LIGHTHOUSE ESTABLISHMENT, THE UNITED STATES. 



443 



main derrick and cutting a pathway up the 

 face of the rock, they opened a bench around 

 it by suspending the workmen on staging sup- 

 ported by bolts let into the rock's crest. The 

 bench once formed, the reduction was pushed 

 to the center. The outer surface of the rock 

 was easily removed with moderate charges of 

 black powder, but the nucleus was hard and 

 firm, and giant-powder was necessary to open 

 the mass, when large charges of black powder 

 acted satisfactorily. The working party, in 

 spits of their rude, uncomfortable quarters, 

 worked diligently through the winter with 

 good results. But the work was much delayed 

 by spells of weather so bad that little could be 

 done. The coast was visited by a tornado in 

 January, which caused the waves, reflected 

 from the rock, to be carried by the wind over 

 its crest, so that for many days continuously 

 the receding floods poured over the eastern 

 slope, making work impossible. On one such 

 day this cataract carried away the supply- 

 house, and even endangered the quarters of 

 the working-party. For more than two weeks 

 at this time it was impossible for the steam- 

 tender which supplied their wants to cross the 



bar at the rnouth of the Columbia River to go 

 to their assistance ; when, after sixteen days, 

 communication was reopened, the party was 

 found to be safe, but much in want of fresh 

 provisions. These were supplied by an endless 

 line running between the mast of the supply- 

 vessel and a ringbolt driven into the top of the 

 roc-k, in water-tight casks suspended by slings 

 from a traveler, which was made to move along 

 the line. 



In May the top of the rock was leveled, and 

 a foundation made about eighty-eight feet 

 above the sea, and, on the 31st, three masons, 

 four derricks, a small engine, and the appli- 

 ances for laying the masonry, were landed. 

 The stone, a fine-grained, com pact basalt, quar- 

 ried near Portland, and cut to dimensions by 

 contract, was delivered at Astoria and shipped 

 to the rock on the tender. The first cargo was 

 landed on June 17th ; on the 22d the corner- 

 stone was laid, and then the rest of the mate- 

 rial was shipped to the rock as the weather 

 permitted. 



The building is a square, one-story keeper's 

 dwelling, with a rectangular extension for the 

 duplicate siren fog-signal apparatus. From the 



TILLAMOOK. LIGHTHOUSE, OREGON. 



center of the keeper's dwelling rises the tower, 

 which is crowned by a gallery and a lantern 

 containing a first-order lens apparatus. The 

 material used is stone, cut to dimensions on 

 the shore, for the outer walls, and brick, iron, 

 and Wood for the interior. The light is forty- 

 eight feet above the base of the tower and one 

 hundred and thirty-six feet above mean sea- 

 level, and it was shown for the first time on Feb- 

 ruary 1, 1881. If it had been finished a month 



earlier, itprobably would have saved the English 

 iron bark Lupata, of 1,039 tons burden, which 

 was dashed to pieces on the main shore, not a 

 mile from the lighthouse, with a loss of the 

 vessel, its freight, and every one of the twenty 

 persons on board. The bark came so near the 

 rock that the creaking of the blocks and the 

 voices of the officers giving orders were dis- 

 tinctly heard, but the night was so dark that 

 nothing could be seen except her lights. The 



