1871-1900 Yaquina Head Lighthouse Letter books

Treasury Department Office of the Lighthouse Guard Washington, January 14, 1895

Major James C Post, U. S. A., Engineer 12th Light-House District, Portland, Oregon

Sir: Referring to the joint report of the Inspector and Engineer of the Thirteenth Light-House District, dated 13 Dec. '94, the Board informs you that, as its session of 7 Jan'y '95, it was ordered that beacon lights be established in Yaquina Bay, Oregon, as follows:

Two white range beacon as guides to cross in over the bar; the front light to be placed on a two pile beacon on the sand flats opposite the town of Newport, and the rear light to be erected at McLean's Point.

A white beacon light to be placed on a one pile beacon on the Middle Ground near spar buoy No. 4, as an aid in the narrow and sharp turn of the channel.

A red beacon light to be placed on the Government wharf at Newport.

The Board requests you to take the proper measures to carry the above order into effect, and to pay the costs thereof

1 NAME AND POSITION OF THE LIGHT-HOUSE AND LIGHT-STATION. Cape Foulweather, on the westerly end of Cape Foulweather (Yaquina Head) Oregon

By whom described. G.L. Gillespie Major of Engineers Light-House Engineer 13th District

Date of description, July 1881

Distinguishing Character of light or lights. Fixed White Latitude of tower. 44.43. (30) Authority Light-House Longitude of tower, 124.05. (00) List of 1881

PREMISES- A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF, EMBRACING—

Area of the entire site. 30 acres 17.86

Character of surface soil. Dark Clayey loam

Distance of tower from nearest high-water mark. Two hundred and fifty feet.

Enclosure to premises. The entire site is enclosed by a fence running across the point of the cape from the South to the North shore. The keepers dwelling is enclosed by a neat picket fence.

Wharf or Landing on premises. No wharf or landing on premises. A landing can be made with a boat, on the beach in smooth weather, but is usually dangerous.

Road to landing or wharf, character of, and distance from tower. One fourth of a mile. No road, trail leads down the steep bluff to the beach.

Means by which the light-station may be reached. By railroad to “Corvallis”, eighty miles, thence by stage to Newport sixty (60) miles to the Light House.

2

Distance to the nearest public road, railroad station, or steamboat landing, and to which. The distance to the nearest public road, at Newport in Yaquina Bay, is five miles.

Tower or other means used for supporting the lantern and apparatus. Tower

Number of separate lights. One

When first built or established. 1870

When last thoroughly rebuilt, repaired, or renovated. Slight repairs made in 1880

Condition at this date. Good

Shape of tower in plan. Circular

Height of tower from base to focal plane of lantern. Eighty one (81) feet

Height of focal plane of lantern above the mean sea or lake level. one hundred and fifty one (151) feet

Back ground of the light-house, upon which it is projected, as seen from the sea or lake. Dark

Color of tower. White

Color of tower, how produced. Painted

Tower—connected with keepers’ dwelling, and how, or detached. Detached

Object: sea-coast, lake-coast, bay, harbor, channel, or range; for general or local navigating purposes. Sea Coast

Materials of which the tower is built. Brick

General description, embracing— Thickness of walls at base. Three (3) feet Thickness of walls at parapet. Twenty (20) feet Diameter of tower at base. Twenty eight (28) feet Diameter of tower at parapet. Sixteen (16) feet

11 Area in timber or shrubbery. None Area susceptible of profitable cultivation. About one acre. Area cultivated or prepared for cultivation. About one acre. Character of adjacent surrounding country—soil sandy, clay, marsh, swamp, wood, fast ground, or shifting sands. The soil is a dark clayey loam, covered with grass. No shrubbery or trees. Distance to the nearest post office. Five miles Distance to the nearest village or town. Five miles to Newport on Yaquina Bay Facilities for reaching the light-station by public conveyance. None Facilities for reaching the light-station by private conveyance from the nearest village, town, railroad station, or steamboat landing, and the distance. The light station can be reached from the town of Newport on Yaquina Bay. Distance five miles. Water For Drinking and Domestic Uses Generally. How procured. From the roof of keeper’s dwelling. Quality. Good Quantity ample of not for the station at all seasons of the year. Ample Liable or not to be injured by the inroads of storm tides and seas. Not liable to injury by storm tides and seas. If rain water in tanks or cisterns, what precautions have been taken to insure its purity. The water is stored in brick underground cisterns. They are usually cleaned out once a year. Capacity of tanks or cisterns, and where placed. One cistern, capacity 11,000 gallons, placed near the rear of keeper’s dwelling. Tanks or cisterns—of what materials made. One under-ground cistern built of brick and cement.

13 Would draining or other artificial means employed on the light-house premises be likely to improve the sanitary condition of the light-station? It would not. Landing, Wharf, Boat-House, And Road To The Light-House. Describe. There is no landing near the light-house, except on the beach in smooth weather. Supplies are usually landed on the beach two miles from the light-house. No wharf or boat-houses. The road from the light-house to the town of Newport on Yaquina Bay is a passably good wagon road, but teams can only haul small loads over it. In passing over the road from the light-house, the first two miles is hilly with hard ground; the next 1 ½ miles is on the sea beach, very good except three hours of high water, the next 1 ½ miles into Newport is sandy and hilly.