Digest>Archives> Mar/Apr 2011

The Mailboat

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(Conimicut Lighthouse RI as it appeared in the ...

Hymn Story was Popular

“Let the Lower Lights Be Burning” in the December 2010 issue – Love It! Love It! Love It!!! What a different angle on lighthouses! Reading it was a trip down memory lane since I grew up singing that song in church and miss it. So, I mentioned it to our Music Director at church who likes the history behind hymns and on occasion shares some with the congregation and he thought it was pretty cool to have such an article in Lighthouse Digest.

Julie Lake

Editor’s Comments:

This is just one of many letters we received about the story on this old hymn. In fact, we received more positive comments through e-mails and regular mail about the “Let the Lower Lights Be Burning” story than we have ever received since our story about the lost Mayo Beach Lighthouse in Massachusetts that was thought to have been destroyed and was found still standing all the way in California. Our sincere thanks to everyone who wrote. We love to hear from our readers, so please keep sending those e-mails and letters.

Splish Splash

The October issue, page 23, bathing beauty photo, has prompted me to relate this true story. Conimicut Light Station in Narragansett Bay in Warwick, RI was my home from 1958 to 1961 as a U.S. Coast Guard Engineman. Being a spark plug style lighthouse we had a rain-roof/cistern water system and were very careful how we used fresh water. We had a folding rubberized bath tub, but during all but the coldest months we bathed with salt water and salt water soap. After dark we would draw a pail of fresh water for a final rinse and proceed to the lower landing. Then we would immerse in the bay, soap down, then immerse to rinse the soap off. Followed by the pail of fresh water over the head, our bathing would be completed, with a towel off, and then a dash up the ladder.

One night as I emerged ready for my fresh water rinse, a large cabin cruiser came close around the pier and turned on its search light. There I stood in my birthday suit, basking in the spotlight and scrambling for my towel, all to the amusement of the party on board the boat!

Fred Mikkelsen

This story appeared in the Mar/Apr 2011 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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