Fresnel Lens Imaging with Post-Capture Image Processing

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Fresnel Lens Imaging with Post-Capture Image Processing Fresnel Lens Imaging with Post-Capture Image Processing Artem Roman Vladimir Maksim Sergey Yuriy Nikonorov Skidanov Fursov Petrov Bibikov Yuzifovich Samara State Aerospace University Image Processing Systems Institute of RAS 34, Moskovskoye Shosse, Samara, Russia, 443086 151, Molodogvardeyskaya str., Samara, Russia, 443001 artniko romans fursov max.vit.petrov bibikov.sergei yuriyvyuzifovich @gmail.com @smr.ru @ssau.ru @gmail.com @gmail.com @gmail.com example, the weight of a typical 300mm lens exceeds 1 Abstract kg, while an equivalent Fresnel lens can weigh less than 50 grams. It is also easy to fabricate Fresnel lenses with This paper describes a unified approach to correct an aspheric wavefront. optical distortions in images formed by a Fresnel lens with computational post-processing that opens up new opportunities to use Fresnel lenses in lightweight and inexpensive computer vision devices. Traditional methods of aberration correction do not address artifacts introduced by a Fresnel lens in a systematic way and thus fail to deliver image quality acceptable for general- purpose color imaging. In our approach, the image is restored using three steps: first, by deblurring the base color channel, then by sharpening other two channels, and finally by applying color correction. Deblurring and sharpening remove significant chromatic aberration and Figure 1: An image formed by a binary Fresnel lens (left); an are similar to the restoration technique used for images image formed by a four-step Fresnel lens approximation with formed by simple refraction lenses. Color correction computational correction. stage removes strong color shift caused by energy redistribution between diffraction orders of Fresnel lens. However, these advantages come at a cost: the resulting This post-capture processing was tested on real images point spread function depends on the light wavelength and formed by a four-step approximation of the Fresnel lens has multiple distortions such as moiré and chromatic halo. manufactured in our optics laboratory. As a result, Fresnel lenses are typically used as optical collimators or concentrators and not as imaging lens [3]. Other common applications include chromatic aberration 1. Introduction compensation using doublets with refractive lenses [4], and as an element in X-Ray microscopes [5, 6]. Modern camera lenses have become very complex. Fresnel lenses have stronger chromatic aberration than They typically consist of a dozen or more elements to simple refractive lenses do. One of the color channels (in remove optical aberrations [1]. Recently, simple lenses this paper we use the green channel) has less blurring and with one or two optical elements were proposed [2]. can be used as a reference channel for the correction of These lenses are similar to lenses used hundreds years the other two channels. In this paper, we also discuss light ago, where various aberrations, especially chromatic energy redistribution between diffraction orders that cause aberrations, are addressed in post-processing. Recently strong chromatic shift. proposed post-processing techniques can significantly Chromatic aberrations in distorted images can be reduce the distortions [2]. With a computational algorithmically corrected based on the blind or semi-blind correction, simple lenses can make optical systems deconvolution [2], or with a sharpening based on contour inexpensive and lightweight. analysis in different color channels [7]. In [8], a combined Fresnel lenses can be used as imaging lenses and offer technique is used. a further improvement in weight and linear size to quality Chromatic aberration model is derived as a ratio over refractive lenses. This advantage is especially generalization of optical system defocus model. pronounced for long focal lengths, where a single Fresnel Richardson [9] and Lucy [10] proposed iteration lens can replace a complex set of refractive lenses. For deconvolution method for optical defocus compensation with an aperture of up to f/2. Diffraction efficiency of in astronomical observations. In recent years, a modified these lenses is close to 80% for the base wavelength. approach is used to correct chromatic aberration [8, 11, Chromatic distortions for this lens exceed the 12]. distortions produced by refraction lens. Focus distance of We use both deblur and sharpening to remove the Fresnel lens depends on the wavelength of incident chromatic aberrations from images formed with Fresnel light. Phase zone plate calculated for the base wavelength lenses. Then we apply color correction based on λ0, and maintaining focal length f0 for this wavelength technique proposed in [13] to remove strong chromatic will focus light of wavelength λ on focal distance f, shift. defined by the following expression: Fresnel lens is an approximation of lens surface as λ ff= 0 . (1) shown in Figure 2. We use a four-step approximation of 0 λ the Fresnel lens created by consecutive etching with A Fresnel lens typically adds strong chromatic different binary masks [14]. Finally, we show the results distortion in non-monochromatic light. For wavelength of the computational correction applied to real images further away from λ0, diffraction efficiency of the zero formed by Fresnel lens to prove that this alternative optics order decreases. The light focused in the zero order can be used in imaging applications. A comparison creates an additional chromatic highlight. This highlight between image captured by binary Fresnel lens and image becomes stronger as the wavelength deviates from λ0. captured by our four-step Fresnel lens approximation with Diffraction efficiency of zero order can be expressed as: computational post-capture processing is shown in π Figure 1. τ=τ2 ⎡() − ⎤ 0 cos⎢ nh 1⎥ , (2) ⎣ λ⎦ where τ is transmittance coefficient in the zero order direction, τ0 total lens transmittance coefficient, h - height of Fresnel lens microrelief, n – refraction index. We will call the color highlights caused by the energy focused in non-working diffraction orders as chromatic shift, in addition to chromatic aberration. Chromatic aberration leads to color fringe along the edges and color shift distort colors of plane colored parts of the image. Figure 2: Conceptual illustration of collapsing aspheric We use first diffraction order as work order. We made refraction lens into Fresnel lens. numerical simulations of focusing process of binary Fresnel lens. As shown in Figure 4, focusing distance shifts for wavelengths deviated off the base wavelength. 2. Image capturing through Fresnel lens This shift leads to axial chromatic aberration. When a certain wavelength is out of focus, the energy passes to A Fresnel lens used in this work was fabricated using different diffraction orders, causing additional chromatic photolithography with spatial resolution of 800nm [15]. shift. Three steps of thermo-chemical thin chrome films writing where used before plasma-chemical etching. An image of the central part of the manufactured Fresnel lens, obtained with white light interferometer (New View Zygo 5000), is shown in Figure 3. Figure 4: Intensity distribution on the optical axis of binary Fresnel lens (blue line for λ=400 nm, green – for 550 nm and red for 700 nm). In the next section, we introduce a distortion model as the foundation for the step-by-step computational correction of chromatic aberrations and chromatic shift. Figure 3: Central part of produced Fresnel lens. This fabrication technique can produce Fresnel lenses 3. Image correction for Fresnel lenses deblurred green channel, the sharpest one, by a deconvolution: DDB=⊗−1, Chromatic aberration in refraction lenses is described ppGGG()xB() () x. (6) by the general defocus model [2]. In this model, the blur − Here operation B 1 ⊗ is a deconvolution for the kernel, or point spread function (PSF), is supposed to be k D linear, at least in local spatial area, as shown in: chromatic deblurring, with an intermediate image pxG () B =⊗0 + ppRGB()xB RGB () x n, (3) as a result. Then we apply a sharpening to red and blue channels where p B ()x is the one of the red, green, or blue color RGB using deblurred green channel as a base: 0 DDBD, channels of the blurred image, and pRGB ()x is the = pSppRB()xxx ( RB (), G ()). (7) corresponding color channel of the underlying sharp Finally, we apply color correction to the obtained image, B is a blur kernel, or PSF, n is additive image image: ∈Ζ2 noise, x + is a point in image spatial domain. = DD pFppRGB()xxx ( RB (), G ()). (8) Paper [16] shows that the lens PSF varies substantially Fp((),())DDxx p is a color correction transformation. being a function of aperture, focal length, focusing RB G distance, and illuminant spectrum. So, the assumption that Similar to sharpening, we use information available in the the blur kernel B in (3) is constant is not accurate enough, green channel to correct color shift in red and blue especially for Fresnel lenses with strong chromatic channels. aberration. Combining the above steps, we propose the following For a strong aberration, kernel B is space-varying. technique based on model (4) - (5): There are two types of distortions in the image: space- 1) the chromatic deblurring (6) of the green channel varying chromatic blur along the edges and color shift in based on the deconvolution, described in Section III); the regions with plain colors. Therefore, we use the 2) the chromatic sharpening (7) of the blue and red following modification of (3) to handle these distortions: channels using the contours analysis (this approach is described in Section IV); ppDB, ()xB=⊗ D () x + n, (4) RGB RGB RGB 3) the color correction (8) to remove color shift, which D = 0 pDpRGB(xx ) RGB ( RGB ( )). (5) is described in Section V. DB, These three steps of post-capturing correction are Here pRGB ()x are color channels of the image captured 0 shown in Figure 7. through Fresnel lens; DpRGB(()) RGB x is a component characterizing the color shift, caused by energy D,B D D pG Deblur pG Sharp pRGB Color pRGB redistribution between diffraction orders.
Recommended publications
  • 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]
  • U.S. Lake Erie Lighthouses
    U.S. Lake Erie Lighthouses Gretchen S. Curtis Lakeside, Ohio July 2011 U.S. Lighthouse Organizations • Original Light House Service 1789 – 1851 • Quasi-military Light House Board 1851 – 1910 • Light House Service under the Department of Commerce 1910 – 1939 • Final incorporation of the service into the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939. In the beginning… Lighthouse Architects & Contractors • Starting in the 1790s, contractors bid on LH construction projects advertised in local newspapers. • Bids reviewed by regional Superintendent of Lighthouses, a political appointee, who informed U.S. Treasury Dept of his selection. • Superintendent approved final contract and supervised contractor during building process. Creation of Lighthouse Board • Effective in 1852, U.S. Lighthouse Board assumed all duties related to navigational aids. • U.S. divided into 12 LH districts with inspector (naval officer) assigned to each district. • New LH construction supervised by district inspector with primary focus on quality over cost, resulting in greater LH longevity. • Soon, an engineer (army officer) was assigned to each district to oversee construction & maintenance of lights. Lighthouse Bd Responsibilities • Location of new / replacement lighthouses • Appointment of district inspectors, engineers and specific LH keepers • Oversight of light-vessels of Light-House Service • Establishment of detailed rules of operation for light-vessels and light-houses and creation of rules manual. “The Light-Houses of the United States” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Dec 1873 – May 1874 … “The Light-house Board carries on and provides for an infinite number of details, many of them petty, but none unimportant.” “The Light-Houses of the United States” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Dec 1873 – May 1874 “There is a printed book of 152 pages specially devoted to instructions and directions to light-keepers.
    [Show full text]
  • Lighthouses of the Western Great Lakes a Web Site Researched and Compiled by Terry Pepper
    A Publication of Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes © 2011, Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, P.O. Box 545, Empire, MI 49630 www.friendsofsleepingbear.org [email protected] Learn more about the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, our mission, projects, and accomplishments on our web site. Support our efforts to keep Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore a wonderful natural and historic place by becoming a member or volunteering for a project that can put your skills to work in the park. This booklet was compiled by Kerry Kelly, Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes. Much of the content for this booklet was taken from Seeing the Light – Lighthouses of the Western Great Lakes a web site researched and compiled by Terry Pepper www.terrypepper.com. This web site is a great resource if you want information on other lighthouses. Other sources include research reports and photos from the National Park Service. Information about the Lightships that were stationed in the Manitou Passage was obtained from David K. Petersen, author of Erhardt Peters Volume 4 Loving Leland. http://blackcreekpress.com. Extensive background information about many of the residents of the Manitou Islands including a well- researched piece on the William Burton family, credited as the first permanent resident on South Manitou Island is available from www.ManitouiIlandsArchives.org. Click on the Archives link on the left. 2 Lighthouses draw us to them because of their picturesque architecture and their location on beautiful shores of the oceans and Great Lakes. The lives of the keepers and their families fascinate us as we try to imagine ourselves living an isolated existence on a remote shore and maintaining the light with complete dedication.
    [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]
  • Point Cabrillo Light Station, California • Hoy Low and Hoy High Lighthouses • Our Sister Service • Russian Lighthouses 1870 – 2005
    TH THEE KKEEPE E E P E RR’ S’ S VOLUME XXIII NUMBER FOUR, 2007 • Point Cabrillo Light Station, California • Hoy Low and Hoy High Lighthouses • Our Sister Service • Russian Lighthouses 1870 – 2005 Reprinted from U. S. Lighthouse Society’s The Keeper’s Log – Summer 2007 <www.uslhs.org> Reprinted from the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s The Keeper’s Log – Summer 2007 <www.uslhs.org> Point Cabrillo Light Station, California By Bruce Rogerson and James Kimbrell n terms of age Point Cabrillo Light Station is a mere youngster, having first been lit in June 1909. However, the location I of the lighthouse on a fifty-foot bluff two miles north of Mendocino Village on the rugged coast of northern California is of great historic significance. Less than half a mile to the north lies Frolic Cove, the site of one of the most important ship wrecks on the Pacific Coast. Two miles to the south, at the mouth of Big River, is the site of the first lumber mill on the Mendocino Coast. Point Cabrillo is named for Juan Rodri- guez Cabrillo, the earliest European navigator and explorer to visit the Pacific Coast of Cali- fornia. One of his lieutenants is reported to have sailed this coast in 1542 and to have named Cape Mendocino after the Spanish Governor of New Spain or Mexico, Antonio de Mendoza. Early 19th Century Portuguese settlers and fishermen in nearby Fort Bragg, who claim Cabrillo as one their countrymen, may have given the name to the headland and subsequently to the Light Station.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Lighthouses Powerpoint
    History of Lighthouses Who needs ‘em? 2 Costa Concordia, 2012 3 4 The main purpose of lighthouses is as an aid to navigation. 4 5 6 History of Lighthouses Light sources: an evolution of technologies. 7 Lighthouses started simply 8 Early Eddystone Light 9 Pan and Wick 10 11 Wick Lamps Incandescent Oil Vapor (IOV) Lamp 12 Auto-changers 13 DCB-224 Aero Beacon 14 Umpqua River 1895 15 Point Loma LED Installation: $4.60 a day to 0.48 per day to operate 16 History of Lighthouses Ancient Roman Medieval Modern Era United States California History of Lighthouses Ancient Times Before lighthouses • Hard for us to appreciate the night time darkness of Ancient Times • Beacon fires on hilltops or beaches - guided mariners and warned of dangers • Earliest references made in 8th Century BC in Homer’s Illiad and Oddyssey Phoenicians • Phoenicians traded around the Mediterranean and possibly as far as Great Britain • Routes marked with “lighthouses”- wood fires or torches • After 1st century: candles or oil lamps enclosed with glass or thin horn panes Colossus of Rhodes Ancient wonders: Colossus of Rhodes (Greece) • Bronze statue of Helios, Greek god of sun • In 292 BC the statue was completed • Took 12 years to build • 100 feet high on island in harbor of Rhodes • Reported to have fires inside the head visible through its eyes • Destroyed by earthquake in 244 BC Pharos • On the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Greece • Completed in 280 BC • Estimated height 400 feet • Three levels • Square level 236’ high and 100’ square • Octagonal story 115’ high • Cylindrical tier 85’ high • Brazier with fire on top • Spiral ramp to the top • Fine quality stone cemented together with melted lead • Ptolomy II, Macedonian ruler of Egypt and architect, Sostratus of Cnidus • Damaged in 641 AD when Alexandria fell to Islamic troops • Destroyed by earthquake in 1346 • Ruble used in Islamic fortress in 1477 • (Lighthouse in French is phare and faro in Spanish) History of Lighthouses Roman Times Roman Empire • Romans also used lighthouses as they expanded their empire.
    [Show full text]
  • FRESNEL LENS Presented By: Al Friedrich March 22, 2016
    POINT SUR STATE HISTORIC PARK FRESNEL LENS Presented by: Al Friedrich March 22, 2016 Good evening, We are here tonight to talk about Fresnel Lens. 1 Pharos Lighthouse at Alexandria I was built around 280 BCE on the Island of Pharos itn the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt. In ancient times, visitors could buy food at the observation platform on the first level. Anyone who wished to do could climb nearly to the top. There were not many places in the ancient world that visitors could climb a man-made structure, 400-450 feet up, to view the sea. 2 Open Flame – 97 % of light lost • Tests showed that an open flame lost nearly 97% of its light. 3 Catoptric Optic - 1784 A Rotating Reflector–Lamp Driven by a Clockwork In 1784 the catoptric optic, a rotating reflector-lamp system driven by a clockwork weight system, was developed. This mechanism turned the reflectors back and forth creating a unique light source or a change between light and dark, rather than simply producing a constant light. This system was developed due to the need to distinguish the lighthouse beam from others light sources. There is some disagreement as to who was the first to place parabolic reflectors behind Argand‘s 4 Abbie Burgess – Maine 1853 • Abbie Burgess lived on Martinicus Rock on the Coast of Maine in 1853. On January 19, 1856, Capt. Burgess left the Rock for medical, fuel and other supplies. Due to a major storm, he returned four weeks later. Abbie kept the lights burning. Later on in life, she became a lighthouse keeper.
    [Show full text]
  • 2017 Lighthouse Tours a Better Way to See Lighthouses! What Can You Expect from a USLHS Tour?
    UNITED STATES LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY 2017 LIGHTHOUSE TOURS A BETTER WAY TO SEE LIGHTHOUSES! WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM A USLHS TOUR? You will be in the company of lighthouse lovers, history buffs, world travelers, and life-long learners A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR who enjoy the camaraderie of old friends and new. Our members are known for being fun-loving and People all over the world are naturally drawn to inclusive! Single travelers are always welcome. lighthouses. Typically located in the most beautiful locations on the planet, they reward those We are often able to explore, climb, and/or of us who love to travel with stunning natural photograph lighthouses, not open to the public, landscapes and transcendent vistas. Historically, usually found in remote locations. Your journey lighthouses were built to save lives, giving them to a lighthouse could involve charter boats, off a human connection unlike any other historic road vehicles, helicopters, float planes, or perhaps horse drawn carriages! Travelers have even found landmark. They represent attributes all of us themselves on golf carts, jet boats, and lobster strive for: compassion, courage, dedication, selflessnessand humility...and trawlers just to get that perfect lighthouse when you visit a lighthouse, you are destined to be moved in ways that viewpoint! connect you with something larger than yourself. U.S. Lighthouse Society tours are designed intentionally for those who Tour itineraries are designed to provide love traveling to amazing places and who desire to connect with others opportunities to visit other regional landmarks and who share a common passion for lighthouses and what they stand for.
    [Show full text]
  • 2020 Tour Guide
    Southwest Tour & Travel SOUTHWEST COACHES INCORPORATED | TRAVEL SOUTHWEST & GO WITH THE BEST 2020 TOUR GUIDE 1 Sit back and relax as you travel with Southwest Tour and Travel. Enjoy the comfort of our luxury motor coaches, along with our fun and knowledgeable Tour Directors and our experienced Drivers. We also offer Charter Services to assist you with all your transportation needs. Travel Southwest and Go With The Best! Travel in luxury on board our motor coaches. Comfortable seating and a lot of storage! Traveling with electronics? Stay connected with our onboard charging stations. Reliable and safe travel with Southwest Tour and Travel. Please note that our motor coaches do not all provide the same amenities. 2 Table Of Contents 3 Pricing Structure 4 Defining Mystery Tours, Activity Level, and Active Lifestyle Travel 5 Hawaiian Island Cruise 7 Daytona Beach Winter Getaway 2020 8 8 Daytona Beach Winter Getaway 2020 - Optional Dates 9 Warm Weather Fly Mystery Tour 11 Nashville City of Music 13 Envision Vegas 2020 15 Southern Texas 18 Arizona Sunshine 21 Twins Spring Training 22 New Orleans & The Deep South 25 California Sunshine 29 One Nation - Featuring Washington D.C. & New York City 33 John Deere and the Quad Cities 35 Branson & Eureka Springs 37 Exploring Greece and Its Islands 41 Outer Banks of North Carolina 43 Spotlight on Tuscany 45 Spirit of Peoria - Mississippi River Cruise 47 Grand Alaska Land Tour 2020 - Optional Dates 49 June Mystery Tour 51 Mackinac Island Lilac Festival 53 Washington D.C. City Stay 55 The Great Mississippi
    [Show full text]
  • Lighthouse Bibliography.Pdf
    Title Author Date 10 Lights: The Lighthouses of the Keweenaw Peninsula Keweenaw County Historical Society n.d. 100 Years of British Glass Making Chance Brothers 1924 137 Steps: The Story of St Mary's Lighthouse Whitley Bay North Tyneside Council 1999 1911 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1911 1912 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1912 1913 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1913 1914 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1914 1915 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1915 1916 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1916 1917 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1917 1918 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1918 1919 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1919 1920 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1920 1921 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1921 1922 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1922 1923 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1923 1924 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1924 1925 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1925 1926 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1926 1927 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses Department of Commerce 1927 1928 Report of the Commissioner of
    [Show full text]
  • U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
    U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office Preserving Our History For Future Generations Historic Light Station Information MARYLAND BALTIMORE LIGHT Location: South entrance to Baltimore Channel, Chesapeake Bay, off the mouth of the Magothy River Date Built: Commissioned 1908 Type of Structure: Caisson with octagonal brick dwelling / light tower Height: 52 feet above mean high water Characteristics: Flashing white with one red sector Foghorn: Yes (initially bell, replaced with a horn by 1923) Builder: William H. Flaherty / U. S. Fidelity and Guarantee Co. Appropriation: $120,000 + Range: white – 7 miles, red – 5 miles Status: Standing and Active Historical Information: This is one of the last lighthouses built on the Chesapeake Bay. The fact that it was built at all is a testimony to the importance of Baltimore as a commercial port. The original appropriation request to Congress for a light at this location was made in 1890 and $60,000 was approved four years later. However, bottom tests of proposed sites showed a 55 foot layer of semi-fluid mud before a sand bottom was hit. This extreme engineering challenge made construction of a light within the proposed cost impossible. An additional $60,000 was requested and finally appropriated in 1902. Even then, the project had to be re-bid because no contractor came forth within the allotted budget. Finally, the contract was awarded to William H. Flaherty (who had built the Solomon’s Lump and Smith Point lights). The materials were gathered and partially assembled at Lazaretto Point Depot, then towed to the site and lowered to the bottom in September 1902.
    [Show full text]
  • Winter 2019 a Publication of the Mukilteo Historical Society Looking Back from the Year 2044 a Futuristic Vision of Mukilteo by Neil Anderson
    Winter 2019 A Publication of the Mukilteo Historical Society Looking Back From the Year 2044 A Futuristic Vision of Mukilteo By Neil Anderson On this warm spring day, June 1, 2044, I’m sitting in my car at In 2029, the BNSF & CN Railroad finished the tunnel under- the Mukilteo ferry dock waiting for the 11 am sailing to Ca- neath the Mukilteo town site. The Canadian National Railroad mano Island to visit my oldest son. The ferry terminal is not so merged into the BNSF in 2025, creating the largest railway in new anymore. Locals call this location the “old tank farm” the world. site. My parents called this general area Shingle Mill beach. To reduce train traffic in town and delays caused by mud- Time marches on, doesn’t it? slides, the tunnel was built. This engineering achievement runs from a point near Japanese Gulch to a point near Naketa Beach. The old track was removed, including the seawall south of Lighthouse Park. The natural beach has returned. From the BNSF & CN mainline at the east end of the new tun- nel near Japanese Gulch, only a small spur line now exists to serve the Mukilteo Sounder station and the Boeing 797 assem- bly facility. A car ferry has provided transportation from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island since 1919. Pictured is one of the older boats from the 1930s. Mukilteo has seen so many changes in the last 25 years. Prob- ably the most significant change is that the ferry no longer travels to Whidbey Island from Mukilteo, since Mukilteo and Clinton were connected by the Daniel J.
    [Show full text]