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Lighthouse
- Life-Saving - Coast Guard Antiques Blog
Posted on February 20, 2012
The Fire Island Light Station recently
had their original First Order Fresnel Lens and clockwork rotating mechanism
returned, and both are currently on display in their new lens building. However,
the clockwork is missing the handle that would wind the cable. We wonder if any
readers might have any idea where they could locate a handle?
Posted on February 16, 2012
Nantucket
Lightship/LV-112 Restoration Update:
The
owner reports that as of mid-February, LV-112 is in dry-dock, nearing completion
of Phase 1 of hull restoration. The crew at Fitzgerald Shipyard are doing a
great job and progressing well. The historic ship now has several coats of high
quality two-part epoxy industrial marine coatings painted on her hull's
exterior. Before applying the coatings, LV-112's hull was cleaned, sandblasted,
inspected and repaired. Most of the marine coatings were generously donated by
Sherwin-Williams / Seaguard Marine, Industrial Marine Coatings Division. John
Bouthillette, the dedicated marine representative from Sherwin-Williams, was a
tremendous help in securing this donation and guiding the process for preparing
and applying the coatings. Phase 2 of LV-112's restoration, to be performed by
Amex, Inc., of East Boston, will be the entire weather deck, deck houses and
superstructure. He hopes to have this portion of the ship's exterior completed
by summer 2012.
For
more information on the progress of the restoration, check out the Nantucket
Lightship/LV-112 web site.
For
more great restoration photos, take a look on the U.S.
Coast Guard Lightship Sailors Association web site.
For
more historical information and antiques from U.S. lightships, take a look at
our Lightships page.
Posted on February 14, 2012
Late in February 1952, a northeaster
swept
New England
with bitter cold, snow and gale force winds. East of Chatham 70-knot winds and
60-foot seas battered merchant vessels as the tankers SS Fort Mercer and SS
Pendleton met the full force of the storm. They both broke in half on the
morning of February 19th with 84 half-frozen men marooned on the battered hulks.
Four Coast Guardsmen set out from
Cape Cod
during a fierce storm in a seemingly impossible quest to locate and rescue the
crew of the damaged tanker Pendleton. They returned as heroes.
BM1 Bernard C. Webber, coxswain of
motor lifeboat CG-36500, from Station Chatham, Massachusetts, and his crew of
three headed out over the dreaded Chatham [sand] bars toward the stricken tanker
Pendleton. Webber maneuvered the 36-footer under the Pendleton's stern with
expert skill as the tanker's crew, trapped in the stern section, abandoned the
wreck of their ship on a Jacobs ladder and, with the aid Webber's crew, made
their way down and into the Coast Guard motor-lifeboat.
Webber
and his crew of three, EN3 Andrew Fitzgerald; SN Richard Livesey; and SN Irving
Maske, saved 32 of the 33 Pendleton's crewmen who were on the stern section of
the ship that night. All four Coast Guardsmen were awarded the Gold Lifesaving
Medal for their heroic actions. Their successful rescue operation has been noted
as one of the greatest in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Webber
and his men will be honored this month in Chatham, and at Coast Guard First
District Headquarters in Boston:
Wednesday,
Feb. 15, 1-3pm, U.S. Coast Guard First District Headquarters, Base Boston,
427 Commercial St., Building No. 1 (function hall). Anniversary celebration of
the famous Pendleton/Fort Mercer rescues on Feb. 18, 1952, off the coast of
Chatham. Among several displays, the event will feature exhibits from the USCG
Heritage Museum (Cape Cod) and the U.S. Lightship Museum (LV-112). Open to
general public.
Saturday,
Feb. 18, 12-4:30pm, Coast Guard Station Chatham, Open House, 60th
Anniversary of Pendleton/Fort Mercer Rescues. Guest speakers, imagery,
artifacts; meet people involved in the rescues. Open to general public.
Saturday,
Feb. 18, 6pm, Chatham Bars Inn, Chatham. Dinner titled "Tales from the
Sea." Dining and lecture on the 60th anniversary of the Pendleton/Fort
Mercer rescues. Kicks off with a champagne reception, followed by a sumptuous
three-course dinner and lecture by Casey Sherman, co-author of "The Finest
Hours," the story behind the rescue (see book details on our Cape
Cod web page) The dinner is $65 per person; reservations required; call
508-945-0096.
For more
information about the CG-36500 - the Coast Guard motor-lifeboat that was used
that night and its restoration take a look at their web site CG-36500.
 
At the 50th Anniversary of the
Rescue: The crew of the CG-36500 -Bernard Webber (deceased),
Andrew Fitzgerald, Richard Livesey (deceased) and Irving Maske (deceased).
U.S.
Coast Guard Congressional Gold Life-Saving Medals. To:
Bernard C. Webber
Andrew J. Fitzgerald
Richard P. Livesey
Ervin E. Maske
Awarded 7 May 1952
The
Citation: “On 18 February 1952, during a violent winter gale the tanker SS
Pendleton broke in two in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cape Cod, MA.
Shortly thereafter, Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat No. CG-36500 with BM1 Bernard C.
Webber as officer-in-charge and EN2 (P) Andrew J. Fitzgerald, SN Richard P.
Livesey and SN Ervin E. Maske as crewmembers departed the Lifeboat Station to
render assistance. The seas were extremely high and rough, with northwest winds
between forty and fifty miles per hour. Visibility was poor due to darkness and
intermittent snow squalls. After crossing the hazardous Chatham bar, the
CG-36500 rounded up to the stern section of the SS Pendleton, where thirty-three
survivors were waiting to be rescued. Numerous passes were necessary to take off
all the survivors. There was no light except a spotlight on the CG-36500 and, as
the SS Pendleton rolled, the CG-36500 darted in and out, sometimes under the
bilge keel, taking off a few men each time. Only one man was lost during the
rescue operations. Shortly after the last man was taken aboard, and the CG-36500
had gotten underway the stern section of the SS Pendleton capsized. The CG-36500
with crew and thirty-two survivors returned safely to the Chatham Fish Pier.”
Posted on February 10, 2012
We just picked up a hard-to-find book
from the author Ralph Shanks: LIGHTHOUSES OF
SAN FRANCISCO
BAY. (1976. 1st. 123p. Soft wraps.) “...Climb the iron stairways of
San Francisco
Bay
’s lighthouses to re-light the ancient lamps...on the beach below, the rescue
boats are being readied...more watches...more beaches to patrol....” All of
this well known author’s original stories are here, along with a rich treasure
of countless new adventures. Illustrated with over 65 vintage photographs, the
Shanks’ wonderful work chronicles the work of
San Francisco
Bay
’s Light Keepers as never before. Light stations includes Alcatraz Island,
Yerba Buena, Point Bonita, Fort Point, Mile Rocks, Lime Point, Angel Island and
Point Blunt, East Brother, Mare Island, Roe Island, Oakland Harbor, Southampton
Shoal, Carquinez Strait, and more. Wonderful reading. Library copy but with a new dust jackets from the
author, we have had these re-bound. Extremely difficult to find
this early West Coast Reference and well worth the price. Also Signed by the
author. (VG). Regularly $38. Reduced $26. See our Recent
Additions page.
Soon too we will be back at Race Point
getting cleaned up and painted from the "winter", ready to host guests
for the spring and summer. About half of the dunes that you see in this photo
have been lost to the sea in the last four years. We are now about 200 feet from
the beach. I will keep you posted of the changes that have occurred over the
winter.
Over the last decades, New England has
already started to feel the effects of global climate change. Snow cover is
decreasing and spring arrives earlier most years now. Many scientists predict
that we may be headed for a Boston climate much like that of Charlotte, North
Carolina, or Atlanta, Georgia. Think about it.....
Posted on February 1, 2012
Anyone who truly enjoys reading
of the life of a lighthouse keeper, or of the charm of Cape Cod, should surely
read Henry David Thoreau’s account of his visit with the keeper of Cape Cod
(Highland) Lighthouse, and his walk from Eastham to Provincetown in 1849 and
again in 1855. In this renown work, Thoreau records his adventures and sights as
he trekked the outer beaches, and the humor of the “local, self-reliant
folk”.
Thoreau first published his
account of his visit with the light keeper (possibly Keeper James Small
(1843-1849 and 1853-1856), in The Atlantic Monthly as “The Highland Light”
[Vol. XIV. December 1864, pp. 649-659]. Later, in 1865, he published the
complete account of his Cape Cod treks under the title “Cape Cod” In it,
Chapter VII included his account of his stay at Highland Lighthouse.
I have reproduced here a small
portion of his account for your enjoyment, I hope:
“….To-day the air was
beautifully clear, and the sea no longer dark and stormy, though the waves still
broke with foam along the beach, but sparkling and full of life…. The sun rose
visibly at such a distance over the sea that the cloud-bank in the horizon,
which at first concealed him, was not perceptible until he had risen high behind
it, and plainly broke and dispersed it, like an arrow. But as yet I looked at
him as rising over land, and could not, without an effort, realize that he was
rising over the sea. Already I saw some vessels on the horizon, which had
rounded the Cape in the night, and were now well on their watery way to other
lands…. We struck the beach again in the south part of Truro. In the early
part of the day, while it was flood tide and the beach was narrow and soft, we
walked on the bank, which was very high here, but not so level as the day
before, being more interrupted by slight hollows…. Thus we kept on along the
gently curving shore, seeing two or three miles ahead at once…. We saw this
forenoon a part of the wreck of a vessel, probably the Franklin, a large piece
fifteen feet square, and still freshly painted. With a grapple and a line we
could have saved it, for the waves repeatedly washed it within cast, but they as
often took it back…. This light-house, known to mariners as the Cape Cod or
Highland Light, is one of our "primary sea-coast lights," and is
usually the first seen by those approaching the entrance of Massachusetts Bay
from Europe. It is forty-three miles from Cape Ann Light, and forty-one from
Boston Light. It stands about twenty rods from the edge of the bank, which is
here formed of clay.… It rises one hundred and ten feet above its immediate
base, or about one hundred and twenty-three feet above mean low water…. Even
this vast clay bank is fast wearing away. Small streams of water trickling down
it at intervals of two or three rods, have left the intermediate clay in the
form of steep Gothic roofs fifty feet high or more….
The Highland Light-house, where
we were staying, is a substantial-looking building of brick, painted white, and
surmounted by an iron cap. Attached to it is the dwelling of the keeper, one
story high, also of brick, and built by government. As we were going to spend
the night in a light-house, we wished to make the most of so novel an
experience, and therefore told our host that we would like to accompany him when
he went to light up. At rather early candle-light he lighted a small Japan lamp,
allowing it to smoke rather more than we like on ordinary occasions, and told us
to follow him. He led the way first through his bedroom, which was placed
nearest to the light-house, and then through a long, narrow, covered
passage-way, between whitewashed walls like a prison entry, into the lower part
of the light-house, where many great butts of oil were arranged around; thence
we ascended by a winding and open iron stairway, with a steadily increasing
scent of oil and lamp-smoke, to a trap-door in an iron floor, and through this
into the lantern. It was a neat building, with everything in apple-pie order,
and no danger of anything rusting there for want of oil. The light consisted of
fifteen Argand lamps, placed within smooth concave reflectors twenty-one inches
in diameter, and arranged in two horizontal circles one above the other, facing
every way excepting directly down the Cape. These were surrounded, at a distance
of two or three feet, by large plate-glass windows, which defied the storms,
with iron sashes, on which rested the iron cap. All the iron work, except the
floor, was painted white. And thus the light-house was completed. We walked
slowly round in that narrow space as the keeper lighted each lamp in succession,
conversing with him at the same moment that many a sailor on the deep witnessed
the lighting of the Highland Light. His duty was to fill and trim and light his
lamps, and keep bright the reflectors. He filled them every morning, and trimmed
them commonly once in the course of the night. He complained of the quality of
the oil which was furnished. This house consumes about eight hundred gallons in
a year, which cost not far from one dollar a gallon; but perhaps a few lives
would be saved if better oil were provided. Another light-house keeper said that
the same proportion of winter-strained oil was sent to the southernmost
light-house in the Union as to the most northern. Formerly, when this
light-house had windows with small and thin panes, a severe storm would
sometimes break the glass, and then they were obliged to put up a wooden shutter
in haste to save their lights and reflectors, and sometimes in tempests, when
the mariner stood most in need of their guidance, they had thus nearly converted
the light-house into a dark lantern, which emitted only a few feeble rays, and
those commonly on the land or lee side. He spoke of the anxiety and sense of
responsibility which he felt in cold and stormy nights in the winter; when he
knew that many a poor fellow was depending on him, and his lamps burned dimly,
the oil being chilled. Sometimes he was obliged to warm the oil in a kettle in
his house at midnight, and fill his lamps over again, for he could not have a
fire in the light-house, it produced such a sweat on the windows. His successor
told me that he could not keep too hot a fire in such a case. All this because
the oil was poor. The government lighting the mariners on its wintry coast with
summer-strained oil, to save expense! That were surely a summer-strained
mercy….“
I hope that this brief
introduction to his work may encourage you to find a copy of Thoreau’s “Cape
Cod” and to read further. This is a truly important account, and a must if you
are interested in the shipwrecks, lighthouses, life-saving and life as it
existed for residents of outer Cape Cod in the mid-1800’s. We have this and
other of Thoreau’s works available on our Cape Cod
web page.
In April of 1946 historian and
author Edward Rowe Snow began a similar hike around the “bended arm” of Cape
Cod, as Thoreau called it, in an effort to trace, in as many cases as possible,
Thoreau’s route and the locations where he stopped. Although others have
attempted to duplicate Mr. Thoreau’s trek, I suspect that Mr. Snow is one of
the very few who came close to duplicating the difficult walk through the deep
sand of the outer beach. For portions of Snow’s account and for hours of
wonderful reading, you will want to read one of his earlier books as well: “A
Pilgrim Returns to Cape Cod” [Boston. 1946]. See this and others of Mr.
Snow’s works, on our Edward Rowe Snow web page.
For more too, you may want to
read our monthly column entitled Collecting
Nautical Antiques in Lighthouse Digest Magazine.
Posted on January 31, 2012
We just got in some wonderful photos
of Keeper Frank Schubert at the Coney Island Light Station. The crystal
clear photos show Keeper Schubert, last civilian keeper at Coney Island Light
Station. Keeper Schubert began his lighthouse career in 1938 aboard the buoy
tender Tulip. He followed that with time at the offshore Old Orchard Lighthouse,
and then was assigned to the Army Transportation Service during World War II.
After the war, he served as the keeper of three lights at Governors Island.
While stationed there, his wife, Marie, and their three children lived on Staten
Island. In 1960, Schubert accepted an assignment to the Coney Island Light as
his family would finally be able to live with him at the station to which he was
assigned. When interviewed by New York Times reporter, Mrs. Shubert explained
“We’ve gone from one extreme to another. We never used to see Frank. Now he
never leaves home.” Keeper Shubert’s duties included tending the light and
the 1,000-pound fog bell. When he could no longer see Hoffman and Swinburne
Islands, he would turn the bell on. In an emergency, or if the power went out,
Schubert said that the fog bell could be hit “with a sledgehammer.”
Schubert’s wife passed away in the late 1980s. When the station was automated
in 1989, he was allowed to stay on as a caretaker, continuing to climb the 87
steps to the lantern every day to perform required maintenance duties. During
his years of service, Shubert was credited with saving the lives of fifteen
sailors and was invited for a visit to the White House by President George H. W.
Bush. He and his dog, Blazer, remained on duty until December 11 of 2003, when
Schubert passed away at the age of 88 as the last of the Coast Guard’s
civilian lighthouse keepers. His lighthouse career had lasted 65 years,
including the final 43 years at Coney Island Lighthouse. "The Coast Guard
mourns the loss of its most courageous sentry of the sea," said Capt. Craig
T. Bone, commander of Coast Guard Activities New York. "His devotion to
duty and courage are unequaled." Photo shown is from June 12, 1961. See our
Recent
Additions page for more.
Posted on January 28, 2012
Boxboro Paper Show, MA.
I just returned from Paper Town, the book and paper show held in
Boxboro twice a year. (next Boxboro show will be in September) Came back
with a few items including this great 1911 Life Saving Service article in
Leslie's Illustrated Weekly (see our Recent
Additions page), a Race Point Coast Guard photo and a WWII vintage Coast
Guard hat in original box. I enjoy the shows, seeing the dealers and chatting
about the state of the business, etc., but they aren't like they used to be.
What was once three large rooms packed with an estimated 125-150 dealers, in the
last few years the show is down to one room, half full - the aisles are now
twice as wide as they once were. The down side is that the internet has surely
cut into the show's sales, and I am sure many aren't spending what they once did
on their hobbies. The up side may be that this is a good time to buy prices have
come down some and more early pieces are coming to the market as people convert
their attic accumulations to cash. This may be a great time to add to your
collection.
There are book, paper, photo, etc. shows all across the country
monthly - you may want to visit one in your area. The next good one in this area
will be the Boston Book, Paper &
Photo Exposition and Sale in Wilmington, Mass in May. Check out their web
site.
If you would like to comment on our Blog, or suggest a subject I
will look for your notes on Facebook
or you can email me. I look forward to hearing your suggestions and comments.
Posted on January 26, 2012
Race Point Light Station,
Provincetown, MA.
c.1960's view.
Race Point Light Station was leased to
the American Lighthouse Foundation in 1995. Since then our organization has
worked to restore the site - the keepers house has been repaired and modernized
with heat, hot water, flush toilets, refrigeration, and a gas stove. Overnight
stays were initiated in 1998.
One of our efforts has been to
institute the use of renewal energy sources on the site. A solar electrical
system was installed in October 2003, and a wind turbine generator up was added
in 2007, making the use of a diesel generator unnecessary. The restored whistle
house was opened to guests for week-long stays in 2008. This year solar hot
water was added to heat the potable water, and to supplement the heat. Presently
we are able to offer up to five rooms for rent, with shared kitchen and bath
facilities in the two buildings. We hope eventually to expand the rental season
beyond the current May - October with the addition of the solar hot water
heating supplement. Race Point Lighthouse remains an active navigational guide
maintained by the Coast Guard.
Race Point is a
wonderful place for a brief visit or for a stay - enjoy the quiet surroundings,
learn about the history of the Lighthouse Service and of the outer Cape, and see
renewable energy in action. See the Race
Point web site for more information on staying at the Race Point Light
Station.
For more information on the history of the Race
Point Light Station, check out our book HISTORIC
CAPE COD LIGHTHOUSES: Race Point. A History of Cape Cod’s Lighthouse on Race
Point. It is available for $8.95 here on
our web site, or when you stay at the keeper's house at Race Point.
Check
out also our Cape Cod Web Page for many more Cape
Cod antiques and photos, books and more including this wonderful 42"
panoramic photo of the Race Point Light Station.
Posted on January 25, 2012
Wellfleet, MA.
When in Wellfleet, be sure to check
out the old Cahoons [sic] Hollow Life Saving Station. This is one of only two
remaining U.S. Life Saving Service stations once located on Cape Cod's outer
beach. The second remaining station, Old Harbor in Chatham, now resides in
Provincetown at Race Point Beach, part of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
The thirteen Cape Cod stations included Wood End, Race Point, Peaked Hill Bar,
High Head, Highland, Pamet River, Cahoons Hollow, Nauset, Orleans, Old Harbor,
Chatham, Monomoy, and Monomoy Point. On our U.S. Life Saving
Service page we have hundreds of photos and antiques from these and other
U.S. Life Saving stations. This service had an unprecedented record, saving
hundreds of thousands of lives and vessels in its short forty five year
span.
In 1915, the U.S. Life Saving Service
was combined with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard,
which has continued the fine record of rescues, professionalism, sacrifice and
service.
The Cahoons Hollow
station, now the Beachcomber restaurant, has been a must-visit Summer
destination for surfers, families, beach-goers and music lovers for more than 50
years! Stop by for their live music, cool cocktails, fantastic food, all right
on the wide sandy beach. The stunning scenery creates an oasis here in Wellfleet.
They are located at 1120 Cahoon Hollow Road.
Visit their web site at http://www.thebeachcomber.com/
Posted on January 24, 2012
Eastham, MA.
One of my favorite places in
Massachusetts is Cape Cod - particularly the outer Cape. The area boasts a
maritime history hardly rivaled elsewhere, and the serene surroundings,
particularly at this time of the year, are well worth the trip.
For a wonderful view from Coast Guard
beach, at the old Coast Guard station, the Web Cam below is worth a look....
View
Cape Cod National Seashore, Web Cam image at Nauset Coast Guard Station,
Eastham.
We just got in a rare grouping of
photos of the crews from this station taken in 1939 which we are offering on our
Recent Items page. One of them is shown below -
great detail. Station photos are more common (if I dare use that word), but we
rarely find photos of the crews in action. A great group.
In addition, we picked up another
grouping, of the Mayo's Beach Lighthouse, and of the Marconi Station, both in
neighboring Wellfleet. The keeper's house shown in the photo can still be seen
at Mayo's Beach, on Wellfleet Harbor. While in the area, check our the bookstore
in the restaurant across the street. (Bookstore
& Restaurant, 50 Kendrick Avenue)
More
items added daily.
Procedure
to order items:
1. I suggest that you call us
or email to check on availability of any item that you would like
other than recent books. As items go quite quickly, please call and leave
a message to reserve items that you would like. I will return your call,
hold the items and await your letter or credit card information. We will
also weigh the items and advise postage.
2. You may then call or email credit card information, or
forward a check in the mail.
Most items are mailed US Priority Mail or UPS. Additional
information on our "Ordering Page".
Massachusetts residents must add 6.25% sales tax.
Page updated February 22, 2012
.
How to reach us:
Kenrick A. Claflin & Son Nautical Antiques
1227 Pleasant Street, Worcester, MA 01602
Phone (508) 792-6627
All
text and illustrations on web site Ó
James W. Claflin . 02/22/2012
All rights
reserved. Use prohibited without written permission.
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