FOLLY OF HIGH LIGHTS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2123, 15 April 1914, Page 7

FOLLY OF HIGH LIGHTS

THE THREE KING'S QUESTION

m INTERESTING GUIDE

T-liis mariners of Auckkuid city—not necessarily those wlwso ships pass in the night—have taken up a certain position in respect to the■ proposal ot.tte Minister or Marino (Hob. l< , . M, B. Jf'ishoi') to do something in th© way .of providing at once a guide and a warning to shipmasters approaching the. dangerous 'ftireo Kings Islands. They tprgot in their oxesteniejjt that kerc* is a Minister who \vislies to help coastul navigation, and is paying more attention to the matter of lighting Ili-p Kings than all tlie other Ministers of Marine tho country, ever 3i»,d, yet the long , - of Auckland aro doing ttei.r besl to rend liint, insit-ead of going rationally into what is tho best thing to be done." For all wo know about, the wireless idea, tho Minister may bo quite in tho right, but at tho sanio time a wireless equipment on the Kings would only be of service to the larger stdartierß (i.e., those provided' with wireless telegraphy), which would stiH leiivo tho islands a menace to tho small vessels. 'While the Minister may <ir. may not bo right, there ia little doubt that' ye maiiiisre of Auckland are not i« tie right in urging the e ; recti.on of a Light on An eniinenco IQOfflt, auoyo sea-level. If they know the Kings intimately tltey TOsst know that fogs aro very prevalent tfeeroj and if not totally obscured, the fogs hang about tlie high lev.els with great persistence, yet, forsooth, they advocate a li'cht lieiiig placed at the top of a cliff about 1000 ft. in -height. What use is it going to be half tlto tinio if tho light is obscured ? In niy opinion it would only bo an added danger, as skippers would , be rimning in, close to pick up tho light, in order te -ascertain their position—and then, well, tilings might hap-pon 1 The whdo tendency Si over the world is to erect low, .ijot'liieh, to erect a lightho-we MJOOtt. Jngji on a fofi-swftthcd Island ap. peers to mo to bo the height of folly. In support may I qno'to a pai-agraiih tram the "fcauti-oal Magazine" of October last, B is as JgHoVs:-. ,

ft has been decided to remove tlie lighthouse at Cape Wrath, lriiich Sjiow-S a revolving light, one minute white and red, and invisible 23 miles, front tho eiiff where it hits stood for 85 .years, ta ■ a. lower stack of rock some- J 500 ft, J«rJ tlier out It is complained that tho present ligtohon-se, wliicli attains a height of 400 ft abev.e sen'leyel, fe iregaently oteeured- hy fogs anJiuists which prevail along tl.to.se kfty ' sea olifts of tiro north, that its removal to q, lower level is dtfsjraMo. A esljcmo lias accordingly been pronosed by tho citaiMeore to the Commissioners of Korthern WRlitlioasos for t&o building of a, Ucfr lighthouse, which., though, siuch lower, would bo equally well seen freiii tire ■Atlantic and would, in its detached position, esoapo tire .fop of the fcigli cliffs,' The stack upon which it is proposed ta build- the iicw lighthouse is S36ft, hjrfi, and t}u> lower is nol to reach more tfeii 40ft. Both tho ligilting afiparattts jind foghorn of the present lighthouse are to he ntihsed in tlic n&v erection."