The next time you go to the beach and pick up a piece up something from the sand, think of the story of how it arrived there. Is it something lost from the local town, or something that has drifted for years to arrive here just for you?
Kuroshio Current (upper left)
Early in the 1900’s – commercial Japanese crab fishermen began replacing wooden and cork floats on their fishing nets with free blown glass floats. When the nets broke loose or were lost, the net rotted and the glass balls floated free from their nets and drifted across the Pacific, along with much other debris, on the Kuroshio Current (also known as the Black Stream or Japanese Current). This is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean and it is part of the North Pacific ocean gyre1.
In my years on the lights there was always talk of finding a glass ball. The inside lights such as my first one at Pulteney Point did not have too much chance of stopping a floating glass ball because of the strong tides.
My first outside light [not sheltered by land] was Quatsino but with only one beach at the back of the island and all the rest rocky it was nigh on impossible. Pachena wasn’t much better and we weren’t there long enough to hit the beaches around the area. Green Island was like Pulteney but we did find one or two there sitting in the pools.
So a real outside light was needed, and one was waiting!
Our 14 ft. Zodiac with stowable sail - photo John Coldwell
We moved to McInnes Island in 1977 and in the next couple of years we outfitted a fourteen (14) foot (4.27 m) Zodiac with a 25 HP Evinrude outboard with which we could go beachcombing. The children were still young then (see photo left) so a lot of the beachcombing was done alone with not much luck. Oh, I found a couple but nothing big. Then a friend came up and he found a larger one – about 12 inches (30.5 cms) in diameter along with a couple of small ones. Continue reading Glass Balls – The Dream of Every Beachcomber→
page 1 of H. F. Chamberlin letter letter courtesy of Zellie Chamberlin Sale
Howard Frazer Chamberlin was on Nootka lighthouse in 1942 according to the interview by the Naval Reserve (see letters at left). But there is a problem here.
When I received a copy of this letter I thought it was referring to the attack on Estevan Point which supposedly helped introduce conscription in Canada during the Second World War. But if you check the dates, this seems to have occured almost a month later to the day that the Estevan Point shelling happened. According to all records, the shelling of Estevan Point took place nightfall of June 20, 1942.
page 2 of H. F. Chamberlin letter letter courtesy of Zellie Chamberlin Sale
This letter seems to show that there was another attack at Nootka lighthouse about a month later on the evening of July 18, 1942. In fact the lightkeeper states that he phoned Estevan Point Wireless station to see if they were being plastered again! (my emphasis – JC) But Estevan returned the call and said that they had heard nothing so it must have been nearer Nootka. From working with explosives in mining and prospecting, Howard Chamberlin knew the difference between industrial explosives and high-explosives.
The only thing that appears to be at odds here is that he feels the vibration from the explosions as from underwater. I wonder if he was hearing depth charges going off? This is just one month later than the Estevan incident. I will bet that the Navy and the Naval Reserve were on high alert during this time and expecting the worse. Perhaps a floating log triggered the release of a few depth charges.
A transcript of the original letter(s) follows:
From H.M.C.S. “Pryer” To COAV Esquimalt BC Nootka Lighthouse 2200 / 19 / 7 / 42 Subject Interview With Mr. H. F. Chamberlin, Lightkeeper
I was sitting in the kitchen of the Light house, overlooking the sea, and having a cup of Tea at 1902 hours July 18/42, when I both felt and heard an explosion from a southerly direction. (out to sea) and this was followed by six other shocks at intervals of about one (1) minute between shocks. I was naturally surprised and could see the vibrations from the shocks in the cup of Tea. As an old Miner and Prospector I can easily tell the difference between “blasting” and “submarine” shocks, and the shock I both heard and felt were definitely from seaward, and from the “feel” of the vibration I would say from underwater. The first shock occured at 1902 and the last shock at 1911, as I noted the time of last shock. I phoned the wireless station at Estevan Point and asked them if they had been “plastered” again, and they informed me that they had felt or heard nothing. It was at 1915 when I phoned Estevan Pt. Wireless.
Page 2 (same as Page 1 but with signature at bottom)
Witness Chief Skipper J. D. McPhee, R.C.N.R. Commanding Officer H.M.C.S. “Pryer”
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– Howard F. Chamberlin (Lightkeeper on Nootka 1936 – 1941)
The following article by Bella Bathhurst from the Notting Hill Editions Journal was passed to me by a BC lightkeeper. It was so well written I asked permission to reprint it here. Pay special attention to the author’s reasons for keeping lighthouses.
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Don’t Let the Lighthouses go Dark by Bella Bathhurst – published November 10, 2011
We are jettisoning lighthouses at our peril, writes Bella Bathurst, a lighthouse historian. Even in the age of GPS, they remain immensely useful, and retain deep symbolic power.
Twelve years ago, I wrote a book called The Lighthouse Stevensons about the construction of the lights around the Scottish coastline by Robert Louis Stevenson’s family. I was lucky to arrive at exactly the right moment. In 1999, the last of the British lights were being automated and the few remaining keepers were disappearing towards extinction. The men I spoke to were mostly at or near retirement age anyway; most saw the logic of their own removal even if they weren’t persuaded by its effects. At the beginning of the third millennium, you don’t need three grown men to change a lightbulb. But what none of those last keepers would ever have understood or sanctioned was the idea of the lights themselves being switched off.
The Skerryvore Lighthouse, 10 miles south-west of Tiree, in the Hebrides
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.
Following along on the Lighthouse Lapel Pins collections, how many of you knew there were two Canadian lighthouse coins issued?
2004 Sambro Island lighthouse $20 coin
The first Canadian lighthouse coin was issued in 2004 and is from the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) lighthouse series depicting the Sambro Island Lighthouse which was built in 1758 and remains North America’s oldest operating lighthouse. It is located at the mouth of Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia.
The quantity minted was limited to 25,000 but only 17,515 were actually struck. Because of this this coin will be the lowest mintage coin in this series. It is now worth approximately $60 CDN (2011).
2005 Gibralter Point lighthouse $20 coin
The second Canadian lighthouse coin was issued in 2005, also by the Royal Canadian Mint with a limited mintage of 14,006. It depicts the Gibraltar Island lighthouse on Toronto Island, Ontario, Canada. A special feature of this coin is the high-tech minting technique which accentuates the beam of light from the lighthouse. It is also worth around $60 CDN (2011). If you want it with all the original RCM packaging, then it can be purchased for $109.88 (2011) from Colonial Acres Coins.
That’s it! There doesn’t seem to be anymore. Is there word of any more being issued? I do not know. Keep your eye out for the next one at the RCM website or sign up for the email newsletter.
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2003 Maine quarter (25 cent piece)
The US issued on June 02, 2003 a Maine State quarter depicting the Pemaquod lighthouse and is the 23rd quarter to be released in the U.S. Mint’s 50 State Quarters program. The Maine State quarter was the first U.S. coin to depict a lighthouse and it was only issued in a mintage of 448,800,000.
Launched in 1999, the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program was a 10-year initiative that honored each of the nation’s states in the order that they ratified the Constitution or were admitted into the Union. Each quarter was produced for about 10 weeks and will never be produced again.
The 50 State Quarters were released by the United States Mint every ten weeks, or five each year. Each quarter’s reverse commemorated one of the 50 states with a design emblematic of its unique history, traditions and symbols.
A new Lighthouse Quarter from the US is to feature Acadia lighthouse. It is to be released in the Summer of 2012 – US Mint to Feature Acadia Lighthouse
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Early Roman coin showing a grain ship and the lighthouse at Alexandria (left)
The only other coin I can find with a lighthouse is one issued in AD 190 – 182 by the Romans. It depicts the famous lighthouse of Alexandria which fell down in 1323.
Are there any other coins in the world depicting lighthouses? Please drop me a comment or place a message in my Guestbook.
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2011-10-18
I was planning a holiday to Turkey, and for some reason one of my searches turned up an eBay page offering Turkish silver coins for sale. They are very beautifully engraved coins with lighthouses on them. Only two have been issued.
The first issued in 2008 depicts the Kizilada lighthouse in Fethiya, Turkey. The second issued in 2010 depicts the Ahikari lighthouse in Istanbul, Turkey.
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[update]
June 13, 2012 – Acadia National Park Quarter Products On Sale The United States Mint has started accepting orders for a number of numismatic products featuring the Acadia National Park Quarter. This coin represents the thirteenth release of the ongoing America the Beautiful Quarters
Program.
The reverse design of the quarter includes a view of the Bass Harbor Head Light House, which incorporates representative elements of the park including the lighthouse, the coastline, pine trees, and the ocean. Inscriptions surrounding the design include “Acadia”, “Maine”, “2012”, and “E Pluribus Unum”.
(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.)
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.
Iconic lighthouses lead the way to The Bahamas from the Caribeean News Now
Map of BahamasNASSAU, Bahamas — Sailors prized them. Pirates hated them. Today they are romantic symbols of adventure, travel and solitude. Lighthouses still stand watch throughout The Islands of The Bahamas and The Bahamas Lighthouse Preservation Society safeguards three of the world’s few remaining kerosene-burning, hand-wound lighthouses.
Built in 1863, the famed Hope Town Lighthouse on Elbow Cay, Abaco still guides boats and ships today. Boating remains a way of life in the Abacos and throughout The Bahamas and the lighthouses are treasured even if modern captains navigate by satellite. Continue reading Travel – Bahamas Has Two Dozen Lighthouses!→
MANILA, Philippines—The future of the “lonely sentinels of the sea”—as architectural historian Manuel Maximo Noche Lopez del Castillo calls the network of 19th-century lighthouses in the Philippines—is looking brighter with the much-improved finances of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
It may not have a GPS but the Naidi Lighthouse in Basco, Batanes, continues to provide guidance for fishermen and ships passing through the Babuyan Channel. It has become one of the landmarks and most popular tourist destinations on the country’s northernmost island province. EV ESPIRITU/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON
With an increased budget this year, the PCG said it can now intensify its lighthouse repair program and thereby promote the safe navigation of ships and fishing boats in the country’s numerous waterways.
This year, the agency will be upgrading the country’s 513 operating lighthouses and reviving about 43 others that are not operational, said Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo, the PCG commandant.
For years, because of the Coast Guard’s perennial lack of funds and personnel, the lighthouses have rapidly deteriorated.
In a report, Tamayo said that with the repairs and upgrades last year, the overall operational efficiency of lighthouses improved—from 85 percent during the first half of the year to 92 percent in the second semester.
This year, he said the Coast Guard aims to improve the overall lighthouse operational efficiency to at least 95 percent and with the agency’s increased 2011 budget, it has every chance of achieving this.
The Coast Guard’s budget was increased from P2 billion in 2010 to P3 billion this year. The agency, however, has many other priorities such as the acquisition of new vessels and aircraft for patrol and rescue missions and the recruitment of 1,000 new personnel in the next two years.
Most of the lighthouses, usually charged by solar power, are not manned 24/7. While many have timers and automatically turn on at night or when the skies turn dark, others have to be manually turned on by a PCG civilian employee.
Tourism potential
These days, the Coast Guard has hit upon another way to keep the lighthouses burning brightly for years to come.
With the increasing recognition of heritage as a solid basis for a tourism industry, a network of restored and preserved historic lighthouses would be sure to bring in the tourists, the PCG argues.
“Several of our lighthouses are centuries-old, dating from the Spanish and American times, and they continue to attract local and foreign tourists. They are considered a national treasure and part of our heritage,” said Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo, the PCG spokesperson and deputy chief of staff for community relations.
“Many lighthouses are located in scenic spots. Most are on top of hills and along beaches. They give beautiful views,” Balilo said.
The major ones
One of Balilo’s favorite lighthouses is the Capones Island Lighthouse on Capones Grande Island off the coast of San Antonio, Zambales. The lighthouse, which serves as a beacon to ships entering Subic Bay, was first lit in 1890. The tower has been renovated through the years but the keeper’s house and other buildings in the station have severely deteriorated.
Among the most beautiful lighthouses in northern Luzon are the ones at Cape Bojeador in Burgos, Ilocos Norte and Cape Engaño in Sta. Ana, Cagayan.
The lighthouse on Batanes’ Sabtang Island is a popular tourist attraction in a province that has become the latest must-see destination.
The Coast Guard proposes to turn over the administration of lighthouses to local government units and public and private partners, hoping to generate income from tours, film shoots or advertisements featuring the most picturesque of the country’s lighthouses.
“We will still be in charge of the operation of the lighthouse. But we can have an agreement whereby the LGUs and public or private partners may collect fees, part of which will be used in the maintenance and preservation of the lighthouse or even the hiring of a civilian employee to look after it,” Balilo said in an interview.
Stone and brick structures
A typical lighthouse, or light station, in the Philippines is composed of an elevated cylindrical structure, usually made of metal, with a bright lamp on top with mirrors and lenses to magnify illumination.
The older lighthouses are constructed of stone or brick. They usually retain the Spanish word for lighthouse (faro) in their names. An example of this is the Faro de Punta Malabrigo in Lobo, Batangas.
The Malabrigo lighthouse, constructed during the late 1890s in the twilight of the Spanish colonial regime, was used as the locale for an indie film in 2007. Unfortunately, the film crew, who were largely unsupervised, caused some structural damage to the place. The PCG has now cordoned off the lighthouse and visitors are not allowed to see it unless they have prior permits.
Balilo said the location of the lighthouses inadvertently contributes to the destruction, deliberate or otherwise, of the structures.
“Most lighthouses are located along distant shores, on points and capes, and at harbor entrances, far away from communities. They are subject to wear and tear from the elements such as the wind, salt spray and erosion. Their isolated location also makes them vulnerable to vandalism,” he said.
Many of the 43 nonoperational lighthouses have had their equipment stolen, while some have been damaged by natural disasters, according to Balilo.
Inspection teams
The PCG’s Maritime Safety Services Command (MSSC) periodically deploys field maintenance and inspection teams around the country to undertake repairs to the system of lighthouses.
The MSSC itself is a busy Coast Guard division involved in maritime safety and environment regulation enforcement, inter-island communications as well as salvage operations, management of buoys, and anti oil spill operations.
According to PCG statistics, Central and Eastern Visayas have the most number of lighthouses, with 127, followed by Southern Tagalog, 101; and Northern Mindanao, 56. Western Visayas has the most number of nonoperating lighthouses, with nine, followed by northern Luzon and Palawan, with eight and seven, respectively.
Victorian design
Apart from serving as signal stations and beacons for oceangoing ships through the centuries, a few lighthouses of the Spanish period, particularly those in the Visayas and Mindanao, served as watchtowers against pirates and slave traders.
The Paris-based International Council on Monument and Sites (Icomos) recognizes the heritage value of the Philippines’ Spanish-era lighthouses, which are mainly of Victorian design.
Constructed by Spain’s renowned Inteligencia del Cuerpo de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos (or the Corps of Engineers for Roads, Canals and Ports), the lighthouses were built to protect burgeoning maritime trade in late 19th-century Philippines.
“These structures located in the most beautiful and spectacular sites, lonely isolated islets, cliffs, barren rock outcrops, bluffs, capes and points, are testament to the commitment the Spanish colonial government had in the Philippines to modernize it and make it competitive at the dawn of the 20th century,” Noche wrote in an article in the Icomos website.
First lighthouse
According to Noche, the first lighthouse in the country was erected on the mouth of the Pasig River to protect the Mexico-bound galleons.
The Spaniards also made lighthouses of fabricated metal. Called “tourelles,” they were manufactured in France and assembled on site. A few tourelles still stand on the coasts of or isles off Iloilo, Cebu, Sorsogon and La Union.
Major lighthouses have pavilions and verandahs made of wood and metal where lighthouse personnel and visitors can view the surroundings.
It was during the American colonial and Commonwealth periods that permanent quarters for lighthouse personnel were built.
“The Spanish colonial lighthouses built over 100 years ago still serve their master well. Guiding ships to their ports of call, these structures, stripped of their dignity, still stand proud in their lonely windswept locations. Yet even with time and the elements acting against them, the beauty that the Spanish engineers erected on our soil cannot be erased.
Inheritors of patrimony
“It is time that we, the inheritors of this patrimony do what we can to ensure its survival for the next 100 years. For these lights not only lit the souls and imaginations of those who chanced upon them they also guided a nation to progress,” wrote Noche.
Balilo agrees, saying that while the PCG does not have enough funds to convert the country’s lighthouses into sophisticated ones, the lanterns and the towers are still important guideposts for travelers in an archipelago like the Philippines.
In other countries, some lighthouses are virtual robots and have GPS (global positioning satellite), cameras and radio receivers, he noted.
“The lighthouses still serve our local fishermen and boat travelers who do not venture far from the shore. When GPS and radios fail and visibility is poor during storms and rough seas, it is always a comfort to get a view of light coming from a lighthouse, knowing that land and safety are near,” Balilo said.
