sits the lighthouse, Singapore’s oldest, silently standing guard over the Straits of Singapore as she has since she was built on these small outcroppings of rock. Whatever the International Court of Justice decides, it will continue to flash a white light every ten seconds from its 102 foot height to warn mariners of these notorious outcroppings of rock.

It seems like the World Court applied the common law of Adverse Possession to their ruling. The

judgment is binding and without appeal, so one hopes that Malaysia will take it in stride. But once again, whoever owns this rock, the important thing is that Horsburgh Lighthouse will continue to be a beacon of safety for the hundreds of ships that pass through the straits every year.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Hi Donna:

In the latest newsletter, you covered a small story about the SPURN lightship. In it, you mentioned: "Recently, WLS Administrative Officer Peter Williams sold his lightship, the Spurn, to a couple who plan to use it in a rather unique way." That is not correct: we didn't buy it from Peter, and he never owned it. Peter was the "keeper" of the lightship when she was moored in Milford Haven as a museum ship, owned by the city council. She was then sold to investors in Ireland who left the ship to rot until we "saved" her at the last minute. We are progressing with the restoration and conversion of the ship, but much slower than we had anticipated. We keep uncovering original features that need careful attention since it would be a shame not to. For example, we discovered that under 3 layers of paint, the wooden panelling in the wheelhouse is teak, and so we are spending time sanding it all to varnish it. Also, a lot of metal parts, again, covered with paint, prove to be nice brass! It seems like the lightship crew spend more time painting than polishing! If you are interested in me writing an article on the project, let me know. You can of course look at our website (www.lightshiptherapies.net) as you pointed out in the article. Best regards, Jan van der Elsen (England) WLS Member Editor’s Note: My apologies to the van der Elsen’s

and Peter Williams for the erroneous information on

page 20 of the 1st Quarter 2008 issue of the

Newsletter.

Dear Donna:

Great news from Chile. Five lighthouses on the shores of the Strait of Magellan were declared National Monuments, including San Isidro Lighthouse. Additionally we received 5.2 hectares of pristine land as a government concession to protection for its high ecological value. As a result


of the National Monuments status, it’s possible that money will be designated for restorations and setting up museums on some of them, promoting a “Lighthouse Route” as a tourist attraction at the end of the world. Kind regards, Patricio Cáceres (Chile) WLS Member Editor’s Note: For more information, visit the

following Spanish Language Website:

www.hosteriafarosanisidro.cl.

Moin Donna:

Though churches/lighthouses are a topic I am interested in, I do not have much information about the light in the steeple of St. Phillip’s Church at Charleston (Ed. Note: See “Gone, But Not Forgotten” article in the 1st Quarter 2008 issue of the Newsletter). My List of Lights, issued in 1900 by Alexander George Findlay, states: Geogr. Position: 32° 46.8 N; 79° 55.6 W In steeple of St. Phillip’s Church, 180 ft. high. In line with Fort Sumter light, bearing N.W. by W. 3/8 W., leads through dredged Swash Channel, between breakwaters. Description of Apparatus: Catoptric or Reflector light Height above high water: 140 ft. Visible in miles: no entry Year established: 1893 Sorry, but that is all I can tell you. Have a great week, Egbert Koch (Germany) WLS Vice Chairman

NEWSLETTERS

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this

issue. Images have been kindly provided by members of the WLS unless specified otherwise.

Comments made by individuals in the Newsletter are not necessarily the views of the WLS.

Copy dates for the next 4 issues are:

3rd Quarter 2008 – 31st August (for publication end of September)

4th Quarter 2008 – 30th November (for publication end of December)

1st Quarter 2009 – 28th February (for publication end of March)

2nd Quarter 2009 – 31st May (for publication end of June)

If you know of any prospective members of WLS who could be persuaded to join by receiving a copy of the Newsletter, please let me know – this has been seen to work previously!

© World Lighthouse Society


WORLD LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT

FOR YEAR JANUARY 1ST 2007 – 31 DECEMBER 2007

Income The society income was earned during the year from fees of new members joining and donations. Membership fees, and donations for mailed newsletter, sale of CD 283.20 Net Bank Interest 30.15 Total Income 313.35

Expenditure Expenditure has been kept to a minimum by using email and website facilities with the continuing use of a London virtual office address for conventional mail. Where credit card or non-UK fund payments have been made these have been made on behalf of the Society by Peter Williams Associates at no additional cost to the Society. Membership admin is the cost of postage. Note: As of March 2008 London Office address no longer in use making an annual saving of £282.00

Item London

Office Website Newsletter Membership

Admin Qtr Totals

Notes

First Quarter 52.89 15.83 37.76 4.97 111.45

Second Quarter

52.89 35.18 43.05 0.00 131.12

Third Quarter 70.50 15.83 26.53 3.84 116.70

Fourth Quarter 70.50 51.01 16.13 5.62 143.26

Annual Total 246.78 117.85 123.47 14.43 502.53

Society Funds During the year the Society recorded a deficit of GBP £189.18 There is no UK tax liability as the income of the Society is below the taxation threshold. Tax on the interest earned by the reserve account is taxed directly when credited to the account. Funds are held under UK Banking rules in a Reserve Account and a Current Account at National Westminster Bank PLC - Milford Haven. Any cheques issued require the Administrative Officer's signature and either Gerry Douglas Sherwood or Rosalie Davis Gibb as counter -signatory. This is as laid down in the Society Constitution. Balances at 31st December 2008 Reserve Account £2565.26 Current Account £1717.03 Total available funds £4282.29 The Society has ample funds to meet all planned commitments for 2008.

Membership At 31st December 2007 there were 220 Members with joint membership and organisational members counted as one membership. This shows a 10% growth.

General There was no formal AGM held during the year as it was agreed by the Society's Executive Board to hold using Internet due to poor response and expense of the planned AGM at Harwich, UK, which was cancelled at no cost to the Society. Peter Williams (Wales) WLS Administrative Officer

Documents

World Lighthouse Society Qtr 2008...World Lighthouse Society 2 nd Quarter 2008 Newsletter Volume 6 Issue 2 Page 2 of 29 CONTACTS I f you wish to contact the World Lighthouse Society