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The orange and white caisson beyond Land's End in San
Francisco is Mile Rocks Lighthouse. A victim of
modernization, this seemingly humble structure was one of the
great lighthouse engineering feats of all time.
Mile Rocks is a a pair of stones about half a mile north of
Point Lobos in San Francisco. The larger of the two rocks is
40 feet by 30 feet, and rises about 20 feet above sea level.
Mariners considered these to be a serious hazard due to fog
and strong currents in the area. In November 1889, the
Lighthouse Board marked the rocks with a bell buoy. The buoy
proved inadequate, as strong currents would sometimes
submerge the buoy. There was a fog bell at Fort Point, but this was often
inaudible at Mile Rocks. The buoy was removed in 1890.
In 1901, the Rio De Janeiro was wrecked near Fort Point. 146 lives were
lost in the disaster. Outrage over the tragedy led to the
establishment of a more powerful fog signal at Fort Point, as well as approval
for a new lighthouse at Mile Rocks.
The contractor, James A. McMahon, set out with a crew of
skilled workmen in 1904. When the crew saw that they would
have to work on the small, wave-washed rock, they refused to
work. McMahon collected a group of deep-water sailors - less
skilled as construction workers, but familiar with hazards of
the sea. His new work crew proved up to the task.
Work was difficult. The sea-swept rock often sent sailors
into the water. Work could only be done a few hours a day -
at low tide. The schooner Rio Rey was anchored
nearby to provide support, but was swept from her moorings by
the currents, forcing her to anchor further from the work
site. Rings of steel plating were set in place, and concrete
poured within. The walls of the caisson were four feet
thick.
Work progressed more quickly once the caisson was completed.
A steel tower of three tiers and a lantern room was built.
The tower was white, and the caisson and lantern room painted
black. A compressed air whistle served as a fog signal, and
a third-order lens installed in the lantern room. The
lighthouse had a crew of four.
Life on the lighthouse was isolated, despite the proximity to
San Francisco. Families could not live on the station.
Travel to and from the station was difficult. Keepers had to
climb a Jacob's ladder hanging from a boom on the lighthouse
to get to the tower. The noise from the fog signal was
inescapable. The station was subject to powerful waves and
high winds - a keeper could be literally blown from one of
the tower's catwalks. Despite these hazards, some keepers
enjoyed the assignment. Keeper Lyman Woodruff served on Mile
Rocks for 18 years.
Glen London, who served on Mile Rocks from 1953-1954,
described the precarious transport of supplies and personnel
to the lighthouse:
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