UNKNOWN

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15252, 15 March 1913, Page 5 (Supplement)

UNKNOWN

ifSXORY AND ROMANCE. wuW nds of books which in the •iryear come tumbling from the IHSSUin ve*y few which every woman should regard it as a ead. One such book certainly fiaxby Wryde's " British Light- ,..,._■, Their History., and Romance." . lypifoen does the average landsman <' fg&rafcoitghV to the lighthouse and Mfetijjllfcrice of England, except when he WBB&L some disaster at sea and of the Wtt&M men whoso"lives are spent upon |lSl«s*t, ever ready to sacrifice them%SKgfM-' others? It may surprise many SSftr"that the coastline of the-.United wSBh% extends to about 9500 miles. 188E^ 570 lighthouses and lightships, * 0»t '***?* is one light to about-every '*>"Jati*He«« On the rench coast there is ''■ fid& every five miles. These figures, "ywer *« slightly misleading. There , 'course, many parts of England's SiMpon Which the lights are numerous onall area, as for example at tho SBiM-tfrtbe Thames, the Clyde, or theg«bfr;'*t others they are spread more wSma : *''- ,: ""- ■•' SEHi ■ only with'" comparatively- recent BgKfa- ♦»>»♦■ the lighting system has been JHapAftaßd under ; Government control. however, 8° very much iMfebick for the beginning of his story. :§|SIS& us that in the days of the £%£&.,.. occupation, when of course there little commerce on tlic g||Sutowerg * 1,cl " ' cons •had to; suffice, m&mM'lifcu ™ x these were efficient. At W&to&fa** for example, the Romans had %£&mußW&nt' harbour, formed, by the Lrcffi* of the Esk. the Mit«„ and the mS|||a!h«rV Spanish vessels discharged v;S« of cattle, ships from Italy brought 'm£lE?uss other luxuries, and Vthere was «Kb t»<l e and bustle. Ravenglass was IrveW wanv' years a . port :of much "■ im> In'medieva! times it began to idler from, the competition of Liverpool SySbstol, and ultimately decayed. - famous Lights. -1?» romance of Eddystone has often SeTwwtten. When John Smeaton, the WSM » I**** B solicitor, was first engaged '■fctee"on the building of a lighthouse, fSfciiliritv Brethren were of opinion that **iothiog hut wood could possibly stand' fflQtWinHihni''- was ' determined to use SEE}''. Mr.Wrvde tells it« briefly but picillSoely, and*gives a - few. details'of the jtfmg lighthouse, which is admitted to .mEjifot the finest in the world. It is StfThkh. "The base, for 25* ft above ■iMSirWer mark, is solid except for the fSfflfcwater tanks. The walls at the base U.iJHft * thick, gradually decreasing to S" below the. gallery. . All the stones both. horizontally and verWSt their total weight being 4668 tons. sßlnikni » 133 ft above high-water ■ilk. and is fitted with incandescent : oilB| homers; producing a light equal to tot© candles, visible for pearly 20 miles, SLVweriapping the light shed from the Sri," The upper part of Smeatons SfeW was taken to pieces, and n™ ■■-jfcg(tf-— - landmark on' Plymouth Hoe. llSkKftht on the Needles also haw a famous ;s&&£% In 1888 the Trinity Brethren inliSp'a' ; nry powerful electric light, show-. ■ *» flash of five seconds duration every H&nute, "and this," says Mr. Wryde. Spi*9 seen 'oh favourable ■ nights as mMSs Cherbourg, a distance of 72 miles. : :vfiIkht given Is equal' to 35,000 candle&Hmvwbkh ' is, magnified by an optical •Wm&m containing 250 mirrors to • »SEiOOO candle-power, a light so intense I : ;**lolook at it except through blackened I ; r&ades would result in instant blind||p;r 'V Grace Darling. leaching Bamborough Mr. Wryde re;iKSe story, which-;: never ; wearies, ;of ißf Darling's i splendid heroism, and ■fo to ; the west coast; he recalls an Sat •>'*&&** *«t also pathetic, and t* iv k* kept in reniiembrancc. ff|«pPPmham light had it* origin in a 1 iH placed by a fisherman's wife in the hst cottage to guide her hus--1>: |H&^ :; sailing home after dark. One I HHlnight the fishing boat was wrecked % 'imMgt omur "drowned, but the widow,, I Mmfmxy by grief,? continued: to place I tfflm* candle in the window every night 1 her death. The . presence of this J MteJlAfffew«wi of such bencifit to the I Sifsirr of the little port, that in 1832 I wpewoaded ■ the rector to obtain a I SsPempowering him to build a light|ii» Md collect due from, vessels using Vlfcidiaoait port of Bridgwater. As the , Sif?increased so did the income.) and trinity House acquired the owner's ; ''fldtts ,ome years later it was only at a gfßSftSzloO.. The present %Khouses by the board. in " A -v'oijihu been told of a timid landsman &#»'*id he would hot mind going to *ea Jm» could always at night tie the ship !if*--rtake in a hedge. Speaking figur:3ferehr,U» lightship is tied to a stake, not on that account at all a desiri&phct to be in on a rough and stormy HI Indeed, many sailors have been < Jfcpd to sav that bad as it is to be tossing ;jM in'-V disabled ship in a gale, they iisSiwfer it to living in a lightship. The Watip Tides " by chains made of a-pecu-;Sw prepared and toughened iron strong «Wih to hold a vessel of 600 to 700 tons !lsjd&Testels average about 160 tons), and ■ VMS are attached to heavy mushroomW6AA 'anchors by a swivel in the centre. . i ':|jfnrirry weather the strain on the anchors , i relieved by paying out fathom after phsp of chain until sometimes the whole flH&»"ihtfie water. On the .Seven llfes'v - ship, which lies between the vJWßes'iahd the mainland, the cible is 315 .tiitltnsiii fn, 1i.iij.1.1.1 In common with all fialPlbflhips, the Seven Stones had two '^WP^ ll *^ o **/ which are thrown overi moment she is felt to be drag-.,, mushrooms or .to." have broken . -.1 mm her 'moorings. In deep sea channels i sl|M|Pife^i» v moored bv a single -..vertical. . * f|iK«te .When we consider what conI wK^fw^n ■ and ' weather ■ these, vessels «bl|wilS»« through." Mr. Wryde adds, ■I •itf-v that they are not always moored 'i #|lfffi *H*t holding ground or in the most i fegMtuyjiosition, 'but just in the place ' ; ? £&miisSttz lights will be most useful, the I |;aifc«> that they'do not break adrift | '2* often than they do. The usual di- % BM*ltUi'-of a light-vessel are: Length, I lap* U4ft; beam 20 to 24ft,- depth 13ft ■ fcWmkl - tonnage 150 to 280 tons. Her .; usually of a mushroom shape, ,-i : Mj.lwSdi about three tons each, the cable ;; open links. lanterns : igjftffiialljf '.lowered into the deckhouse WKJmJto «*»y- The fog signals'are gener'Wgmh .'form of reed-horns or sirens '■■:llij#'by compressed air." A light-vessel i gUI exhibits at night a while light at Wmi&W*'* at a height of 6 * fc above the ; ; purpose of showing in : which [- !■ lllfftpkhe is riding at her st-ation, : but ■ driMh ' from " her proper ■' position ■ ipf the ' night, in place of the usual ■i fclß&£x*<* red light is exhibited at each - '! : W$$ l 'ti* vessel, and 'a red flare shown l-iflJjfUyS minutes, and if by day the balls KWher distinguishing marks {ire struck. WMW£tty,***x>&Vhe usual lights cannot 1 ■ the riding light only is shown; | gi.fliy-marks of Trinity ships are painted * f J ''Sy?*Pd.-the watch-buoys rea, with the 1 jKJEwaich" preceded by the nam© of I JS« ***" p ' P a i nte< ' thereon in ! white m oi. l Oil and Electricity. '. m *3M$ iin y.y ntte* electricity was , S IgSM** Hluminant it was found to be ■ (° lighthouses: The light was B'^KS? ®tly powerful; it did not peneKIELSj fog so clearly : a* the' oldK light, *nd even now the- oil-W|ilw--'in many ;of our gTeat lightM'^^Hi^Wihlsconnection Mr. Wryde nas ' Igjljpatksion the distance- at which Swen.at sea. ' It depends, of mfflßSs&?V*i the respective elevations, and |'J.ssgWJ|jon.of the eye of the observer . I conditions Of the atmosphere. KllMrhthouse 100 ft in height will * sailor whoso eye is elevated " w *te at a distance of 16 one of 200 ft at 20.6- miles, ■SKSS> ,? I^ 000 ft would be Visible for. Th e distance from which lights ■f^HijßHW^jf-always calculated in nautiKPt#*<n ' from height of 15ft the height of the lights |iP^ : taken as above: high--BwPg^f-#With- the . more powerful ||^|ai>diwrl ; lc«rtain favourable at-|p|||ilMH:-the flam of the light