PRIDE OF HARTLEPOOL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20490, 15 February 1930, Page 3 (Supplement)

PRIDE OF HARTLEPOOL.

WONDERFUL LIGHTHOUSE,

••FIRST IN THE 'WORLD."

Hartlepbol possesses the " almost human" lighthouse, the first of its kind in the world. It works by itself, requiring no human guidance; switches light on when darkness falls, and. when dawn breaks "closes down;" works by town's power supply, but if this fails, the lighthouse generator starts up and "carries on;" and is claimed to be infallible. The lighthouse is two years old, and is the pride of Hartlepool. Standing on the bluff edge of the land it looks what it is . . . the last word in lighthouses. It is surprisingly small and only cost £3500. Constructed of rounded iron sheets all bolted together, it looks neat and tidy.

Since its, erection two more have been built in England, one. in Essex and one on the' River ; Severn. But several are now in course of construction in other parts of the world,, one-at Aden, and one on'a South Sea'lsland.

The Type Commissioners, headed by: Sir William Noble,. their - chairman, made a tour of Hartlepool's : lighthouse recently with a view to having one of similar construction/erected at the mouth -of the Tyne.

It's light, which is one second, light, two. seconds dark, one second light, •, six seconds dark,- can - be. seen - for 15. miles. The light is equivalent to 61,000 candle power.

"It is infallible,"• said its keeper, Mr. H. R. Carter, to a visitor. Mr. Carter is proud of his lighthouse. Lighthouse history at- Hartlepool 'is full of interest. There was a lighthouse, built on a sito just in -front of the present one in 1346. That served till the, Great War began and . had to be removed as it was found to be right in the line : offire for the garrison guns. Lying beside the lighthouse is a big fairway buoy, which was hit by the German warships' fire during the raid in 1915. The captain of - the Blucher, one of the raiding ships, .who was interned at Edinburgh, when seen by Colonel Robson, officer incharge of the Hartlepool battery, replied to the question: "What good do . you really' think you did with that raid?"—" We sank one of your submarines." ' .

The submarine was the buoy, which is kept as a memento of the raid.