2/28/2023 0 Comments Down in bermuda lighthouse![]() ![]() ![]() Always one is held spellbound by such visual splendor so at variance with its daytime vividness. “I stood by to wait, enjoying the spectacle of Bermuda islands at nightfall, the sinking trails of sunset, the blues of outer space, the ebony cast of the land and coast and the lights…the living sparkle of street and home lights putting the stars to shame for the moment. “On this night, I eventually caught up with him at the lighthouse well and found that it was indeed straightforward…a little coaxing from the sidelines had the machinery locking into its nightly merry-go-round…and a wasted trip for old Bill was on the cards, but, as always, once he was there it was advisable to have him double check the intricacies of this finely balanced apparatus.” ![]() Of course, I knew I’d have to carry him on the return ‘flight’ downwards…he often ran out of steam at that point!” He loved zipping up the stairs, always getting to the top long before me. On this occasion, I took Beans, my feisty little terrier as company, giving him his evening’s exercise at the same time. “On this particular evening, as soon as it was clear that a nudge was needed, I made the unusual call to Bill Montgomery, the attendant electrician, in case the problem turned out be more serious and then proceeded to the light chamber 185 steps above. All this means is that when the light comes on it remains steady when rotating, which in itself, usually requires little more than whoever is on hand to get up there and give it the necessary shove that sets things in motion once again.” “We lived in Gibbs Hill’s Lighthouse cottage during the period and, as is often the case with a built-in watch-keeper, I was on occasion, required to make a breathless dash to the top when the lighthouse machinery failed to operate fully. The following was related to Mac Musson by Michael Dolding of Marine & Ports, part of whose job it is to oversee the care of our two lighthouses! Since reports along the same lines are heard from other folk, one wonders at the strange recording of someone’s anxiety from the past that left this on-going impression for others to hear. Completed and activated on May 1, 1846, accounts of unaccountable events at Gibbs Hill Lighthouse have been noted by a few past lighthouse keepers. ![]()
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