THE EDDYSTONE LIGHTHOUSE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3671, 20 April 1883, Page 4

THE EDDYSTONE LIGHTHOUSE.

MUTATIONS OF TllK KEKI'KIIS. The Western News of a recent date says : —"The keepers of the Eddystone lighthouse li;id very unpleasant experiences during the stormy weather of the past three mouths. One of these men was entitled to have been relieved eight weeks ago. but it was not until Monday that lie "was brought on shore at Plymouth, and for several days 2>rior to relief arriving lie and his comrades ■were reduced to very great straits, for, excej'ting" that two or three hard biscuits still remained in the lighthouse, they were ■without tlie necessaries of life. Their ordinary stock of food -was exhausted ; they had been living on their reserve for some■weeks, and their last instalments of flour had to be fried in lamp oil on Thursday in order to furnish, a meal. They continued to use this oil as an article of diet until assistance from the shore reached them last Monday. In addition to this they were ■without firing for several days, and the only warmth they were able to obtain was the slight amount of heat furnished by the oil lamps which they were burning. The men in fact were reduced to such depression and weakness that they were only able to converse with each other in monosyllables. Seeing- that no relief from the shore was forthcoming , the keepers kept signals of distress Hying daily for a fortnight or more, in the hope of attracting attention of passing vessels. These signal "were seen by several vessels, but so boisterous was the weather that during the whole time the distress signals were Hying it was found impossible to eii'ect any communication with the- unfortunate men whose condition was getting more serious every day. It is alleged there were several occasions since Christinas, and prior to Monday last, when the men at the lighthouse could have been relieved, but that on each occasion the steamer usually employed on this duty "was engaged on other work, and her services, therefore, could not bo secured. Why liaiiilierJboat was engaged for the purpose, especially when it was remembered how long a time had elapsed since any food or relief had reached the men, does not seem clear, the only explanation at present forthcoming being that the man witli whom this particular duty rested had no authority to employ any other boat than that which was usually hired for the purpose. The condition of the store at Milbay seems also to furnish cause for complaint mt the part of the relatives and friends of the lighthouse keepers. In the i-Lore arc temporarily lodged articles of food which the wives of the men leave there for conveyances to their husbands when opportunity ofters for the steam-tug to go out to them. But the premises are so infested with rats that these articles disappear. On one occasion a leg of pork, intended for con-

sumption at the lighthouse, was suspended by a cord to the beam, in the liojie that it might escape the attention of the rats, which overran the stores. But the device failed, for the rats reached the beam, bit through the cord, and when the meat came to the ground it was speedily devoured."