Smalls Lighthouse
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Smalls Lighthouse stands on a small rock approximately 21 miles (≈34 km) west of St. David's Head in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was erected in 1861 although a previous lighthouse had been erected in 1776 on the same rock.
It relies on a 35-watt bulb powered by solar power but its beams can be seen from 21 miles (≈34 km) away owing to powerful lenses.
[edit] The Previous House
The original Smalls Lighthouse was erected over 1775 and 1776, on the plans of Liverpool musical instrument maker Henry Whiteside. The bold design stood on nine pillars, in order to allow the raging seas to pass through. It suffered from some rocking, but stood for 80 years, and the pillar-based design has since been used successfully in many sea structures.
The old lighthouse was the home of an unusual level of intrigue. The first message in a bottle was sent from the small island, remarkably reaching its addressee through the miles of sea, and bringing about a rescue after repair workers (including Whiteside himself) were stranded.
More disturbingly, the old lighthouse brought about a change in lighthouse policy in 1801 after a gruesome episode. The two man team, Howell and Griffith, were known to quarrel, and so when Howell died in a freak accident, Griffith feared that he might be suspected of murder if he discarded the body into the sea. As the body began to decompose, Griffith built a makeshift coffin for the corpse and lashed it to an outside shelf. Stiff winds blew the box apart, though, and the body was fixed in a macabre, beckoning pose.
By the time the usual service boat arrived, several months later, Griffith was apparently white-haired and driven mad.
Lighthouse teams consisted of three members from this point on.
[edit] See also
- Template:Scary Tales
[edit] External links
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