LIGHTHOUSE CHANGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19276, 15 March 1926, Page 12

LIGHTHOUSE CHANGES.

RETIRED KEEPER'S STORY. THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS ON GUARD AN INTERESTING CAREER. A service of 38 continuous years as a lighthouse keeper is the recorcj of Mr. Samuel Hart, lately principal keeper at Pencarrow, Wellington, who has just retired from the Government service. In the course of that long period Mr. Hart has seen many changes. He tells of the introduction of the telephone system of communication for lighthouses, and the improvements made in lighthouse lamps. Looking back, Mr. Hart becomes enthusiastic about the homelike conditions now prevailing in lighthouses. In some, the keepers are able to boast of gramophones and " listening-in " sets. Mr. Hart entered the lighthouse service in 1888 at The Brothers' lighthouse. Prior to that ho was a carpenter on the Government steamers Stella and Hinemoa. From The Brothers Mr. Hart was transferred to Farewell Spit, then to Cape Maria Van Diemen. He was also a keeper at Pencarrow, East Cape Island, Mokohinau Island, Moeraki, Cape Egmont, Puysegur Point, Somes Island, and Cape Palliser. Pencarrow was Mr. Hart's last charge, and he was stationed there for eight years. Only One Wreck Experienced.

Duiing his 38 years' service only one wreck occurred near where Sir. Hart was stationed. Timber-laden, the barque County of Ayr drifted on to Danger Reef, 10 miles south of Moeraki lighthouse, m a fog in tho day time, and became a total wreck. There was no loss of life. When Mr. Hart was at Farewell Spit the Koranui stranded on the spit, but sho floated off on the next tide. The force of gales at times was very severe. As an indication of the pressure of the wind at Pencarrow, Mr. Hart said he had seen a boat which had been made fast to a length of railway iron on the beach blown some chains over shingle into the water, and at the same place a 400-gallon tank went bowling down the beach. In a single gale at Farewell Spit he has known window glass to be ground until it was quite opaque, by the sand blown against it. Mokohinau is regarded by Mr. Hart as the most isolated shipping station in New Zealand. Sixty miles from Auckland, Mokohinau used to receive its mail, when he was there, once every two months. Sometimes the keepers received three bags of mail, and it used to take some time to get through them. Although telephonic communication has been introduced in lighthouses to a great extent, Mokohinau still lias pigeons to carry urgent messages. These birds have proved very useful. Every pigeon on Mokohinau has a mate in Auckland. As soon as a bird is freed from Mokohinau with a message in a capsule on one of its legs the bird takes its bearings and heads for Auckland. On one occasion Mr. Hart relates that a. pigeon was the means of bringing medical assistance to one of the keepers on Mokohinau who had fractured a leg. The weather was very misty, and ten pigeons were sent np, but only one reached Auckland. Improvements in Lamps. When Mr. Hart joined the service, concentric wick lights were' used in the lighthouses, and paraffin oil was burned. Those lights were replaced' later by incandescent lamps, burning kerosene in placet of paraffin. - This type of lamp is still in use to-day. The kerosene is vaporised and converted into gas. Electric lights have never been tried in lighthouses in New Zealand. Acoording to Mr. Hart, those lights are considered to ■be too bright, and a bright .light, he says, is deceptive to manners. During the Great War, Mr. Hart was placed in charge of,the light at Somes' island, Wellington. There he had most interesting experiences. About 300 Germans were interned on the island; and with the interned men it was the practice to celebrate in a fitting manner the Kaiser's birthdays. They organised gymnastic displays and ceremonial parades. Everything was carried out in true Prussian style. The uniforms of the "officers" were made from sacks, etc., and helmets from kerosene tins. There was much preparation for these big occasions, and the German "goosestep" was practised assiduously for some time ahead. At Christmas time Christmas trees were made by the Germans, and these were beautifully finished.