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TWENTY YEARS IN LIGHTHOUSES The Eddystone Lighthouse F. W. COOPER B.Sc, C.Eng., F.I.Mech.E., F.I.Prod.E. LIGHTHOUSE DEPARTMENT CHANCE BROTHERS LIMITED 1924 – 1944 1979 Preface F. W. Cooper, who was known as Wally, wrote this document in 1979. Wally produced a hand written two-part manuscript that was never published. The first part covered lighthouses and the second covered aerodrome lighting. The manuscript was hand printed in a tiny size and liberally illustrated with hand created drawings and tables. Mr. Cooper apparently gave a Xerox copy to one of his friends. That copy was, many years later, sent to a gentleman in Canada who was writing a story about lighthouse clockworks. I read that story and noted the reference to Mr. Cooper’s manuscript. I contacted the man in Canada and was sent the entire manuscript. I have a strong feeling that this manuscript should not be lost to the lighthouse community. The following is a typed version of the original “20 Years in Lighthouses” manuscript with a few slight modifications for clarity. Thomas A. Tag You will find a biography of Frederick W. Cooper in Chapter 21. ii CONTENTS Chapters 1 Introduction 1 12 Lanterns 67 2 Ranges and Losses 6 13 Towers 73 3 Optics: Group Flashing 10 14 Tower Fittings 82 4 Illuminants 17 15 Fog Signals 87 5 Pedestals 24 16 Bells, Reeds, Sirens and 100 6 Mechanisms for 30 other fog signals Rotating Optics 17 Energy Supplies 107 7 Fixed Lights 37 18 Saga of the Eddystone 112 8 Beacons 42 Lighthouse 9 Range, Sector, Leading 48 19 Saga of the Smalls 117 and Temporary Lights Lighthouse 10 Buoys and Lightships 52 20 Mini-saga of the Mumbles 120 11 Mirror and Mirror Lights 63 Head Diaphone 21 Chance Brother’s 124 Lighthouse Department The new “Channel” Lightship, off the Lizard, in tow from THV “Winston Churchill” in a force eight gale. 1-1-79 iii Memories Whilst writing this book my thoughts have gone back to those I worked with during the period 1924 to 1944. Many, of course, came and went in those 20 years and it is inevitable that I have forgotten some names and, even when remembered, cannot recall the jobs of those in the last block below. So I attempt to list those who contributed to my experience as a practicing engineer – so necessary since engineering is, but an ‘art based on science’. How better to learn it than by working with such engineers as Jack Dodds and George Freanson. Directors: Messrs Stebart and Wharton, Gell, Major Gubbins and Dr. Hampton Managers: Jack Dodds, Raith, Fred Beaumont, ‘Tobby’ Hallett Foremen: Tommy Slira, Harry Pitchford, Arthur Sleigh, Jack Corbett, Phil Robinson Charge hands: Messrs Wilde, Penrose, E.J. Beaumont, Joe Harford, O. Perry, Rhodes Sid Goughs Grigg, Parish, Griffin, Millichip, T Fenton, Stone Erectors: Ernie Barratt, Frank Cartwright, Freddie Tickle, Fred Plimley-Fisher Drawing Office: Bill Richey, George Nicol, Frank Hopkins, Harold Gough, Jack Andrews, Arthur Clark, Fred Dangerfield, Archie Chance, E. R. Hooper, Charles Torrence, Norman Stacy, Eric Jones, George Holloway, Donald MacDonald, Bill Dimmock, Edwin Hird, Phil Duff, Sid Peters, Gilbert Parr, Norman Fieldhouse, Jack Batten, F.C. Hind, Johnson, Graber, Infram, Wilford Allbrooke, Miss Henning, J. Appleby, S. Doyan Buyers: Jimmy Lord, H.J. Hopkins, George Thompson, E. Moore, J. Smith Office Sales: Sutton-Jones, Len Neenan, A. Wise, D. Nash, F. Sendall Research: E Hedley, F.A. Jones, Goetzl, Tommy Slade, Bertenshaw Secretaries: Maud Felton, Doris Allbrooke ne Lockley, Lilian Gregory ne Parish Tracers: Mary Madden, Flourence Giregh ne Hammond, Rose Macdonald, ne Thornton And: W.J. Jones, T. Butler, B.M. Aurney, M.A. Latin, G.F. Oldnall, W. L. Geoffries, D.W. Rabone, J.H. Spooner, B. Wakeman, W. Plimley, W. Brittain, N.J. Perkins, H. Davis, W. Cashmore, Bill Hitchens, A. Stevens, L.W. Blake, Arthur Lowe, Len Wordle, F.L. Fellows, G. M. Taylor, A.W. Russell, J. Hemming, A. Williams, R.C. Harris Glass Works: It gives me pleasure to mention some few from the Glass Works who from time to time contributed to the Lighthouse Department: J. Herdy, Sir Hugh Chance (for his several kindness to me), George Franson, John Holmes, Tuohy, Arthur Reeves and of course Dr. Hampton. iv Acknowledgements: I am much indebted to: Bill Dimmock, Ernie Barratt, Len Barker and Tom Crouch for their considerable contributions to the writing of this book, and to Kitty Bennett, Frank Cartwright, Bob Aston and Ian Blair, and Harry Bowen for The Smalls. For the use of publications, reports and papers from: Chance Brothers: Lighthouse and Light vessel optical systems and P.V.B’s, the same for Electrical Illuminants; Automatic Beacons and Buoys; and Auto-generating Plant. South African Authority: Details of Cape Columbine. Stone-Chance: Several leaflets on Buoys and Beacons and on Fog Signals; Powertrane AGA News: Supertyfon. The Central (winter 1967) Lecture by the author BSI: Calculating the Intensities of Lighthouse Beams No 942-1941 Trinity House Gazette: The Corporation of Trinity House J. W. Tonkin: Navigational Fog Signals Ivor Emlyn: The Smalls Bill Richey: The Eddystone Light Sir E. Birkett; Clocks, Watches and Bells Dr. W.M. Hampton: Investigation into a Beam from a standard Lighthouse Lens, and his staff: Measurement of Sound Intensity and Theory of Sound Distribution. Bureau of Lighthouses, Washington: Report of Fog Signal test at Cape Henry, Virginia A, B, and P Ltd: Calculations of Time of Oscillation of a Buoy Melken: Light and Sound Jones Mulholland: Acoustics Fred Majdulany: The Red Rocks of Eddystone D.B. Hague and R. Christie: Lighthouses of England and Wales Their Architecture, History and Archeology Also BBC TV Programs based on “Bishop Rock” Use of national papers and periodicals: articles dealing with every day events in the world of Lighthouses and Lightships. Poems and Prose snippets: I am deeply grateful to the many poets and writers, from Homer to the unknown author’s of the Ballard The keeper of the Eddystone Light for their interest in ‘Lights and Lighthouses’. Lastly the understanding, patience and interest of my wife in the many hours spent compiling this book. I have gratefully drawn on the above for many of the sketches and figures. Two deserve special mention; Cover: Trinity House tender with supplies for Smeaton’s Eddystone Light: Artist unknown. This beautiful picture (the original I mean) was found in Chance’s archives by me and reproductions were used for the next issue of Departmental Christmas Cards. The original was presented to Trinity House but was alas destroyed by enemy action in World War II. Contents page: from Trinity House Gazette. The Channel Lightship was eventually positioned at the southern end of two shipping lanes in the English Channel with the hope that the ½ million ton oil tankers and other ships will note and digest its meaning and use the lanes! The towing operation shows but one of the many jobs undertaken by Trinity House under all conditions. v 1 Introduction I use as an introduction to my subject a lecture I was pleased to give to the Old Centralians in 1967. It is, I think, brief and includes sufficient history for my present purpose, except that the saga of the four Eddystone lights must find a place in any book on lighthouses. My talk had in it a little science but not to worry, all will be resolved later. Lighthouses and Fog Signals “Or as to seamen o’er the wave is borne the watch-fires light”. - Homer Maybe to the mariners the germ of an idea realized in the Pharos of Alexandria, ca 280 BC. The splendid Roman pharos in Boulogne, and two in Dover, a lighthouse in Norfolk in 1272 and later the agitation in Plymouth in 1690 to light the Eddystone Rocks, take there rightful place in a history of lighthouses. Illuminants Wood and coal fires had a long run terminating in the United Kingdom in 1822 at St. Bees. The life of the humble candle, or rather a cluster of twenty-four six-pounders, is best illustrated by their long use in the Eddystone Light from its founding in 1698 until 1813. A more compact source of 10 candlepower, Argand’s circular-wick colza-oil lamp of 1782 (greatly improved when mineral oil became available) lasted until 1898 when a really brilliant light source was invented. This was a mantle burner (with mantles from 35 mm to 110 mm in diameter) using vaporized paraffin and giving a brightness of 40 candles per sq. cm of mantle. I guess the majority of the 17,000 or so major lights in the world still have mantle burners. 1935 saw the introduction of electric lamps of wattages up to 3,000 and a brightness of at least 500 candlepower. Earlier arc lamps were not successful the light source being too small. The ratio of 40 to 500 gives an idea of the decrease made possible in the size of optical systems. Parallel with the mantle burner and the electric lamp must be mentioned the versatile fish-tail burner using acetylene, oil gas or propane. As with the electric lamp such burners can be switched on or off to give a wide range of signaling characters. Light Signaling The compact light of the Argand wick burner stimulated the use of reflectors and paraboidal mirrors giving a beam of about 1,000 candles. These were certainly in use on the Isles of Scilly in 1792. Even now mirror lights with their cheap initial cost are popular, and with electric lamps it appears to matter little if only one third of the available light is collected and directed to the horizon.