February 17, 2025 • 45 mins
Listener Lighthouse! Thank you to Megan for sending this in.
Commonly known as the I Love You Lighthouse, Minot's Ledge actually has a deadly history as a strange lighthouse on stilts! When that one failed, engineers used the successful construction tactics from the Eddystone Lighthouse to build a stone tower that still stands today.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi everybody, I'm Emily and I'm Vince and this is the lighthouse lowdown
(00:15):
We're doing a nighttime recording we sure are and it's a
Tuesday night. Yeah, Tuesday night. We got a winter storm coming tomorrow. I've got strep throat. So
We're gonna be powering through. It's great. We're having fun many different aspects of our lives lucky to be here
That is true. We are lucky to be here could be
(00:36):
somewhere else
We have a good episode today, it's a listener lighthouse
So nice applaud our listeners for continuing to send lighthouses so that we can cover them
Because those are always the most fun that we know that somebody's going to be like, oh my gosh. Yes
This is the lighthouse I asked and then they can listen and be you know, just slightly disappointed by the delivery in the content
(01:02):
Was this from one listener or is it a repeat? This is one listener. Nice
Shout out but first I'll go into our history buoy. This is our where first
incorrect pronunciation will come from most likely because
How do you look up how a last name is pronounced from?
(01:22):
Well, there's a hundred and thirty years old history. I don't know like I was gonna say there's fanatics, but they don't I'm not very smart with those
Yeah, so it's just
Ma my hand Mahan. How do you spell it? M H M A H A N
Mahan
(01:44):
What part of the world?
America Mahan Mahan
Is it is the age capitalized the first name is Frederick the age is not capitalized Frederick man man
on
Man, it's gonna go with Mahan Frederick M. I'm sure it's wrong. So just live with it. But anyway, it's a style of for Nellis the Mahan
(02:09):
System, so very cool. I'm sure it's out there, but I had a hard time even finding any information on this subject
Which was interestingly even the US LHS website. I had to do some digging and I just found like one
Newspaper article clipping about how this happened, but it's a huge part of the lighthouse recovering today. So
I'm going into it. Okay, so Mahan system for Nellens
(02:35):
So in the late 1800s it became and we talked about this the other day
It became a problem that all the lighthouse light characteristics were starting to be the same. Yeah, everybody was like
the same yeah, everybody had a fixed white light so
You know if you were disoriented and all of a sudden you see a solid white light offshore
You have no idea which lighthouse it could possibly be referencing. Yeah, you need more information
(02:57):
so captain Frederick a ma on
Mahan yes
Created the design for for Nellens is that flash numbers as their characteristics and so basically they had
Little cropped flash panel. So, you know usually like the bulls-eye of a for Nellens
It's like this little circle in the middle and it goes bigger and bigger rings around it
(03:20):
And so this one is like if you had one of those but you cut it in the middle like
Vertically or like slightly off to the side or like yeah, and I'll show a picture and a video
So if anyone's interested in that you can go to our our YouTube and we'll have this posted
But so as the lens rotated you would see really quick flashes and they would group
(03:43):
the flashes so that it would be like
Four quick flashes and a space and then like one of these examples five quick flashes. So it was the four or five lens
cool, so like
Nothing really changes the light would remain the same and everything but the for Nellens itself produces a flash pattern
That's like different from any other lighthouse. You know exactly which one you're looking at and it's blocked off light and it's in series
(04:08):
that are timed with a mechanism not blocked off but not
punchy like not
Flashes. Yeah, it's like it's not a focused beams. So it's kind of diffused. So I'll show you the picture
That is cool. So here you can just see facing us is the diffused area
So it's like it's still lit and you would still see it as like a light
(04:29):
Yeah, but the other side is where we have these these tight
really skinny
What are they called panels?
And that's where you get your flashes from and you can tell in the reflection on the wall that there are these little bulls eyes
That are cut off beautiful. That's a really pretty
photo so this the actual lens he had two lenses made and they were in at display at the Colombian
(04:54):
Exposition in 1893 and moved to their test lighthouses in 1894 where they remained
but because of how expensive it was to get custom for Nell lenses that were so particular and
You know like the panels are all slightly different. So it was just so expensive that they didn't
(05:15):
Implement this idea anywhere else, even though it was so effective that both test lighthouses kept the for Nell ins for the rest of their
Their lives. It's really interesting. It's a good idea. Yeah, so Mahan maintained that quote by this method
The identity of the lighthouse would be absolute
End quote and so he created to the first one was a first order that flashed four or five
(05:35):
So that's the one that I'm gonna show a video of okay four quick flashes three seconds of darkness and then five quick flashes
and then 16 seconds of darkness, which is
like in this example the entire backside of the lens is
Technically the darkness area, but it's not blocked off
It's just just fused a light and that timing is just based on the spinning of the lens
(05:56):
Yeah, and each panel coming in and out of a person's reference. Oh, yeah a perfect
Yeah, and that these were both on mercury floats
So nice, I know they were with the times and the other one was a second order that flashed one for three and
And so each group of flashes was separated by three seconds of darkness with two seconds between each flash
(06:18):
Followed by 15 seconds of darkness
Nice, I'll show this video and darkness meaning a blacked-off panel altogether. No, it means this diffused area
The darkness is just like you're not getting that
flash of light in your corneas
Okay, this video is from is one that somebody took on Facebook as it comes back around you can see those
(06:41):
Crapped flash panels and also on like the ceiling of this video
You can see how a lot of the light on the diffused area is lost upwards and then the focused ones have this really tight
Prisms around there so they don't lose any light
Yes, you see you one two three four and then there's a change in angle of the Fresnel lens
And so you don't technically have a block off there, but it takes a little bit longer
(07:05):
To for it to show on that next panel because the angle of the corner is steeper
It's split one way or the other. Yeah, is that that's intentional to build the timing
Yeah, so it's like so you get an obvious group of four and then a slight pause and then a group of five
So because it's it's radial it's around a point
(07:26):
there is a a
Difference probably in timing so the number of seconds is probably different depending on how far you are away
Between the flashes. Yeah, probably
Fan if you're closer to the center versus close to the edge
Yeah, I think science
(07:47):
Yeah, that was my
History buoy we are going to cover the lighthouse that received the one four three lens
I care which is
Minutes ledge lighthouse what's twenty minutes ledge?
It's spelled this whole time. I was researching. I'm gonna try really hard not to do this
It's just like body island where I'm like Bodhi
(08:09):
Yeah
And then you find out like at the end of your research or even after you'd already done the episode that the pronunciation is not
The way that it looks it's like this one. I would say minnow because it's M. I in O T
Yes, I'm like minnows light, but it's um mine. It's
Allegedly
Maybe I'm wrong, but every video I've watched they say mine
(08:32):
It's and that includes Jeremy a video that Jeremy made so sometimes things come to the US
And they're kind of renamed based on our pronunciation. Yeah, that's true
Jackie Minow is a
Dark red rose for example. Oh my gosh. Am I NRT? Yeah
Cute
(08:52):
I
Didn't know that you go that French. Yes
Okay, so like I said, this is going to be our listener lighthouse
So thank you to Megan our listener Megan who sent this in from New Zealand
She also said by the way, we have a lot of cool lighthouses, too
So we'll have to definitely look at New Zealand and I saw that we actually get around
(09:15):
Like eight listens per episode from New Zealand. There's people out there. Let's go
You live we have to get that on our radar for sure because I'm honest. I don't even know where it is
It's very cool. Geography is not my forte awesome part of the world. It's far from here. Yeah for sure
Just like about everything else
(09:36):
So we're doing a little Valentine's Day themed episode
So I know this is coming out a couple days after Valentine's Day
But you know, you can just pretend that it's in the moment
We're going two and a half mile. I
Forgot to put in some slides, but whatever you can look it up on maps. I
(09:57):
Thought I was prepared for this but I suppose I'm not two and a half miles out into Massachusetts Bay
Which is inches slightly south of Boston. So originally I had a screenshot that showed
In their geography, but yeah, we drove past it, but it's you know, two and a half miles out
So you'd have to work really hard to see it out there. You'd have to squint. We would not have
(10:19):
Probably been looking out into the sea for a lighthouse
The problem that introduced this lighthouse was a almost invisible outcropping of rocks out in
Massachusetts Bay
Oh, no, and these rocks had picked off sailors for centuries and the first recorded ship crashed in 19. Oh, sorry
(10:40):
1695 with no survivors. So yeah, that was like super long time ago before I mean
this this spot was
16 obviously active, you know Boston harbors, right? Yeah one of the early places to yeah get busy
Still like so noticed very early on which didn't he didn't get a lighthouse for a long time. Anyway
(11:01):
Do you know that story that shipwreck?
Because that's curious no survivors, you know, yeah, so
Theoretically whoever was expecting the ship to arrive was the one who figured it had crashed
Mm-hmm. So like did they find the ship? How do they how do they know there's no survivors?
I don't know people but they weren't alive
(11:24):
Yeah, maybe it's like half the ship or something like it was so shallow that maybe it just grounded
But then like everybody died
Never know two and a half miles out. It's pretty far when it's you know, 1600s too far to swim
But anyway before this
Native Americans would paddle out and offer dishes ornaments and beads to appease hobo mock
(11:45):
Which was an evil spirit they believed plague to the waters and that's why there were so many deaths, but it was this ledge
Two things can be true it could have been
Yeah, you're hobo mock hobo mock and this ledge. Yeah, that's true could have been working in tandem
So a prominent Boston merchant George, Minot
(12:07):
No, no minute minute see I'm having to get used to it minute minute
Mine it yeah mine it that's what it is
But maybe he went by minnow, but we over time it's just turned into
Minutes mine it anyway this guy lost a valuable ship there in
(12:31):
1754 and
At that point over 400 people had died on this outcropping of rocks. So
I'm shocked that it took that long, but after the loss of his ship
I don't know if he like threw a big fit or if like there was like a bunch of
Drama surrounding it or something, but it became known as mine. It's lech
(12:52):
That one heck of a hall I'm wondering yeah, like
It's a merchant ship. So like so like porcelain bowls, or was it like gold salt salt
Yeah, cinnamon, you know the stuff they tell you in history classes that were valuable
And then you only have four examples for the rest of your life
Yeah, what used to be value start? Yeah
(13:14):
Your own podcast you're like oh my gosh. I know there's silk trail salt pepper pepper white pepper
white pepper spices in there
the spice trail
My gosh derailed so I WP Lewis we know this guy we had a history boy about his uncle
(13:35):
Unfortunately, it was a problem child. He wrote his report in
1842 and said quote a lighthouse on this reef is more required than on any part of the seaboard of New England
The loss of lives and property here have been annual and will continue to occur until a light is established and the one that's
dang it
situate
(13:57):
Suppressed situate is another lighthouse just south
like on
the mainland jeez
Situate I think is how it's pronounced but I could be wrong didn't look it up going by feelings
He continues a wreck on this fatal reef is always attended by the destruction of human life
(14:17):
Owing to its great distance from the shore and the tremendous sea that rolls in over the rocks when the wind is at the eastward
End quote so obviously he's like I don't know what you guys are doing there needs to be a lighthouse on this rock
How many more people are gonna die before we end up putting a lighthouse out here?
So the lighthouse establishment responded by building a strange lighthouse, especially for the time
(14:40):
perched on 60 foot long iron pilings cemented in just five feet of rock
The legs would allow the light to be hit by waves and high winds without damaging the actual lighthouse
Okay, but like it makes it quite precarious, you know, yeah 60 foot legs
But are they long legs? Yeah
(15:01):
I
Was thinking 60 feet laid down
No five foot weight a fire off rock. I'll show you yeah five feet embedded and
60 feet out. I think the word precarious makes sense
They completed it in 1850 for
$39,000 which at that time was probably crazy and it was lit New Year's Day
(15:24):
1851 or 1850 camera I think was 1850. So New Year's Day of 1850
It was lit. So it was completed
1849 it was bright red the entire thing
octagonal and
Definitely not something that would bestow too much confidence in those that were in it
(15:47):
So I pulled up a photo of a drawing of
What it looked like I'm sure they posted the newspaper and everything so it's like a
Like a water tower type construct. Yes. It's like a water tower for a city but in water
And so you obviously have to get up by a ladder and like all the supplies are you know, kind of the same
(16:07):
Is that a deck below that's exposed that has supplies on it? Yeah
Feel like you probably lose those. Hey, would you run down and get some toilet paper?
Sucks little of a storm. That's just too damn bad
Yeah, that's I mean there's a boat
Racked up there. Mm-hmm
That looks like a lot of work. Yep, and so like automatically this lighthouse was a terrible experiences for keepers because
(16:36):
Way back and forth like during storms any amount of wind and so much so that the first keepers cat
Abandoned ship in the middle of a storm because it was so spooked by the water
So and thus becoming the first casualty of this lighthouse and not the last
damn
The cat gave up. I know
(16:57):
Like just I'm out tapped obviously he didn't know that
I don't know but imagine jumping off of the surface that high in the air 60 feet
I would be doing some serious swaying. I mean with legs that skinny. That's crazy the width of a human man
That's not that much for 60 feet the resonance would be
awful the first head keeper Isaac Dunham, which sounds like a familiar name to me
(17:20):
I think we've probably read about him at some other lighthouse
Dunham Dunham he wrote quote the wind east blowing very hard with an ugly sea
Which makes the light real like a drunken man
I hope God will in mercy still the raging sea or we must perish
God only knows what the end will be end quote. So by October he quit
(17:40):
When was that he wrote I think that was it is in January and he was the first keeper so he actually lasted
Good solid
I'm not lasting the winter out here. Yeah
So at least yeah, that's true. Yeah winter would be way worse than that
So in the fall he quit his replacement said in January. There's a lot of quotes today because they're they're good for history
(18:05):
Quote so precarious is our present state
That there is a prospect this may never reach you the rods put into the lower section are bent up in fantastic shapes
Some are torn asunder from their fastenings
The ice is so massive that there is no appearance of the ladder
The sea is now running at least 25 feet above the level and each one roars like a heavy peel of thunder
(18:26):
The northern part of the foundation is split and the lighthouse shakes at least two feet each way
I feel as seasick as I ever did on board a ship
Think not that I will ever flinch from my post though
The waves should gain the mastery for which they are so incessantly striving when I accepted this post
I closed my ears against the reports of the former keeper treating them as I now find too lightly
(18:47):
Here I shall remain so long as a vest
Vestige of the lighthouse remains, but the truth must be told and quote
So he sent that to a new
That is epic. I know first of all excellent storytelling. It was so
He thought about it for a while. Yeah, he was like the peels of thunder may not reach you
(19:11):
Yeah, the ladder is not still visible
Twisted in fantastic shapes. Yeah, you monsters be yeah
Definitely a good thing for a newspaper and he was basically just saying like this is really awful
And people need to know that this is a story that's been told for a long time
It's awful and people need to know that this might die. Yeah
(19:31):
That is actually worrisome that we might not make it
Swift who was the engineer for this lighthouse?
Responded and said quote if a lighthouse can be built on the minot
Which can be made to stand securely in its place for say
$40,000 would it be wise to expend it?
(19:52):
$200,000 or more for a stone tower the answer we think is obvious
If it can be made safe build the pile light if it cannot be made safe build the tower
Time the great expounder of the truth or the fallacy of the question will decide for or against the minot
(20:12):
But in as much as the light has outlived nearly three winters. There is some reason to hope that it may survive one or two more
Whoa, so he's like
Okay, what the time time tells all right? So let's just see what happens
Right because it would be a lot more expensive to make a stone lighthouse. So such an engineer. I know oh my god
(20:35):
This thing's falling apart
Time will show us that
One could explore the idea of having done something differently you could have
But why but here the two if it's still here then why worry?
What is a man's life worth really? Oh gosh, so
(20:56):
April following this letter that was in January in the boston daily
Advertiser a nor'easter hit the lighthouse the head keeper had rode to shore early in the day to get a new boat and
So his two assistant keepers were left behind
Which now there's only one boat so they're kind of
He abandoned them for certain
(21:17):
But let's be fair in no ways is his fault because nobody knew storms were coming back then
He was getting a new boat. Yeah, like
The boat that he went there on was not gonna
That's what i'm saying
But I mean same story for the lighthouse
Maybe it was like really decrepit and they're like, wow, we really need a new boat. So i'm gonna go do that
(21:38):
I should have done that with the lighthouse. So the two assistant keepers were left. They frantically rang the fog bell
Uh, and everyone like could hear it from the shore
But nobody can get out there to help them and it went silent as the lighthouse broke apart and plunged into the sea
Oh my god
Got a picture of what was in the newspaper. Oh no
(22:02):
So
Awful
destruction of
Destruction of mine. It's ledge lighthouse. Oh no
So a last letter in a bottle washed ashore two days later written by the two men
Which like put a letter in a bottle and someone actually found it two days later. I think that's crazy
(22:22):
Uh, they said quote the beaten beacon cannot last any longer
She's shaking a good three feet each way as I write god bless you all end quote
And their bodies washed ashore soon after that's
That is so sad
however
I can't help myself if this wasn't a real story
(22:43):
How epic epic? I know fortunately it's just sad and how tough they are what an awful experience. I know
So there's actually a a memorial now
they did a dive and found like what they think are the original like pilings in the
ground of the you know ocean and so they lowered a
(23:04):
um memorial like plaque that has their names on it to be in the water, which
I would disagree with but they also have a marble one. That's at the current
um
Like museum site, it's crazy you can read about that. So the whole the whole body of the lighthouse was lost
Oh, yeah, it was like everyone woke up in the morning and it was just like
(23:24):
Gone bits like jutting out of the water and that was it
And those steel beams are what they've supposed they'd found. Yeah, what a way to go. I know
Also, if you're not watching youtube
We should include this somewhere on like instagram. Yeah crazy photo really great drawing
(23:45):
Great like
Used to be an awesome job to have would be to like draw from from people's
Accounts of what happened or like your own imagination. You just draw
Like a depiction of what happened and it's like a whole newspaper size kind of cool. It is cool. Very well done
After the loss of this lighthouse and our two keepers a light ship was stationed on the reef from 1851 until 1860
(24:11):
And there's a little drawing of this one
It's an early light ship. I know
Mine it's ledge light ship which
Became something else. I have another chest. It's again. Yeah, it's
Another vague memory of like us having talked about it
Turning into another light ship that we actually like did a discussion. Yeah
(24:31):
so
So yeah, that was there for solid nine years
For those of you don't know we have a at least it was an episode right talked about yeah, we did light ships
I can see the cover. Yeah youtube cover is really cool. Um
But we talked about light ships
It's a ship being in place of a lighthouse
to keep those travelers away when a lighthouse can't be built or in this situation where
(24:57):
It's kind of a tough situation. Yeah mobile mobile lighthouse and we got to see a light ship. Was it?
Was the night?
Was it a Chesapeake?
In Boston, no
No, no it was
The island that's off of Cape Cod
That we didn't go see Nantucket Nantucket. I'm sorry. No, that's right. I couldn't remember it was
(25:23):
Docked at Boston Harbor
And we got shown around it was really cool. Really recommend you go see it if you have time
It would be hard living but it also like they had like heated internal like it radiators
Yeah, there was they're efficient. They made really good food
Their kitchens were extremely spacious and like well stocked so pretty cool
Okay, Kathleen in 1852 so one year after they put the light ship
(25:48):
$80,000 was set aside with construction beginning in 1855 to build a new lighthouse
And what do you think they did the same thing? No
Luckily, they went with a stone tower and a cool thing about this lighthouse is they used
The method that we just covered with your episode the dovetail
(26:08):
Granite blocks that were used in the eddy stone lighthouse. So we see it's trickling over
Being really successful somewhere else and yeah the construction method trickling over to the u.s. Hundreds of years. Mm-hmm
Well, and to today the base at least is still there. Yeah crazy 1850 like that's crazy. Yeah
So this time well the stone tower granite blocks cut to be interlocking and weighing two tons of granite
(26:34):
The stone tower granite blocks cut to be interlocking and weighing two tons each and I did see that they were um
The the mortar they did use dowels and the mortar was
um
Portland cement. Yes portland cement. Thank you. I would not I knew it started with a p and that's all I had so
(26:54):
Which was named after
The quarry in england, I think
uh
Where portland stone came from? Yeah
The same color strong the cement is was the reason it was named that way. Oh crazy
I thought it was because it was extra tough. I thought he did a bunch of research to make it extra tough
He did but he didn't call it portland cement. Oh, okay. Gotcha. It was called portland cement because of its color
(27:18):
Okay, I understand the blocks were placed only at low tide to minimize waves and
In spite of this many times construction workers were washed away anyway, but nobody died. No nobody died
No, nobody died. So but like so one of the requirements for working on this construction site is that you had to prove that you could swim
Oh shit, and they still employed a lifeguard that would just like sit and oversee the entire time
(27:45):
a lifeguard, it's nice, which is like
cute unexpected. Yeah, because
Not that long later. We built the skyscrapers of new york city where many men died. I know
crazy like this is like
Nobody died and yet we still employed
Somebody to help the people who did get washed off
(28:06):
Let's go safety first think about how common that it had to have been for people to get washed off for them to be like
We need somebody to go and get them like
Every time we need somebody
So they did that two years into construction the ship the new empire
The new empire wrecked on the rocks taking out everything that had been constructed thus far
(28:29):
For this lighthouse and damaging the base rock, which means they had to start over with their
like
Foundation. Yeah
dang
You might mean two years in and just being like, oh no change order the new empire just got to restart
So they started a new which is nice. They didn't just give up. They just started again like okay
(28:52):
It's a setback crazy. Let's power through
They cut the rock for the foundation in the first three years
And a couple more years dovetailing and doweling the blocks that built the lighthouse
So this was like this is why the light ship was there for nine years because it took this long to get construction over with
The granite supported a bronze lantern at almost 100 feet tall
(29:16):
And the second order for nell lens was lit officially november 15th 1860 with a fixed white light
And cost ended up being three hundred thousand dollars
What an what an epic construction project? Yeah for the 1800s
To see this go up to be a part of it to even just be just know the story years almost a decade like
(29:39):
Of working on this
I'm sure it would have been hard to see the end like if you were just a guy
You kept getting washed off the base every five seconds
For like why are we even doing this?
But yeah, I mean it's still there today. No problems at all. Really. It's a testament to this method of building lighthouses
It's just sitting there absolutely destroyed by waves all the time and it just perseveres
(30:03):
so
That so I have a cross section pulled up that shows one
The expanse of ladder that you have to climb
Wow to get into this lighthouse and the bottom half is all solid granite
There's 50 feet of ladder. Yeah, I know
They really made you work for it i'm sure it was like probably 30 feet you had to climb
(30:28):
I mean the tower is 100 almost 100 a little less than 100 in any case. That's a lot of ladder
I know and that's a I mean it makes sense, but that is a subtle
I mean it makes sense, but that is a solid solid base and you're getting if you think about it
you're getting onto the ladder in a bobbing boat or a
Thrashing boat, you know depending on what the weather's like. So yeah the videos are like even today like um
(30:52):
Ship pilots jumping onto a boat like to grab a ladder. Yes crazy. That's that's still thing like
Brain words is hard. So in this cutaway, I see a channel so we see all the
The mar isu marble dowels in between each layer really cool
solid granite
um
There's a tunnel in the center. Is that for the clockwork mechanism? No, and i'm not sure what it was for
(31:20):
I'm wondering if it was like maybe they put water in there. It was like a
Long skinny cistern. I'm sure they had a cyst they had to have fresh water stored somewhere. So
Yeah, I didn't uh make make any notes on it. But anyway
The lighthouse got a headkeeper and three assistant keepers who had two double dwellings built at
(31:40):
Cohasset I want to say
To provide shore accommodations for them and their families along with a storehouse boathouse and blacksmith shop
So, you know the two and a half miles back to shore
There was a place i've seen to it referred as cohasset and government island
I think government island is like you see cohasset on
(32:02):
google maps, but not government island, but
Government island is what they call the
Space where all of this is still located. You can go and like tour it like a museum interesting
They have the lantern room of this lighthouse there. So
Though it's still still there. It's just they have a lighthouse, uh, the lantern room replica still there
(32:24):
or wait
Maybe it is the original because they did a remodel in like the 80s
Yeah, where they took the original down? Yeah, where they had a picture of it of the
Tower without its lantern room
And so I think they might have moved it and then put in like a new one up there. I don't know bronze top
(32:45):
We went to a uh place a lot like that
The old jail and next door was a blacksmith shop
That was a dark time for vince and I
Story for another time yeah
Yeah, or you can go back and listen to our cape cod plug where i'm sure we talk about the disappointment that was that moment
(33:08):
Um, yeah, oh, I think I have a photo
Of
No
No
You don't have a photo
You don't have a photo. I don't I had one and apparently
I'm telling you I was in my head. I was 100 prepared for this. Maybe we can see it on instagram. That's cool
(33:32):
Yeah, i'll put it i'll put it on there
So I guess we'll move on from that
1894
The lens was replaced with a different second order for no lens
And it was one of the only two of its kind from the mahan mahan system, of course
Um the other going to cape charles
So if you guys wanted to look up the four or five lens
(33:54):
Which is the one that I had a video of is like all of our examples photos and stuff was from the cape
Charles lighthouse because they have that on display really nicely, but this one's
On display but it's in the lighthouse
Lantern room that's on government island
So, you know the example from cape charles had it's lit and it's rotating and it's like solid walls
(34:15):
So you can see the flash pattern happening. So it's more it's easier to see when you're not there in person. So
Those are the examples we used but mine of fledge got one for three flash pattern because of this
It became known as the I love you lighthouse because one four three
Represents the letters and I love you
(34:37):
Um, the spacing of the flashes has changed slightly over time with the flashes being one and a half seconds long as well as the eclipses
being a
One and a half seconds long between flashes. So these are just a couple of the the two clippings that I found
Referencing that this happened
So it just kind of talks about how they altered it from fixed to the flashing and like what the background was behind it
(34:59):
And everything
So if anybody wanted to look it up, it's a lot of good information in here
When you first said numbers, I was thinking like oh, how do they how do they do that with like morse code?
Like how would everyone know?
No, yeah, it's just the number of flashes these silly goose, but it is. Yeah, it's not really it seems a good idea
Yeah, I agree. It's too bad that it was too expensive which kind of is the destroyer of all good ideas
(35:26):
Costs true
1947 the lighthouse was automated and electrified and lost its resident keepers
The second-order lens was disassembled and crated in the basement of the tower and subsequently damaged by vandals
because who doesn't
climb
Into a lighthouse two and a half miles off the shore and smash some glass prisons
(35:49):
You might as well right uncrate and smash some
Prisms, it's I don't get that. It's awful. I get going there
You're not supposed to but it'd be awesome. It would be awesome. And then breaking it breaking stuff. I understand that part
I don't understand
drives me crazy a
Third order was used in the light until 1971 and now it resides inside a replica of the lantern room on government island
(36:17):
What so it doesn't even?
So the second one is like not even on display. I surprised myself with my own nose
So, yeah, but that's
So the one from the ma ma and mahan system not even
On display you can't even see it that sucks
(36:37):
Stinking vandals. I don't understand. So they where did it go?
I mean, I don't probably dispose of if they were all broken. Oh, they damaged it enough. Oh, yeah. Yeah, there's no way they oh man
Yeah, they probably broke it to take a piece
rude, yeah
Well, they did a lot more than that if they couldn't even like replace a couple of prisms
(36:58):
So much that they don't even have it anymore
Somebody please tell me if you know if it's still out there someone's living room, maybe
It's my new theory i'm gonna die on that hill
My theory is that there's a bunch of rich people out there and they have
Frinelle lenses. Yeah or parts chilling in their living room
(37:18):
Casual mercury floats. Did you see that article? I sent you with the velociraptor. Oh, I think I opened it for like a millisecond
That makes sense
Rude i'm having it. I'm sick. All right
I'm having it. I'm sick. All right
Is this the one that where they still had skin attached? No, okay, then I saw a different velociraptor
(37:53):
He had on a durag and a gold chain
All right
Okay, so that's that sucks, but it's the third order one that's on display that you can look at
It also has original granite blocks from the light the original keeper's dwellings because this is where their their houses were actually built
(38:13):
The fog bell which was removed from the tower after an unsuccessful robbery attempt
And some construction rings that they used to build the light so you can like go and explore cool
Um, who tried to steal the fog bell? I don't know and an unsuccessful
What like are you gonna turn it in for scrap? Yeah, I don't know like did realize this is so heavy
(38:36):
Yeah, it's like hundreds of pounds. Yeah
No way. It's easy to carry. It looks pretty nice. Yeah, it's a nice little display there
Yeah, and i'm loving that um cupola bronze vent ball. It's all shiny and nice little lightning rod on top
Mm-hmm, of course a classic. We'd love to see it
what's the uh
(38:57):
Are those cables going from the cupola down to the rails edge? I don't know
I don't think i've seen that before on a lighthouse design. I kind of like it. I wonder if it was there
Let's do a little back
Oh, yeah, they were there on the original
Could be not in the drawing but like protect the glass could be just an added strength
Component that's cool. They look like they're
(39:19):
Also bronze. Yeah, maybe if there was like any sort of movement happening
Because the cupola looks heavy compared to like the glass how much glass there is
Yeah, maybe if there was any sort of movement it would have like glass, um cracking the glass panels or something
Yeah, although I remember hyland light
That we were at cape cod
Large glass is first order room, but there was no fresnel lens in it. So it was fun to walk around. Yeah very open but um
(39:45):
It was more structural than I had anticipated
Also nine hole golf course pretty cool. Really nice really enjoyable golf course. Yeah played pretty well, too
Lots of opportunities for seeing the lighthouse while you golf which is why we're there. So that's my thing 10 out of 10
Oh, and they sell golf balls with the lighthouse on them
Plus t-shirts and hats and everything sandwiches. We bought everything dogs all of those listed. We had them all
(40:11):
Really great breakfast sandwiches
Honestly, like I think fondly back on and he's like is there one that you want that's not there and i was like
Oh, yeah, like just egg and cheese and I could bake that for you. Come on
On croissant class service. Yeah, nice guy
Nice people and excellent sandwich. The only downside the whole thing was the rented golf clubs
(40:34):
They were like ramshackle whatever
Didn't matter emily had men's clubs kind of
Yeah, I had uh, it was kind of fun. Actually. I had an old nike sq driver. Yeah, which is like a like
A lightning strike when you hit it
We did we did take a couple holes as learning curves with these
(40:55):
Clubs took a minute lost a ball literally on the first hit
In front of that's because it was the strangest hole i've ever seen
It was like remember it was like you you hit off a cliff and then you go down this hill
That like the the golf cart could barely even handle it. So that was hole two. Oh was it? Yeah hole one
(41:16):
Remember we pulled up there's like a putting green and everyone's waiting and they're like, oh you guys go ahead
I thought that's where it was. I just like hitting into the void. You didn't even hit
Oh, yeah, because I was too it was too embarrassing. I hit left not that anyone cares, but i'll tell you
And uh, if you know heaven length so you can look it up. I hit left into the
Rough. Yeah. Anyway, anyways, I lost my ball right away and they told me to go ahead and hit left
(41:38):
I lost my ball right away and they told us like, yeah, I wouldn't go out there. What was it ticks ticks?
Yeah, which is probably not true. It's probably a no no, they tell us that to keep us moving
No, they tell you massachusetts. They're like don't go in the brush. It's tick city. Well
So I lost that ball and the first hole the first hole was rough. Yeah, and then
After that it went pretty well. Yeah, we had fun at the very least
(42:00):
I don't remember how I golfed but it was fun. So to digress. It's all right. Highland light lighthouses. Here we go back on it
2009 the lighthouse was offered up under the preservation act of 2000, but nobody wanted it
And it was auctioned off in 2014 for
222 000 to bobby sager i'm gonna say his name is
(42:22):
bob seger
s a g e r
bobby
sager
I'm trying
I'm trying to okay who also owns gray's reef lighthouse, which is close to our wagershaw's lighthouse
Of course and boone island lighthouse, which we haven't covered yet guys rolling in lighthouses. I know I was like
(42:45):
What are you doing with this person? Yeah, what are your intentions with our lighthouses?
What do you have to offer her?
Getting delirious
Nowadays the lighthouse continues to be an active guide to navigation but cannot be visited though
Those of the ghostly kind
(43:06):
Seem to frequent the light
Perfectly timed the execution is just
Exceptional thanks while it is known as a place of romance and love like the I love you lighthouse the love lighthouse
it's
It's also um
holds lots of stories of unexplained sounds and sightings and
(43:29):
These seemingly from the two keepers who lost their lives to the spot so many years before
Yeah, at least they died together. Yeah, that's true
But it seems after death they still stick around. So I guess we'll never know and that's the story
of
Minot's ledge lighthouse
Never heard of it before a little valentine's theme just a little that's uh, that's big lighthouse country out there
(43:52):
Yeah, I know we keep hitting massachusetts with our but I mean they're everywhere
boston harbor, man
We're gonna have to cover cover. Whatever it is situate lighthouse. I have the pronunciation
I'm just i'm gonna find out what it actually is. I'm gonna be like, oh no
Well, thanks everybody for listening in and hope everyone had a great valentine's day
(44:13):
You can follow us on instagram at the lighthouse low down
You can check out our website lighthouse low down.com where you can listen to our episodes see our youtube videos
Leave us a review if you liked it if you didn't like it
Come back and try the next one
If you didn't like it, you listen to the whole thing. So you liked it surprise. Yay
(44:35):
And is that that's all I got that's all we got. Okay, we will catch you next time on
The lighthouse low down
Hi everybody, I'm Emily and I'm Vince and this is the lighthouse lowdown
(00:15):
We're doing a nighttime recording we sure are and it's a
Tuesday night. Yeah, Tuesday night. We got a winter storm coming tomorrow. I've got strep throat. So
We're gonna be powering through. It's great. We're having fun many different aspects of our lives lucky to be here
That is true. We are lucky to be here could be
(00:36):
somewhere else
We have a good episode today, it's a listener lighthouse
So nice applaud our listeners for continuing to send lighthouses so that we can cover them
Because those are always the most fun that we know that somebody's going to be like, oh my gosh. Yes
This is the lighthouse I asked and then they can listen and be you know, just slightly disappointed by the delivery in the content
(01:02):
Was this from one listener or is it a repeat? This is one listener. Nice
Shout out but first I'll go into our history buoy. This is our where first
incorrect pronunciation will come from most likely because
How do you look up how a last name is pronounced from?
(01:22):
Well, there's a hundred and thirty years old history. I don't know like I was gonna say there's fanatics, but they don't I'm not very smart with those
Yeah, so it's just
Ma my hand Mahan. How do you spell it? M H M A H A N
Mahan
(01:44):
What part of the world?
America Mahan Mahan
Is it is the age capitalized the first name is Frederick the age is not capitalized Frederick man man
on
Man, it's gonna go with Mahan Frederick M. I'm sure it's wrong. So just live with it. But anyway, it's a style of for Nellis the Mahan
(02:09):
System, so very cool. I'm sure it's out there, but I had a hard time even finding any information on this subject
Which was interestingly even the US LHS website. I had to do some digging and I just found like one
Newspaper article clipping about how this happened, but it's a huge part of the lighthouse recovering today. So
I'm going into it. Okay, so Mahan system for Nellens
(02:35):
So in the late 1800s it became and we talked about this the other day
It became a problem that all the lighthouse light characteristics were starting to be the same. Yeah, everybody was like
the same yeah, everybody had a fixed white light so
You know if you were disoriented and all of a sudden you see a solid white light offshore
You have no idea which lighthouse it could possibly be referencing. Yeah, you need more information
(02:57):
so captain Frederick a ma on
Mahan yes
Created the design for for Nellens is that flash numbers as their characteristics and so basically they had
Little cropped flash panel. So, you know usually like the bulls-eye of a for Nellens
It's like this little circle in the middle and it goes bigger and bigger rings around it
(03:20):
And so this one is like if you had one of those but you cut it in the middle like
Vertically or like slightly off to the side or like yeah, and I'll show a picture and a video
So if anyone's interested in that you can go to our our YouTube and we'll have this posted
But so as the lens rotated you would see really quick flashes and they would group
(03:43):
the flashes so that it would be like
Four quick flashes and a space and then like one of these examples five quick flashes. So it was the four or five lens
cool, so like
Nothing really changes the light would remain the same and everything but the for Nellens itself produces a flash pattern
That's like different from any other lighthouse. You know exactly which one you're looking at and it's blocked off light and it's in series
(04:08):
that are timed with a mechanism not blocked off but not
punchy like not
Flashes. Yeah, it's like it's not a focused beams. So it's kind of diffused. So I'll show you the picture
That is cool. So here you can just see facing us is the diffused area
So it's like it's still lit and you would still see it as like a light
(04:29):
Yeah, but the other side is where we have these these tight
really skinny
What are they called panels?
And that's where you get your flashes from and you can tell in the reflection on the wall that there are these little bulls eyes
That are cut off beautiful. That's a really pretty
photo so this the actual lens he had two lenses made and they were in at display at the Colombian
(04:54):
Exposition in 1893 and moved to their test lighthouses in 1894 where they remained
but because of how expensive it was to get custom for Nell lenses that were so particular and
You know like the panels are all slightly different. So it was just so expensive that they didn't
(05:15):
Implement this idea anywhere else, even though it was so effective that both test lighthouses kept the for Nell ins for the rest of their
Their lives. It's really interesting. It's a good idea. Yeah, so Mahan maintained that quote by this method
The identity of the lighthouse would be absolute
End quote and so he created to the first one was a first order that flashed four or five
(05:35):
So that's the one that I'm gonna show a video of okay four quick flashes three seconds of darkness and then five quick flashes
and then 16 seconds of darkness, which is
like in this example the entire backside of the lens is
Technically the darkness area, but it's not blocked off
It's just just fused a light and that timing is just based on the spinning of the lens
(05:56):
Yeah, and each panel coming in and out of a person's reference. Oh, yeah a perfect
Yeah, and that these were both on mercury floats
So nice, I know they were with the times and the other one was a second order that flashed one for three and
And so each group of flashes was separated by three seconds of darkness with two seconds between each flash
(06:18):
Followed by 15 seconds of darkness
Nice, I'll show this video and darkness meaning a blacked-off panel altogether. No, it means this diffused area
The darkness is just like you're not getting that
flash of light in your corneas
Okay, this video is from is one that somebody took on Facebook as it comes back around you can see those
(06:41):
Crapped flash panels and also on like the ceiling of this video
You can see how a lot of the light on the diffused area is lost upwards and then the focused ones have this really tight
Prisms around there so they don't lose any light
Yes, you see you one two three four and then there's a change in angle of the Fresnel lens
And so you don't technically have a block off there, but it takes a little bit longer
(07:05):
To for it to show on that next panel because the angle of the corner is steeper
It's split one way or the other. Yeah, is that that's intentional to build the timing
Yeah, so it's like so you get an obvious group of four and then a slight pause and then a group of five
So because it's it's radial it's around a point
(07:26):
there is a a
Difference probably in timing so the number of seconds is probably different depending on how far you are away
Between the flashes. Yeah, probably
Fan if you're closer to the center versus close to the edge
Yeah, I think science
(07:47):
Yeah, that was my
History buoy we are going to cover the lighthouse that received the one four three lens
I care which is
Minutes ledge lighthouse what's twenty minutes ledge?
It's spelled this whole time. I was researching. I'm gonna try really hard not to do this
It's just like body island where I'm like Bodhi
(08:09):
Yeah
And then you find out like at the end of your research or even after you'd already done the episode that the pronunciation is not
The way that it looks it's like this one. I would say minnow because it's M. I in O T
Yes, I'm like minnows light, but it's um mine. It's
Allegedly
Maybe I'm wrong, but every video I've watched they say mine
(08:32):
It's and that includes Jeremy a video that Jeremy made so sometimes things come to the US
And they're kind of renamed based on our pronunciation. Yeah, that's true
Jackie Minow is a
Dark red rose for example. Oh my gosh. Am I NRT? Yeah
Cute
(08:52):
I
Didn't know that you go that French. Yes
Okay, so like I said, this is going to be our listener lighthouse
So thank you to Megan our listener Megan who sent this in from New Zealand
She also said by the way, we have a lot of cool lighthouses, too
So we'll have to definitely look at New Zealand and I saw that we actually get around
(09:15):
Like eight listens per episode from New Zealand. There's people out there. Let's go
You live we have to get that on our radar for sure because I'm honest. I don't even know where it is
It's very cool. Geography is not my forte awesome part of the world. It's far from here. Yeah for sure
Just like about everything else
(09:36):
So we're doing a little Valentine's Day themed episode
So I know this is coming out a couple days after Valentine's Day
But you know, you can just pretend that it's in the moment
We're going two and a half mile. I
Forgot to put in some slides, but whatever you can look it up on maps. I
(09:57):
Thought I was prepared for this but I suppose I'm not two and a half miles out into Massachusetts Bay
Which is inches slightly south of Boston. So originally I had a screenshot that showed
In their geography, but yeah, we drove past it, but it's you know, two and a half miles out
So you'd have to work really hard to see it out there. You'd have to squint. We would not have
(10:19):
Probably been looking out into the sea for a lighthouse
The problem that introduced this lighthouse was a almost invisible outcropping of rocks out in
Massachusetts Bay
Oh, no, and these rocks had picked off sailors for centuries and the first recorded ship crashed in 19. Oh, sorry
(10:40):
1695 with no survivors. So yeah, that was like super long time ago before I mean
this this spot was
16 obviously active, you know Boston harbors, right? Yeah one of the early places to yeah get busy
Still like so noticed very early on which didn't he didn't get a lighthouse for a long time. Anyway
(11:01):
Do you know that story that shipwreck?
Because that's curious no survivors, you know, yeah, so
Theoretically whoever was expecting the ship to arrive was the one who figured it had crashed
Mm-hmm. So like did they find the ship? How do they how do they know there's no survivors?
I don't know people but they weren't alive
(11:24):
Yeah, maybe it's like half the ship or something like it was so shallow that maybe it just grounded
But then like everybody died
Never know two and a half miles out. It's pretty far when it's you know, 1600s too far to swim
But anyway before this
Native Americans would paddle out and offer dishes ornaments and beads to appease hobo mock
(11:45):
Which was an evil spirit they believed plague to the waters and that's why there were so many deaths, but it was this ledge
Two things can be true it could have been
Yeah, you're hobo mock hobo mock and this ledge. Yeah, that's true could have been working in tandem
So a prominent Boston merchant George, Minot
(12:07):
No, no minute minute see I'm having to get used to it minute minute
Mine it yeah mine it that's what it is
But maybe he went by minnow, but we over time it's just turned into
Minutes mine it anyway this guy lost a valuable ship there in
(12:31):
1754 and
At that point over 400 people had died on this outcropping of rocks. So
I'm shocked that it took that long, but after the loss of his ship
I don't know if he like threw a big fit or if like there was like a bunch of
Drama surrounding it or something, but it became known as mine. It's lech
(12:52):
That one heck of a hall I'm wondering yeah, like
It's a merchant ship. So like so like porcelain bowls, or was it like gold salt salt
Yeah, cinnamon, you know the stuff they tell you in history classes that were valuable
And then you only have four examples for the rest of your life
Yeah, what used to be value start? Yeah
(13:14):
Your own podcast you're like oh my gosh. I know there's silk trail salt pepper pepper white pepper
white pepper spices in there
the spice trail
My gosh derailed so I WP Lewis we know this guy we had a history boy about his uncle
(13:35):
Unfortunately, it was a problem child. He wrote his report in
1842 and said quote a lighthouse on this reef is more required than on any part of the seaboard of New England
The loss of lives and property here have been annual and will continue to occur until a light is established and the one that's
dang it
situate
(13:57):
Suppressed situate is another lighthouse just south
like on
the mainland jeez
Situate I think is how it's pronounced but I could be wrong didn't look it up going by feelings
He continues a wreck on this fatal reef is always attended by the destruction of human life
(14:17):
Owing to its great distance from the shore and the tremendous sea that rolls in over the rocks when the wind is at the eastward
End quote so obviously he's like I don't know what you guys are doing there needs to be a lighthouse on this rock
How many more people are gonna die before we end up putting a lighthouse out here?
So the lighthouse establishment responded by building a strange lighthouse, especially for the time
(14:40):
perched on 60 foot long iron pilings cemented in just five feet of rock
The legs would allow the light to be hit by waves and high winds without damaging the actual lighthouse
Okay, but like it makes it quite precarious, you know, yeah 60 foot legs
But are they long legs? Yeah
(15:01):
I
Was thinking 60 feet laid down
No five foot weight a fire off rock. I'll show you yeah five feet embedded and
60 feet out. I think the word precarious makes sense
They completed it in 1850 for
$39,000 which at that time was probably crazy and it was lit New Year's Day
(15:24):
1851 or 1850 camera I think was 1850. So New Year's Day of 1850
It was lit. So it was completed
1849 it was bright red the entire thing
octagonal and
Definitely not something that would bestow too much confidence in those that were in it
(15:47):
So I pulled up a photo of a drawing of
What it looked like I'm sure they posted the newspaper and everything so it's like a
Like a water tower type construct. Yes. It's like a water tower for a city but in water
And so you obviously have to get up by a ladder and like all the supplies are you know, kind of the same
(16:07):
Is that a deck below that's exposed that has supplies on it? Yeah
Feel like you probably lose those. Hey, would you run down and get some toilet paper?
Sucks little of a storm. That's just too damn bad
Yeah, that's I mean there's a boat
Racked up there. Mm-hmm
That looks like a lot of work. Yep, and so like automatically this lighthouse was a terrible experiences for keepers because
(16:36):
Way back and forth like during storms any amount of wind and so much so that the first keepers cat
Abandoned ship in the middle of a storm because it was so spooked by the water
So and thus becoming the first casualty of this lighthouse and not the last
damn
The cat gave up. I know
(16:57):
Like just I'm out tapped obviously he didn't know that
I don't know but imagine jumping off of the surface that high in the air 60 feet
I would be doing some serious swaying. I mean with legs that skinny. That's crazy the width of a human man
That's not that much for 60 feet the resonance would be
awful the first head keeper Isaac Dunham, which sounds like a familiar name to me
(17:20):
I think we've probably read about him at some other lighthouse
Dunham Dunham he wrote quote the wind east blowing very hard with an ugly sea
Which makes the light real like a drunken man
I hope God will in mercy still the raging sea or we must perish
God only knows what the end will be end quote. So by October he quit
(17:40):
When was that he wrote I think that was it is in January and he was the first keeper so he actually lasted
Good solid
I'm not lasting the winter out here. Yeah
So at least yeah, that's true. Yeah winter would be way worse than that
So in the fall he quit his replacement said in January. There's a lot of quotes today because they're they're good for history
(18:05):
Quote so precarious is our present state
That there is a prospect this may never reach you the rods put into the lower section are bent up in fantastic shapes
Some are torn asunder from their fastenings
The ice is so massive that there is no appearance of the ladder
The sea is now running at least 25 feet above the level and each one roars like a heavy peel of thunder
(18:26):
The northern part of the foundation is split and the lighthouse shakes at least two feet each way
I feel as seasick as I ever did on board a ship
Think not that I will ever flinch from my post though
The waves should gain the mastery for which they are so incessantly striving when I accepted this post
I closed my ears against the reports of the former keeper treating them as I now find too lightly
(18:47):
Here I shall remain so long as a vest
Vestige of the lighthouse remains, but the truth must be told and quote
So he sent that to a new
That is epic. I know first of all excellent storytelling. It was so
He thought about it for a while. Yeah, he was like the peels of thunder may not reach you
(19:11):
Yeah, the ladder is not still visible
Twisted in fantastic shapes. Yeah, you monsters be yeah
Definitely a good thing for a newspaper and he was basically just saying like this is really awful
And people need to know that this is a story that's been told for a long time
It's awful and people need to know that this might die. Yeah
(19:31):
That is actually worrisome that we might not make it
Swift who was the engineer for this lighthouse?
Responded and said quote if a lighthouse can be built on the minot
Which can be made to stand securely in its place for say
$40,000 would it be wise to expend it?
(19:52):
$200,000 or more for a stone tower the answer we think is obvious
If it can be made safe build the pile light if it cannot be made safe build the tower
Time the great expounder of the truth or the fallacy of the question will decide for or against the minot
(20:12):
But in as much as the light has outlived nearly three winters. There is some reason to hope that it may survive one or two more
Whoa, so he's like
Okay, what the time time tells all right? So let's just see what happens
Right because it would be a lot more expensive to make a stone lighthouse. So such an engineer. I know oh my god
(20:35):
This thing's falling apart
Time will show us that
One could explore the idea of having done something differently you could have
But why but here the two if it's still here then why worry?
What is a man's life worth really? Oh gosh, so
(20:56):
April following this letter that was in January in the boston daily
Advertiser a nor'easter hit the lighthouse the head keeper had rode to shore early in the day to get a new boat and
So his two assistant keepers were left behind
Which now there's only one boat so they're kind of
He abandoned them for certain
(21:17):
But let's be fair in no ways is his fault because nobody knew storms were coming back then
He was getting a new boat. Yeah, like
The boat that he went there on was not gonna
That's what i'm saying
But I mean same story for the lighthouse
Maybe it was like really decrepit and they're like, wow, we really need a new boat. So i'm gonna go do that
(21:38):
I should have done that with the lighthouse. So the two assistant keepers were left. They frantically rang the fog bell
Uh, and everyone like could hear it from the shore
But nobody can get out there to help them and it went silent as the lighthouse broke apart and plunged into the sea
Oh my god
Got a picture of what was in the newspaper. Oh no
(22:02):
So
Awful
destruction of
Destruction of mine. It's ledge lighthouse. Oh no
So a last letter in a bottle washed ashore two days later written by the two men
Which like put a letter in a bottle and someone actually found it two days later. I think that's crazy
(22:22):
Uh, they said quote the beaten beacon cannot last any longer
She's shaking a good three feet each way as I write god bless you all end quote
And their bodies washed ashore soon after that's
That is so sad
however
I can't help myself if this wasn't a real story
(22:43):
How epic epic? I know fortunately it's just sad and how tough they are what an awful experience. I know
So there's actually a a memorial now
they did a dive and found like what they think are the original like pilings in the
ground of the you know ocean and so they lowered a
(23:04):
um memorial like plaque that has their names on it to be in the water, which
I would disagree with but they also have a marble one. That's at the current
um
Like museum site, it's crazy you can read about that. So the whole the whole body of the lighthouse was lost
Oh, yeah, it was like everyone woke up in the morning and it was just like
(23:24):
Gone bits like jutting out of the water and that was it
And those steel beams are what they've supposed they'd found. Yeah, what a way to go. I know
Also, if you're not watching youtube
We should include this somewhere on like instagram. Yeah crazy photo really great drawing
(23:45):
Great like
Used to be an awesome job to have would be to like draw from from people's
Accounts of what happened or like your own imagination. You just draw
Like a depiction of what happened and it's like a whole newspaper size kind of cool. It is cool. Very well done
After the loss of this lighthouse and our two keepers a light ship was stationed on the reef from 1851 until 1860
(24:11):
And there's a little drawing of this one
It's an early light ship. I know
Mine it's ledge light ship which
Became something else. I have another chest. It's again. Yeah, it's
Another vague memory of like us having talked about it
Turning into another light ship that we actually like did a discussion. Yeah
(24:31):
so
So yeah, that was there for solid nine years
For those of you don't know we have a at least it was an episode right talked about yeah, we did light ships
I can see the cover. Yeah youtube cover is really cool. Um
But we talked about light ships
It's a ship being in place of a lighthouse
to keep those travelers away when a lighthouse can't be built or in this situation where
(24:57):
It's kind of a tough situation. Yeah mobile mobile lighthouse and we got to see a light ship. Was it?
Was the night?
Was it a Chesapeake?
In Boston, no
No, no it was
The island that's off of Cape Cod
That we didn't go see Nantucket Nantucket. I'm sorry. No, that's right. I couldn't remember it was
(25:23):
Docked at Boston Harbor
And we got shown around it was really cool. Really recommend you go see it if you have time
It would be hard living but it also like they had like heated internal like it radiators
Yeah, there was they're efficient. They made really good food
Their kitchens were extremely spacious and like well stocked so pretty cool
Okay, Kathleen in 1852 so one year after they put the light ship
(25:48):
$80,000 was set aside with construction beginning in 1855 to build a new lighthouse
And what do you think they did the same thing? No
Luckily, they went with a stone tower and a cool thing about this lighthouse is they used
The method that we just covered with your episode the dovetail
(26:08):
Granite blocks that were used in the eddy stone lighthouse. So we see it's trickling over
Being really successful somewhere else and yeah the construction method trickling over to the u.s. Hundreds of years. Mm-hmm
Well, and to today the base at least is still there. Yeah crazy 1850 like that's crazy. Yeah
So this time well the stone tower granite blocks cut to be interlocking and weighing two tons of granite
(26:34):
The stone tower granite blocks cut to be interlocking and weighing two tons each and I did see that they were um
The the mortar they did use dowels and the mortar was
um
Portland cement. Yes portland cement. Thank you. I would not I knew it started with a p and that's all I had so
(26:54):
Which was named after
The quarry in england, I think
uh
Where portland stone came from? Yeah
The same color strong the cement is was the reason it was named that way. Oh crazy
I thought it was because it was extra tough. I thought he did a bunch of research to make it extra tough
He did but he didn't call it portland cement. Oh, okay. Gotcha. It was called portland cement because of its color
(27:18):
Okay, I understand the blocks were placed only at low tide to minimize waves and
In spite of this many times construction workers were washed away anyway, but nobody died. No nobody died
No, nobody died. So but like so one of the requirements for working on this construction site is that you had to prove that you could swim
Oh shit, and they still employed a lifeguard that would just like sit and oversee the entire time
(27:45):
a lifeguard, it's nice, which is like
cute unexpected. Yeah, because
Not that long later. We built the skyscrapers of new york city where many men died. I know
crazy like this is like
Nobody died and yet we still employed
Somebody to help the people who did get washed off
(28:06):
Let's go safety first think about how common that it had to have been for people to get washed off for them to be like
We need somebody to go and get them like
Every time we need somebody
So they did that two years into construction the ship the new empire
The new empire wrecked on the rocks taking out everything that had been constructed thus far
(28:29):
For this lighthouse and damaging the base rock, which means they had to start over with their
like
Foundation. Yeah
dang
You might mean two years in and just being like, oh no change order the new empire just got to restart
So they started a new which is nice. They didn't just give up. They just started again like okay
(28:52):
It's a setback crazy. Let's power through
They cut the rock for the foundation in the first three years
And a couple more years dovetailing and doweling the blocks that built the lighthouse
So this was like this is why the light ship was there for nine years because it took this long to get construction over with
The granite supported a bronze lantern at almost 100 feet tall
(29:16):
And the second order for nell lens was lit officially november 15th 1860 with a fixed white light
And cost ended up being three hundred thousand dollars
What an what an epic construction project? Yeah for the 1800s
To see this go up to be a part of it to even just be just know the story years almost a decade like
(29:39):
Of working on this
I'm sure it would have been hard to see the end like if you were just a guy
You kept getting washed off the base every five seconds
For like why are we even doing this?
But yeah, I mean it's still there today. No problems at all. Really. It's a testament to this method of building lighthouses
It's just sitting there absolutely destroyed by waves all the time and it just perseveres
(30:03):
so
That so I have a cross section pulled up that shows one
The expanse of ladder that you have to climb
Wow to get into this lighthouse and the bottom half is all solid granite
There's 50 feet of ladder. Yeah, I know
They really made you work for it i'm sure it was like probably 30 feet you had to climb
(30:28):
I mean the tower is 100 almost 100 a little less than 100 in any case. That's a lot of ladder
I know and that's a I mean it makes sense, but that is a subtle
I mean it makes sense, but that is a solid solid base and you're getting if you think about it
you're getting onto the ladder in a bobbing boat or a
Thrashing boat, you know depending on what the weather's like. So yeah the videos are like even today like um
(30:52):
Ship pilots jumping onto a boat like to grab a ladder. Yes crazy. That's that's still thing like
Brain words is hard. So in this cutaway, I see a channel so we see all the
The mar isu marble dowels in between each layer really cool
solid granite
um
There's a tunnel in the center. Is that for the clockwork mechanism? No, and i'm not sure what it was for
(31:20):
I'm wondering if it was like maybe they put water in there. It was like a
Long skinny cistern. I'm sure they had a cyst they had to have fresh water stored somewhere. So
Yeah, I didn't uh make make any notes on it. But anyway
The lighthouse got a headkeeper and three assistant keepers who had two double dwellings built at
(31:40):
Cohasset I want to say
To provide shore accommodations for them and their families along with a storehouse boathouse and blacksmith shop
So, you know the two and a half miles back to shore
There was a place i've seen to it referred as cohasset and government island
I think government island is like you see cohasset on
(32:02):
google maps, but not government island, but
Government island is what they call the
Space where all of this is still located. You can go and like tour it like a museum interesting
They have the lantern room of this lighthouse there. So
Though it's still still there. It's just they have a lighthouse, uh, the lantern room replica still there
(32:24):
or wait
Maybe it is the original because they did a remodel in like the 80s
Yeah, where they took the original down? Yeah, where they had a picture of it of the
Tower without its lantern room
And so I think they might have moved it and then put in like a new one up there. I don't know bronze top
(32:45):
We went to a uh place a lot like that
The old jail and next door was a blacksmith shop
That was a dark time for vince and I
Story for another time yeah
Yeah, or you can go back and listen to our cape cod plug where i'm sure we talk about the disappointment that was that moment
(33:08):
Um, yeah, oh, I think I have a photo
Of
No
No
You don't have a photo
You don't have a photo. I don't I had one and apparently
I'm telling you I was in my head. I was 100 prepared for this. Maybe we can see it on instagram. That's cool
(33:32):
Yeah, i'll put it i'll put it on there
So I guess we'll move on from that
1894
The lens was replaced with a different second order for no lens
And it was one of the only two of its kind from the mahan mahan system, of course
Um the other going to cape charles
So if you guys wanted to look up the four or five lens
(33:54):
Which is the one that I had a video of is like all of our examples photos and stuff was from the cape
Charles lighthouse because they have that on display really nicely, but this one's
On display but it's in the lighthouse
Lantern room that's on government island
So, you know the example from cape charles had it's lit and it's rotating and it's like solid walls
(34:15):
So you can see the flash pattern happening. So it's more it's easier to see when you're not there in person. So
Those are the examples we used but mine of fledge got one for three flash pattern because of this
It became known as the I love you lighthouse because one four three
Represents the letters and I love you
(34:37):
Um, the spacing of the flashes has changed slightly over time with the flashes being one and a half seconds long as well as the eclipses
being a
One and a half seconds long between flashes. So these are just a couple of the the two clippings that I found
Referencing that this happened
So it just kind of talks about how they altered it from fixed to the flashing and like what the background was behind it
(34:59):
And everything
So if anybody wanted to look it up, it's a lot of good information in here
When you first said numbers, I was thinking like oh, how do they how do they do that with like morse code?
Like how would everyone know?
No, yeah, it's just the number of flashes these silly goose, but it is. Yeah, it's not really it seems a good idea
Yeah, I agree. It's too bad that it was too expensive which kind of is the destroyer of all good ideas
(35:26):
Costs true
1947 the lighthouse was automated and electrified and lost its resident keepers
The second-order lens was disassembled and crated in the basement of the tower and subsequently damaged by vandals
because who doesn't
climb
Into a lighthouse two and a half miles off the shore and smash some glass prisons
(35:49):
You might as well right uncrate and smash some
Prisms, it's I don't get that. It's awful. I get going there
You're not supposed to but it'd be awesome. It would be awesome. And then breaking it breaking stuff. I understand that part
I don't understand
drives me crazy a
Third order was used in the light until 1971 and now it resides inside a replica of the lantern room on government island
(36:17):
What so it doesn't even?
So the second one is like not even on display. I surprised myself with my own nose
So, yeah, but that's
So the one from the ma ma and mahan system not even
On display you can't even see it that sucks
(36:37):
Stinking vandals. I don't understand. So they where did it go?
I mean, I don't probably dispose of if they were all broken. Oh, they damaged it enough. Oh, yeah. Yeah, there's no way they oh man
Yeah, they probably broke it to take a piece
rude, yeah
Well, they did a lot more than that if they couldn't even like replace a couple of prisms
(36:58):
So much that they don't even have it anymore
Somebody please tell me if you know if it's still out there someone's living room, maybe
It's my new theory i'm gonna die on that hill
My theory is that there's a bunch of rich people out there and they have
Frinelle lenses. Yeah or parts chilling in their living room
(37:18):
Casual mercury floats. Did you see that article? I sent you with the velociraptor. Oh, I think I opened it for like a millisecond
That makes sense
Rude i'm having it. I'm sick. All right
I'm having it. I'm sick. All right
Is this the one that where they still had skin attached? No, okay, then I saw a different velociraptor
(37:53):
He had on a durag and a gold chain
All right
Okay, so that's that sucks, but it's the third order one that's on display that you can look at
It also has original granite blocks from the light the original keeper's dwellings because this is where their their houses were actually built
(38:13):
The fog bell which was removed from the tower after an unsuccessful robbery attempt
And some construction rings that they used to build the light so you can like go and explore cool
Um, who tried to steal the fog bell? I don't know and an unsuccessful
What like are you gonna turn it in for scrap? Yeah, I don't know like did realize this is so heavy
(38:36):
Yeah, it's like hundreds of pounds. Yeah
No way. It's easy to carry. It looks pretty nice. Yeah, it's a nice little display there
Yeah, and i'm loving that um cupola bronze vent ball. It's all shiny and nice little lightning rod on top
Mm-hmm, of course a classic. We'd love to see it
what's the uh
(38:57):
Are those cables going from the cupola down to the rails edge? I don't know
I don't think i've seen that before on a lighthouse design. I kind of like it. I wonder if it was there
Let's do a little back
Oh, yeah, they were there on the original
Could be not in the drawing but like protect the glass could be just an added strength
Component that's cool. They look like they're
(39:19):
Also bronze. Yeah, maybe if there was like any sort of movement happening
Because the cupola looks heavy compared to like the glass how much glass there is
Yeah, maybe if there was any sort of movement it would have like glass, um cracking the glass panels or something
Yeah, although I remember hyland light
That we were at cape cod
Large glass is first order room, but there was no fresnel lens in it. So it was fun to walk around. Yeah very open but um
(39:45):
It was more structural than I had anticipated
Also nine hole golf course pretty cool. Really nice really enjoyable golf course. Yeah played pretty well, too
Lots of opportunities for seeing the lighthouse while you golf which is why we're there. So that's my thing 10 out of 10
Oh, and they sell golf balls with the lighthouse on them
Plus t-shirts and hats and everything sandwiches. We bought everything dogs all of those listed. We had them all
(40:11):
Really great breakfast sandwiches
Honestly, like I think fondly back on and he's like is there one that you want that's not there and i was like
Oh, yeah, like just egg and cheese and I could bake that for you. Come on
On croissant class service. Yeah, nice guy
Nice people and excellent sandwich. The only downside the whole thing was the rented golf clubs
(40:34):
They were like ramshackle whatever
Didn't matter emily had men's clubs kind of
Yeah, I had uh, it was kind of fun. Actually. I had an old nike sq driver. Yeah, which is like a like
A lightning strike when you hit it
We did we did take a couple holes as learning curves with these
(40:55):
Clubs took a minute lost a ball literally on the first hit
In front of that's because it was the strangest hole i've ever seen
It was like remember it was like you you hit off a cliff and then you go down this hill
That like the the golf cart could barely even handle it. So that was hole two. Oh was it? Yeah hole one
(41:16):
Remember we pulled up there's like a putting green and everyone's waiting and they're like, oh you guys go ahead
I thought that's where it was. I just like hitting into the void. You didn't even hit
Oh, yeah, because I was too it was too embarrassing. I hit left not that anyone cares, but i'll tell you
And uh, if you know heaven length so you can look it up. I hit left into the
Rough. Yeah. Anyway, anyways, I lost my ball right away and they told me to go ahead and hit left
(41:38):
I lost my ball right away and they told us like, yeah, I wouldn't go out there. What was it ticks ticks?
Yeah, which is probably not true. It's probably a no no, they tell us that to keep us moving
No, they tell you massachusetts. They're like don't go in the brush. It's tick city. Well
So I lost that ball and the first hole the first hole was rough. Yeah, and then
After that it went pretty well. Yeah, we had fun at the very least
(42:00):
I don't remember how I golfed but it was fun. So to digress. It's all right. Highland light lighthouses. Here we go back on it
2009 the lighthouse was offered up under the preservation act of 2000, but nobody wanted it
And it was auctioned off in 2014 for
222 000 to bobby sager i'm gonna say his name is
(42:22):
bob seger
s a g e r
bobby
sager
I'm trying
I'm trying to okay who also owns gray's reef lighthouse, which is close to our wagershaw's lighthouse
Of course and boone island lighthouse, which we haven't covered yet guys rolling in lighthouses. I know I was like
(42:45):
What are you doing with this person? Yeah, what are your intentions with our lighthouses?
What do you have to offer her?
Getting delirious
Nowadays the lighthouse continues to be an active guide to navigation but cannot be visited though
Those of the ghostly kind
(43:06):
Seem to frequent the light
Perfectly timed the execution is just
Exceptional thanks while it is known as a place of romance and love like the I love you lighthouse the love lighthouse
it's
It's also um
holds lots of stories of unexplained sounds and sightings and
(43:29):
These seemingly from the two keepers who lost their lives to the spot so many years before
Yeah, at least they died together. Yeah, that's true
But it seems after death they still stick around. So I guess we'll never know and that's the story
of
Minot's ledge lighthouse
Never heard of it before a little valentine's theme just a little that's uh, that's big lighthouse country out there
(43:52):
Yeah, I know we keep hitting massachusetts with our but I mean they're everywhere
boston harbor, man
We're gonna have to cover cover. Whatever it is situate lighthouse. I have the pronunciation
I'm just i'm gonna find out what it actually is. I'm gonna be like, oh no
Well, thanks everybody for listening in and hope everyone had a great valentine's day
(44:13):
You can follow us on instagram at the lighthouse low down
You can check out our website lighthouse low down.com where you can listen to our episodes see our youtube videos
Leave us a review if you liked it if you didn't like it
Come back and try the next one
If you didn't like it, you listen to the whole thing. So you liked it surprise. Yay
(44:35):
And is that that's all I got that's all we got. Okay, we will catch you next time on
The lighthouse low down
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