Hide Article Text (OCR)
Tho light on Gun Key warns shipping off the norlh-wmtrrn horn of the (irsit linliimt Hanks, whilo tho now light on Memory Kook, gives a safe departure for keeping a mid-channel course, and avoiding tho Matcrmlla Reef, lying at the opening of the gulf stream into the Atlantic Ocean. 80 much for the British side of the Channel; now for our own shores.It U well known that our Atlantlo sca-board, south of Savannah, has no inlets or harbours of sufficient depth to admit with safety any but the smaller class of shipping; otherwise we might, long since, with great propriety, have established a naval dockyard on the shores of Georgia or Kant Florida. Tho whole of this coast is low, like that of Holland, with bars and shallows lying off all the Inlets or the embouchures of those rivers discharging into the Atlantic. From Capo Florida, round into tho Gulf of Mexico as far as Tortugas, extends a sunken reef of coraland limestone, outlaying and protecting the immense archipelago of Florida Keys, from the rapid current and oftentimes terrific violence ofthe waters of tho gulf stream. On a coast of this description, so low in one portion as to be only visible a few miles in dear daylight, and not to be seen at any safe distance by night, barricaded by bidden roefs in another part, where exista tho moat powerful and dangerous current in the known world, the most «kilful navigators are oftentimes wrecked, notwithstanding every precaution may have been taken for the safety of their vessels. Tho losses which thus annually occur are enormous, not only to individual enterprise and insurance offices, but to the government, in revcnuo that thus goes to support the largo fleet of wreckors and tho Admiralty Court at Key West.It would naturally be inferred, that in(government invented oxnrcHsly to administer of tho nodirectly to iho “ wants of tho people/* and thus exercising a sort of parental supervision over their necessities, tho long and black ratalogne of calamities recorded on tho books of ihe Court of Key West, must have come In ere this for a share of executive attention j and that the very simple and obvioaa remedy of constructing lighthouses and other sea marks would have long since been resorted to, in aid of suffering humanity on one hand, and to nut a stop to tho », 1 wrecking navy on tho other. Hut although wo s ( havo had the lights on Ihe British side of tho 2 : channel looking down on this disgraceful con-0 | ditiun of things for the last ten years; though » our mercantile and military navy have been- | l*us long dependent for their common safety on s 1 tho bounty and liberality of a foreign power, yet 1,1 our own government remain still unsatUtied with r j the number of victims to their passive negligence,5 j and indifferent to tho direct loss of rovenuo » I which monthly occura. After leaving St. Au-{ gustino to cntor the Gulf of Mexico by Ihe s I Florida Channel, not a solitary lighthouse blesses • l*M*. V® 11,0 on the American roast,a [ until ho Is up wlih Key West, a distance of 400- miles, and a navigation unparalleled for dangor j in any part of the world.J From Key West to Tortugas, a farther dis-1 tance of about 100 miles, there is not a light in ) existence, although the roof and its dangers are I as muoh to be dreaded aa to the eastward ; and r tho whole western coast of tho Peninsula of, Florida is without a single lighthouse, beacon, ., , or buoy, until wo reach the Hay of Apalache. J 1 Thore was once a light built on the east coast! of Florida at .Musquito Inlot, but it tumbled down | before it was fairly put in operation, though not \ before the contractor had pocketed his money ' • for the job. This liirht was, like all others, authorised to be established by Act of Congross, i , and its uses as a coast light would have been most serviceable. Why, then, has it not l.*en . re-bullt ! A light was also erected on Gape u Florida -another job, which tho 8«rainoUa destroyed by firo in 1835, and it is only within the past session that Congress voted a meagre ' appropriation for rebuilding it. It Is true j Congress voted ail that was asked for in this ' instance, but they should know what they are voting for, and whether tho same is adequate or 11otherwise. The wholo of this appropriation for a tower 70 feet high— lantern, *'constructing a tower 70 feet ........lamps, and keepers dwelling, is leas than tho lantern and lamps alone cost, for Gun Key Light. After a lapse of II years, during tho wholo of which timo our shipping have enjoyed the bent-tU of two of the r.ngli»h Hrahma Light*, wo reciprocate this national courtesy by thus putting up a beggarly affair, wbose feeble iriimmcr will make a precious contrast with tho flashing brilliancy of its opposite neighbour on Gun Key.
Newspaper Details
Sydney Australian
Sydney, New South Wales, AU
Thu, Mar 25, 1847
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
FL, USA 07 Apr 2024
Other Publications Near Sydney, New South Wales
Sydney Society
Sydney Smiths Weekly
Sydney Saturday Referee and the Arrow
Sydney Party Builder
Sydney Party
