The Mercury Flotation System in Fresnel Lenses

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1 Westport South Beach Historical Society 1st Quarter 2014 The mission of the Westport South Beach Historical Society is to preserve and interpret the history of the South Beach, with an emphasis on natural resources and advocating for preservation of our local historic structures in our maritime community. The Mercury Flotation System in Fresnel Lenses Unlike the chariot wheel system employed to rotate the 1st order Destruction Island lens on display in the Westport Maritime Museum Lens Building, the 3rd order clamshell lens in the Grays Harbor Light Station, a.k.a. Westport Lighthouse, employed an entirely different system to rotate the lens. In short, the lens rotated in a mercury bath. Here s a bit of history behind the system and a description of how it worked. By Jeff Pence According to lighthouse historian Thomas Tag, Agustin-Jean Fresnel, the inventor of the lens system used in almost all lighthouses, proposed the use of a mercury floatation system to reduce friction in revolving his lenses as early as However, it was not until 1893 at the Cape Le Heve, France, lighthouse was the mercury system actually employed to rotate a lighthouse lens. Here is how it worked at our light. A ring shaped float attached to the base of the lens was submerged in a basin containing approximately two gallons of mercury. Birthday Greetings! (Continued on page 2) We extend the warmest greetings to Ann Anderson on the occasion of her 100th birthday. A long time resident of Westport, Ann was awarded a Lifetime Membership in recognition of her many years of volunteer work at the Westport Maritime Museum. Ann is also a Founding Member of the Out-to-Lunch Bunch who continue to support the Society in various funding activities. On behalf of your many friends at the Museum, we wish you a hearty Happy Birthday, Ann! Director Log Page 3 President s Message Page 4 Coming Events Page 5 Volunteer Orientation Page 6 Wheelhouse News Page 7

2 1st Quarter 2014 A publication of the Westport-South Beach Historical Society FogHorn Contributors: Jeff Pence Sam Martin Rex Martin Thor Lauritzen Mike Albrecht Katherine Vollenweider Phone: (360) FAX: (360) (Mercury system cont d) The system provided a nearly frictionless method of rotating the lens, which among other benefits allowed for a much faster rotation rate. Indeed, the original rotation rate for the Westport Light was a five second interval as set by the Lapaute factory in Paris. The major problem with the system was the toxic nature of mercury. Periodically, lighthouse keepers were required to drain, clean and replace the mercury. The vat or basin in the Lighthouse has a drain valve affixed for that purpose. Cheesecloth was often employed to filter out impurities. In addition, the entire vat could be lowered for cleaning. Mercury poisoning can cause severe mental problems and the offending vapors (aside from outright contact with the skin) can be absorbed in the lungs. In 1992, the Coast Guard decommissioned the Fresnel lens, removed the mercury, and cleaned the basin containing the mercury. Membership Drive treasurer@westportmaritimemuseum.com Page New Members is our Goal for 2014! That is one member for each year of Westport s official city history, and we need your help. If each member asked one friend, family or business to join, we would make our goal easily! Memberships also make great gifts for friends and relatives who are snowbirds or live out of the area but want to keep in touch. We are offering rewards for new members who sign up at the Family Membership level ($40). Choose from a 2014 Historic Westport Photo Calendar ($12.99 value), OR a reprint copy of Ruth McCausland s Washington s Westport, OR a Couples Ticket to the Titanic Tea Party on April 12 th.

3 1st Quarter 2014 Thank you for the warm welcome! I am very pleased to be serving as the next director for WMM. My background is a combination of museum and fisheries work that took me from Monterey Bay to the Bering Sea aboard many types of commercial vessels. The Coast Guard was always a welcome sight at sea, and so working in the former Coast Guard Station brings back many memories. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you already, and look forward to working with you and others in coming months as we gear up for the summer season. During the next few weeks, we will be planning for upcoming events such as the Whale of a Sale, the Titanic Tea, Ole Fashion 4th of July and more. Along side these activities, we are moving ahead with changes to the collection storage. Due to high humidity, and restricted access, photographs and documents will be relocated to a smaller area where, in museum lingo, a microclimate can be better established and monitored. This dovetails with my overall plan to make the historical holdings more accessible to researchers and the public under more secure and environmentally controlled conditions. If there is hidden treasure in Westport, it is certainly the wealth of its cultural history, and I am looking forward to being one of the stewards of that history. Museum archives function a bit differently than libraries, as preservation of the documents is paramount, but it is important that the treasures they hold are available to the public. There will be wonderful volunteer opportunities to work in the archives, preparing a type of index called a Finding Aid, which we will be able to post on the website enabling people from across the country to see what is available here. As time goes on, and the photos are re-housed in archival boxes, there will be opportunities to scan our photo collection and put some of these on our website, make enlargements for upcoming exhibits and more. We will literally be able to see into the past as these images are brought back into our viewing. Thank you again for this opportunity, and many thanks to the people whose hard work in preserving Westport s history continues today. Photo by Sam Martin Quarterly Meeting Potluck ~ March 19th All members and volunteers mark your calendar and plan your potluck dish for our first Quarterly Potluck for this year. Come meet our new director and staff, and learn more about the City of Westport Centennial Celebration Year! Fun raffle as usual, always good food! We start at 6 pm and early comers are welcome. Visit us on: Page 3

4 I am pleased and excited to announce to the membership that we have fulfilled one of my five goals for 2014 for the Historical Society. As of February we have a new Executive Director, Katherine Vollenweider. Katherine comes to us from Sequim, Washington where she served for many years as registrar and later Executive Director of the Historical Museum and Art Center there. She brings expertise in membership drives, fund raising, and collections and exhibits. Please stop by the Museum and introduce yourself. On a related note, on behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Director Leslee Lindstrom for her tireless efforts over the last year in keeping the books for the Museum and Lighthouse, as well for serving as our boots on the ground Interim Director. The Lighthouse has reopened for the 2014 season. We will maintain shoulder season hours through March by opening 12-4 Friday through Monday. Beginning April, we intend to be open daily from 10-4, depending on the availability of volunteers. Please sign up to volunteer if you are available. We are always in need of docents. Currently, the gift shop at the Lighthouse is situated in the base as it was before last year when we opened the North Oil House to serve as the gift house location. We are currently seeking bids to have the inside of the Oil House painted before the main tourist season begins. Once that project is completed, the gift shop will again be in the North Oil House. We have also changed the admission fee structure somewhat for both the Lighthouse and Museum. Effective immediately, adult admission is $5.00; admission for children 5-12 is $3.00. Active military personnel receive a $1.00 discount and Coast Guard personnel are admitted free. Also, persons visiting one of the two sites receive a $1.00 discount if they visit the other and show their current admission ticket. The Lighthouse Restoration Advisory Board will be seeking bids in the near future for restoration work. This is a necessary step before seeking funding for the project. Donations can be made to the Lighthouse Fund at Security State Bank in Grayland. Ernie Summers presented a well-attended Fireside Chat on Sunday, January 26 in the Lens Building. The next scheduled Chat is for March 30, presenter to be announced. Sam and Rex Martin organized and presented a wonderful Valentine s Day dinner with a 1940 s WWII theme. The next event is the Titanic Tea Party scheduled for April 12. We will also be holding our annual Whale of a Sale on April 19 and 20 in McCausland Hall. In addition, on Easter Sunday, April 20, the Easter egg hunt will take place on the Museum grounds. Finally, be sure and stop by the Museum gift shop to purchase your copy of the 2014 Historical Pictorial Calendar for Westport. I am again asking all of you as officers, directors, members and volunteers to continue your commitment to the ongoing success of the WSBHS. In particular, please talk to your friends, family members, business associates and anyone else you think might be interested in becoming members and hopefully volunteers. We need everyone involved in this ongoing effort to grow the base of the WSBHS. In particular, we are seeking candidates for a vacancy on the Board of Directors. Please contact me directly if you are interested or know of someone who might be a good candidate. Remember the Quarterly Membership Meeting and Potluck will be held on Wednesday, March 19 at 6:00 p.m. in McCausland Hall. Very truly yours, Jeffrey Pence President, WSBHS Page 4 President s Message By Jeff Pence

5 Titanic Tea Party By Sam Martin Titanic Tea Party, A Remembrance of the Titanic Edwardian Age Come celebrate the 102 nd anniversary of the sinking of the HMS Titanic, the formal elegance of the Edwardian Age, and dress up in period costumes of the day. The event will take place at the Westport Maritime Museum, Destruction Island Lens building, on Saturday, April 12 th at 4:20 pm. This fun and fanciful re-enactment is a party, a fundraiser and an incentive for new memberships, all in celebration of 1914 Westport founding year. Visit our updated display of local and Pacific Coast shipwrecks in the museum as well. An antique copy of Pacific Graveyard will be on display, along with various shipwreck maps. UPCOMING EVENTS Coming Soon.. Please mark your calendar for events MARCH 2014 March 19: WSBHS Quarterly Membership Meeting and Potluck, McCausland Hall, 6 pm March 29: Volunteer Training at McCausland Hall, pm. Resume at Lighthouse at 1 pm APRIL April 1: Spring/Summer Hours begin April 8: WSBHS Board of Trustees Meeting 6 pm April 12: Titanic Tea Party April 18: Drop off for Bake Sale items from 10 am to 4 pm April 19 & 20: Whale of a Sale, McCausland Hall, 9 am to 4 pm MAY JUNE JULY May 13: Board of Trustees Meeting, Museum Board Room, 6 pm May 25: Blessing of the Fleet June 10: Board of Trustees Meeting, Museum Board Room, 6 p.m. Third weekend: Rusty Scupper s Pirate Daze Ole Fashion 4th of July at the museum - food, cake walk, bake sale, & fun activities 4th July: Fireworks at 10 pm July 8: Board of Trustees Meeting, Museum Board Room, 6 p.m. Page 5

6 Wheelhouse News From Sea to Shining Sea: 200 Years of Charting America s Coasts, opens May 1 at the Westport Maritime Museum. In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson recognized the need to chart the coastal waters of this country as vital to the independence and prosperity of the economy and to the security of this fledgling Nation. With his foresight, Jefferson compelled Congress to pass an Act establishing the Survey of the Coast, a predecessor agency of today s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Survey of the Coast charted the nation s ports and waterways, researched physical characteristics of the ocean bottom, and explored many of the world s oceans. The organization was known for a tradition of perseverance, scientific integrity, engraving and charting skills, and courage. This exhibit, celebrates the history, accomplishments and scientific contributions of the nation s first science agency. The 20 colorful posters are illustrated with photos, charts and artwork from the Survey s archives. Originally released in 2007, this poster exhibit will be on display at the Lens Building through September. If you have antique surveying equipment that you would like to loan WMM for this exhibit, please contact the director. Thank you. Meet the Museum & Lighthouse Staff Angie Fuller and her husband, Dan will be on site at the Gray s Harbor Lighthouse through the fall. Angie has been coordinating the Work Camper Program, McCausland Hall rentals, and much, much more at the museum. Stephen Armes hails from Aberdeen and will be coordinating the volunteer Watchstanders, helping visitors with questions on local history, and more. Page 6 Westport Historical Calendars are still available-get yours now for a Centennial Keepsake! Available in the Museum Gift Shop or at Member events.

7 1st Quarter 2014 Volunteer Training coming up on March 29 th Volunteer Training ~ March 29th Our annual volunteer training will happen on Saturday, March 29 th, in two parts. From 10 am to 12 noon we will have a general orientation and Watchstander training at the Museum for those wishing to be a museum docent, gift shop & admissions cashier, or general volunteer. Bring a sack lunch, and we will eat together in McCausland Hall. Then, we will resume at the lighthouse for those who want to become lighthouse Watchstanders. At this time, we are asking volunteers, both experienced and new, to train together so we can update information and procedures that have changed recently. A variety of volunteer job descriptions, including help with events, and ongoing committee work supporting Westport South Beach Historical Society needs all of us this Centennial Summer! Please feel free to bring a friend and join us. Please call the Museum to register for the training day on Saturday, March 29 th. Collection Assistants: Special Opportunities If you like working with databases, the library holdings of the Westport Maritime Museum are ready to be entered into Past Perfect Museum Software. One click takes you to the Library of Congress to retrieve the info. Hours are flexible. Textile conservation: We are going to put the uniforms in the collection on padded hangers. The hangers take about an hour to make and we need several. The materials and construction are archival grade and will help preserve the uniforms into perpetuity. Wish List Historic photos of Westport as well as documents, letters, and memorabilia are always welcome if they pertain specifically to residents or activities of Westport. Call Books on maritime history Polyester batting or fill SD Card reader with USB connection Bookshelf for office Sand Dollars and Shells for kids activities Feathers for sea bird and shore bird art activity in August (Please collect feathers for this project all summer & drop them at the museum or at the quarterly potluck) Unbleached muslin Large paper cutter with a sharp blade Heavy duty caster wheels (4 minimum) Fire proof box or safe Old china tea cups (singles ok) Loran C and CB Radio from a boat Navigational charts USB Hub Page 7

8 Westport-South Beach Historical Society PO Box 1074 Westport, WA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Donations Needed for Annual Whale of a Sale The Out To Lunch Bunch is, once again, sponsoring the WHALE OF A SALE Fundraiser at McCausland Hall, Saturday & Sunday, April 19 th and 20 th from 9-5. The proceeds, as usual, will be donated to the Westport South Beach Historical Society/Westport Maritime Museum and the Grays Harbor Lighthouse. Your donations for this sale event are welcome and very much appreciated. You can drop off your items at the Museum during operating hours between now and April 18 th. If you have a question about donations please call the Museum at for additional information. New and gently used items, antiques, and collectibles are welcome as donations. We cannot accept large furniture items, appliances, clothing or pick up items from your home. We will be setting up the sale in McCausland Hall from April 14 th to the 18 th, so you can drop items there during the day all through that week. We will also have our usual Bake Sale on Saturday & Sunday, so any goodies that can be sold to take home or enjoyed there with fresh coffee are welcome: Cookies, cakes, breads, brownies and pies are big sellers each year. (No fresh egg or dairy products, please.as per health codes.) Wrapped donations should be brought to the Hall on April 18th. Page 8 A BIG THANK YOU TO THESE WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS!