Category Archives: Automation

Removal of Foghorns on the BC Coast c. 2003

Adult Memories, Automation, British Columbia, Coast Guard, Equipment, Foghorns, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Women, , , , , , , ,

 The article below was written in 2003 by Sherrill Kitson, wife of the lightkeeper Rene Kitson, and herself a qualified lightkeeper at the time.

This story will illustrate why lightkeepers, and not electronic sensors, are better weather observers. We can smell the fog, and many a mariner will back us up on that statement.

Now, all we can do is smell the fog, and hope that nobody gets hurt because there are no more foghorns.

(The text below is in a picture. If it is too hard too read, hold down the CTRL key (STRG in Deutsch) and rotate the wheel on your mouse forward or back to increase the photo size – it works on most computers and operating systems.)

 

 

The story is reprinted here with permission of Fisheries and Oceans Canada from their publication Shorelines 2003 (which does not appear to be available online – if anyone knows a link, please let me know).

Bill S-215 – An Act to Protect Heritage Lighthouses

Audio, Automation, British Columbia, Canada, Coast Guard, Equipment, Foghorns, Foreign, Government, Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, History, Information, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Worldwide, , , , , , , ,
Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act

Since April 2000 Canadian Senator Pat Carney has been working hard to get a bill through Parliament to protect Canadian Heritage Lighthouses. It passed during the week of May 7, 2008.

This bill will include buildings and equipment, including the main light on many of these stations – some being very old first-order Fresnel lenses imported from England in the early 1900s.

The normal procedure when a lightstation was unmanned was to burn it to the ground and maybe replace it with a solar-cell-charged, battery-operated, multiple-lamp array which operated only in the dark. Continue reading Bill S-215 – An Act to Protect Heritage Lighthouses →

Strathcona Regional District Backs Down

Automation, British Columbia, Canada, First Nations, Government, Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, Lighthouses, , , ,

From the Canada.com website 

(NOTE: This is an image from the website. If the text is too small, hold down the CTRL key (lower left) on your keyboard and rotate the middle wheel on your mouse. The text will become larger or smaller depending on which direction you move the mouse wheel.) This applies to all websites and sites on the Internet.)

Could the UK lighthouses be about to go in the dark?

Automation, England, Equipment, Foreign, Government, History, Lighthouses, United Kingdom, , , ,

From the BBC online news 

(NOTE: This is an image from the website. If the text is too small, hold down the CTRL key (lower left) on your keyboard and rotate the middle wheel on your mouse. The text will become larger or smaller depending on which direction you move the mouse wheel.) This applies to all websites and sites on the Internet.)

 

 

 

Life at First Narrows (aka Capilano) c. 1913

Adult Memories, Automation, British Columbia, Childhood Memories, Equipment, Foghorns, History, Keepers, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, , , ,

– Dorothy Mawdsley (Harris) Harrop (daughter of first light keeper, George Alfred Harris, at Capilano 1913 – 1925) (with special thanks to Alfred Harrop, grandson of George Alfred Harris, for letting me post the text of the letter.) 

First Narrows c. 1920 - photo Dudley Booth

[Father (George Alfred Harris)]. . . was given the First Narrows Light and Fog Station. I cannot remember but have a notion it was end of april 1915 when he took over. The light was first used May 17,1915 the day after my 17th birthday. The fog horn was started June 1, 1915. 

It must have been rather hard him living there by himself. I do not know the dimensions of the lighthouse but it was full of engines. Two engines were the same and were there in case one broke down, then an air compressor which was linked with belts to pulleys from the engine to the wall and then up to a higher pulley and across to the compressor, hence by pipes to the fog horns.  Continue reading Life at First Narrows (aka Capilano) c. 1913 →

Book – Chance Brothers Diaphone Manual

Automation, Books, Construction, England, Equipment, Foghorns, History, Information, Lighthouses, Old Website, , , ,

Chance Diaphone Book

 

This is a PDF copy of the Chance Diaphone Manual, which explains all the workings of the Diaphone Foghorn, and lists the many versions of the foghorn, their ranges, working pressures, sizes, etc. Click the link above to read or download the book.

Lighthouse Automation Could Loom Again

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Harper will need to watch his backbench, by Stephen Maher

Read the above article from the National Post online – September 16, 2011 – my condensed version below. – JAC

Is this the future?

On May 2, 2011, Harper’s Conservative Party won a majority government in the May 2011 federal election, by winning 166 seats.

With this majority the Prime Minister (PM) can plan long term. With a minority government the PM handed out money as if it were his own, trying to entice the public to support his party. Now that he has the much-coveted majority seats, he can relax a little, and begin to tighten the purse strings. Now the public will have to beg for funds, instead of having them freely given.

How will this affect lighthouses? We do not know, but if the past has been any clue, we may be in for another fight to keep our remaining lighthouses manned..

I think we need to keep the matter of automation in the public’s eye until it is definitely settled that the Canadian government will not automate any more lighthouse in Canada. Let me know what you think. – JAC

 

In Memorium – Evelyn Bruton (1930 – 2011)

Adult Memories, Automation, British Columbia, Children, Fishing, Groceries & Mail, In Memorium, Keepers, Lighthouses, On The Job, Recreation, Women, , , ,

A friend of mine passed on to me the obituary notice of Evelyn Bruton, wife of retired Sheringham Point lighthouse keeper Jim Bruton – left, and directly below

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BRUTON, Evelyn [August 10, 1930 – September 17, 2011] Passed away on September 17 at Cowichan District Hospital. Born August 10th, 1930 in Ellerslie, Alberta to Michael and Adeline. At the age of 18 Evelyn moved to Vancouver and worked as a stenographer for a local paper. She met Jim Bruton in Vernon and a year later they were married on December 22, 1951, shortly after they moved to Bella Coola where Jim worked in the logging industry. Five years later they moved to lighthouses where Evelyn learned to help with lighthouse work, to run a boat, fishing for extra income for the family. She also became teacher to her four children, instructing them in their schooling for many years. After working on various lighthouses for 30 years Jim and Evelyn retired to enjoy traveling, gardening and visiting with family. After Jim passed away Evelyn moved to Duncan where she became active in the community, especially enjoying the many crib tournaments she participated in and her garden. She will be missed by her family and friends, 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren and 2 more on the way. A memorial service to be held on Sunday, September 25, 2011 at 2 pm at First Memorial Funeral Chapel 4725 Falaise Drive Victoria, BC. In lieu of flowers please make a donation in Evelyn’s name to a charity of your choice. 637755

– Published in the Victoria Times-Colonist on 9/20/2011

To include your memories in Evelyn’s memorial please click this link.

******************************* Continue reading In Memorium – Evelyn Bruton (1930 – 2011) →

A Return to Foghorns a Boon to Safety Even in Age of GPS

Automation, British Columbia, Coast Guard, Equipment, Foghorns, Lighthouses, , , , , ,
photo - Chris Mills

A return to foghorns a boon to safety even in age of GPS

by Glen Farrough,  Vancouver Sun, September 08, 2011

It’s been roughly eight years since the Coast Guard silenced most of the foghorns on our coastal lighthouses, for a saving of $75,000 per year. The main reason used to justify this move was the increasingly widespread use of global positioning system (GPS) devices.

But this same Coast Guard still feels it’s necessary to have all their visual aids to navigation in place. They maintain their system of day markers, cardinal buoys, lighthouses, etc. Continue reading A Return to Foghorns a Boon to Safety Even in Age of GPS →

Do You Know Where I Can Find . . . ?

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This is the mantle required

Do any of my readers know where I would be able to obtain kerosene lamp mantles for lighthouse lamps? I received this email today, and would like to be able to help this lady out.

I am with the Bahamas Lighthouse Preservation Society and I am wondering if you might help me. The Bahamas has eleven lighthouses built by the British between 1836-1887. Eight lighthouses have been automated and one was decommissioned in 1934. Continue reading Do You Know Where I Can Find . . . ? →