– John Coldwell (assistant Keeper to Walt Tansky on Pulteney Point 1969 – 1972)
Lennard Island diaphone - photo Chris Mills
The diaphone is a unique organ pipe. The theory was based on a design for the Wurlitzer pipe organ invented by Robert Hope-Jones dating from 1895.
A special tone generator in the organ involved a piston vibrating inside a cylinder, which had slots through which air was discharged. The air passing through the slots caused a vibration which when amplified through a long cone (like a megaphone) created a powerful harmonic sound.
If you do not know what Mise Tales are then please see Mise Tales One.
Louisburg Lighthouse - photo Chris Mills
From the Cape Breton Post Canada’s First Lighthouse is a Long Way from its Glory Days. Historic Louisburg lighthouse on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia is another Canadian lighthouse declared surplus by Fisheries and Oceans and in need of repair and some tender loving care (TLC).
This week (Wednesday April 11, 2012), Daybreak is running a series called “Jobsolete,” exploring careers that are fading away. Today, George Baker speaks to Richard Rose, one of the few lighthouse keepers still keeping watch.
PANTAR, Pangasinan, Philippines – For decades, the Cape Bolinao lighthouse atop Punta Piedra Point here has guided vessels.
The lighthouse, built in 1905 by Filipino, British and American engineers, is one of the five lighthouses in the country and the second tallest, next to the Cape Bojeador lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.
It was supposed to be a major tourist destination in the country during the holidays. But today, with the advent of the global positioning system (GPS), the 30.78-meter tower that had guided vessels en route to Hong Kong, Japan and the United States for several decades, has been closed to visitors. . . . more
I was reading the short notice below in one of my online feeds for anything lighthouse related and what caught my attention was the phrase “Due to the tide, check-in time . . . “
The West Room is available on Thursday, April 19th. Due to the tide, check-in time would be 3-4PM on this date. If you can make this check-in time and want to reserve this date, please call the Lighthouse at 845-247-0656.
A landmark beacon on the Hudson River, the Saugerties Lighthouse is a venerable aid to navigation, constructed in 1869 at the mouth of the Esopus Creek. The Saugerties Lighthouse Conservancy maintains the Lighthouse and adjacent lands for the enjoyment of the public.
Everybody should remember the Hudson River near New York City where the Hero of the Hudson, pilot Chesley Sullenberger, landed his plane on January 15, 2009 when both engines quit after he hit a flock of geese. His actions saved all onboard.
Well this lighthouse is not exactly where the accident happened, but further up the Hudson River where the Esopus Creek (see the muddy creek in the Google Map at bottom) meets the Hudson River. An overview and specifications of the lighthouse can be found here.
It is now a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) with two rooms available. The notice at the beginning of this article was because they had an opening in the West Room; the other being the East Room. Checking their calendar does not show too many rooms free for the whole summer. A very popular place I think.
The comment, above, about the tides and your check-in times, is because this lighthouse is near the mouth of the Hudson River and the ocean tides raise the level of the river. Taking a look at the map (bottom) it may seem impossible, but tides do have a great influence on many world rivers a great distance from the mouth of the river.
More information on the effect of the tides and access to the lighthouse is given under Reservations:
Access
The Lighthouse is accessible by a half-mile walking trail or by personal boat. The Lighthouse does not provide a ferry service.
Check-in time is scheduled for the hour of 2pm-3pm, and check-out time is by noon, unless the timing of the tides necessitates changes.
You will be notified when you make a reservation if the tides require a change in check-in and/or check-out times.
It looks like a delightful place to stay. Now if only we could do something like that for say Point Atkinson near Vancouver. What a delight!
Reprinted with permission from Jack Knox, Times Colonist
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New threat to lighthouses illuminated
By Jack Knox, Times Colonist April 3, 2012
Imagine the fuss if the owner of a 152-year-old downtown heritage building just walked away from the structure, allowed it to crumble.
But the Race Rocks lighthouse isn’t downtown. It’s plunked in the waters off Metchosin, as out-of-sight, out-of-mind as many of the other West Coast lighthouses that Pat Carney worries about.
That’s why Saturna Island’s Carney is sounding the alarm (or perhaps the foghorn) about a rapidly approaching deadline that could determine whether lights stand or fall.
This has been an ongoing battle for the former senator and Mulroney-era cabinet minister who, even retired from politics, remains a fierce advocate for B.C.’s coastal communities. This fight goes back years and years, a reaction to Ottawa’s history of tearing down, burning down or neglecting-to-death light stations it no longer valued. Continue reading New Threat to Lighthouses Illuminated→
Severance pay is pay (and sometimes benefits) an employee receives when he or she leaves employment. Severance pay is most typically offered for employees who are laid off or retire.
Just recently the the Canadian Government, Treasury Board Branch, has forcibly modified the collective agreements of these three groups PA, SV and EB so that Severance Pay is no longer paid upon retirement. It is still available if you are laid off.
The article I posted earlier about the storm at Cape Scott brought to mind a story I had written for the old website. This story (below) brought to the attention of the government one of the important attributes of BC lighthouse keepers – they are on-site!
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Helicopter pad at McInnes
On Thursday October 12, 1984 Roger Mogg (my assistant) and I were up at the helicopter pad at McInnes Island lighthouse enjoying the clear Fall weather after lunch. We had been shooting clay pigeons with our shotguns and a newly acquired launcher. The wind was light, with very few clouds in the sky, so it made a perfect day for target practice in between weather reports.
Just then Karen called up that Stan at Egg Island had just notified the Coast Guard radio station in Bull Harbour that he had unexpected high winds and seas. Roger and I looked at each other and joked that Stan must have been into his home-made wine again! Looking down towards Calvert Island (between us and Egg Island) from our location on the helo (helicopter) pad we could see only clear sky with a trace of cirrus cloud. Calvert was over forty miles (64 kms) away and we could just see the top of it on the horizon. Egg Island was further south still. Continue reading The Storm of October 1984→
Here is another story from Ms. Juanita (Swanson) DuLong. She was a young girl on most of these stations, but living there, and hearing stories from her parents, she has created lighthouse memories from the 1950s time. Her older stories are found here and here.
Her husband Roy scanned some nice photos of Pine Island station, but unfortunately they are way too small to show here. When he has time to make larger ones, I will add them.
Roy sent some more scans, but they are limited, but I have posted them because they show details not available before – e.g. the A-frame highline setup.
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Pine Island houses - photo Juanita Swanson
There may be somewhere in the world a place foggier than Pine Island lighthouse, but it’s hard to believe. The horn was often on for days on end, and became only another background noise. A lighthouse tender could arrive in clear weather, and radio that Pine was under a doughnut of fog. Continue reading Life on Pine Island c. 1950s→
Cape Scott on a good day - photo Harvey Humchitt, Jr.
Every winter the West coast of Canada is pounded by storms with Hurricane Force winds (scale 12 on the Beaufort Scale).
Below you can read what the lightkeeper at Cape Scott lighthouse posted for this April 02, 2012 storm. The keeper, Harvey Humchitt, Jr. posted this information on his Facebook page.
02:05 PST MONDAY APRIL 2, 2012 HURRICANE FORCE WIND WARNING FOR CAPE SCOTT. Wind southwest 10 to 20 knots (18 to 37km/hr) increasing to southeast 20 to 30 knots (37 to 55km/hr) this afternoon and to 30 to gales 40 knots (55 to 74km/hr) early this evening. Wind increasing to southeast storm force 50 to 60 knots (92 to 111km/hr) near midnight except HURRICANE FORCE 65 knots (120km/hr) near the headlands Monday morning. Wind diminishing to southwest 25 to gales 35 (46 to 64km/hr) near noon Monday.
04:43 PST MONDAY APRIL 2, 2012 Hurricane is here full force hittin us hard at 80 knots 150km/hr, and a ton of rain
07:34 PST MONDAY APRIL 2, 2012 We were hit by almost 200km/hr winds that took out two storm doors, the crown on a spare house, the siding on a spare house and flooded our engine room. Winds are still gusting to 180km/hr, and horizontal rain.
11:38 PST Final Hurricane status report, winds hit 230 km/hr, lots of heavy rain that dumped 40mm of rain and the seas hit near 30ft. Damage done, two screen doors lost, siding on one house gone, crown on roof…gone, flashing for roofing…..gone, 3 trees fell, bassement in spare house flooded, engine room flooded and a stick punctured a hole in our sat dish for the tv but still works. In all….a typical British Columbia North Coast Hurricane. This is probably the last Hurricane force wind we will see now until the fall.
I do not think I have ever seen a storm like this when I was on the lighthouses – at least one quite as strong in intensity. Climate change?
Below are some photos Harvey made after the storm had gone through. Note the stormy seas and ragged clouds. Remember, these were made after the storm passed over. During the storm you cannot even get outside the house sometimes. (All photos credited to Harvey Humchitt, Jr.
On our lighthouse at McInnes Island we got to see many submarine races. It was usually a random event, and if the weather was good we would sit up at the front of the lighthouse beside the foghorns with our binoculars and radio and notepad waiting for the races to begin.
Weather like this was not good - photo Colin Toner
We were notified by radio beforehand and noted the times on our notepad. Good weather was always a necessity, as if it was too rough you would see nothing. The children loved the event as it could occur at any time of the day and so sometimes they could stay up late at night to watch and cheer, or even miss school.
If the weather was bad we went back and waited impatiently for the next announcement on the radio. They were mostly US submarines as Canada has not too many serviceable ones. Plus, the American ones were faster and provided more fun.
If you ever get a chance when near the ocean, try and take in this rare event. See the video below for a touch of the excitement!
If you do not know what Mise Tales are then please see Mise Tales One.
I found this cute video on the Internet about a lighthouse keeper. In all the stories they seem to have problems to solve. It’s also true with real life lightkeepers too.
Lighthouses in operation have declined due to the expense of maintenance. Let us take an artistic photograph of it for lifetime memory. – Digital Photography Review/Challenges
Lots of lovely large photos of lighthouses at the link above – worldwide lighthouses – beautiful photos!
