Lighthouse Words to Know

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Lighthouse Words to Know Student Activity Lighthouse Words to Know ARGAND LAMP - A hollow wick oil gallery) and/or lantern room (lantern LOG - A book for maintaining records, lamp (see wick) gallery.) similar to a diary. KEEPER - The person who takes care of NAVIGATION - Travel over water. AEROBEACON - A modern-day type of the light in the lighthouse. (The Head light presently used in many lighthouses ORDER - Size of the Fresnel lens which Keeper is responsible for the operation to produce a characteristic. determines the brightness and distance of a light station.) the light will travel. ASTRAGAL - Metal bar (running verti- PARABOLIC - A bowl-like metal de- cally or diagonally) dividing the lantern vice, silver plated, REFLECTOR with a room glass into sections. small oil lamp in the center. BULLSEYE - A convex lens used to PHAROLOGIST - One who studies or is concentrate (refract) light interested in lighthouses. CHARACTERISTIC - Individual flash- PRISM - A transparent piece of glass ing pattern of each light. that refracts or disperses light. DAYMARK - Unique color scheme and/or pattern that identifies a specific lighthouse during daylight hours. LAMP - The lighting apparatus inside a lens. LANTERN ROOM - Glassed-in housing at the top of a lighthouse tower contain- ing the lamp and lens. LENS - A curved piece of glass for bringing together or spreading rays of REFLECT - Bend or throw back light. light passing through it. REFRACT - Bend or slant rays of light. LIGHTHOUSE - A lighted beacon of major importance in navigation. REVOLVING LIGHT - One that pro- duces a flash or characteristic. LIGHT STATION - A complex contain- FIXED LIGHT - A steady non-flashing ing the lighthouse tower and all of the beam. SPIDER LAMP - Shallow brass pan outbuildings, i.e. the keeper’s living containing oil and several solid wicks. FOG SIGNAL - A device (such as a quarters, fuel house, boathouse, fog- STAG LIGHT - A lighthouse with no whistle, bell, canon, horn, siren, etc.) signaling building, etc. which provides a specific loud noise as family living in it, i.e. inhabited by men an aid to navigation in dense fog. only. FRESNEL LENS - A type of optic con- TOWER - Structure supporting the lan- tern room of the lighthouse. sisting of a convex lens and many prisms of glass which focus and intensify the WATCH ROOM- A room immediately light through reflection and refraction. below the lantern room or SERVICE FUEL - A material that is burned to pro- ROOM where fuel and other supplies were kept where the keeper prepared the duce light (fuels used for lighthouses included wood, lard, whale oil, tallow, lanterns for the night and often stood kerosene.) Today, besides electricity and watch. The clockworks (for rotating lenses) were also located there. acetylene gas, solar power is also used. ‘WICKIE”-A nickname given to light- GALLERY - On a lighthouse tower, a platform or walkway or BALCONY house keepers derived from the task of located outside the watch room (main trimming the wick of the lamps. Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum Pre-Visit Teacher Guide, 2006 .
Recommended publications
  • Beacons of the Coast
    National Seashore National Park Service Cape Lookout U.S. Department of the Inerior Beacons of the Coast Over a century ago, mariners travelling along the Atlantic coast encountered dangerous shoals and treacherous storms. Their guides were the beacons of light produced by lighthouses which helped mariners navigate the perilous coastline. For mariners traveling along the North Carolina coast, seven lighthouse beacons were constructed to guide them through an area known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” Hundreds of shipwrecks occurred due to the dangers of this area. Today, the ships traveling the coast use modern tools such as radar and sonar. The beacons continue to operate, standing as a reminder of the hardships encountered by our ancestors to help settle the country. These seven lighthouses found on the North Carolina coast stand as pieces of our past. CURRITUCK BEACH LIGHTHOUSE This lighthouse was constructed from 1874 - 1875, and it lit the last dark spot on the Carolina coast between the Cape Fear lighthouse in Virginia and Bodie Island. The red brick lighthouse rises 158 feet above sea level. Unlike many other lighthouses that received distinctive day marks, Currituck was not painted. But its red brick is unique on the Carolina coast. It has a short light signal: 5 seconds on, 15 seconds off. There is a Fresnel lens still working in the lighthouse and it is activated from dusk to dawn. Currituck Lighthouse is open 10-6 daily from Easter to Thanksgiving weekend. You can walk to the top of the lighthouse. BODIE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE This was the third lighthouse to be built on Bodie Island (pronounced “body”) and was constructed in the early 1870’s.
    [Show full text]
  • Intro to Light Fixtures
    Intro to Light Fixtures IN THE BEGINNING PRIMITIVE LAMPS - (c 13,000 BC to 3,000 BC) Prehistoric man, used primitive lamps to illuminate his cave. These lamps, made from naturally occurring materials, such as rocks, shells, horns and stones, were filled with grease and had a fiber wick. Lamps typically used animal or vegetable fats as fuel. In the ancient civilizations of Babylonian and Egypt, light was a luxury. The Arabian Nights were far from the brilliance of today. The palaces of the wealthy were lighted only by flickering flames of simple oil lamps. These were usually in the form of small open bowls with a lip or spout to hold the wick. Animal fats, fish oils or vegetable oils (palm and olive) furnished the fuels. Early Developments Early Developments Rush lights: Candles: Tall, grass-like plant dipped in fat Most expensive candles made of beeswax Most common in churches and homes of nobility Snuffers cut the wick while maintaining the flame Early Developments Early Developments New Developments There was a need to improve the light several ways: 1. The need for a constant flame, which could me left unattended for a longer period of time 2. Decrease heat and smoke for interior use 3. To increase the light output 4. An easier way to replenish the source….thus, the development of gas and electricity 5. Produce light with little waste or conserve energy Page 1 Intro to Light Fixtures Industrial Revolution - Europe Gas lamps developed: London well known for gas lamps Argand Lamp Eiffel Tower (1889) originally used gas lamps The Argand burner, which was introduced in 1784 by the Swiss inventor Argand, was a major improvement in brightness compared to traditional open-flame oil lamps.
    [Show full text]
  • Growing up in the Old Point Loma Lighthouse (Teacher Packet)
    Growing Up in the Old Point Loma Lighthouse Teacher Packet Program: A second grade program about living in the Old Point Loma Lighthouse during the late 1800s, with emphasis on the lives and activities of children. Capacity: Thirty-five students. One adult per five students. Time: One hour. Park Theme to be Interpreted: The Old Point Loma Lighthouse at Cabrillo National Monument has a unique history related to San Diego History. Objectives: At the completion of this program, students will be able to: 1. List two responsibilities children often perform as a family member today. 2. List two items often found in the homes of yesterday that are not used today. 3. State how the lack of water made the lives of the lighthouse family different from our lives today. 4. Identify two ways lighthouses help ships. History/Social Science Content Standards for California Grades K-12 Grade 2: 2.1 Students differentiate between things that happened long ago and things that happened yesterday. 1. Trace the history of a family through the use of primary and secondary sources, including artifacts, photographs, interviews, and documents. 2. Compare and contrast their daily lives with those of their parents, grandparents, and / or guardians. Meeting Locations and Times: 9:45 a.m. - Meet the ranger at the planter in front of the administration building. 11:00 a.m. - Meet the ranger at the garden area by the lighthouse. Introduction: The Old Point Loma Lighthouse was one of the eight original lighthouses commissioned by Congress for service on the West Coast of the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • NLM Newsletter Summer 2020
    National Lighthouse Museum Summer 2020 newsletter CALLING ALL FIG LOVERS : JOIN US FOR OUR VIRTUAL FIG FEST 9/15/20 Photo Credits: NLM, Staten Island Real Estate google.com & SI Advance Photo Credits: NLM, nature.com, heywood.com National Lighthouse Museum “To preserve and educate on the maritime heritage of Lighthouses & Lightships for generations to come...” A Letter from Our Executive Director Dear National Lighthouse Museum Friends, Welcome to our Summer 2020 National Lighthouse Museum Newsletter! It is so hard to believe we are still enmeshed in this pandemic, struggling to survive against all odds. As New York enters Phase 4, Museums, along with other indoor facilities, remain in lock down mode. Ready to get the go ahead, under the “new norm rules”, we have also received many requests for our seasonal lighthouse boat tours, but unfortunately each one - most recently our famed Signature- Ambrose Channel Tour, scheduled for Lighthouse Weekend - August 9th., had to be cancelled. Notwithstanding, we are proud to announce that despite our Museum closure back in mid-March, we have accomplished some exciting on- line/ virtual public programs: Two Zoom lectures -“Lights, Camera, Action - tips on photographing a Lighthouse!” with special thanks to Todd Vorenkamp -“The Union Blockade during the American Civil War” - with a big thanks to our lecturer, Wade R.Goria, featured in a three-hour series, thanks to the generosity of cinematographer, Jon Roche, Oliver Anderson, 2nd Camera, and editor, Daniel Amigone Twelve” Lighthouse of the Week” virtual Tuesday presentations, with a special thanks to Kraig Anderson creator of lighthousefriends.com and coordinated by Jean Coombs.
    [Show full text]
  • The Oldest Lighthouse 1
    The Oldest Lighthouse 1 The Oldest Lighthouse Ken Trethewey1 Fig. 1: The Pharos at Dover, built around the 2nd c. BCE., is a candidate for the oldest existing lighthouse. Introduction harologists are frequently asked, What is the oldest A light marking the tomb of Achilles at Sigeum in the Plighthouse? The answer is, of course, difficult to Hellespont has frequently been proposed. Its location answer without further qualification. Different people at the entrance to the strategic route between the might argue over the definition of a lighthouse, for Mediterranean and Black Seas would have created example.2 Others might be asking about the first a vital navigational aid as long ago as the twelfth or lighthouse that was ever built. A third group might be thirteenth centuries BCE. This could have inspired ideas asking for the oldest lighthouse they can see right now. of lighthouses, even if its form was inconsistent with All of these questions have been dealt with in detail our traditional designs. In later centuries (though still in my recent publication.3 The paper that follows is an prior to the building of the Alexandrian Pharos) Greeks overview of the subject for the casual reader. seem to have been using small stone towers with fires on top (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) to indicate the approaches Ancient Lighthouses to ports in the Aegean. Thus, however the idea was actually conceived, the Greeks can legitimately claim to Most commonly the answer given to questions have inspired an aid to navigation that has been of great about the oldest lighthouse has been the Pharos at value to mariners right up to the present day.
    [Show full text]
  • Trinity House to Decommission Royal Sovereign Lighthouse End of Serviceable Life
    Trinity House to decommission Royal Sovereign Lighthouse End of serviceable life Trinity House London* has begun preparatory work on a project to decommission Royal Sovereign Lighthouse** (English Channel, South coast of England, 50°43′24″N 0°26′08″E). It is the intention that the now-deteriorating lighthouse will be completely removed clear to the seabed. This has necessitated that Beachy Head Lighthouse be upgraded to ensure the safety of the mariner in those waters. Trinity House aims to commence work in 2020. Royal Sovereign Lighthouse was built in 1971 with a design life of 50 years. Having monitored the fabric of the lighthouse over the last decade and observing the expected signs of deterioration, Trinity House concluded that the ongoing safety of the mariner requires that the structure be fully decommissioned. Royal Sovereign Lighthouse has provided nearly 50 years of reliable service as an aid to navigation, one of over 600 that Trinity House operates for the benefit and safety of the mariner. In anticipation of its intention to remove Royal Sovereign Lighthouse, Trinity House upgraded Beachy Head Lighthouse; it will also increase the capability of the offshore CS2 buoy and will retain the nearby Royal Sovereign buoy. The upgrade to Beachy Head Lighthouse has increased the number of solar panels around the base of its lantern gallery and installed a longer-range LED light source; the CS2 lighted buoy will also benefit from an increase in range. The upgrade to Beachy Head Lighthouse will come as good news to mariners and the local community alike. Once Trinity House decommissions Royal Sovereign Lighthouse as proposed, Beachy Head Lighthouse’s future is secured as the principal aid to navigation in the area.
    [Show full text]
  • NELL NEWS July/August
    NELL NEWS July/August Happy 4th NELL T-Shirts with a New Logo These shirts are available in S, M, L, XL and XXL They come in a variety of colours Merchandise chairs Ellen & Bob Granoth have limited stock but these shirts can be ordered in any size and the colour of your choice [email protected] June 2019 NELL Members: The following is updated information regarding our trip to Downeast Maine the weekend of September 20-22, 2019. Everyone is required to have a passport book or card if crossing to/from Campobello Island, or if you plan to visit any other area in Canada. Saturday, September 21, 2019 9:00 AM- NoonEastport Windjammers, 104 Water Street, Eastport, ME will take us on a Cruise out ofEastportto view Lubec Channel Lighthouse, Mulholland Lighthouse, West Quoddy Head Light, and Head Harbour Light Station (East Quoddy), along with four (4)lights in New Brunswick, CA (if the weather cooperates): Southwest Wolf Island Lighthouse, Pea Point Lighthouse, Green's Point (Letete Passage) Lighthouse, and Bliss Island Lighthouse. We’ll also see the Old Sow, the largest tidal whirlpool in the western hemisphere. The cruise will be approximately three (3) hours. As the boat has a maximum capacity of 49 passengers, it is essential that you confirm your attendance with Linda Sherlock as soon as possible to reserve your spot. 12:30 PM – 2:30 PMLunch and Business Meetingat the Robbinston Historical Society, 505 U. S Route 1, Robbinston, ME. Lighthouse aficionado and editor and publisher of Lighthouse Digest magazine, Timothy Harrison, will be our guest speaker.Lunch will be provided.
    [Show full text]
  • THE TRINITY HOUSE LUNDY ARCHIVE: a PAPER in MEMORY of the LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS of LUNDY by R.W.E
    Rep. Lundy Field SOc. 44 THE TRINITY HOUSE LUNDY ARCHIVE: A PAPER IN MEMORY OF THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS OF LUNDY By R.W.E. Farrah 4, Railway Cottages, Long Marton, Appleby, Cumbria CAI6 6BY INTRODUCTION The approaches to the Bristol Channel along the northern coast of Cornwall and Devon offer very little shelter for the seafarer during severe weather conditions. Lundy, however, situated at the mouth of the Channel central to the busy sea lanes, is one exception and has provided an important refuge on the leeward side of the island throughout the historic period. Before the navigational aids of the lighthouses were built, the island must also have proved hostile to the mariner, especially during hours of darkness and poor visibility. The number of shipwrecks and marine disasters around the island bear testimony to this. The dangers were considerable; although the tidal streams to the west of Lundy are moderate, they are strong around the island. There are several bad races, to the north-east (The White Horses), the north-west (T)1e Hen and Chickens) and to the south-east. There are also overfalls over the north-west bank. Some appreciation of the dangers the island posed can be seen from the statistics issued by a Royal Commission of 1859 who were reporting on a harbour refuge scheme. They noted that: "out of 173 wrecks in the Bristol Channel in 1856-57, 97 received their damage and 44 lives were lost east of Lundy; while 76 vessels were lost or damaged and 58 lives sacrificed west of Lundy, thus showing the island to be nearly in the centre of the dangerous parts" (quoted in Langham A and M, 1984,92).
    [Show full text]
  • Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Lighthouses/Lightships/ Lifesaving Station Information
    Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Lighthouses/Lightships/ Lifesaving Station Information This information was provided by personnel from the various organizations listed below and may be subject to change. Look for a copy of this list on our website www.cheslights.org. Assateague Lighthouse Portsmouth Lightship Located in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Located at 435 Water Street at intersection of London & Water (NWR), Virginia. streets, Portsmouth, VA. Phone: Chincoteague NWR - (757) 336-6122 NOTE: Lightship scheduled to open on Memorial Day. Hours: The tower will be open for climbing from 9 am to 3 Phone: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum - (757) 393-8591 pm on the following weekends: & Lightship (757) 393-8741. May 8 & 9, June 5 & 6, July 10 & 11, August 21 & 22, Contact: Mrs. Hanes September 4 & 5, and October 9 & 10. If ownership of the Hours: Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 5 pm & lighthouse changes, the dates could be cancelled. Suggestion Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm. Open on Monday’s Memorial Day - Bring mosquito repellant. through Labor Day and holiday’s 10 am – 5 pm. Cost: $10 per vehicle to enter the Refuge - pass is good for Cost: $3.00 for museum and lightship seven days - OR- $15 for a yearlong vehicle pass. No charge Website: www.portsmouth.va.us/tourism/docs/tourism6.htm to climb the lighthouse. (look under HISTORIC SITES) NOTE: The original Fresnel lens from the Assateague Lighthouse is on display at the nearby Oyster and Maritime Old Coast Guard Station Museum Museum, located at 7125 Maddox Blvd, Chincoteague, VA. Located at 24th Street and Atlantic Avenue Phone: (757) 336-6117 Virginia Beach, VA.
    [Show full text]
  • Rushlight Index 1980-2006
    Rushlight Cumulative Index, 1980 – 2006 Vol. 46 – 72 (Pages 2305 – 3951) Part 1: Subject Index Page 2 Part 2: Author Index Page 21 Part 3: Illustration Index Page 25 Notes: The following conventions are used in this index: a slash (/) after the page number indicates the item is an illustration with little or no text. MA before an entry indicates a notice of a magazine article; BR indicates a book review. Please note that if issues were mispaginated, the corrected page numbers are used in this index. The following chart lists the range of pages in each volume of the Rushlight covered by this index. Volume Range of Pages Volume Range of Pages 46 (1980) 2305-2355 60 (1994) 3139-3202 47 (1981) 2356-2406a 61 (1995) 3203-3261 48 (1982) 2406b-2465 62 (1996) 3262-3312 49 (1983) 2465a-2524 63 (1997) 3313-3386 50 (1984) 2524a-2592 64 (1998) 3387-3434 51 (1985) 2593-2679 65 (1999) 3435-3512 52 (1986) 2680-2752 66 (2000) 3513-3569 53 (1987) 2753-2803 67 (2001) 3570-3620 54 (1988) 2804-2851 68 (2002) 3621-3687 55 (1989) 2852-2909 69 (2003) 3688-3745 56 (1990) 2910-2974 70 (2004) 3746-3815 57 (1991) 2974a-3032 71 (2005) 3816-3893 58 (1992) 3033-3083 72 (2006) 3894-3951 59 (1993) 3084-3138 1 Rushlight Subject Index Subject Page Andrews' burning fluid vapor lamps 3400-05 Abraham Gesner: Father of Kerosene 2543-47 Andrews patent vapor burner 3359/ Accessories for decorating lamps 2924 Andrews safety lamp, award refused 3774 Acetylene bicycle lamps, sandwich style 3071-79 Andrews, Solomon, 1831 gas generator 3401 Acetylene bicycle lamps, Solar 2993-3004
    [Show full text]
  • Technology Meets Art: the Wild & Wessel Lamp Factory in Berlin And
    António Cota Fevereiro Technology Meets Art: The Wild & Wessel Lamp Factory in Berlin and the Wedgwood Entrepreneurial Model Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide 19, no. 2 (Autumn 2020) Citation: António Cota Fevereiro, “Technology Meets Art: The Wild & Wessel Lamp Factory in Berlin and the Wedgwood Entrepreneurial Model,” Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide 19, no. 2 (Autumn 2020), https://doi.org/10.29411/ncaw.2020.19.2.2. Published by: Association of Historians of Nineteenth-Century Art Notes: This PDF is provided for reference purposes only and may not contain all the functionality or features of the original, online publication. License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License Creative Commons License. Accessed: October 30 2020 Fevereiro: The Wild & Wessel Lamp Factory in Berlin and the Wedgwood Entrepreneurial Model Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide 19, no. 2 (Autumn 2020) Technology Meets Art: The Wild & Wessel Lamp Factory in Berlin and the Wedgwood Entrepreneurial Model by António Cota Fevereiro Few domestic conveniences in the long nineteenth century experienced such rapid and constant transformation as lights. By the end of the eighteenth century, candles and traditional oil lamps—which had been in use since antiquity—began to be superseded by a new class of oil-burning lamps that, thanks to a series of improvements, provided considerably more light than any previous form of indoor lighting. Plant oils (Europe) or whale oil (United States) fueled these lamps until, by the middle of the nineteenth century, they were gradually replaced by a petroleum derivative called kerosene. Though kerosene lamps remained popular until well into the twentieth century (and in some places until today), by the late nineteenth century they began to be supplanted by gas and electrical lights.
    [Show full text]
  • Mount Desert Rock Light
    Lighthouse - Light Station History Mount Desert Rock Light State: Maine Town: Frenchboro Year Established: August 25, 1830 with a fixed white light Location: Twenty-five miles due south of Acadia National Park GPS (Global Positioning System) Latitude, Longitude: 43.968764, -68.127797 Height Above Sea Level: 17’ Present Lighthouse Built: 1847 – replaced the original wooden tower Architect: Alexander Parris Contractor: Joseph W. Coburn of Boston Height of Tower: 58’ Height of Focal Plane: 75’ Original Optic: 1858 - Third-order Fresnel lens Present Optic: VRB-25 Automated: 1977 Keeper’s House – 1893 Boathouse - 1895 Keeper History: Keeper 1872 – 1881: Amos B. Newman (1830-1916) Disposition: Home of College of the Atlantic’s Edward McC. Blair Marine Research Station. Mount Desert Rock is a remote, treeless island situated approximately 25 nautical miles south of Bar Harbor, Maine. "…Another important Maine coast light is on Mount Desert Rock. This is one of the principal guides to Mount Desert Island, and into Frenchman's and Blue Hill Bays on either side. This small, rocky islet which is but twenty feet high, lies seventeen and one half miles southward of Mount Desert Island, eleven and one half miles outside of the nearest island and twenty-two miles from the mainland. It is one of the most exposed lighhouse locations on our entire Atlantic coast. The sea breaks entirely over the rock in heavy gales, and at times the keepers and their families have had to retreat to the light tower to seek refuge from the fury of the storms. This light first shone in 1830.
    [Show full text]