The photo at the left shows the lamp, lens, mercury bath bearing, and winding apparatus which was installed on the Pachena Point lighthouse in February 1908. The lens is a 1st order Fresnel lens made by Chance Brothers of Birmingham England – one of the largest sizes possible, and it all sits on a wooden tower!
The glass lens, 3 m tall, 2.5 m wide and weighing 400 kg was brought by boat around Cape Horn. The 1000-watt bulb in use now puts out four million candlepower and is visible from Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. (reference)
This photo above from Pacific Wild shows only a part of what is being protected
The title for this article comes from a news release by the Treehugger website on July 27, 2006.
Their article from 2006 said: “The government of British Columbia has agreed to protect more than 5 million acres of the Great Bear coastal rainforest. It is home to the world’s last white-colored Spirit Bears “
The thousand-year-old red cedars, Sitka spruce, western hemlock and balsam blanketing this swath of rugged coastline provide vital habitat for wolves, eagles, grizzlies and several hundred Spirit Bears. Found only in the Great Bear Rainforest, the Spirit Bear gets its white color from a recessive gene occurring in roughly one of every ten black bears born in the forest. The Spirit Bear figures prominently in the mythology and culture of several indigenous communities — known as First Nations in Canada — that have inhabited the Great Bear Rainforest for thousands of years.
The new conservation agreement, negotiated directly by the British Columbia government and the region’s First Nations, will protect an unspoiled area twice the size of Yellowstone National Park from logging and ensure the right of the First Nations to manage their traditional territories. In addition, the agreement establishes new, more stringent standards for logging in the rainforest outside of the protected area. “The accord will preserve this irreplaceable rainforest but still allow for controlled logging to sustain local economies,” said NRDC senior attorney Susan Casey-Lefkowitz. “It is a new model that shows we can save our most valuable wildlands and our communities at the same time.”
As many of you will know CW is the acronym for clockwise and CCW for counterclockwise OR anti clockwise.
Which way does a lighthouse lens rotate?
Now please be careful in your thinking and terminology. The light is fixed in place and thelens rotates around the light which gives the light its characteristic flash. In this post we are talking about the lens, not the light. From outside the lighthouse (seaward) the beam of the light moving makes it appear that the light itself is rotating but it is not.
In ninety-nine percent (99%) of the cases the lighthouse lens rotates in the clockwise direction. Mainly I believe because the drive mechanisms are made from clockwork gearing designs and naturally clocks rotate clockwise!
(photo retlkpr – CW clockwork mechanism at Pachena Point lighthouse)
In the aforementioned movie there is a lighthouse and one strange thing about this lighthouse caught my eye – the beam of the light revolved counterclockwise! This is most unusual and there are only a few lighthouses in the world that revolve CCW, the majority revolving clockwise (CW). Why did the directors make the lens rotate counterclockwise?
I have no idea, so I consulted with my lighthouse friend and guru Chris Mills via Facebook. He said:
. . . those lens systems were always called “French lights” here in the Maritimes (Canada). I believe the BBT (Barbier, Benard et Turenne – original in French; translated to English here) systems rotated counter-clockwise, as opposed to the Chance lights, which rotated clockwise. Not sure why…perhaps the French (or English) just being contrary!
I followed a couple of links on lighthouses from the site above that had BBT lighting but there is no mention of the direction in which the lens rotated.
I found a couple of lighthouses in Australia with CCW revolving lenses as mentioned on this Australian webpage.
Does anyone know the whys and wherefores of CW vs CCW rotation of the lens?
Does anyone have any knowledge of a lighthouse with a CCW rotating lens?
April 10, 2014 – I just received the following comment from Ms. L. Newton:
Hi. I live in one of the Lowestoft Lighthouse Cottages, Suffolk (England) . This lighthouse rotates CCW.
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk.The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom.
Lowestoft High Lighthouse, located to the north of the town centre, was built in 1874 and stands 16 metres tall, 37 metres above sea level. The light, which has a range of 23 nautical miles (43 km), was automated in 1975.[98]
The first two lighthouses in Lowestoft were built in 1609, on the foreshore and candlelit, to give warning of the dangerous sandbanks around the coast. By lining up the two lights, vessels could navigate the Stamford Channel, which no longer exists. They were rebuilt in 1628 and again in 1676. It was at this time that one light was moved up onto the cliffs above the Denes – the location of the present lighthouse – to assist vessels further out to sea.[98][99]
The remaining ‘Low Light’ was discontinued in 1706 following sea encroachment, but re-established in 1730 in a form that could be easily moved in response to further changes to the Stamford Channel and shoreline. It was finally discontinued in August 1923. The ‘High Light’ tower was rebuilt as the present lighthouse in 1874[99] with the intention of displaying an electric light, but when opened paraffin oil was used instead; it was not until 1936 that it was electrified. The lighthouse, along with two cottages originally used by lighthouse keepers, is a Grade II listed building. – Wikipedia
New book, Supernatural Wales, reveals gateways to the underworld, bottomless lakes, UFO’s, werewolves and all manner of ghostly goings-on around Wales
South Stack lighthouse: According to legend, the lighthouse, on Anglesey, is haunted by the ghost of assistant keeper Jack Jones. He died after he was hit on the head by a rock during a storm on October 25 and 26 in 1859.
Fairies, goblins, devils and demons are said to have haunted Wales for thousands of years.
Now ghost hunters keen to visit the land’s spookiest spots on Halloween can do just that, thanks to a new guidebook called Supernatural Wales.
Author Alvin Nicholas revealed “no other mountain has attracted as much lore as Cadair Idris.”
“Cadair Idris means Chair of Idris – a shadowy figure of the Dark Ages, sometimes associated with King Arthur,” he said.
The chair is thought to refer to the armchair like shape of Cwm Gadair.
“The mountain was thought to be a gateway to the underworld, frequented by dragons, troops of fairies and the much feared ‘cwn annwn’ – hounds of the underworld.
“A glacial lake called Llyn Cau is said to be bottomless, and according to tradition, is the abode of a man eating monster.
“To the present day, visitors report a peculiar presence on the summit and in the vicinity of the nearby stone shelter.”
In 1977, a corner of Pembrokeshire became known as the Broad Haven Triangle.
“The Coombs family of Ripperston Farm near St Brides were disproportionately affected by the odd events,” Alvin said.
“Their car was pursued by a rugby ball shaped craft that emitted powerful lights, a ‘giant faceless humanoid’ peered in through the windows of their farmhouse and a disc like object frightened their children in a nearby field.”
Ghostly Wales – eerie pictures of some of Wales’ supernatural hotspots
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Ghostly Wales – eerie pictures of some of Wales’ supernatural hotspots
Fifteen Broad Haven primary school children claimed to have seen a cigar shaped UFO.
“Headmaster Ralph Llewellyn asked the children to sketch what they had seen and was impressed by the similarity of their drawings.”
Then there is the Skirrid Mountain Inn, in Monmouthshire.
“Resident ghosts include some of the many people allegedly held here over the years, from sheep stealers to rebels hanged following the Monmouth rebellion in 1685,” Alvin said.
Ghostly mists have appeared in photos at the pub.
“Beer glasses and other objects have been known to fly across the bar of their own accord and shadowy figures wander the corridors,” Alvin said.
“Some visitors have reported feelings of panic and of a noose being tightened around their neck on the stairs.”
According to legend, South Stack lighthouse, on Anglesey, is haunted by the ghost of assistant lighthouse keeper Jack Jones. He died after he was hit on the head by a rock during a storm on October 25 and 26 in 1859.
That sunk ship Royal Charter with a loss of 500 lives. Jones died three weeks later.
“Jones makes his presence known by rattling doors, in a desperate attempt to get in, some say, and by tapping on windows,” Alvin said.
Denbigh moors lie to the north of the Cambrian mountains.
“A Roman centurion, said to be an omen of death, haunts a bridge on the road from Ruthin to Cerigydruidion,” Alvin said.
“The centurion appears in full Roman military uniform – complete with helmet, breastplate and sandals. He holds a short sword above his head.”
“Fishermen have suffered ill fortune after seeing the ghost.”
A werewolf was said to roam the moors in the 1700s.
“One full moon night a creature the size of a donkey attacked and overturned a coach travelling between Denbigh and Wrexham,” Alvin said.
“The following year an ‘enormous black beast’ mutilated livestock and killed a farm dog.”
* Supernatural Wales, by Alvin Nicholas, is published by Amberley priced £14.99.
The following is a direct copy from the Wikipedia article on lighthouses. It is very comprehensive, and may help you understand why we had lighthouses, and why we still need them – because modern unmanned technology fails!
I have left all the webpage links and EDIT links intact in case someone has something to contribute to the article. It is a long article, but worth reading. never cease learning!
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals, reefs, safe entries to harbors, and can also assist in aerial navigation. Once widely used, the number of operational lighthouses has declined due to the expense of maintenance and replacement by modern electronic navigational systems. Continue reading Lighthouse→
When the Point Atkinson lighthouse was built 130 years ago, it was designed to protect shippers in the Strait of Georgia. Now the lighthouse itself is in need of a benefactor. . . . more
[private] Keeping the light on at Point Atkinson
VANCOUVER SUN AUGUST 26, 2013
The Point Atkinson Lighthouse at Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver stands guard at the mouth of Burrard Inlet May 11, 2004.
Photograph by: RIC ERNST , PNG
When the Point Atkinson lighthouse was built 130 years ago, it was designed to protect shippers in the Strait of Georgia. Now the lighthouse itself is in need of a benefactor.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the District of West Vancouver are discussing ways to put the lighthouse into the hands of the community after Point Atkinson — along with 18 other B.C. lighthouses — was deemed “surplus” to the federal government’s needs three years ago and offered up for sale or transfer.
“In reflection, (the federal government) realized some of the national historic sites aren’t going to go to the highest bidder,” said Brent Leigh, deputy chief administrative officer at the District of West Vancouver, which has a co-management agreement with the government to maintain the lighthouse.
“They expect to work with the district in a community-based program that would ensure that we retain community use … Point Atkinson is one of our most beloved community assets.”
Originally built on a rocky cliff in 1875, the lighthouse has been more than just a beacon of hope for shippers over the centuries. It has also recorded a series of historical firsts as time went on, as chronicled in the book Keepers of the Light, written by one of the last lightkeepers, Donald Graham:
1774: Captain Vancouver rows past the point and names it for a ”particular friend.”
1872: The Marine Department awards contract to Arthur Finney to build the lighthouse.
1875: New lighthouse exhibits fixed white light illuminated by two coal oil lamps and silver-plated copper reflectors.
1875: Edwin Woodward and his wife land at the station.
1876: James Atkinson Woodward, the first white child born in West Vancouver, is born there.
1881: 185-acre park created as a Lighthouse Reserve.
1889: Scotch siren fog signal, powered by a coal-generated steam plant installed to help shippers navigate the fog.
1912: Original tower replaced by 60-foot-high concrete tower. Light replaced by a vaporized oil lamp.
1960: Vaporized oil lamp replaced by electric light bulb.
1994: Lighthouse designated a National Historic Site.
1996: Point Atkinson refitted with an automated solar-powered light.
Donald Graham and Gerry Watson were the last lightkeepers. Graham’s wife Elaine still lives in the cottage at Lighthouse Park.
With files from Canadian Lightkeepers Association website
Haida Gwaii (High-Da Gwi my pronunciation) literally means “Islands of the Haida People”, informally but formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands (QCI) and the Charlottes, is an archipelago on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada, populated mostly by first nations Haida people.
The West Coast Trail is a 75 km (47 mi) long backpacking trail following the southwestern edge of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It was built in 1907 to facilitate the rescue of survivors of shipwrecks along the coast, part of the treacherous Graveyard of the Pacific. It is now part of Pacific Rim National Park (Parks Canada and Wikipedia) and is often rated by hiking guides as one of the world’s top hiking trails.
The West Coast Trail is open from May 1 until September 30. It is accessible to hikers outside of this period but Parks Canada does not guarantee the accessibility of services (such as search and rescue) in the off season. It was originally known as the Dominion Lifesaving Trail (sometimes misidentified as the West Coast Lifesaving Trail).-Wikipedia
My daughter and her friend just finished hiking the West Coast Trail this Summer 2013 and thoroughly enjoyed it. (photos on Facebook) It is rough, it is challenging, but it is an adventure, and it is fun! The trail passes by two manned lighthouses (Pachena -photo above, and Carmanah – photo below) which date back to the time when the trail was Continue reading The West Coast Trail→
Documentary Film about the Great Bear Rainforest Youth Paddle – www.gbryouthpaddle.org
In June 2012, a group of Quest university students travelled to the Great Bear Rainforest, through BC’s Inside Passage and arrived in the remote First Nations community of Hartley Bay. Here, we learned firsthand about the potential impacts of the Northern Gateway Pipeline proposal on Gitga’at culture and traditions. Quest students, along with youth from the Hartley Bay Secondary School, joined together on a life-changing journey through the pristine waters of BC’s temperate rainforest. Together we paddled from Hartley Bay to the Gitga’at’s spring-harvest camp in Kiel. We journeyed through a portion of the proposed tanker route for the Northern Gateway project, the same area where the ferry Queen of the North sank in 2006. Durig our time in Hartley Bay, participants bared witness to the unparalleled natural abundance of the Great Bear Rainforest. This short documentary provides a platform for youth to speak out and express their perspectives of the pipeline proposal. It also celebrates land and culture, while promotes a more sustainable future.
For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.
Edgartown Lighthouse Charm Bangle
The first colony on Martha’s Vineyard, Edgartown is known primarily for its preserved 19th century seaport, picturesque harbor, and whaling traditions. Depicted on an Expandable Wire Bangle, the Edgartown Lighthouse is a beacon of light for generations of sailors and a popular point of interest for all seasonal guests.
Can You Believe This?
During those times [late 1870s] lighthouse keepers were never supposed to leave the property unattended day or night, summer or winter, and the Dodges faithfully abided by that regulation for all of the years they were there which ended up being 51 years. More . . Continue reading Mise Tales Twenty-Five→
The photo at the left shows the lamp, lens, mercury bath bearing, and winding apparatus which was installed on the Pachena Point lighthouse in February 1908. The lens is a 1st order Fresnel lens made by Chance Brothers of Birmingham England – one of the largest sizes possible, and it all sits on a wooden tower!
