Report for Sabine Banks (Texas) - 1906

General
District: 8th
Inspector: Major W.E. Craighill, Corps of Engineers
Location: In the water, on the Sabine Bank, Gulf of Mexico, about 16 miles off mouth of Sabine River. Mag. bearings- Calcasieu Lighthouse NE 7/16 NE'ly 27 5/8 miles approx.; Sabine Pass lighthouse NNW 5/8 W, 16 miles approx.
Date of Report: 02/25/1906
Latitude: 29° 28' 15" N
Longitude: 93° 44' 07" W
Premises
Site: In the water, on the Sabine Bank, Gulf of Mexico, about 16 miles off mouth of Sabine River.
Date of Reservation:
Date of Deed:
Date of Permission:
Date of Lease:
Area of the Entire Site: 1018 sq. ft. (circle 36' dia)
Area Inclosed:
Character of Soil:
Distance of tower from Nearest High-Water Mark: Tower is located in 18' of water
Inclosures to Premises / Type of Fence:
Wharf or Landing on Premises: 2 water stairs & landing platforms leading from water to main gallery
Road to Land or Wharf Chararacter of and Distance:
Means to Reach Light Station: By boat
Distance to Nearest Road: RR station on NO & TPRR 19 statute miles from light, at Sabine, Texas
Distance to Post Office: Sabine, Texas, 19 statute miles
Distance to Village: Sabine, Texas, 19 statute miles
Facilities for Public Conveyance: Take New Orleans & Texas Pacific RR from Beaumont, Tx., to Sabine, Tx., & there hire boat to station.
Facilities for Private Conveyance: Hire boat at Sabine, Tx., from which the distance to light is 19 statute miles.
Means Used for Support of Lantern: Cylindrical foundation pier filled with concrete, surmounted by conical iron tower.
Number of Separate Lights: 1
First Built or Established: March 15, 1906
Last Rebuilt, Repaired, or Renovated:
Condition at This Date: Excellent
Shape of Tower in Plan: Circular
Form of Tower:
Height from Base to Ventilator Ball: From top of foundation cylinder or base of tower to ventilator ball is 50'
Height of Focal Plane Above Mean High Water: 72'
Background of Lighthouse as Seen from Sea: Sky
Color of Tower: Red, with black lantern
Color of Tower/ How Produced: By painting with red lead & boiled linseed oil
Tower Connection: Rooms for keeper are located in tower.
Object of Navigation: Primary seacoast light.
Building Materials: Foundation pier is a cast iron cylinder filled with concrete, containing brick cisterns. The upper portion is lined by a brick wall & its interior space, the cellar, contains apparatus for operating fog signal.
General Description: Conical iron tower, lined inside with enameled brick rests on foundation pier & is surmounted by an iron watchroom & lantern.
Wall Thickness at Base: Iron plates 1/2" thick backed by brick walls 1 brick thick.
Wall Thickness at Parapet: Iron plates 1/2" thick backed by brick walls 1/2 brick thick.
Diameter at Base: 21' outside dia. of tower at base where it rests on foundation cylinder.
Diameter at Parapet: 17' outside dia. at top of 4th story, under gallery.
Kind of Stairway and Steps: Spiral iron stairways with iron steps btwn each floor (5).
Number of Landings: 1 landing at each room floor & watchroom floor (5)
Size of Glass: 12" x 24" 4 lights & circular 14" dia.
Number of Windows and Size of Sash: 8 in tower with sash 4' 7 3/4" x 2' 8.5"; 1 with sash 3' 2 5/8" x 2' 8.5"; 6 circular windows in tower & 3 in cellar with brass sash.
Number of Doors: 6 in cellar & 8 in tower.
Kind of Foundation and Depth Below Surface: Fine grey sand & broken shell 19' below bottom.
Character of Soil Surrounding the Lighthouse:
Soil Susceptibility:
Miscellaneous Remarks: Tower is erected on Sabine Bank in Gulf of Mexico about 16 miles SSE 5/8 E from Sabine Pass, LA. Depth of water is 18' at mean high tide. Tides have a rise & fall of about 12". Site is exposed & subject to heavy seas.
Lantern and Fixtures
Order of Lantern: 3rd
Shape of Lantern:
Diameter to Glass: 8' 7.132"
Diameter in the Clear:
Number of Sides: Circular
Type of Bars:
Thickness of Bars:
Height Glazed: 6' 1 3/4"
Number of Plates in Height: 2 full plates, glazed portion.
Number of Plates Each Side: 24 full plates; 2 vertical & 18 horizontal 1/2 plates; 1 plate for door.
Thickness of Plates: 1/4"
Size of Plates: Full plate sq. 2' 1.081" on sides; 1/2 plates triangular, sides 2' 1.081", base 2' 10 3/4"; door plate 2' 5 5/8" w, 2' 9 13/16" h; radius 4' 3.441"
Number of Storm Panes: 4 extra full panes; 4 extra 1/2 panes; 1 extra door pane furnished
Unglazed Side of Lantern: Entire lantern is glazed.
What Bearings:
Construction Material Lantern: Brass, bronze, tin, zinc, hoop iron, wrought iron, cast iron & glass.
Construction Material Roof / Cowl: Conical in shape, composed of 9 castings 3/8" thick, lined on inside with 9 sheets of zinc, surmounted by a ventilator ball.
Ventilator / Cowl: Iron with air registers
Lightning Spindle: Brass pinnacle with platinum point, screwed into ventilator ball.
Description of Lightning Rod:
Balustrade: Circular gallery, surrounded by an iron balustrade.
Lantern Doors: 1 door, upper portion glass, lower portion sheet steel, fitted with locking rods & lock.
Floor of Lantern: 5 iron castings 1/2" thick.
Watchroom Doors: Double door of wrought sheet iron fitted to frames welded at corners & to bottoms by button head rivets, countersunk on under sides of doors. Fitted with storm hook, lock & locking rods.
Parapet Diameter: 8' 7.5"
Ventilators
Location / Number: 5 brass air registers, covering 5 air channels in parapet plates of lantern. Ventilator ball on top of lantern.
Ladders / Cleaning Arrangement: 1 with 3/8" x 2" steel stringers & 1/2" double iron rods forming treads.
Curtain Hooks / Hanger: Brass curtain fixtures, supporting 1" japaunia, block tin spring rollers to which are secured 14" irish linen curtains.


Watchroom
How is Watchroom Fitted: With locker for tools & supplies
How is Relief Called: None
Where is Call System Led:
Illuminating Apparatus
Kind of Apparatus:
Intensity in Candles:
Name of Maker:
Year Made:
Marks and Number:
Order of Apparatus: 3rd
Inside Diameter:
Light Characteristic: Fixed white
Time of Revolution:
Flash Interval:
Duration of Flash:
Arc of Each Fixed Part: 360 degrees; visible around entire horizon.
Number of Panels: 5
Number of Flash Panels:
Arc of Each:
Number of Elements in Central Drum:
Number of Prisms Above Center Drum: 11
Number of Prisms Below Center Drum: 4
Does Apparatus Revolve?: False
Is There a Revolving Belt?: False
Revolving Panels:
How Flash is Produced:
Number of Vertical Elements Panel:
Fixed Lens Covered:
Pedestal: Cast iron
Service Table: None
Draft Tube Description: To be made of Russia iron.
Revolving Machinery:
Standby and Description:
Chariot Float or Balls:
Chariot Description:
Length of Drop Tube:
Clock Weight:
Length of Winding Time:
Drive During Rewind:
Machinery Protection:
Regulated:
Lens Protection:
How Color is Produced:
Red Sectors Description:
Where Color Attached:
Form of Colored Glass:
Lamp Description: Air pressure lamp, 3-wick burner
Type of Illuminant:
Number of Spare Lamps: 1
Number of Spare Burners: 2
Candle Power:
Closets and Store Rooms
Tower Closet Use: 1 in watchroom & 1 each in 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th stories to be used by Keepers for their convenience.
Oil House Description: Located in cellar, in upper portion of foundation cylinder & fitted with necessary lockers & shelving.
Oil House Inside Dimension:
Oil House Construction Material:
Oil House Capacity:
Other (Describe): Closets & storerooms are located in cellar, fitted with necessary shelving for storing provisions & supplies. 1 closet is furnished with a work-bench, vise & anvil. A storeroom for coal is also located in cellar.
Suitability: Suited for the purposes for which they were designed.
Fog Signal General
Fog Signal Kind: 2 5-horse power Hornsby Akroyd oil engines, 2 air receivers, Crosby automatic signal in duplicate actuating a Daboll trumpet.
Time to Start:
How Long Will Pressure Last:
Manufacturer:
Year of Manufacture:
Characteristic: 5 sec blast, 25 sec silent interval
Duplication:
Timing Device:
If whistle, siren, or trumpet, Pressure at Which Blown:
Height Above Water:
Compass Direction:
Location: Engines, air receivers & Crosby automatic signal are located in cellar & trumpet in main gallery of tower.
Distance and Direction:
Water Supply:
Reached from Lighthouse:
Description of Fog Signal Building:
Pressure And Recording Gauge:
Dwelling
Location: Dwelling rooms for Keepers are located in tower.
Coloring: Outside red, inside white
Construction Materials: Iron, brick & wood
Number of Rooms: Watchroom, 4 dwelling rooms & cellar
Number of Dwellings:
Heating Plant:
Number of Keepers: 1 keeper & 3 assistants
Furnished Quarters:
NOT Furnished Quarters:
Outhouses: Water closet of cast iron, with wooden seat located on edge of main gallery.
Outhouse Coloring: Red
Paths and Walks:
Area Inclosed:
Area of Garden:
Area Timber or Shrubbery:
Cultivation Area Available:
Area Cultivated:
Character of Surroundings: Gulf of Mexico
Stove, Maker:
Stove, Size:
Sink, Maker:
Sink, Size:
Pump, Maker:
Pump, Size:
Lamps:
Water
How Procured: By rain
Quality: Good
Quantity:
Injury Possible: Not liable to be injured
Purity Precaution:
Tank Capacity: 2 brick cisterns, 1500 gal cap. each, located in upper part of foundation cylinder, below cellar floor.
Tank Material: Brick & concrete mortar
Distilling Apparatus: False
Distilling Manufacturer:
Well Description:
Well Diameter:
Well Lining:
Pump or Bucket: By pitcher spout pump from cisterns
What Power Used:
Distance from Dwelling:
Healthfulness
General Opinion: Perfectly healthy
Diseases: None known of
Prevalency:
Local Causes: No
Recommended Improvements: No
Miscellaneous
Access to Lighthouse: Landing at tower must be made by boat at iron landing platforms, of which there are 2, attached to iron water stairs, from which the gallery floor is acessible thru trap doors located in gallery.
Distance and Direction:
Miscellaneous Remarks: Vessels bound for Sabine River & drawing over 16' of water should not pass nearer than 5 miles E or W of light - Coastwise vessels can pass within 2 miles N or S of light.