Light-ships

Fog-signals, operated by steam or hot-air engines

Day or unlighted beacons.

Buoys actually in position..

The number of light-keepers now in service is 809.

33

354

2,762

It has been the endeavor of the Board to conduct the administration of the establishment at all times with the most rigid regard to true economy and efficiency, holding officers and light-keepers to the strictest personal responsibility in the performance of duty; making frequent supervisory visits to, and examination of, works of construction and repair, and requiring inspections and reports, at short intervals of all existing light-houses, light-ships fog-signals, beacons, and buoys in position. The light-houses and light-ships (so far as the exhibition of efficient lights is concerned) are, it is believed, equal to any in the world, and those beacons and buoys actually in position are efficient day. marks to guide clear of the obstructions for which they were established. The detailed statements under the heads of the twelve geographical districts into which the United States Light-House Establishment is divided, based mainly upon the annual reports of the engineers and inspectors, embrace the work which has been done since the last annual report, the works now in progress, those for which there are existing appropriations, (but which are not yet executed,) and those for which appropriations for their early erection are recommended to Congress.

It will be seen that while the lights and other aids are in a condition of efficiency, so far as they are required to meet the wants of the mariner, there are many stations at which reconstructions and renovations are greatly needed. The necessity for these arises from the natural decay of old buildings, some of them dating back into colonial days, and the erosion of sites, so greatly exposed to the action of storms, winds, and heavy seas, as are most of the light and beacon stations, during the equinoctial and winter seasons.

The new lights recommended for appropriations were, many of them, recommended in our last annual report and in the reports of preceding years; and it will be observed that of the eight new sea-coast lights recommended, four are north of Cape Hatteras, viz: two at Cape Elizabeth, coast of Maine, (reconstruction-built in 1828;) one at Monomoy Point, coast of Massachusetts, (a very important light for the immense commerce which passes through Vineyard Sound,) and one at a point midway between Cape Henry and Body's Island, coast of North Carolina. During the last year an important step has been taken in lighting the previously unlighted coast of eighty miles between Capes Charles and Hatteras, by the construction of the light-house at Body's Island, and there remains forty miles of this dangerous coast yet unlighted.

The necessity of a light-house at the third point mentioned will be manifest by referring to the remarks under the head of Body's Island, in the fifth district, where it will be seen that in the thirteen months during which that light-house has been under construction, the loss of property by wrecks in the vicinity has been more than $130,000, or

more than the cost of the light-house. The great number of wrecks occurring along this dangerous part of our coast, owing to the peculiar currents which set against it, has for many years attracted attention, and there should be no delay in completing its illumination.

On the completion of the light-house recommended to be placed between Cape Henry and Body's Island, there will be no unlighted space on our Atlantic coast from the mouth of the river St. Croix, on our northern frontier, to Cape Hatteras.

South of this cape the board have estimated for four primary or seacoast lights, viz: at Morris Island, coast of North Carolina; at Tybee Island, coast of Georgia; at Mosquito Inlet, coast of Florida, and on the "Fowey Rocks," one of the great reefs off the coast of Florida. Also for the completion of six others now under construction at the following points, viz: Hunting Island, coast of South Carolina; Alligator Reef, one of the Florida reefs; Saint Augustine, coast of Florida; Trinity Shoal and Timbalier, Gulf of Mexico, and Matagorda Island, coast of Texas.

The southern portions of our sea-coast are not so thickly inhabited as the northern, and the lights are not therefore of so much benefit for local commercial purposes; but it must be remembered that our great sea-coast lights everywhere, are for the benefit of the commerce of all sections and all countries. The commerce between the great commercial centers and the West Indies, South America, the Gulf of Mexico and California, passing along our southern coast is immense, and no part of our sea-coast is more dangerous to lives and treasure, on account of the great shoals and reefs which extend to long distances into the ocean. The other lights recommended in the report are for our harbors and for the northern and northwestern lakes, and are made necessary by the increasing wants of commerce.

You will observe that for several of our light-stations the board have recommended the erection of powerful fog-signals. The great loss of life and property through shipwrecks and collisions, caused by vessels getting out of their courses in foggy and thick weather, is attracting attention throughout the world, and the board is not only placing as many of these most useful aids to navigation as its appropriations will allow, but it is experimenting, with a view of obtaining more powerful machines, which can be heard with certainty above the noise of the surf and the storm. The problem is one of much more difficulty than the lighting of our coasts, and it is attracting the attention of lighthouse engineers abroad as well as in this country; but it is believed that our present signals-the trumpet, the whistle, and the syren-all operated by steam or hot-air engines, though not as powerful as are desired, are by far the best in the world.

There is a small estimate for a light and fog-signal at the mouth of the river Columbia, Oregon, which the board deems of importance, and to which it desires to call the attention of Congress. The trade into the River Columbia is rapidly increasing, and the entrance is unusually dangerous, on account of its very bad bar, and the dense fogs which envelope it at almost all seasons of the year.

The south channel, which is now almost exclusively used, has no aid to navigation whatever, except its buoys and the light at Cape Disappointment, which are of no assistance in foggy weather.

At the last session of Congress the following provisions of law were made, which have very greatly assisted the board in the construction of its works, viz:

Appropriations for light-house purposes shall be available for expenditure for two years after acts of legislatures ceding jurisdiction over sites: Provided, however, That this section shall not apply to any general appropriations for light-house purposes: And provided further, That in no case shall any special appropriation be available for more than two years without further provision of law; and the unexpended balances of appropriations for special works under the Light-House Board made by the act approved March third, eighteen hundred and seventy-one, entitled "An act making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-two, and for other purposes," are hereby re-appropriated for the purposes therein specified:

Provided, That all appropriations for public buildings under the Treasury Department shall hereafter be available immediately upon the approval of the acts containing such appropriations.

Under the law which required appropriations to be limited to one year, and that all balances were then to revert to the surplus fund, it was found almost impossible to carry on our works satisfactorily and economically.

Light-house works of construction cannot be carried on safely and with economy north of Chesapeake Bay during the winter months, nor on the southern coast during the months when epidemics almost always prevail, more or less severely. Besides these drawbacks and difficulties, these works, from their greatly exposed positions on the sea or lake coast, require not only to be built of the best and most durable materials that can be procured, but those materials ought not to be put together too hurriedly; and hence, as a rule, the large and expensive structures require a much longer time than one year to commence and complete them properly, and with this view it is earnestly recommended that all lighthouse appropriations for special works shall in future laws be made avail able for two years after acts of appropriation and cessions of jurisdiction by the States, provided that no appropriation shall be available for more than two years.

In regard to the general estimates for repairs of light-houses, for supplies (including oil, &c.) for light-ships, and for buoys, the board has to say that it has always been the custom of this office, in preparing the annual estimates for supporting the existing and authorized aids to navigation, and the construction of new ones, to make as close a calculation of items, quantities, and prices as the information at hand would allow, and to endeavor to so manage the disbursements as at all times to have ample funds available to supply any losses and repair any damage, however serious, to which this service is so peculiarly liable during the winter months.

For repairs and incidental expenses of light-houses we have estimated the same amount ($225,000) as was estimated last year. Congress failed to appropriate the whole amount of this estimate by $25,000, and, in consequence, many of our old light-houses and sites were not repaired and protected as was required by economical considerations, and the cost this year for the same will be enhanced.

For expenses of fog-signals we have estimated the same amount as last year, viz, $50,000.

For the salaries of light-keepers the estimate is $535,800, and the increase is owing to the increase in the number of light-keepers authorized by the appropriations for new lights. There are in actual employment and required for new lights appropriated for, 893 light-keepers, and the average pay authorized by law is $600 per annum.

For supplies of light-houses the estimate is $360,837, and the increase is due, as above, to the increased number of lights authorized by law. For the expenses of light-ships the estimate is $217,732 50; and the

decrease is owing to the substitution during the last year of screw-pile light-houses for light-ships in two instances, and of shore range-lights for a light-ship in the remaining case.

For expenses of buoyage our estimate is $300,000, and the increase is due to the increased demand for these aids to navigation, the decay of those in use, and losses by ice and storm.

The application, by your direction, of the new rules of the civil service to the Light-House Establishment will greatly increase its efficiency. The board is of the opinion that of all the branches of the civil service of the Government, there is none in which it is more important to have men of ability, integrity, and experience.

We have, as we have stated, about eight hundred principal and assistant light-keepers distributed among our five hundred and ninety-five light-houses and light-ships, and the number is increasing from year to year as new light-houses are constructed.

These keepers are scattered along our coasts, many of them in exposed positions, of which examples are our rock light-houses, such as Minot's Ledge, off the coast of Massachusetts, and the reef light-houses off the Florida coast. Many of them, especially those on the capes of our Pacific coast, are hundreds of miles away from civilization, and the supervising officers can inspect them only at long intervals. Their's is a life of exposure and hardship, and they should be strong and able-bodied. They should be honest, for they have charge of, in the aggregate, a large amount of Government property. They should have sufficient intelligence and skill to manage our delicate and costly lenses and the machinery connected therewith, as well as the steam machinery of our fog-signals. At many of our distant stations, if, through the carelessness or incapacity of a keeper, these are disarranged, the light may not be exhibited or the signal sounded for weeks before repairs can be made, and commerce can have that security which should be assured to it. On the intelligence, fidelity, and experience of the keepers depend the thousands of lives and millions of property which are nightly approaching, leaving, or sailing along our eight thousand miles of sea, gulf, and lake coasts.

In the light-house service of other countries which have the same excellent system of illumination as our own, (the Fresnel,) the keepers when appointed are young men who have been required to pass medical and intellectual examinations, and they remain in service during good behavior. In Great Britain their moral characters must be vouched for by the clergymen of their parishes. There is promotion for merit, and when superannuated they are pensioned.

Previous to your administration political considerations governed, in a great measure, the appointment and discharge of keepers, and even up to this time it has been found impossible to eradicate all the evils of this custom.

While it cannot be expected to introduce at once all the reforms which would place our light-house service, as far as the character of the keepers is concerned, in as high a condition as those of some other countries, it is to be hoped that, while the nomination (which is now a virtual appointment) is not removed from the collector of customs, to whom it is now confided, so much of reform may be continued as will require that every applicant shall pass a competitive examination before a board composed of experienced officers of the light-house service, before appointment, and that, when once in service, the commerce of the country may have the benefit of his experience and his ambition to

do well, which will result when he finds that he has hope of promotion, and that he will be subject to discharge only for dereliction of duty. During the last year the following changes have occurred in the board:

Rear-Admirals Shubrick and Stribling, both long connected with the board, (the former having been its chairman from its establishment in 1852, and the latter a member since 1866,) having retired, were succeeded by Rear-Admirals Bailey and Walke, and Professor Henry was elected chairman.

Rear-Admiral Jenkins, a member and naval secretary of the board since its establishment, (except for a few years during the war,) and to whom the present efficiency of the light-house service is in a very great degree due, retired from the board in February last, having been ordered to the command of the Asiatic fleet, and was succeeded by Rear-Admiral Boggs. The other members of the board (viz, Professor Henry, General Humphreys, General Barnard, Professor Peirce, and Major Elliot, engineer secretary,) remain as at the date of the last annual report.

Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson, of the Corps of Engineers of the Army, for many years light-house engineer on the coast of California, and one of the board's most zealous and efficient officers, was relieved from lighthouse duty in May last, on account of ill-health, having been granted leave of absence in Europe by the War Department.

The board has to deplore the loss by death of one of its officers during the last year, Commodore Macomb, inspector of lights in the fourth district, who died at Philadelphia on the 15th of the present month.

While the board recognizes the great value of most of the officers who have been detailed by the War and Navy Departments to report to you for duty under its direction, it is due to the memory of the late Commodore Macomb to bear witness to the ability which he always displayed in the discharge of his duties and in his intercourse with this office.

FIRST DISTRICT.

The first district extends from the northeastern boundary of the United States (Maine) to, and including, Hampton Harbor, New Hampshire, and includes all the aids to navigation on the coasts of Maine and New Hampshire.

Inspector.-Commander A. E. K. Benham, United States Navy, until December 17, 1871; Commander Thomas O. Selfridge, United States Navy, present inspector.

Engineer.-Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. Duane, Corps of Engineers, brevet brigadier-general, United States Army. .

In this district there are:

Tender (steam) Myrtle, for engineer's construction and repairs, (used also in second district;) launch Mary

2

Tender (steamer) Iris, buoy-tender....

Tender (sail) repair-schooner Wave

The following numbers, which precede the names of stations, correspond with those of the Light-house List of the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific Coasts of the United States, issued January 1, 1872.