170

THE CHOPS OF THE CHANNEL, AND HOW THEY ARE LIGHTED.

a coloured one, and will light “The Brissons,” a
dangerous reef of rocks on the north, and “ The
Rundlestone,” a reef on_the southern side. This
latter is at present marked only by a bell buoy,
which, of course, gives no light, but as it moves
with the waves the clappers strike the bell, which
can be heard at a long distance. To ships going
up the Bristol Channel the lighthouse at Godrevy
flashes a white light every ten seconds, which is
visible at a distance of fourteen miles, while a
fixed red light at a lower elevation warns ships
from the Stones rocks. To a ship bound up the
English Channel the magnificent lighthouse recently
erected on the “ Wolf Rock,” eight miles from
land, will show alternate flashes of red and white
every thirty seconds, and long before its friendly

|

ness Point (one fixed light), the South Forelan

(two fixed lights), the three lightships on the
Goodwin Sands (showing one fixed, one revolving,
and three fixed lights respectively), the North|
Foreland (one fixed light), and finally the lightship
at the Nore, with its light revolving every thirty
seconds, will lead the ship in safety to the estuary:
of the Thames, whence a tug will soon tow her to
the London Docks. The spaces between these}

|larger lights are filled up by lighthouses which

lead to harbours and mark the existence of piers
and breakwaters. If a ship has to beat up the
Channel, and consequently to stand across from
shore to shore, the lights on the French coast are
as well arranged as on our own, and will equally

show the pilot where he is.

are in paral-
lel towers,
212 feet
apart, and
thus the Li-
zard is dis-
tinguished
from the
fixed light

lightis paled We have
the ship is reason to be
within the proud of the
radius of the triumphs
two brilliant which our
fixed lights engineers
at the Li- have achiey-
zard, which ed in build-
are visible ing, under
twenty - one most  diffi-
miles off. eult circum-
| These lights stances,

towers,
whose
strength
defies the
violence of
the storm.
To build a
lighthouseis
a different

at Scilly,

thing from

which is a
single one,
fromthe two
lights at the

LIZARD LIGHTS,

building an
ordinary
house on
shore. Their

Seven Stones, which are not parallel, but one | positions are necessarily much exposed: sometimes

eighteen feet above the other, and from the others
in our engraving, which are either “flash” or
“coloured” lights. If a succession of northerly
winds and rough weather should drive the home-
ward bound ship nearer to the French coast than
our own, the pilot would probably discover his
whereabouts by seeing the “ Casquets,” offGuernsey,
where, for the sake of distinction, three lights are
shown. After that he would probably see in
succession the Eddystone (one fixed light), the

they stand on a bluff headland, like the Lizard, but
not unfrequently on a rock in mid ocean, which can
be approached only at rare intervals, when wind and
tide allow, and always with difficulty, and where,
when erected, they are exposed to the full fury of
the storm. The triumphs of scientifie men, who
have wrought constant improvements in the lights
which are to shine over the waste of waters from
the towers which our engineers have built, are if
possible greater still. So lately as 1813 the light

Start Point (two revolving lights), Portland (two | at the Lizard was only the light of a coal fire, such

fixed lights), St. Catherine’s Point (one fixed light),
the Nab lightship (two fixed lights), the Owers
lightship (one fixed light), Beachy Head (one

revolving light visible twenty-three miles), Dunge- |

as was used by the Romans in the days of the
Emperors : every year witnesses improvements in
the arrangements for diffusing the light over the
largest possible space, and for diversifying the