It was only by chance that the former Finns Point Range, near the town of Pennsville, was built in New Jersey, because the original plans of the Lighthouse Service called for the range to be located in Delaware. The owner of the proposed Delaware site thought his marshland to be worth a fortune, and the Lighthouse Service declined to pay his exorbitant price. Not wishing to go through the long process of condemning his land, they found, upon further consideration, that the lighthouses could be built at the other end of the range in New Jersey near a place called Finns Point.
Over two hundred people turned out recently at ceremonies commemorating the efforts of the "Save the Lighthouse Committee" for bringing about the restoration of the Finns Point Rear Range Lighthouse in Pennsville, N.J. A plague was also unveiled marking the event at the 108 year old lighthouse. The 115 foot tall lighthouse was built in 1876 of iron. The site was chosen to mark the river channel from Bombay Hook to Reedy Point.
Fire Island is a unique barrier island with a varied ecosystem. The charms of the island are worth mentioning to set the stage for the story of the lighthouse. Lying off the southern coast of Long Island, Fire Island stretches 32 miles from Democrat Point at the west end to the Moriches Inlet on the east end. The Fire Island National Seashore manages the barrier beach plus a few small islands behind it and the boundary waters. This barrier island stands defiantly facing the Atlantic Ocean while protecting the waters of the Great South Bay, as well as the mainland of Long Island.
During the mid-1890s, transatlantic vessels bound for New York carried an estimated 450,000 passengers yearly, and 13 million dollars in cargo each week. Approaching the harbor in fog or heavy weather, it was difficult for navigators to determine their exact position. Sounding the bottom gave an indication of the proximity of land, but a miscalculation could mean grounding the vessel (or worse) on the shores of Long Island or New Jersey.
The act of August 7, 1789, provided for the taking over and maintenance by the United States of the lighthouses. This was the ninth law passed by the Federal Congress and was the first provision made for public works. This law provided that the lighthouses should be under the supervision of the Secretary of the Treasury, and it is interesting to note that the act providing for a Treasury Department was not passed until some time later, September 2, 1789.
Of all the scourge of the sea, fog is by far the most contemptible. On the lightship LV 5114 [BUZZARDS Lightship Station near Cape Cod, MA] sailors learned to distrust fog more than the dreaded southwest wind - detested its influx. It was an unwelcome visitor. It became a hated arch-enemy. Most preferred the hoisting of storm warnings to the invasion of fog, which was cursed more than any other single object, condition or person. There are several types of fog, several known causes for its formation and various reasons why it was so unpopular.
When the first eight lighthouses for the west coast were authorized in1850, three were designated for the San Francisco Bay area: the Farallon Islands, Alcatraz and Fort Point. After some controversy, the contract was awarded to Baltimore, Maryland firm and a ship set sail for the west coast. By 1852, workhad started on the lighthouses. A single design of a Cape Cod-style building with a tower through the middle was selected.
"I fell to the floor screaming. I screamed at the top of my voice, until I was exhausted. And still my husband did not come. There was another long, terrible night before me." Mrs. Robert Carlson, 40 years ago bride of a lighthouse keeper in the Apostle Islands group, told how she fought to keep her reason when her husband and his brother were lost for four days on the ice at the head of Lake Superior, during a winter she spent with him on Michigan Island.
Our entry into the Fresnel lens restoration business came about as a result of the foresight of our executive director, Ann Caneer. In the early 1990s, Ann learned that the rotating first order lens at Cape Canaveral had been so damaged by vibrations from nearby rocket launches that it was soon to be removed from its tower. The Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station's Board of Trustees agreed to make an offer to take the lens, restore it for display, and to build a lens exhibit building to house this important artifact.
The early mariner's warning lights consisted chiefly of open fires and later of fire beacons maintained on a grate or in an iron basket known as a brazier and shown from an elevated location or platform near the coast. They were often unreliable because of the variability between burning well, with lots flame and therefore light, or burning poorly with little flame or much smoke obscuring the light. These beacons were maintained both by public and private enterprises. Patents were granted to certain individuals for the upkeep of beacons in England and Scotland.