This present lighthouse tower is 157-feet 6-inches tall and has 218 steps from ground to the top, with 199 of those steps in the tower's cast iron spiral staircase. The lighthouse has two separate walls. The outside wall is cone-shaped and is 13-feet 10-inches thick at the bottom, and 1-foot 6-inches thick at the top. The inside wall is a cylinder with 8.5 inch thick walls which support the spiral staircase. The walls were designed to withstand winds several times above hurricane force.
At the time of my visit here in 1997, the Coast Guard continued to operate the light as an active aid to navigation. The lantern room originally housed a first order Fresnel lens, but it was removed after World War II. It was replaced with a beacon type light. It is visible for 24-miles out to sea and flashes every 15 seconds. Ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to the State of New Jersey in 1992.
Three keepers, one head keeper and two assistants, and their families lived in dwellings at the lighthouse site. In 1938 the light was electrified and eliminated the need for keepers stationed at the tower.
In 1941 the lighthouse was darkened until 1945 because of WWII. The Atlantic coast was on blackout due to the presence of enemy submarine's.
A personal note: This lighthouse was the first one I saw of the over 300 lighthouses I've personally seen and photographed. I make reference to this lighthouse in my soon to be published book named "The Wickie."
2 comments:
Yea! Can't wait till the Wickie comes out in print. I love these lighthouses. Thanks Al
Hi Judy. Thank you for following my blog. I appreciate your comments and I too am anxious to see "The Wickie" in print for everyone to read. Al.
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