GODLEY HEAD LIGHTHOUSE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 36, 25 June 1868, Page 3

GODLEY HEAD LIGHTHOUSE.

Many of our renders aro no doubt acquainted with tho llghthouMO on Godloy noad, as scon from the nen, but comparatively few nro familiar with its appearance from the landsldoi and somo of our old settlors have never seen It from cither aspect, for In tho days of thoir arrival, no warning beacon burnt on the Godlcy Head cliff to point nt night ihu entranco to tho haven which thoy had looked for so long, and whore they would f«ln bo, Indeed, Instances have been known of vcshols actually sailing past without recognising tho poet, In course of yours iho Inorcanod coastal trade, and tho tralllo by tho numerous steamers now on tho ntatlon absolutely called for some assistance In tho navigation of the const, and It is now somewhere about four years since the ewctlon of tho Ughihousn on Godloy Head has rendered our harbour accosolblo to ntoamors nt all hours, und serves to flx tho position of vessels off tho coast for many miles, The buildings constat of a low circular tower of stono, on which Is (ho lantern containing the light nnd reflectors ; two houses) built of stono (for the keepers nnd stores), tho whole surrounded by a stono boundary wall, and placed but a fow yards from tlio edge of a cliff about four hundred foot abovo tho ecu, Tho view from thin point Is grand and extensive, On a clear day, tho wholo of tho coast of Pegasus Uay to tho Knikourns Is laid out bonoath, with the (Mains and Houtliern Alps as frame and background— -this to the north j while to tho south there Is a flno view ovor tho wooded slopes of Banks Peninsula, with its numerous bays nnd iulols j aud to tho cast or front, is iho vast -stretch of the Paciflo ocean . The lighthouse is between four and flvo miles from Lyttelton, nnd is nccoHslhlo in two •ways i Ist, from tlio zig-zag at Mvans' hiss, whero tho Humnor road crosses Iho port hills, by keeping on tho rldgo for about two miles over rough, rocky ground, impassable to anything but the packhorno: nnd secondly, by boat down tho harbour to a small bay opposlto Little Port Cooper, and then by a zig-zag; path made up the hill side to somo flno, flat tabic land, on which tho lighthouse in built, This 11eeoflHltnl.cn übout ouo milo of land carriage, and In iho way in whioh all tho oil nnd uteres nro conveyed to tho lighthouse by packhorno after landing, A stone nnd wood jetty was built near tho eastern head of the fifty to assist tho landing, ih the beach is very rough with imtneuno boulders, and Is rarely frco from a heavy swell, rondorlng tho landing of storos very precarious and d I flic ult, Unfortunately, tho heavy gales of last Kobruary completely demolished tho jelly, and such was the force of tho swell (which ran white all across the harbour), that It moved large ntononof nearly two tons wolglit, and scattered tbo smaller stones to a considerable distance, The name gale also did much damago to the roofs of iho light-keepers' houses, by tearing off tho (dales, which, liy tho way, do not scorn a nultablo roofing material for a situation which Is perpetually nwopt by tho f,ull force of overy -wind, which, though to us on' the plains, may seem but a breeze, yet up on Godloy Hond rises to a gale, Much damage •was also done by the rains to tho zig-zag, In the shape of laud-slips. Acting under Instructions from tho Commlfifllonorii cf LigliihotwoH, a survey of the damages wan mado and a roporfc drawn up by MrMountfort, archiicot, of Christohurch, and tho works woro placed In his hands lv ordor that his recommendations might bo carried ont, They arc now completed, ho far as the funds at tlic disposal of tho department allow j ana consist of the following works i— Tlic roofs of tho keepers' houses and storo wero stripped, strengthened, braced, and covered with corrugated galvanised Iron, laid with very deep lop and side laps screwed down and secured lo tlio roof, and further protected by Iron bars outside at tho top and bottom of each row of shoots, bolted at intervals two foot through the Iron, battens, boards and purllnes, thus making It Impossible for ono sheet to blow off, unlenii ilia wholo roof goon, Tho roof in nlso bolted from tho principals to tho floor of tho bedrooms, so thnt tho advantage of all tho weight of Iho floor Is brought fo bear as a countcrpolso agalnnt the fore- of iho wind. Tho building wns also put Into repair In nil minor doinlls, Tho zig-zag, down to tho lauding place was mado good and put Into au efllelcut ■state As rognrdii tho landing-place, It seemed undesirable to make It In its original locality, as there In a considerable backwash in the easterly winds j consequently, a frosh place was selected by Mr Mountfort, moro to the west, at a point whero threo rocks, seemingly pnrt of tbo bottom of tho harbour, shew above tho water at half-tide, and arc mucb sheltered by « great growth of kolpwood, not likely lo bo disturbed. Thin involved tho construction of about threo chains of bench rond nnd ncawall, made b "low the cliff, over very rough boulders which wore olliorwlso immoveable except by blasting. This rond Is now mado, nnd has been carried down to high-water mark opposlto to tho landing rooks. It wns Intended to uso tho rooks as a nucleus, nnd to form on thorn a small landing jelly, by filling In between tho rocks and shore, and building the whole mass together

with Portland comont, so ac tc form one solid blook, The expense, how-ver, not having boon foreseen, was not provided for In last year's Appropriation Bill, nnd consequently Btniirls ovor for the present j but nn it is, the landing In so much Improved that it can bo oflcctcd with case In a swell which boforo would havo rendered it dangerous, if not Impossible A small ntorodiouso hns nlso boon erected just abovo tbo landing placo, ns tbo oil and stores havo sometimes to bo landed without communication with tho lighthouse, and hitherto havo been loft exposed to tho weather, a alnto of tilings vory undesirable Tho wholo of tho abovo works have been oxooutcd undor tho direction of Mr Mountforb j iho repairs to the houi-ws, and the now store, by Messrs England, of Lyttelton { and the now bench road, seawall, landing- place nnd repairs to zig-zag, by Mr William Graham, of Lyttolton. Any of our roadors who enjoy a stiff walkcould mnnngo the excursion to God ley Head and back In a day by taking the first train to lyttelton, thonco along tlio Humnor rond to Evans' Pass, nnd so ovor tho hill; and, in addition to tlio glorious vlow,tboy cannot fall to bo Interested in the light apparatus itself, wliich is a beautiful piece of machinery, with prismatic reflectors, which economlso and deflect all ray fl of light whioh would oihorwlsc bo losti no that from its construction, aided, of course by its olovatcd position, the Godloy Light can bo scon thirty miles ofT. tho const. Tho wholo of the light-lower, reflectors, and niachinery, aro kept In beautiful ordor nnd cleanliness by Mr Chapman, tho head lightkcopor, who oxorolsca tho greatest attention nnd civility to visitors to Ills isolated aud broody domicile,