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Alaska Remembered,
I appreciated the article by Barrett Willoughby in the march issue of Lighthouse Digest. His experiences at Cape Sarichef Lighthouse in Alaska were interestingly presented. In addition, a letter from James Baker was published in the May issue of Lighthouse Digest commenting on his experiences at Cape Sarichef Light. Fifty years ago or so I passed through Unimak Pass several times but never saw the lights guarding the passage. Both Sarichef and Scotch Cap were alluded to by these two gentlemen. The weather in that part of the world makes likely that one will have to navigate without relying on visual sighting of the lights.
My first question is this: What is the current status of Sarichef Light and Scotch Cap Light?
Secondly, Barrett Willoughby refers to an event where "Thousands of tiny birds" crashed into the lighthouse apparently attracted by the light. Do migrating birds often become disoriented by lighthouse beams and have keepers reported similar events as the one described by Mr. Willoughby? Thank you for a good publication.
Carl Throckmorton
Hastings, NE
Editor's Reply: In the early morning hours of April 1, 1946, the members of the Scotch Cap Lighthouse were awakened by a large earthquake. A little less than a half hour later another earthquake hit. The log at the station reported "Terrific roaring from the ocean heard followed almost immediately by terrific sea." With no warning a massive tsunami began to form,. A million ton wall of water grew to over 100 feet high and slammed into Scotch Cap Lighthouse with a tremendous "thud." Tragically, the tsunami completely destroyed the lighthouse, killing instantly five of the crew members of the station. This past January, the United States Coast Guard honored one of them, Anthony Petit with the launching of a Coast Guard Cutter named after him.
The light tower mentioned by Willoughby at Cape Sarichef no longer stands. It was replaced by a more modern style beacon on top of the roof of the building as shown in the photo here by James Baker.
And in answer to your bird question - there have been numerous incidents at lighthouses all over the world where birds have become disoriented and slammed into lantern rooms, sometimes by the thousands.
Famous Wave Print
After visiting Lighthouse Depot this summer and seeing Jean Guichard's series of photos of "La Jument" in a storm, I was curious to understand the story behind the man who appeared oblivious to the wave coming around from the back of the lighthouse. I explored the Web and found a couple of sites that were interesting. The first is at - www.alphapix.com/lighthouses.shtml. This site tells us that there are, in fact, seven pictures that Jean Guichard took while the large wave engulfed the lighthouse "La Jument" and has an animation of the seven photos in a sequence much like a movie. The second site is -www.alphapix.com/jument.shtml. This site was created because of the large number of queries regarding the lighthouse and the keeper standing at the door. It says, "In 1989 a tempest raged for days and the lighthouse keepers held on tight, hoping the structure would resist. In spite of this, one keeper dared open the door, intrigued by the noise of Jean Guichard's helicopter (on Dec. 21, 1989). He closed the door in time and was unharmed", and shows the last picture of him entering La Jument and closing the door behind him. Now, for those of you who hadn't heard the story can rest easier at night . . .!!
Ed Chase
Westford, VT
Editor's Reply: Many of the famous photos in question are available as framed and unframed prints as well as on the Jean Guichard calendar, and can be found in the Lighthouse Depot catalog as well as the web site at www.lighthousedepot.com
Finally,
I wrote back in April that I had never seen a lighthouse in person. Well, I can say now, that I've seen four and got to go into them in July. It was so exciting, especially looking for Two Harbors Light (MN) as it was foggy and chilly out that day. My mother and daughter who were with me also enjoyed the visit into Two Harbors. We also went to Split Rock Lighthouse which was also open. Then we proceeded back down to Duluth and took pictures of the two lighthouses at Duluth Harbor. I have enclosed a picture of Two Harbors. You'll notice that I have on my tee shirt that I purchased from the story in Lighthouse Digest to help save Two Harbors Light. I really enjoyed my trip to Minnesota and hope this will be the first of my many visits to lighthouses.
Thank you for a great magazine.
Trish Leyh
Preston, MO
Story Surprise,
I received the very interesting copies of the Lighthouse Digest. Thank you so much. I have placed copies with the Fair Haven Library and the Sterling Historical Society. People in this area were surprised and pleased to read about Fair Haven lighthouses in your magazine. My husband's cousin, who lives in Texas, was very surprised to open the magazine and read about her home town of Fair Haven.
Hallie Sweeting
Town of Sterling Historian, Sterling, NY
Heart & Soul,
I just needed to write you folks to say how much I truly appreciate this magazine! Living in Iowa prevents us from regularly visiting the Great Lakes lighthouses that my husband and I have a passion for. Your magazine gives us that boost in between visits. Your August issue contained some of these-and we visited them all.
In July, we stayed at the Big Bay Point Light Bed & Breakfast in Michigan. What a truly remarkable experience for us. Jeff and Linda Gamble were the perfect keepers. They've put their heart and soul into that magnificent lighthouse.
Thanks again, Lighthouse Digest.
Betty and Greg Harris
Waterloo, Iowa
What About Forgotten Lights?
Lighthouses are like people, in a way. Some are famous, some are not, some are very special and unique, and some just seem like copies of others.
Those select few lighthouses that are in the "Famous" category will probably never have to worry that much about falling into the sea or falling into disrepair. There are almost always caring hands to stop erosion problems, fix a leaky roof, or spend time as a caretaker there.
There are four things that spell doom to lighthouses; weather and erosion, deterioration of the lighthouse, human neglect, and worst of all, the one that leads up to all the other three, is being forgotten.
Normally a lighthouse that is in a populated area is placed on the Doomsday List for obvious reasons. For example, the Minnesota Point Lighthouse, now a ruin, minus its top, deserves to be on this list. It is probably one of the most accessible lighthouse ruins in the country, and it takes only a medium hike along a public sand beach to reach it.
On the other hand, the great forgotten lighthouse of Fourteen Mile Point, Michigan is very unique, and quite special. Unfortunately, about a decade ago this lighthouse was burned by arsonists . .the scum of society. Today only the brick shell stands, a testament to its former days of glory. A rusted and empty lantern room tips off its large square tower, and looks over the south shore of Lake Superior. Now just a shell, this tower is in desperate need of attention and some would be generated by its addition to the Doomsday List.
Near Puerto Rico, on the Island of Culebrita, stands the grand old Culebrita Lighthouse. Years of neglect have almost relegated this lighthouse to a ruin. Its roof is biting the dust and its lantern room is on the ground below. This lighthouse has been neglected for many years now, and deserves a spot on the Doomsday List because of its condition and also because, like Fourteen Mile Point, it is a grand and unique lighthouse.
Both of these lighthouses suffer from the same problem...they have been forgotten by many if not most. If either of them collapsed right now, would more than a few people care? Until the plight of these lighthouses becomes known to the public, the answer is no.
And remember, it was God who first said, "Let there be light!"
Colt Edin
Editor's Reply: Unfortunately we have nothing in our files on the Culebrita Lighthouse in Puerto Rico. We have written various government agencies in Puerto Rico over the past 2 years about this lighthouse and a number of others. We have never received a reply. We can not place a lighthouse on the Doomsday List until we have photographs. Perhaps some of our readers can help us with photos and historical information. Fourteen Mile Point Lighthouse is now privately owned and I understand that plans are underway to restore the lighthouse, we will keep our readers posted.
Dear LHD,
As a Lighthouse Digest subscriber for a couple of years now, I experienced the thrill of a lifetime on June 28. My husband and I were on vacation in North Carolina and drove to the Outer Banks to view all four lighthouses in one day. We were able to see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in its move away from the coast. I had read about the Cape Hatteras move in Lighthouse Digest and to actually be able to see it move was a thrill I'll never forget. After reading the articles in the Digest, I knew exactly what was going on behind the scenes. Thanks for your wonderful magazine and your work to save endangered lighthouses. I am now interested in the work being done to save the Sabine Pass Lighthouse, which is near my hometown of Port Arthur, Texas.
Odette Hill
LaPorte, TX
This story appeared in the
October 1999 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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