Screwpiles: The Forgotten Lighthouses

Fog Bells in the James River Lighthouses Fog bells were installed in all four James River lighthouses very early. Though none of the original 1855 plans or specifications called for the installation of a fog bell, all four lighthouses had them installed by 1858. For many years, the bells were struck manually with no specified pattern. The bell ring pattern was important for mariners. The arrangement was marked on charts so that a ship captain could confirm his location upon hearing a bell and check his charts to compare with the ring pattern. Deep Water Shoals was the first James River lighthouse to have a mechanical striker installed in 1868, though no pattern was specified. In 1878, all four lighthouses were fitted with the Stevens striking mechanism, which was designed with a cam to control the bell hammer.

Their ring patterns were: •

Deep Water Shoals: strike every 15 seconds Jordan Point: strike every 10 seconds

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• Point of Shoals: 1 stroke, silent 5 seconds; 1 stroke, silent 20 seconds • White Shoal: strike every 10 seconds • Nansemond River: strike every 7 seconds 10

The ring patterns remained unchanged until the lighthouses were discontinued. Judging by the logbook entries, the winter months were the worst months for fog. The Deep Water Shoals log entry for January 1903 listed several days when the bell was rung for long periods. The longest time was 11 hours and 25 minutes, but more typical periods were three to four hours. The striking mechanism had a movement similar to that of a clock, with a weight hung by cable or chain driving the movement. The keeper had to rewind the mechanism about every two hours. For a lighthouse keeper to have to listen to a bell for long periods could not have been pleasant, and it certainly did not help with sleep. That was not so bad, though, when considering the plight of Juliet Nichols of the Angel Island Lighthouse near San Francisco. On July 2, 1906, she was alone at her station when fog set in. Her bell striking mechanism failed. Knowing how vital the fog signal was to nearby ferry traffic, she manually struck the bell every 15 seconds for 20 hours and 22 minutes. 11

Lightkeepers, notably many female keepers, were a dedicated lot!

Gamewell Model 3 fog bell mechanism at Drum Point Lighthouse Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons, Maryland Photograph by Larry Saint

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