A WONDERFUL LIGHTHOUSE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 85, 11 April 1931, Page 2 (Supplement)

A WONDERFUL LIGHTHOUSE.

PLATTE FOUGERE CONTROLLED FROM THE SHORE. Dear Boys,-— Many voyagers on the sea have watched with interest the flashing of the lighthouse beacon, and many conjectures have been made as to the wonderful mechanism which causes these protectors of ships to operate. Many a sympathetic word has been breathed for the man who tends the light, and it will come as news to many that most lighthouses are worked without any human being within the structure. Just such a lighthouse is at Platte Fougere, off the rocky coast of Guernsey. It is entirely controlled from the shore a mile away, and it works automatically, reporting to the mainland any defect in the mechanism. A cable connects the lonely lighthouse and the island. There are five wires in the cable, and they do these things: Report to the shore any defect in the mechanism of the lighthouse, indicate when the gas supply is failing, supply emergency electricity to make good the defect, enable passing seamen to speak by telephone to Guernsey, convey 25 horse-power of energy to operate two motors in the lighthouse. These motors drive an air compressor which works a powerful foghorn. The foghorn, placed on the top of the lighthouse, i# as valuable in fog as is the flash in the night. Acetylene gas is used for lighting, and the usual supply lasts two months. The gas is turned on and off each night and morning by means of an automatic arrangement attached to a clock which needs winding only once in three months. When the supply of gas is within a fortnight of running out, a warning signal is sent along the cable to the shore. Should the sea be too rough for a new supply to be taken out, the lighthouse is illuminated with three powerful electric lamps, current passing along the cable for the purpose. At each flash of the light a bell rings ashore, and should anything A/j go wrong with. the lamps the bell rings all the time, so drawing attention to the j/ breakdown. In this way the lighthouse \£fT^ calls a man to its assistance in case of need 1

gau mimi MM iMICIIIIiIIIiaiBIIIMIIIiaiIfIIIIIIIIIIIIIiBIIIIIBBIIIHIIIIIIIBBIWIM J ■HI TOLD BY READERS. Ig gj gj HI RESULT OF FORTNIGHTLY SHORT STORY ||| jj jS M COMPETITION. SMS

From a very disappointing batch of short stories, the e ntry of Nora Shipman, Portland, aged IJ, was awarded the 5/ prize. commended work was contributed by Alfred Ausley and Rose Stuart.