PREFACE THE lighthouse and the lightship appeal to the interest and better instinct of man because they are symbolic of never-ceasing watchfulness, of steadfast endurance in every exposure, of widespread helpfulness. The building and the keeping of the lights is a picturesque and humanitarian work of the nation. But this work is not all romance, as, unseen by the passing mariner, and back of the lighthouse and ship and buoy, there must be a great engineering and business machine with its endless contracts, plans, specifications, appointments, the routine of office and dépôt and ship and light-station. Scarcely a day passes, however, that there does not gleam in the mass of dry routine a fact of interest, an act of bravery, a risk cheerfully taken to aid another, a record of long and faithful service, an improvement of light or of fog signal, of vessel or of lighthouse, an historic record of the past, or a photograph of the present. 315614 The writer feels it a pleasant obligation to collect in this small volume a brief record of lighthouse work in this country, as well as some of the main facts as to the lighthouses of the world, and to include enough of the personal deeds of the men and women who serve humanity in the lighthouses and on the lighthouse vessels to show the fine spirit which pervades them. The book is planned to cover, in a general and rather non-technical way, a description of the lighthouses, especially in the United States, and a history of their development. Because of the various kinds of organization followed at different times, the lighthouse work in this country furnishes an interesting record of government organization and achievement. A list of the principal published sources of information is appended, but much material and many illustrations have been derived from the records of the Lighthouse Service. The National Geographic Society has permitted the use of plates from its magazine, and helpful assistance has been received from the Library of Congress, and the Lighthouse Literature Mission of Belfast. Unless otherwise stated in the text, miles are nau |