Historically Famous Lighthouses: CG-232United States. Coast Guard
History
Historically Famous Lighthouses: CG-232
United States. Coast Guard
Lighthouses -- United States
Since this first offshore structure, the Coast Guard has placed five
more lights of this type in operation.
[Illustration]
_MASSACHUSETTS_
CAPE ANN LIGHTHOUSE, THATCHER’S ISLAND
[Illustration]
Thatcher’s Island was named for the Rev. Anthony Thatcher who, on the
night of August 14, 1635, was shipwrecked there. Of the 21 persons on
board, including his 4 children, only the minister and his wife were
saved.
On April 22, 1771, the Province of Massachusetts Bay Council authorized
the erection of twin lighthouses on Thatcher’s Island. Captain Kirkwood
was appointed keeper on December 21, 1771, but, being a Tory, was
removed from the island by the Minute Men during the early days of the
Revolution. The lights remained dark all during that war.
The lighthouses were among those turned over to the Federal Government
under the act of August 7, 1789. From 1792 to 1814 Capt. Joseph Sayward
was keeper and he was succeeded by Aaron Wheeler, who served 20 years.
One of Wheeler’s tasks was to clear the 300 yards between the towers of
large boulders and surface down the smaller ones. A bonus of $100 was
paid him for this work. Charles Wheeler, who succeeded him served until
1845. A fog bell was installed in 1853.
In 1859 Congress authorized the rebuilding of the two lighthouse towers
and two new towers, of cut granite, were built in 1860-61. Each was 124
feet high and fitted with a Fresnel lens of the first order.
A Civil War veteran named Bray was appointed keeper in 1865 and on the
day before Christmas, that year, took his assistant, who was running a
fever, ashore. While he was away a heavy snow storm came up and he could
not return. His wife, with two babies, alone on the island, fought her
way between snow drifts, to keep the lights in the two towers burning.
When her husband returned Christmas morning, it was only because she
had, by almost superhuman effort, kept the lights burning that he was
able to find his way and not miss the island altogether in the blinding
storm.
In 1891, Mr. John Farley, assistant keeper, was killed while landing at
the station in a heavy sea. In 1919, when President Wilson was returning
to the United States on the S. S. _America_, the great vessel narrowly
escaped the rocks on the island in a fog. Only the fog horn, heard at
the last minute, enabled the captain to change his course in time.
In 1932 the light on the northern tower was discontinued and that in the
southeast tower was electrified by means of a 6,000-foot submarine cable
to the mainland.
A gray stone tower, 124 feet above land and 166 feet above water, now
houses the 70,000-candlepower first-order electric light, which is
visible 19 miles. An air-diaphone fog signal is also located at the
station. (5) (7)
_MASSACHUSETTS_
DUMPLING ROCK LIGHTHOUSE, NEW BEDFORD HARBOR
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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