THE FIRST kddystone; i,ight, off the south 



COAST OF ENGLAND 



The Eddystone is the most famous lighthouse in 

 the world. Four towers have been built on this 

 dangerous rock. This, the first one, of fantastic 

 design, was completed in 1699 and destroyed in the 

 great storm of November, 1703, and the keepers and 

 the engineer who built it were lost (see page 17). 



The oldest of the existing Hghthouse 

 structures in this country is the tower 

 at Sandy Hook, New York, built in 1764. 

 The Hghthouse at Cape Henlopen, Dela- 

 ware, was completed the same year. 

 These are similar in design — massive 

 structures of stone and brick, with walls 

 7 feet thick at the base (see page 5). 



PERSONAL ATTENTION GIVEN BY PRESI- 

 DENT WASHINGTON TO EIGHT- 

 HOUSE MATTERS 



Massachusetts, in ceding her light- 

 houses, showed her caution with respect 

 to the new government by providing 

 "that if the United States shall at any 

 time hereafter neglect to keep lighted, 

 and in repair, any one or more of the 

 lighthouses aforesaid, that then the grant 

 of such lighthouse or lighthouses so neg- 

 lected shall be void and of no effect;" 

 and also, "that if the United States shall 

 at any time hereafter make any compen- 

 sation to any one of the United States 



for the cession of any light- 

 house . . . like compensation 

 be made to this Commonwealth 

 by the United States, for the ces- 

 sion of the Light Houses afore- 

 said, in proportion to their re- 

 spective values." 



There are many interesting 

 documents in the early archives 

 of the service showing the atten- 

 tion given by high officers of the 

 government to matters of light- 

 house detail. President Wash- 

 ington personally approved such 

 contracts as these : for the pur- 

 chase of spermaceti oil for Cape 

 Henry lighthouse, "to erect, sink, 

 and build a well for water" for 

 Cape Henlopen lighthouse, and 

 for making "a mooring chain for 

 one of the Floating Beacons of 

 the Delaware Bay." On the last 

 document appears the endorse- 

 ment, all in Washington's hand- 

 writing, "April 27th, 1793, Ap- 

 proved, so far as it respects the 

 new chain ; but is there an entire 

 loss of the old one? G°. Wash- 

 ington." There is a proposal for 

 Tybee lighthouse "for a hanging 

 stair C2se for the sume of £160," 

 or "should a plain square stair 

 case be preferred," for £110, with the 

 endorsement, "Approved with the plain 

 stair case. G°. Washington." 



During the earlier administrations the 

 salaries of lighthouse-keepers were fixed 

 by the President, and appointments of 

 keepers were approved by him. The 

 following document is of interest as 

 showing the salaries then paid : 



"United States, July i8t/z, 1793. 

 "By the President's command T. Lear 

 has the honor to inform the Secretary 

 of the Treasury, that the President hav- 

 ing duly considered the Representation 

 of the Commissioner of the Revenue and 

 the other documents relative to the com- 

 pensations of the Keepers of the Light 

 Houses, which were put into his hands 

 by the Secretary, approves of the altera- 

 tions of certain compensations as sug- 

 gested by the Secretary, viz : 



"ist. For the Keeper of the Light Houses 

 on Thatcher's Island per annuAi, 266 2/3 doll. 



10 



