![]() ![]() As the men were performing their orders on the island, the tide had gone out and stranded them as they were set to leave. General George Washington sent a second raiding party to the island, catching the British by surprise, and set fire to everything they could find. The fire was not as effective as hoped, and was quickly repaired. First, the Colonial Minutemen set fire to the lighthouse in July 1775 to strike back at the British blockade, which was created after the "Boston Tea Party" where Colonists were in revolt because of taxes imposed upon them. The lighthouse was the scene of several important battles during the Revolution, as the British occupied it as a strategic post. A lightning conductor was eventually placed on the tower in the 1770s, it was one of many inventions developed by Ben Franklin.īoston Light During the American Revolution In the mid-1700’s when lightning struck the tower a number of times, a lighting rod was originally approved for installation, but was hampered at first by local religious individuals who didn’t want to interfere with the acts of God. After hearing his explanantion of trying to put out the fire, the Council concluded that the fire started not out of neglect on the keeper's part and granted him back his pay. Repairs were completed in a couple months, but the Council blamed Hayes for the accident and held back his pay until he came to provide an adequate explanation. The cannon was the first colonial fog signal.Ī nasty fire occurred at the lighthouse lantern room in early 1720 when a couple open fire oil lamps tipped over and set a wooden bench nearby on fire. Hayes protested and the Council increased his pay to 70 pounds, as long as he didn't attempt to make any money entertaining guests on the island. The third keeper John Hayes asked that "a great gun be placed on the Said Island to answer ships in a fog." He was granted his request but the tasks related to maintaining the cannon were added to his duties without an increase in pay. The second keeper, Robert Saunders, drowned just days after taking the job. Franklin wrote a poem called “The Lighthouse Tragedy” and made copies to sell on the streets of Boston. ![]() ![]() As the wind picked up, those left on the island by the lighthouse, witnessed in horror as the canoe capsized from the weight of the six passengers, spilling them into the freezing waters and drowning all.Īt the same time a young 12-year old Benjamin Franklin, was encouraged by his brother to put his locally known writing skills in creating a poem based on the disaster. Their slave on the island, Shadwell, went out in a canoe to bring the five passengers back to the lighthouse. The sloop was anchored a distance from the lighthouse. The seas were choppy from the gusts of wind that were kicking up from an approaching storm. His other daughter Ann, and a friend, Mary Thompson, watched from shore. On a cold November day, in 1718, he was heading back to the lighthouse on a sloop from Boston after collecting his pay and gathering supplies with his wife Anne, his daughter Ruth, his servant George Cutler, and a friend, John Edge. The first light Keeper was George Wothrylake. Tragedies at Boston Lighthouse In the Early Years In 1719, the nation’s first fog signal, a canon, was created and used on Little Brewster Island until it was eventually replaced by a 1375-pound fog bell operated by clockwork machinery in 1851. At this time there were only 70 lighthouses in existence on earth. In 1716, the Colony of Massachusetts Bay constructed and lit the first light tower in the "New World" overlooking Boston Harbor. Tours are offered to cruise pass the island and park tours are available to get on the island and explore the lighthouse during the summer months.īoston Light is the oldest lighthouse in the country, however technically the tower itself is the second oldest because it had to be rebuilt in 1783. On Little Brewster Island marking the entrance to Boston Harbor. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |