Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse

Lighthouses Short & Tall

Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse

click on drawing to view larger image

Readers Guide

Refer to page 28 of Lighthouses Short and Tall for Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse

Here are some new terms: Pneumatic caisson. Cylinder. High water mark. Compressed air. Cubic yards. What do they mean to you? Can you picture transporting by boat 2,000 cubic yards of concrete to fill the caisson?

Look at the cross section drawing at left. If the scale is divided into five-foot sections, how far underground (or under the shoal line) is the caisson sunk? How far below the low water line?

Note the electronic gear atop the lantern. What would it be used for?

‘Active aid to navigation’ is another important term. What does it mean?

Click on plan to view larger image. USLHB plan from National Archives.

Note that the focal plane is measured from the high water line to the center of the lantern.

The photo on the left is an earlier view than that below. Why do you suppose they painted the lighthouse white? What is the small structure on the far right in the photograph below?

This Reader's Guide is intended to be used with Lighthouses Short and Tall, a book for readers 11 and up written by Mary Louise and Candace Clifford. It is available from the publisher, Cypress Communications, by using their book order form.

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