A LONELY LIGHT

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 43, 20 February 1915, Page 3

A LONELY LIGHT

CROWNING KARORI ROCK DIFFICULTIES OF CONSTRUCTION. FIGHTING BOUGH SEAS. In the near future those passengers by south-bound steamers who are in the habit of observing ths lights of Wellington as they fade away in the distance will have their attention attracted by a new gleam, from the Karori Rock light. Then some sentimental person, leaning over the rail, will remark on the lonely life of the lighthousekeeper. Though the remark may be so correct in its general application as to be trite, it will net be correct in its particular application to the lighthouse on the lonely Karori Rock, for the light will have no resident keeper. Yet, though lacking this special element of interest, there will be much of unwritten history clinging to the storm-swept sides of ihe concrete tower which carries the lantern. Yeais ago master mariners claimed that this rough and rocky coast should bo lighted, and Lieutenant Knox, R.N., Navy League organiser, made a. special appeal in the press on the same subject ; which appeal was little heeded and soon forgotten ; till a greafc disaster, the wreck of the Penguin, drew all ©yes to the dangers of a dark coast. Then there were further delays, and some discussion between master mariners and the Government Nautical Adviser as to whether the light should be placed on Cape Terawhifci or Tongue Point. On a personal inspection the then Minister for Marine (Hon. F. M. B. Fisher) settled the matter to the satisfaction of both parties by deciding on Karori Rock as the lighthouse site. The rock is a. bare, craggy island of about 400 square feet surface, rising to a height of 25 feet above sea level. The work of erecting the light was commenced almost eighteen months ago, but it has been attended by such difficulties that progress has been slow. WHEN THE TROUBLE STARTED. Of the trials of the men who build the mariners' safeguards people know little. Yet some stories of lighthouse building rival fiction. Where the bands play on historic Plymouth Hoe there stands the tower of the old Eddystone lighthouse, gay with electric lights. Of all the people who pay 2d to climb it 'few know its history and the wonderful story of Smeaton's marvellous perseverance in its construction. The history of the building of Karori Rock light is also one of perseverance against difficulties, difficulties which can be comprehended only when the site and the work are seen. Probably few portions of the New Zealand coast can rival Cape Terawhiti for continued roughness. ( This would not matter if Karori Rock were not exposed to the full force of the storm ; but, as it is, whenever a southerly blows, as it can blow round the bare Black Mount which rises from the cape, the rock is ( completely hidden by spray. It is impossible for workmen to live on the rock, and it is hopeless for them to attempt to land there when the sea is at all rough. When a reporter visited the rock recently, he appreciated this. It* was a calm day, perfect, one might say, but the unaccustomed man saw a difficulty in landing on the slippery sides of the crag. LANDING THE MATERIALS. All the concrete and other materials for the erection of the lighthouse have to be prepared on the mainland, and carried by oil-launch to the rock. Landing them there on a calm day is difficult. When the sea is rough it, is impossible. On the mainland, opposite the rock, a concrete mixer has % been erected and a little jetty built. Once mixed, the concrete is put in oil drums fitted for the purpose, run down in trucks to the jetty, and carried in an oil-launch, stoutly built for the work, to the rock. About three-quarters of a cubic yard of concrete, contained in ten drums, can be carried each trip. At the rock the drums are lifted from the pitching launch by a small crane, driven by an oil engine, erected oh the tower. On a fine day eight cubic yards of concrete i can be put in, which must be reckoned as smart work. FOUNDATION STONE—WITHOUT CEREMONY.' The tower itself ie of solid reinforced concrete, 39ft in height, and of an elliptical shape in the cross section. At the base the dimensions are : major axis 20ft, minor axis 10ft, and at the top 15ft by 10ft. But before the erection of the tower could be commenced 100 cubic yards of concrete had to be laid round the central pinnacle of rock, so as to secure a firm foundation 25ft above sea-level. After climbing by rope ladder up this rock and concrete foundation one stands at the base of the tower. Three sides of the concrete column- are plumb, but the north-west side is inclined slightly,, and narrow stepe have been formed in the concrete. Workmen, and visitors who wish to .see the work, must climb these narrow steps with such support as is provided by a looselyhanging rope swaying with the force of a strong wind. At present 17ft of the tower has been completed, giving a. height of 42ft above the sea. On top of the unfinished column one sees a sheetiron band, which serves to contain the concrete until it i<> firm and give the tower the elliptical shape. The bize of this band has to be altered every few feel. Ends of thick iron reinforcing rods jut out of the floor on all sides ; and the metal which laces them together is equally stout. Four hollow pipes filled with liquid cement support a platform which carries the oil engine and crane for hauling up supplies. When weather permits the workmen to get on to the rock the work, is now comparatively straightforward, but the ■greatest difficulty was experienced in laving the foundations. Holes had to be drilled by hand in the hard rock to hold reinforcing rods and also the bolts to Secure the wooden framework which contained the wet concrete. Though thick balks of timber were used and secured with inch-iron bolts the whole structure was washed awa,y by a heavy sea on one occasion. THE LAXTERX. The top of the tower carrying the lantern and a small crane will be enclosed by a parapet four or five fpet in he'ght. The lamp structuie itself will measure 10 fee 1 ., from the base to the focal plane, or centre of the light, and 5 feet higher to the dome, so that the highost point of the structure will be about 79 feet above sea level. The light to be erected is known as the Aga lantern, an automatic flashing' light burning acetone gas, which is supplied in cylindeis tor attachment, to tho lantern. Comparatively speaking, /the lighthouse is not a large one, but- it will be visible at approximately 16 miles distance. The lens will be of circular design, enclosed in a glass protective htructure having small diamond-shaped panes of about i-inch glass. To conserve the supply of gas an ingenious device known as a sun valve will be fitted to the lantern. The action of the sun's rays upon a sensitive tube in this apparatus causes an expansion, automatically shutting off the gas. Several lighthouses of similar des>gn to the one at Karori Rock have recently been erected at other points on the coast, and all

have proved thoroughly reliable. One has just been completed at Channel Islet in the North. DOING THE WORK. The men charged with the erection of the lighthouse have had hard and disheartening work. Lighthouse builders generally do, for lighthouses axe not erected in the centre of a city, where picture shows and other attractions abound. In this case the workers have had to camp in huts on Terawhiti Beach. Son: :times they have not been able to work tor days; but one doesn't appreciate idleness on Terawhiti Beach if the weather is lough. Often they ha\o been* drenched with spray while at the rock or in the launch. Bulk stores are landed for them by the Hinemoa-, but fresh meat and bread have to be "packed" on horseback over the high hilLs from Makara. The erection of the light is being superintended by the Marine Department's lighthouse "Xpert, Mr. Fraser, and the foreman on the job is Mr. Johnson.