Episode 34 - Sanibel Island Lighthouse

100:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,040sipping on some... sipping...200:00:04,040 --> 00:00:10,340hi everybody I'm Vince and I'm Emily and you're listening to the lighthouse300:00:10,340 --> 00:00:13,440lowdown400:00:19,000 --> 00:00:24,040I definitely almost forgot to click that. It was already recording for minutes.500:00:24,040 --> 00:00:28,320uh the intro. Oh well you nailed it. Thank you. You're saying the recording600:00:28,320 --> 00:00:32,200button. We're nailing it. Normally I'm on your side of the table but Vince is in700:00:32,200 --> 00:00:39,520charge for this episode. Welcome to it. Tell us all about it. Today we're first800:00:39,520 --> 00:00:45,640of all first history buoy. Oh yeah. Alright so today's history buoy is900:00:45,640 --> 00:00:50,720inspired by your last episode when you talked about the anatomy of a lighthouse.1000:00:50,720 --> 00:00:55,160Okay very nice. The lightning rod. This specific? We're gonna talk about the1100:00:55,160 --> 00:01:01,080history of lightning rods. Whoa. And then how they got to use on lighthouses which1200:01:01,080 --> 00:01:05,440is why we're here. Very nice. First I'm gonna take a sip. The unofficial sponsor of the1300:01:05,440 --> 00:01:11,140moment is Emily providing Starbucks. I was like I'm the sponsor? That would be1400:01:11,140 --> 00:01:16,760true. That's true. Yes we are. Okay Benjamin Franklin is credited with the1500:01:16,760 --> 00:01:22,080founding of the idea of the lightning rod. So. Because he used a. Benny Frankie.1600:01:22,080 --> 00:01:27,160Because he used a. Was it a key or something? Yep. So I'm gonna a lot of the1700:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,120things I'm doing today are reading quotes and many of them later are coming1800:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,200from the lighthouse friends.com. And you look like a teacher right now. Because1900:01:34,200 --> 00:01:38,820I'm wearing glasses. Benjamin Franklin suspected that lightning itself was2000:01:38,820 --> 00:01:43,640electricity given its similar color, crackle, and configuration. Noting that a2100:01:43,640 --> 00:01:47,520pointed metal needle could draw electricity from a charged metal sphere2200:01:47,520 --> 00:01:51,840Franklin became convinced that a metal rock coax lightning from the sky. Why?2300:01:51,840 --> 00:01:57,480So it would not strike. Excuse me. So it would strike the rod instead of the2400:01:57,480 --> 00:02:01,600buildings or passerby's. Yeah. So I've never really considered that before that2500:02:01,600 --> 00:02:07,360lightning rods intent is actually. To direct. For people. Like not buildings but2600:02:07,360 --> 00:02:10,600also people. This is related and unrelated but remember when I talked2700:02:10,600 --> 00:02:14,940about that the lighthouse where they connected the lightning rod to the2800:02:14,940 --> 00:02:19,600stairway of the lighthouse. That was metal. Oh no. Was someone on the stairway?2900:02:19,600 --> 00:02:27,920Yeah but he survived. Oh you're stealing my diagram. Yeah so he got shocked. Yes3000:02:27,920 --> 00:02:33,040but he was okay in the end. He was paralyzed for a little while. I know.3100:02:33,040 --> 00:02:37,160Horrible design chance. And now. Oh sorry go ahead. I'm sorry I'm trying to take3200:02:37,160 --> 00:02:40,760over. This is ridiculous. And now what? No because you're talking about the lightning rods.3300:02:40,760 --> 00:02:44,880I was just gonna say that nowadays lightning rods are like connected to a3400:02:44,880 --> 00:02:48,960copper wires that direct it. That's right. To the ground. I am so sorry. Please3500:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,600continue. I want to learn from you. Let's talk about metallurgy for just a second.3600:02:52,600 --> 00:02:58,000Copper wires. So it can be any type of wire that is conducting. Okay. Like3700:02:58,000 --> 00:03:04,720aluminum doesn't conduct electricity. So yeah it's it's non-ferrous. Ferrous3800:03:04,720 --> 00:03:12,160metals are well actually no that's that's magnetism sorry. Okay the best3900:03:12,160 --> 00:03:17,120conductors for electricity among them are silver and gold. Silver is like one4000:03:17,120 --> 00:03:21,200of the very best. Originally power lines were silver. Oh. But it was too expensive4100:03:21,200 --> 00:03:25,000and I think people were stealing them. Oh. They're like taking down the wire4200:03:25,000 --> 00:03:30,840because imagine running wire made of silver. Silver composite. Crazy. So copper4300:03:30,840 --> 00:03:37,080is like the next step down for cost and also conductance of electricity. So that's4400:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,700why copper is used in wiring. Yeah. But there are some components especially like4500:03:40,700 --> 00:03:45,280microchip levels that are gold and silver. Even in iPhones. I think they use4600:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,320those as well. So like it's all around us. Super expensive for multiple reasons4700:03:49,320 --> 00:03:54,840but super conductive electricity. So some lightning rod cables are made of4800:03:54,840 --> 00:03:59,200different materials. One we're gonna talk about is made of silver and I think it's4900:03:59,200 --> 00:04:07,720a dual purpose we'll talk about. It's very exciting. So back to Benny Frankie. The Ben. The Big Ben.5000:04:07,720 --> 00:04:11,640So legend has it we talked about this but Franklin hopped on a horse in the5100:04:11,640 --> 00:04:16,640year 1752. Gosh. Which I've never considered when this happened. With a key on a5200:04:16,640 --> 00:04:21,960kite and he needed the horse because there wasn't enough wind. It was a5300:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,160rainstorm he was doing this in. And I don't know if this is multiple times or5400:04:25,160 --> 00:04:29,360just once but the legend goes rode the horse pulled the kite which sounds hard5500:04:29,360 --> 00:04:33,480on its own. Yeah. And then observed that the key would get struck by lightning at5600:04:33,480 --> 00:04:37,440least on one occasion. So that was his confirmation that lightning is drawn to5700:04:37,440 --> 00:04:43,080a metallic object if it's high up in the air and it's kind of unique. It's on its5800:04:43,080 --> 00:04:47,720own. It's like lightning is more likely to hit this piece of metal than somewhere else.5900:04:47,720 --> 00:04:53,120Yeah I saw a TikTok a week or two ago about like a physics professor. I tried6000:04:53,120 --> 00:04:57,320to find it but I can't find anything on TikTok after it's gone. But he was6100:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,840explaining lightning rods and how electrons are actually traveling off of6200:05:00,840 --> 00:05:06,240the end of the rod because of its pointy shape and how electron travel will6300:05:06,240 --> 00:05:10,760create the best path for electricity to travel through. So the lightning actually6400:05:10,760 --> 00:05:16,040strikes the rod and goes down to the cable because it's the best path of6500:05:16,040 --> 00:05:22,160least resistance between the source, the cloud, the thunderstorm, and the earth. So6600:05:22,160 --> 00:05:26,800all electricity wants to go to ground. It wants to ground itself. So if you're6700:05:26,800 --> 00:05:31,320shocked, if you're electrocuted, it's because the energy is passing through6800:05:31,320 --> 00:05:35,320your body to the ground. Yeah. So that's why they have isolating shoes like6900:05:35,320 --> 00:05:39,320rubber-soled shoes will help you from being electrocuted but you won't feel7000:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,720the electrocution unless you're the termination of the source. So like you7100:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,880can pass electricity through your fingers between two sources without pain7200:05:45,880 --> 00:05:49,760but if you were to jump the gap and have a shock go off your fingertip that would7300:05:49,760 --> 00:05:54,560hurt. Yeah. So lightning is an extreme event of that. Interesting. Pretty neat.7400:05:54,560 --> 00:05:58,860Pretty neat. Pretty neat. I've seen pictures when people get electrocuted, sorry, when7500:05:58,860 --> 00:06:02,840they get shocked by lightning that they have like holes in their shoes where the7600:06:02,840 --> 00:06:09,360electricity exited. Oh my god. Oh when I was a kid we had a jacuzzi behind our7700:06:09,360 --> 00:06:14,800house, of course, we had a hot tub and there was this little like pump or7800:06:14,800 --> 00:06:19,000something. I think it was a cleaner that my my parents would put in there and it7900:06:19,000 --> 00:06:23,760was electrical and I guess it wasn't fully sealed anymore. There's a copper8000:06:23,760 --> 00:06:28,280wire exposed or something because my siblings and I we could touch the water8100:06:28,280 --> 00:06:33,640and you'd feel it like you know fingertip. Who is letting you touch the water?8200:06:33,640 --> 00:06:38,800Our parents weren't there and it was really mild and I touched it and I was8300:06:38,800 --> 00:06:41,920like I can't feel anything. Well it's because they all had their shoes off I8400:06:41,920 --> 00:06:47,000think and they were allowing electrical current to pass through them through the8500:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,600water because water is highly conductive. Your siblings? Yeah and so I took my8600:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,560shoes off and I could feel it too. I'm pretty sure that happened. Might be a8700:06:53,560 --> 00:06:58,000false memory. It could be a dream you had when you did a bunch of electrical8800:06:58,000 --> 00:07:03,600research. But here we are two and a half centuries later after the key in the8900:07:03,600 --> 00:07:08,760sky on the kite, lightning rods persist. They're decorative architectural pieces,9000:07:08,760 --> 00:07:15,060vestiges of the past and mitigators of lightning's power. So my next note is to9100:07:15,060 --> 00:07:19,720ground. I was gonna tell you electricals pass to ground but a lot of lightning rods9200:07:19,720 --> 00:07:23,720that you'll see now are actually an architectural style choice and they're9300:07:23,720 --> 00:07:28,160not actually lightning rods. Meaning they make them intentionally not9400:07:28,160 --> 00:07:32,360conductive materials so they're not a lightning rod. Why? They chose them9500:07:32,360 --> 00:07:36,560because there was a period where lightning rods became so they were9600:07:36,560 --> 00:07:41,080scientific. They were proven to be useful through lots of different ways9700:07:41,080 --> 00:07:46,600and then they were seen on the top of pristine prestigious buildings, tall9800:07:46,600 --> 00:07:51,880buildings like skyscrapers in Chicago and New York City. They're measured9900:07:51,880 --> 00:07:54,520sometimes by the top of the lightning rods. The lightning rods have gotten out10000:07:54,520 --> 00:07:58,480of control because it makes the building taller. So they can set records and they10100:07:58,480 --> 00:08:02,160build a high-rise. This high-rise is taller than that high-rise because we10200:08:02,160 --> 00:08:05,560built it this many stories tall. Who cares about that? And then well we've10300:08:05,560 --> 00:08:10,440talked about this a little with lighthouses as well. The height of a10400:08:10,440 --> 00:08:15,080lighthouse is often up to question. Is it the focal plane? Is it where the gallery10500:08:15,080 --> 00:08:19,480is at? Is it where the very tip of the lightning rod is at? You know so anyways10600:08:19,480 --> 00:08:23,200lightning rods are prestigious and they're decorative. They got really10700:08:23,200 --> 00:08:29,080ornate and now that's been continued. Lightning rods are also still in use for10800:08:29,080 --> 00:08:33,400their original purpose but a lot of the ones you'll see are either overly10900:08:33,400 --> 00:08:37,320expensive because they want to look nice and they're useful or they're actually11000:08:37,320 --> 00:08:42,080not the lightning rod and instead they're a non-metallic decorative part.11100:08:42,080 --> 00:08:46,720I want to guess that. Who gives a crap about a lightning rod? The first use.11200:08:46,720 --> 00:08:50,760I rescind that but who gives a crap about it looking nice? A lot of people.11300:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,960Including look at this destruction island lighthouse. This looks cool and11400:08:53,960 --> 00:08:58,240part of the cool look to me of this diagram is the pointy top. You like that?11500:08:58,240 --> 00:09:04,320Yeah I think it's cool. I think it adds to it. Something about it.11600:09:05,240 --> 00:09:13,520Okay lightning rods were first used on ships because ships masts stand out and11700:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,600they had metal components to them often so they were struck by lightning and11800:09:16,600 --> 00:09:21,600they'd be destroyed if not start a fire. Have you ever seen a tree get11900:09:21,600 --> 00:09:25,880struck by lightning? Oh my god. Sometimes they explode. I know or they at least tip over.12000:09:25,880 --> 00:09:30,480The lightning will take chunks out of so it'll ruin a mast and then a12100:09:30,480 --> 00:09:34,360ship will be lost at sea or they can't get back or they can't repair it. Like12200:09:34,360 --> 00:09:38,760they don't have extra lumber for the main mast. That was the first use was on12300:09:38,760 --> 00:09:42,440ships because it was so important. They can also take chunks out of buildings like12400:09:42,440 --> 00:09:45,920lightnings that are struck by buildings. Yeah lightnings that are struck by12500:09:45,920 --> 00:09:53,600buildings. Oh my gosh this coffee is awesome. So anyway ships were the first use and then12600:09:53,600 --> 00:09:59,120I've got to show you this next image lightning rod fashion. How do you have all that?12700:09:59,120 --> 00:10:03,560Hold on. Fancy going on. Here shows the cable. So we talked about the yeah this12800:10:03,560 --> 00:10:07,280section on the lighthouse. There's a security camera. Look at that cupola.12900:10:07,280 --> 00:10:14,040Modern technology. Modern technology of a security camera and a cell tower and13000:10:14,040 --> 00:10:18,880then also our old OG cable going to ground. Yes. Which is outside of the13100:10:18,880 --> 00:10:25,560lighthouse for best design. Is it surrounded by something that keeps it from transferring the13200:10:25,560 --> 00:10:28,160energy to all the other metal that it's touching right here? Is it like13300:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,400surrounded by rubber or something? No they're not insulated. It's open and13400:10:31,400 --> 00:10:36,280exposed and that actually helps with the carrying of electricity. So it's again13500:10:36,280 --> 00:10:39,800it's following the least path resistance. So that's a big gauge wire a13600:10:39,800 --> 00:10:45,200large diameter wire and it's the best it's the easiest path for electric13700:10:45,200 --> 00:10:49,480electricity to follow. So therefore electricity follows it and not being13800:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,520transferred into other metal. Which is confusing because if you see a13900:10:52,520 --> 00:10:56,760lightning bolt it's not just a straight line. There's like branches everywhere.14000:10:56,760 --> 00:11:02,200So why would it be that it would perfectly follow this cable even though14100:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,360it's touching a bunch of other metal? Like if you were standing and holding14200:11:05,360 --> 00:11:10,120onto that balcony would you not be in trouble? I don't think so. I think you'd14300:11:10,120 --> 00:11:14,920be protected. It makes sense that they they wouldn't lean it up against it like14400:11:14,920 --> 00:11:19,480that unless it wasn't of any danger to anyone. Yeah. For anyone asking we're14500:11:19,480 --> 00:11:23,520looking at a picture where there's a cable laying across the top of the14600:11:23,520 --> 00:11:31,400cupola and the lantern gallery. Yeah so here's another picture. So this is a I wanted to bring this up because you can14700:11:31,400 --> 00:11:36,040see it's damaged. Yeah. The lightning takes an effect on the system and this14800:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,680is not something I wanted to find out because lightning does strike twice in14900:11:39,680 --> 00:11:43,280the same place. Yeah especially here. Especially where it's where we're trying15000:11:43,280 --> 00:11:47,280to get it to strike right on the lightning rod. And this lightning rod you're showing is like15100:11:47,280 --> 00:11:52,360eaten away. Is it corrosion or is it like blast off pieces of it? It's a form of15200:11:52,360 --> 00:11:57,880corrosion from lightning strikes. Yeah so they'll take off. Well and lightning is15300:11:57,880 --> 00:12:04,120thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. It's extremely hot. So the metal that you know gets15400:12:04,120 --> 00:12:08,560in contact with the strike is not gonna last very long. So this is a I don't15500:12:08,560 --> 00:12:12,680remember where this is at. Oh you know what it's called Gay Head Lighthouse. I15600:12:12,680 --> 00:12:18,800can't remember where it's at. And this is what I'm super excited to show you.15700:12:18,800 --> 00:12:23,520All right after 1778 shortly after Benjamin Franklin introduced the15800:12:23,520 --> 00:12:28,520lightning rod parasol fab for umbrellas and hats that made use of new technology.15900:12:28,520 --> 00:12:33,000A chain ran from the accessory down to the ground and would in principle carry16000:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,680the electricity from a lightning strike harmlessly to the ground. There's ladies16100:12:36,680 --> 00:12:40,140in hats. Lightning rods did not become popular in the United States even to protect16200:12:40,140 --> 00:12:44,160structures until the 19th century. You'd think you'd be worried about your hat16300:12:44,160 --> 00:12:47,840being pulled off. There's something dragging along the ground attached to it.16400:12:47,840 --> 00:12:51,360So these chains were almost always made of silver and that's what I was saying.16500:12:51,360 --> 00:12:56,920Can you imagine wearing a silver chain that goes to the ground five six feet to16600:12:56,920 --> 00:13:01,840the ground seven feet dragging along. Like oh it was a thunderstorm but we're16700:13:01,840 --> 00:13:06,280headed to the ball. Let me grab my lightning rod hat. Lightning resistant16800:13:06,280 --> 00:13:11,880hat. Look at that. Look at that umbrella. Can you imagine the cost of that thing?16900:13:11,880 --> 00:13:17,280Long spike. It's like doubling the length of the umbrella with the17000:13:17,280 --> 00:13:22,320rod coming. You can't open that thing inside if you never wanted to. You could17100:13:22,320 --> 00:13:26,560barely even get that on a bus. It's pretty wild. So you'd consider that a17200:13:26,560 --> 00:13:32,560weapon. Well they did. Pretty pointy. I think it's crazy so I really enjoyed this17300:13:32,560 --> 00:13:39,520but this is the end of our history buoy. Very interesting. I think there's probably more to learn.17400:13:39,520 --> 00:13:43,080Maybe an electrical engineer could talk to us about like cable carrying. Yeah.17500:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,600Current. The question about whether or not it would transfer to other metal17600:13:46,600 --> 00:13:52,080surfaces just by touching it. I also want to look up how many lighthouses like didn't have17700:13:52,080 --> 00:13:57,120lightning rods. I'm sure that. Oh damage from lightning. Yeah maybe. I mean17800:13:57,120 --> 00:14:02,800considering that this well no there were some lighthouses built long17900:14:02,800 --> 00:14:07,080before this so I want to see how many lighthouses have been destroyed by18000:14:07,080 --> 00:14:11,000lightning before. That'd be interesting. Well and like this comes back we had a18100:14:11,000 --> 00:14:16,320culture comment or conversation months ago but like you know there were18200:14:16,320 --> 00:14:20,880skeptics. Yeah. Like a lot of skeptics and they're like oh you put a rod on top18300:14:20,880 --> 00:14:26,200of the building or on your hat and it saves you from the God's power above.18400:14:26,200 --> 00:14:31,640Like yeah. Or it'd be interesting you'd be like how do you know that you're not18500:14:31,640 --> 00:14:35,740attracting lightning where there would be no lightning at all. Well and like if18600:14:35,740 --> 00:14:39,720you go I don't know this is not advice people but I think we talked about18700:14:39,720 --> 00:14:44,400lightning safety once like if you go on a walk in a thunderstorm condition you18800:14:44,400 --> 00:14:48,320can't see the lightning always but it is being developed and sometimes you'll be18900:14:48,320 --> 00:14:54,760around the first strike that you'd see close by and so it's like do or don't.19000:14:54,760 --> 00:15:01,160Hi Bo. He's helping us. Got his chin on the recording board. I will adjust these when19100:15:01,160 --> 00:15:06,320necessary. He's a good cat. So sorry for interrupting. Oh I don't know what I was19200:15:06,320 --> 00:15:12,200saying. Oh walking in lightning storms. So I think the recommendation is that you19300:15:12,200 --> 00:15:16,800do not walk towards tall items. So imagine you're like in the woods or a19400:15:16,800 --> 00:15:20,400field. You're a farmer in a field. It starts to be you know lightning19500:15:20,400 --> 00:15:25,520conditions. You shouldn't walk towards large trees because they might conduct19600:15:25,520 --> 00:15:30,920the lightning strike and in that case explode or send wood shrapnel or set of19700:15:30,920 --> 00:15:35,080fire collapse. Okay but what if you're in the middle of a field and you're six19800:15:35,080 --> 00:15:40,600foot five. Like aren't you the lightning rod at that point? That's what they always tell you to lay19900:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,840down whenever there's lightning storm is because you're more likely to get hit20000:15:43,840 --> 00:15:50,520because you're taller. Yeah so that's sketchy but people have been struck by20100:15:50,520 --> 00:15:55,600lightning and they're okay. Some not okay. Definitely. Some have been struck by20200:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,400lightning and passed it. Oh and they get like bruises on their body that are like20300:15:58,400 --> 00:16:05,080in the shape of lightning. Okay you're gonna have to teach me how you do this. Is20400:16:05,080 --> 00:16:11,880this the Annabelle? I'm glad you recognized it out of this photo. So wait wait this20500:16:11,880 --> 00:16:16,880slideshow how are you doing this? This is Google slides also not sponsored. What?20600:16:16,880 --> 00:16:20,520Yep. I didn't know they had that. And they're pretty neat. Yeah I'm definitely20700:16:20,520 --> 00:16:26,480gonna steal this idea because slideshows on on our computers are hard. Yep we got20800:16:26,480 --> 00:16:31,800a full screen here. There's no like name I've got to crop out. Yeah. Nice. I like20900:16:31,800 --> 00:16:36,280that a lot and you don't have to drag things in. Yeah all right so you have21000:16:36,280 --> 00:16:42,960correctly identified via an image from I don't remember when a long time ago I21100:16:42,960 --> 00:16:49,960think 1940s I remember right? Sanibel Island Lighthouse. So is that what you're covering today?21200:16:49,960 --> 00:16:55,240That is what we're covering today. Dang it I'm so jealous. Okay tell me all about it. Well if you know something21300:16:55,240 --> 00:16:58,920about it that I don't cover please let's cover it. No I just think it'll be a21400:16:58,920 --> 00:17:02,800really interesting coverage and we've never done a skeleton lighthouse before.21500:17:02,800 --> 00:17:09,880It is it is interesting. I want to talk about why I selected this one first. The21600:17:09,880 --> 00:17:14,840the note that I have is vacation with family. Not my family not my vacation but21700:17:14,840 --> 00:17:21,280a friend of ours mutual friend of ours sent me an image after Hurricane Ian.21800:17:21,280 --> 00:17:28,280Yeah. And we'll talk all about Hurricane Ian. Of Hurricane Ian was September of21900:17:28,280 --> 00:17:33,6802022 and shortly after she sent me an image of the lighthouse still standing.22000:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,320So a little bit of a spoiler in a positive way the lighthouse is still22100:17:37,320 --> 00:17:40,960there. Now that we've discovered lighthouses that are destroyed now yeah22200:17:40,960 --> 00:17:44,360maybe it's good we do this. Yeah and it's been there a long time we're gonna talk22300:17:44,360 --> 00:17:47,400about the history I got a lot of things to read from lighthousefriends.com22400:17:47,400 --> 00:17:52,160thank you again. Excellent we love them. And this image is also from them. So yeah22500:17:52,160 --> 00:17:55,880shout out to our friend and thank you for for telling me about this. Very nice. We22600:17:55,880 --> 00:18:02,240live in Kansas City Missouri and however bad it sounds I don't watch a ton of22700:18:02,240 --> 00:18:07,200news so like as happenings are going on I'm not always aware of hurricanes22800:18:07,200 --> 00:18:13,840coming. We're gonna have a couple photos to insert here of Bo the cat. He's22900:18:13,840 --> 00:18:18,560trying to hit our trying to turn off our record button. I watched him go for it23000:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,960twice. He's probably be sliding the volume buttons there. No I keep an eye23100:18:21,960 --> 00:18:26,400peeled on it. What is he doing? I think he's just wanting to be the center of23200:18:26,400 --> 00:18:30,680attention. They both are he's purring up. Yeah Joey is here as well we each have a23300:18:30,680 --> 00:18:35,280lap cat going on. So I'm pretty sure she's shared with me that they went on23400:18:35,280 --> 00:18:40,600vacation here on an annual basis. Yeah. Or several times growing up and I'm gonna23500:18:40,600 --> 00:18:44,400show you on Google Maps where we're going. Awesome. I really go remember you23600:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,080talking about that when the hurricane first happened. So here we are23700:18:48,080 --> 00:18:56,000Sanibel Lighthouse 4.6 out of 5 stars. It's pretty good. 2000 ratings. So I'm23800:18:56,000 --> 00:19:01,120gonna zoom out. I was just gonna say and you know some of those reviews are like23900:19:01,120 --> 00:19:08,720it was raining. Yeah I can't believe it. I couldn't see anything. This experience sucked.24000:19:08,720 --> 00:19:18,400It wasn't warm. So Sanibel Lighthouse is on this east coast of Sanibel Island which24100:19:18,400 --> 00:19:22,800is a string of islands as you can see going up the coast. And we'll keep24200:19:22,800 --> 00:19:27,320zooming out but this is Fort Myers Florida. So we're on the west coast of24300:19:27,320 --> 00:19:31,720Florida. We can zoom back in too but Key West is down south. Oh so it's pretty24400:19:31,720 --> 00:19:36,960southern part of Florida. For those are familiar it's Sarasota Naples.24500:19:36,960 --> 00:19:42,120Splits the difference. So Key West is down south but apparently Florida has a24600:19:42,120 --> 00:19:47,760lot of outlying islands on the west coast towards the Gulf. I didn't know that.24700:19:47,760 --> 00:19:52,160Yeah when you scroll out they're not even not visible. Gulf of Mexico but Cuba is24800:19:52,160 --> 00:19:57,840down there which again we'll come into the story later. But going back in24900:19:57,840 --> 00:20:02,440Sanibel Island is uniquely one of the islands that's not running north and25000:20:02,440 --> 00:20:07,440south in this area. It runs east to west and so Sanibel Island Lighthouse there's25100:20:07,440 --> 00:20:11,320a beach right here. There's another beach that's really popular and then there's a25200:20:11,320 --> 00:20:15,440fishing pier. There's lots going on on this island for people to go visit.25300:20:15,440 --> 00:20:22,320Hurricane Ian has kind of reset that but it's islands still there. That bridge25400:20:22,320 --> 00:20:25,520you can see on the maps is that the one that was destroyed? It was. It's the25500:20:25,520 --> 00:20:31,320only bridge out there I think. Oh wow. A section of it was knocked out which25600:20:31,320 --> 00:20:37,760isolated all the power was cut off to the island and travel as well. I25700:20:37,760 --> 00:20:42,680read coverage from someone who was on the island during the hurricane and25800:20:42,680 --> 00:20:47,840that they were just you know just hoping that their house would hold up and that25900:20:47,840 --> 00:20:51,600they were gonna live. It's just crazy that people have to experience those26000:20:51,600 --> 00:20:55,960kinds of things. I have a lot of glass artists that live in this area too.26100:20:55,960 --> 00:21:02,400Oh really? Yeah and they had to they just they didn't they told people to evacuate26200:21:02,400 --> 00:21:07,760but they didn't really. They keep doing that. Yeah they didn't really specify26300:21:07,760 --> 00:21:14,200that like oh the water level is gonna creep up this many feet. Your house is26400:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,760gonna be underwater. It's like you may not get the brunt of the storm but26500:21:17,760 --> 00:21:23,160there's your it's gonna be flooded even if you yeah it's just a lot of horror26600:21:23,160 --> 00:21:26,000stories of people watching the water just get closer to their house and be26700:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,240like okay like it looks like we're gonna have to leave and then all of a sudden26800:21:29,240 --> 00:21:32,760they're fighting for their lives to get out of there. Yeah I've got a lot to26900:21:32,760 --> 00:21:37,400cover with herkinia. No no I actually really appreciate it because it's I27000:21:37,400 --> 00:21:43,160watched I think there's two hours of YouTube video that some guy made on the27100:21:43,160 --> 00:21:48,280storm driving around. Oh no. He's driving around with his wife filming and he's27200:21:48,280 --> 00:21:52,240narrating what's going on with all these I don't know the area but people who27300:21:52,240 --> 00:21:55,440know the area here's this resort here's what it looks like. Yeah. Here's this27400:21:55,440 --> 00:22:01,600store here's what it looks like. You know these estates here and so on. He knows27500:22:01,600 --> 00:22:05,480the island really well he's a local guy and then another video that's a drone27600:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,440footage which I will show us actually. Cool. And people in the drone footage27700:22:09,440 --> 00:22:13,320comments are like oh it doesn't look that bad. It's like there's no street.27800:22:13,320 --> 00:22:19,720Yeah. The house many of the houses are gone. Utilities are failed. Also even if27900:22:19,720 --> 00:22:23,600your house is still standing the inside needs to be completely gutted. It's like28000:22:23,600 --> 00:22:29,280there's nothing that water touches that would survive especially rushing floods28100:22:29,280 --> 00:22:33,160like this is not it's not just like oh it's just my basement flooded it's just28200:22:33,160 --> 00:22:38,480a little stagnant water down there. It's like this is like so hurricane Ian which28300:22:38,480 --> 00:22:44,200is a focus point right now. Yeah. That was September of 2022 and it stretched28400:22:44,200 --> 00:22:49,200from I believe from Cuba all the way up to South Carolina was the impacts maybe28500:22:49,200 --> 00:22:54,720even further north. Wow. 161 fatalities. I didn't know 161 people passed away.28600:22:54,720 --> 00:23:01,16013 were missing. I don't know if they're included in the assumed dead. Yeah. The28700:23:01,160 --> 00:23:06,880total damage in the United States dollars is 113 billion dollars. What? Yeah.28800:23:06,880 --> 00:23:11,800Third costliest tropical cyclone on record. It is the costliest in Florida's28900:23:11,800 --> 00:23:19,400history. So areas Trinidad Tobago Venezuela Columbia ABC Islands Jamaica29000:23:19,400 --> 00:23:25,360Cayman Islands Cuba South East United States especially Florida and Carolinas.29100:23:25,360 --> 00:23:30,560Yeah. So this is good timing the other side of the US is about to get hit with29200:23:30,560 --> 00:23:33,960a hurricane to the west coast which I guess hasn't happened in like 80 years.29300:23:33,960 --> 00:23:40,280Yeah. So I wanted to before we move on from this this is a comment. Numerous29400:23:40,280 --> 00:23:44,200collectors because of the east west running on the island it collects tons29500:23:44,200 --> 00:23:50,960of seashells. Oh yeah. It's like one of the best in the world and and Lighthouse29600:23:50,960 --> 00:23:54,200Beach is one of the best spots so numerous collectors flocked to the29700:23:54,200 --> 00:23:58,960island now known worldwide for its shelling and combed the beaches hunched29800:23:58,960 --> 00:24:03,480over and what is called the quote Sanibel stoop looking for the perfect29900:24:03,480 --> 00:24:08,360shell. I love seashells it's like my sisters and I were trying to plan a trip30000:24:08,360 --> 00:24:13,200to Florida and we ended up going to Fort Lauderdale but I was pushing for San30100:24:13,200 --> 00:24:17,200Abel Island because of the shells. I was like where's the best shelling in30200:24:17,200 --> 00:24:21,560Florida and hands down San Abel Island. So I tried really hard to push for that30300:24:21,560 --> 00:24:25,920but the nearest airports like two hours away or something. For I don't know if30400:24:25,920 --> 00:24:32,160it's Tampa. Oh maybe. I just closed the map but you don't look at it again. No no it's30500:24:32,160 --> 00:24:36,320fine. I just Fort Myers is probably not the easiest place to get to. Yeah I just30600:24:36,320 --> 00:24:42,960remember us we were looking it up that the travel from landing in an airplane30700:24:42,960 --> 00:24:47,240to get to San Abel Island was just too it's just too much. Yeah Tampa's up the30800:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,800coast Sarasota I know yeah there's plenty of airports but the cost and30900:24:51,800 --> 00:24:56,120coming from Kansas City. We'd have to rent a car. That's one of our challenges31000:24:56,120 --> 00:25:02,240guys as a lighthouse podcasters is we want to go see more lighthouses. I've31100:25:02,240 --> 00:25:07,040actually told people hey we're coming you know in September and we're not31200:25:07,040 --> 00:25:12,840going. It's just it's difficult to get together logistics for us but we love to31300:25:12,840 --> 00:25:17,060hear from people. We've been really lucky this year to hear from many people at31400:25:17,060 --> 00:25:20,480different lighthouses who are listeners. It's been awesome. Yeah we love it.31500:25:20,480 --> 00:25:25,040Connect us to it. We live vicariously through people who live near lighthouses. So that's the San31600:25:25,040 --> 00:25:31,080Abel stoop. The causeway so the road the bridge yeah connecting the island to the31700:25:31,080 --> 00:25:36,160mainland was not constructed until 1963. So before that time a ferry had31800:25:36,160 --> 00:25:40,920transported people to and from the island. Oh so yeah there's your ferry the31900:25:40,920 --> 00:25:48,400islander. Oh cute nice old cars. Isn't that cool. It'd be a great job. What is this32000:25:48,400 --> 00:25:54,440picture from? So this is the ferry going about to land on San Abel Island. Is this32100:25:54,440 --> 00:25:59,800from US LHS archives or is this? This is from lighthousefriends.com. Okay it's one32200:25:59,800 --> 00:26:02,960of their four or five images they had referenced. They probably got this from32300:26:02,960 --> 00:26:10,240US LHS. Yeah just for a note for people if you ever want to see well the US LHS32400:26:10,240 --> 00:26:13,720has an archives where you can find literally everything. You can find32500:26:13,720 --> 00:26:21,240keepers logs from any period of time any lighthouse. You can find like what's it32600:26:21,240 --> 00:26:27,960called? Not biographies. Logs. But just pages on keepers and stuff that happened32700:26:27,960 --> 00:26:32,640the lighthouse. Pictures of all kinds of stuff. I thought this was cool. Yeah.32800:26:32,640 --> 00:26:39,240Let's do our next. Yeah it's a good image too. Very cool. Another black and white image. The first32900:26:39,240 --> 00:26:43,680settlement on the island was actually 1833. Oh my. Small group of settlers33000:26:43,680 --> 00:26:47,280petitioned for a lighthouse at that time but the request was not successful.33100:26:47,280 --> 00:26:53,320Because there was so few of them. Neither was a settlement. Yeah. Oh no. They were only there for five33200:26:53,320 --> 00:26:58,480years. So disease and hardship the settlement was abandoned. Oh man. Well they're really33300:26:58,480 --> 00:27:04,840separated. So that was the first first recorded peoples on the island. Yeah. So33400:27:04,840 --> 00:27:09,2001830s and then to the east we just talked about that that bay over there.33500:27:09,200 --> 00:27:13,840That bay started to grow in business transporting cattle from the United33600:27:13,840 --> 00:27:17,520States who'd come down to Florida. Okay. Cattle would get on boats and then they'd33700:27:17,520 --> 00:27:24,040be shipped to Cuba. So that was kind of the first pathway growth of industry in33800:27:24,040 --> 00:27:30,280the area. So that necessitated another lighthouse appeal. So. Spectacular. Did not mean to do that but that's cool.33900:27:30,280 --> 00:27:34,800This picture he's showing is cool. That's really old but it's a the dock to the34000:27:34,800 --> 00:27:39,360lighthouse has a little pathway with like it must be like a little fence but34100:27:39,360 --> 00:27:43,080those little bulbous things lining the way. It's like it's almost it's fancy.34200:27:43,080 --> 00:27:49,400Yeah. And it's across the whole island at the tip. Yeah spans the whole thing.34300:27:49,400 --> 00:27:54,7201856 the lighthouse board recommended a beacon was established on the island. No34400:27:54,720 --> 00:28:00,000action was taken. After the Civil War which is so crazy all this is happened34500:28:00,000 --> 00:28:04,600before the Civil War. Yeah. Another request for finding the lighthouse funding the34600:28:04,600 --> 00:28:10,680lighthouse 1878 accompanied by the following justification. They come34700:28:10,680 --> 00:28:15,280forward with reasoning now. Let's quote it. A lighthouse on Sanibel Island would34800:28:15,280 --> 00:28:19,080supply a want that has long been felt for lighthouse between the Key West and34900:28:19,080 --> 00:28:24,680Egmont Key. The coast wise yeah coast wise trade of Florida is considerable and35000:28:24,680 --> 00:28:28,720increasing. A great number of sailing vessels also six steamers are now35100:28:28,720 --> 00:28:32,840plying between Key West and the ports of West Coast of Florida. Vessels bound35200:28:32,840 --> 00:28:36,640across Florida Bay make their landfall and take their departure from the35300:28:36,640 --> 00:28:41,720southern point of Sanibel Island. Congress again was slow but they35400:28:41,720 --> 00:28:46,080appointed fifty thousand dollars in 1883. Wow that's a lot of money for that time35500:28:46,080 --> 00:28:53,560period. You think it's partly because they had to ship materials or yeah the35600:28:53,560 --> 00:29:00,000transportation. And one of those ships sank. No with stuff. Yeah for two35700:29:00,000 --> 00:29:08,120lighthouses. Oh my god. So work on the lighthouse began in February of 1884. The35800:29:08,120 --> 00:29:11,240structure was fabricated in the north and shipped to the site. So the work it35900:29:11,240 --> 00:29:15,720wasn't built on site but it was erected there. Yeah. So 162 foot long teahead36000:29:15,720 --> 00:29:20,240wharf was built on piles which is what we see which allowed materials to be36100:29:20,240 --> 00:29:24,880landed for the tower and two square keepers delings which are topped with36200:29:24,880 --> 00:29:31,720tipped roofs and supported by iron pilings to the ground. Okay. So two miles36300:29:31,720 --> 00:29:35,840from Sanibel Island the ship carrying iron work from Jersey City for the36400:29:35,840 --> 00:29:41,560towers at both Sanibel Island and I think it's pronounced Cape San Blas BLAS.36500:29:41,560 --> 00:29:47,080The ship sank. So crews above two lighthouse tenders assisted by a diver36600:29:47,080 --> 00:29:51,960were able to fish up all the pieces to save except for two calorie brackets.36700:29:51,960 --> 00:29:58,280So like the railings. So they had to. Except for two gallery brackets. Couldn't find those. That's so cool that they could36800:29:58,280 --> 00:30:03,880recover everything. So the lighthouse came out of the water before it was erected.36900:30:03,880 --> 00:30:08,360They're like let's adequately soak these items and then we'll construct it.37000:30:08,360 --> 00:30:14,720They're seasoned. Now they're seasoned by the sea blessed by Poseidon. Yeah 188437100:30:14,720 --> 00:30:21,720that was. Maybe that's why it's still standing today. They had done some work on it. Oh dang.37200:30:21,720 --> 00:30:29,080Almost good. Yeah those those brackets came from New Orleans. So the both of the37300:30:29,080 --> 00:30:34,360towers consisted of four iron legs that were arranged in a pyramid fashion37400:30:34,360 --> 00:30:38,560around a cylindrical column topped by a lantern room. The lantern was ready to be37500:30:38,560 --> 00:30:44,280lit by keeper Dudley Richardson on August 20th 1884 which is still so long ago.37600:30:44,280 --> 00:30:49,040It is. Third order Fresnel lens or Fresnel lens. Oh gotcha. Got me.37700:30:49,040 --> 00:30:55,200Grace the tower at a height of about 98 feet and produced a white fixed light37800:30:55,200 --> 00:30:58,760punctuated every two minutes by a brilliant flash. So I don't know how they37900:30:58,760 --> 00:31:02,760do that. Could you see the light at all times? And then it would flash because38000:31:02,760 --> 00:31:07,840like it was magnified for. Can you repeat what the. So the lights constant white.38100:31:07,840 --> 00:31:13,840Okay. And it would flash every two minutes. So there's a rotating component38200:31:13,840 --> 00:31:20,000and then you can see the light like incidentally like you can see right at38300:31:20,000 --> 00:31:23,360it I guess if you're close. It must be. This is why I need to do a history38400:31:23,360 --> 00:31:27,760booy on Fresnel lenses but it must be that there were no bulls eyes on each38500:31:27,760 --> 00:31:32,960side it was just panels and then one side maybe was just a different color or38600:31:32,960 --> 00:31:37,440maybe there was a bulls eye that was a different color. Yeah interesting. They38700:31:37,440 --> 00:31:41,200didn't have. Every time we look at lighthouses I think that kind of is given38800:31:41,200 --> 00:31:46,120or just not really focused on. Yeah. So the history is not the technology is not38900:31:46,120 --> 00:31:51,000always covered. A couple of engineers always want to know. Yeah. So the but39000:31:51,000 --> 00:31:55,840what's cool about this lighthouse and I'll go to the next photo now is the39100:31:55,840 --> 00:32:02,280the center column is about 20 feet off the ground. So you need there's a39200:32:02,280 --> 00:32:06,840staircase to get to it that's built in as well. The staircase was lost in39300:32:06,840 --> 00:32:13,200Hurricane Ian but I don't know why that is. I just think it's not necessary for39400:32:13,200 --> 00:32:18,440it to go to the ground. I think it was segmented the way it was and it could be39500:32:18,440 --> 00:32:21,640built that way and it's like it's got the legs why would it need the center to go39600:32:21,640 --> 00:32:24,760to the ground. It's not a structural component. Okay. Oh yeah. The structure is all39700:32:24,760 --> 00:32:30,640exterior. Oh you would think by looking at it that the center column is what's39800:32:30,640 --> 00:32:34,800structuring like what's keeping it in the ground. So they have a ladder that39900:32:34,800 --> 00:32:38,600goes up to the base of the column and then from there there's a stairway. Yep40000:32:38,600 --> 00:32:42,720stairway is internal to it. Very cool. So really that center column is just for40100:32:42,720 --> 00:32:48,000people to go up and down and potentially also the weight system that we've talked40200:32:48,000 --> 00:32:52,800about. The clockwork system. Again I didn't find details on that but I was40300:32:52,800 --> 00:32:56,120fascinated by the structure so all the load supporting is on the exterior.40400:32:56,120 --> 00:33:02,240Compared to like a brick tower that yes or concrete tower. You wouldn't think40500:33:02,240 --> 00:33:07,440that'd be enough when you look at it. There's eight legs going to the ground40600:33:07,440 --> 00:33:14,920that look small. Yeah. Yeah from the bottom to connect to the ground. You can see40700:33:14,920 --> 00:33:18,880there's the four major corners which are probably the largest load and then in40800:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,840between the four corners there's a segment that goes up just two segments40900:33:21,840 --> 00:33:27,040and then from there you just have the four that go up. Yeah. Interesting. I'm41000:33:27,040 --> 00:33:31,000sure it's engineered. Oh yeah. I mean if it can withstand hurricanes then. And41100:33:31,000 --> 00:33:35,880its design was used a couple of different times. Is it brown because it's41200:33:35,880 --> 00:33:42,080rusted? It is corroded. Yep. Okay. And it was restored in 2013. I don't know the41300:33:42,080 --> 00:33:46,280this says 2021 so this would have been right before. It's a solid decade ago.41400:33:46,280 --> 00:33:53,200It's still as far as lighthouses go that's true pretty recent. Accompanied by41500:33:53,200 --> 00:34:03,680his wife and two sons Henry Shanahan the first keeper. I thought it was Dudley. This is 1888. Oh I see.41600:34:03,680 --> 00:34:08,920You're right it was Dudley. It was 1884 so he was the first keeper. Okay. Second41700:34:08,920 --> 00:34:12,320keeper I believe and there's only I have a list at the bottom. I think there's41800:34:12,320 --> 00:34:16,240eight throughout the lighthouse's history. There was eight headkeepers. Yeah.41900:34:16,240 --> 00:34:25,96023 assistant. 23. Yeah crazy. So Dudley was 1884 to 1892.42000:34:25,960 --> 00:34:30,440Shanahan was not the headkeeper when he arrived. That's why. Okay. 1892 took over.42100:34:30,440 --> 00:34:37,760So glad we got that ironed out. Yeah. So he moved from Key West in 1888. Two42200:34:37,760 --> 00:34:41,400years later became the assistant keeper of the lighthouse. When Richardson42300:34:41,400 --> 00:34:46,680resigned Dudley in 1892 Shanahan applied for the position of head keeper. Nice. At42400:34:46,680 --> 00:34:51,680first the lighthouse authorities refused to promote him since he was illiterate.42500:34:51,680 --> 00:34:57,080How do you write keepers logs? You wouldn't. And how do you even be an42600:34:57,080 --> 00:35:03,560assistant keeper? I mean I'm we're just I'm so spoiled we're born in then late42700:35:03,560 --> 00:35:09,0001900s like we're old now. Well you know around that time it's like it's kind of42800:35:09,000 --> 00:35:12,480like I was just thinking about this the other day like I would have never42900:35:12,480 --> 00:35:16,760learned stained glass if I weren't an apprentice for a stained glass artist in43000:35:16,760 --> 00:35:21,120this time period. Like well like the modern thing of like working on cars I43100:35:21,120 --> 00:35:26,200don't understand I like I'm a mechanical engineer as far as what I studied in43200:35:26,200 --> 00:35:30,480school sure but that doesn't mean I can fix cars. Yeah. I just watch YouTube and43300:35:30,480 --> 00:35:34,800I'm like okay that's how that guy did it. Yeah. He learned it from a book maybe or43400:35:34,800 --> 00:35:38,480a master mechanic but like the things that were empowered to do today are43500:35:38,480 --> 00:35:44,760so crazy. Yeah. It is like you didn't go to school unless you were gonna be a43600:35:44,760 --> 00:35:49,120scholar or like a politician or something it's like if you were doing43700:35:49,120 --> 00:35:53,880something like being an assistant keeper it's it's more like you need to be an43800:35:53,880 --> 00:35:59,160apprentice for something and I remember reading to that one of the camera where43900:35:59,160 --> 00:36:06,280oh Little Ross I think one of the keepers he was an apprentice for like a44000:36:06,280 --> 00:36:14,080boat something boat related or camera but yes and then over time he had seen44100:36:14,080 --> 00:36:16,800the lighthouse so much that he wanted to be a part of that and that's how he44200:36:16,800 --> 00:36:20,200became a lighthouse keeper. Fascinated by it. But like you just didn't go to44300:36:20,200 --> 00:36:24,240school unless it was relevant to what you were planning on doing which was not44400:36:24,240 --> 00:36:28,680like today it's like you have to be educated and then you can decide what44500:36:28,680 --> 00:36:32,200you want to do whether that just be through high school or middle school or44600:36:32,200 --> 00:36:37,160whatever. And there's you know there's pressures through that just like you44700:36:37,160 --> 00:36:41,560know I know being what 16 17 years old and supposedly deciding like what your44800:36:41,560 --> 00:36:44,680life is gonna be. Oh disaster. I don't know that that was that different actually44900:36:44,680 --> 00:36:49,240because 16 17 back then you probably have to be making money. Yeah you have to45000:36:49,240 --> 00:36:55,440be close to being an adult so gotta be responsible for something but so that45100:36:55,440 --> 00:37:00,760was he was literate but he threatened to otherwise resign so they gave him the45200:37:00,760 --> 00:37:07,440position. That was easy. Master negotiator. After a few years of living in the45300:37:07,440 --> 00:37:12,120lighthouse Shanahan's wife died I'm not sure how. Leaving him with seven45400:37:12,120 --> 00:37:19,200children. Oh good heavens. In town. In town. A widow named Irene Rutland happened to45500:37:19,200 --> 00:37:25,040also be living with her five children as a single woman. Oh my gosh. Soon she and45600:37:25,040 --> 00:37:28,880Shanahan struck it off and got married. They combined forces. And they had45700:37:28,880 --> 00:37:35,040another son. And together they had 13 children. That's a lot. So yes. Oh gosh.45800:37:35,040 --> 00:37:40,400This is written on the. Needless to say the family helped run the lighthouse.45900:37:40,400 --> 00:37:46,960Yeah they have. That's good. One keeper and now 15 assistant keepers. 13 children.46000:37:46,960 --> 00:37:52,200Or 13. The Shanahan's had a pet deer that would race up and down the beach along46100:37:52,200 --> 00:37:57,820with a trained cat that would roll over like a dog. Good cat. Henry passed away in46200:37:57,820 --> 00:38:05,3201913 after 23 years of the lighthouse. His son Eugene who had served. Yeah served46300:38:05,320 --> 00:38:09,840as a lighthouse assistant for several years. Would later come back in 1924 so46400:38:09,840 --> 00:38:13,36011 years later to carry on the family's connection to the lighthouse. Kind of46500:38:13,360 --> 00:38:19,920neat. Clarice Rutland one of the step sons. Oh Clarence. I'm sorry Clarence.46600:38:19,920 --> 00:38:24,000Served as an assistant keeper from a stint in the 1920s and again in the 30s.46700:38:24,000 --> 00:38:27,920So the family was around for a while. You had that many kids. You know. Rutland left46800:38:27,920 --> 00:38:32,840the description of the daily routine of the lighthouse. I'm not sure which one.46900:38:32,840 --> 00:38:37,920Which Rutland. There were two men at a time. We changed watch each night at 12.47000:38:37,920 --> 00:38:44,160It was an oil light then. We take a five gallon can up full in the47100:38:44,160 --> 00:38:48,360afternoon. Pump the light and bring the can down empty in the morning. Just crazy.47200:38:48,360 --> 00:38:52,160Five gallons. It's always five gallons. Those Home Depot buckets are47300:38:52,160 --> 00:38:58,040five gallons. Crazy. So heavy. Somebody had to be with it almost every minute it47400:38:58,040 --> 00:39:02,320being the light. Yeah. During the day we had curtains we hung around every one of47500:39:02,320 --> 00:39:08,120those prisms. So a lot of work which is nothing new for lighthouses but it's47600:39:08,120 --> 00:39:14,360always crazy. Yeah. Another key event in 1919. The assistant keeper was shot and47700:39:14,360 --> 00:39:20,240killed. What? Yep. Where? In Fort Myers Press. June 23rd of 1919 reported that47800:39:20,240 --> 00:39:25,480Jesse W Lee of Fort Myers had shot and killed Richard T Barry, assistant keeper47900:39:25,480 --> 00:39:31,080of the lighthouse, the day before around noon after Barry had reportedly insulted48000:39:31,080 --> 00:39:35,920Lee's wife and refused to apologize. Five months later a jury in Fort Myers48100:39:35,920 --> 00:39:40,520acquitted Lee of the murder. He admitted killing the assistant keeper but claimed48200:39:40,520 --> 00:39:44,280it was in self-defense. Wait a minute. I think I've heard this story before. No way.48300:39:44,280 --> 00:39:51,800Yes. No way. Like why? Was this a story where he went and got his gun from the48400:39:51,800 --> 00:39:57,400house and then came back and shot him? I don't know. Because either something very48500:39:57,400 --> 00:40:02,000similar happened to somebody else. I'll have to. It's in the station's logbook48600:40:02,000 --> 00:40:08,080that the head keeper Charles Williams received word about 130 that his48700:40:08,080 --> 00:40:11,800assistant had been shot and killed the day he was killed. Was it outside the48800:40:11,800 --> 00:40:15,640lighthouse or was it like out? It was in town I think. Okay then never mind.48900:40:15,640 --> 00:40:21,600Oh business. Yeah I think he was off. I think he was off duty. The next day, the49000:40:21,600 --> 00:40:26,640next day the lighthouse tender ship Ivy arrived at the station bringing Mrs.49100:40:26,640 --> 00:40:32,600Barry, who was the wife of the deceased and a new assistant keeper. Oh my gosh.49200:40:32,600 --> 00:40:38,080The next day. They're like we have this guy lined up ready to go. He was only 4549300:40:38,080 --> 00:40:42,480years old. They took him to Key West for burial. He'd been in Key West as an49400:40:42,480 --> 00:40:47,920engineer before his role as a keeper. 1923 the dwellings were modernized49500:40:47,920 --> 00:40:52,480receiving indoor plumbing and bathrooms and enclosed porches. Actually sounds49600:40:52,480 --> 00:40:56,440like a great place to be. Yeah. Same year the light was converted from kerosene to49700:40:56,440 --> 00:41:01,360acetylene gas which is like those small lanterns you pump up. You press your head and they49800:41:01,360 --> 00:41:07,800glow white. Oh yeah. Roughly 670 acres were originally reserved for the49900:41:07,800 --> 00:41:13,600lighthouse but by 23, 1923, the boundary of the station property extended only a50000:41:13,600 --> 00:41:18,000thousand feet west of the lighthouse. As we've talked about before islands are50100:41:18,000 --> 00:41:26,120moving. So it was getting a little tight. Yeah. There was a Coast Guardsman named50200:41:26,120 --> 00:41:30,600Bob England. He came to the lighthouse in 1946 with his wife May and infant50300:41:30,600 --> 00:41:34,720daughter Margaret. The following year hurricane caused severe erosion of the50400:41:34,720 --> 00:41:39,960island and left one of the dwellings standing in a foot of water. Due to in50500:41:39,960 --> 00:41:43,640part to concerns of erosion the lighthouse is automated in 1949. So that50600:41:43,640 --> 00:41:48,400was only three years after he arrived. This particular keeper. England was50700:41:48,400 --> 00:41:52,280assigned to the Fort Myers Coast Guard station from where it continued to serve50800:41:52,280 --> 00:41:56,120a standable light island along with other gates navigation the area. So it's50900:41:56,120 --> 00:42:01,720kind of interesting and like oh there's corrosion going on. Maybe that's one of51000:42:01,720 --> 00:42:07,240the reasons the tower is built the way it is with the main component not on the51100:42:07,240 --> 00:42:12,120ground. Because it would just invite too much. Well the elevation of51200:42:12,120 --> 00:42:17,400St. Abel Island is three feet above sea level. Oh. So they just assume at some51300:42:17,400 --> 00:42:23,280points it'll be flooded. Maybe. I've never considered that until just now. So even51400:42:23,280 --> 00:42:28,880though he moved away the dwellings were not really ever empty. The island had a51500:42:28,880 --> 00:42:36,800large part of it in 1949 assigned to the J.N. Bing Darling National Wildlife Fresh51600:42:36,800 --> 00:42:40,240Food which is still there. Okay. Which is really nice. It's a gorgeous section of51700:42:40,240 --> 00:42:45,840the island. Charles LeBuff lived in the assistance keeper cottage for 21 years51800:42:45,840 --> 00:42:50,480starting in 1958. So they were rented out or you could buy them. They're rented out51900:42:50,480 --> 00:42:57,040and I think up until now I know I'm gonna mention it. I've got a lot I'm just52000:42:57,040 --> 00:43:00,360reading here. I'm sorry guys but I think it's really interesting. Oh yeah. But I'm52100:43:00,360 --> 00:43:05,760pretty sure they were occupied by government officials that for taking52200:43:05,760 --> 00:43:10,300care of the lighthouse grounds that was their rent. So they were they're rented52300:43:10,300 --> 00:43:15,360in a way. Okay. They're owned by the city. Yeah. And yeah I'm gonna shortcut part of52400:43:15,360 --> 00:43:19,560this. And the shortcut says they went from the Coast Guard who stopped taking52500:43:19,560 --> 00:43:23,960care of them to the BLM the Bureau of Land Management which is big up in52600:43:23,960 --> 00:43:30,440Montana Wyoming and then Bureau of Land Management sold it almost gifted it to52700:43:30,440 --> 00:43:35,680the city. So the city owns the lighthouse again and still manages it. Okay. So that52800:43:35,680 --> 00:43:41,520will fast forward us some in the story. Sanibel County Council awarded almost52900:43:41,520 --> 00:43:47,640270 thousand dollars to a company in 2013 to restore the lighthouse. In that53000:43:47,640 --> 00:43:51,320restoration they replaced this company replaced sections of deteriorated steel53100:43:51,320 --> 00:43:56,920on the tower then sanded and painted the exterior. The city of Sanibel certainly53200:43:56,920 --> 00:44:00,440showed its commitment to preserving the lighthouse property. 2016 the lighthouse53300:44:00,440 --> 00:44:04,760dwellings were added to the city of Sanibel's a register of the stress53400:44:04,760 --> 00:44:09,880register for historic sites and structures. Okay. Or the resources. There53500:44:09,880 --> 00:44:13,720was a man come lots of those. So I just I don't know I think it's pretty neat.53600:44:13,720 --> 00:44:19,760Those dwellings are gone now aren't they? They are. Dang. Here's before and after53700:44:19,760 --> 00:44:27,400Hurricane Ian. Oh no. This is actually the image this came from Instagram. Yeah.53800:44:27,400 --> 00:44:32,760This is actually the image that our friend had shared with us. Ah it's just53900:44:32,760 --> 00:44:39,600the island. Everything's gone. It's and it's so it changed the silhouette of the54000:44:39,600 --> 00:44:46,280island entirely. Like it's it's so it ate away. I mean that's got to be how many54100:44:46,280 --> 00:44:49,960feet do you think that is that now the water is right next to the lighthouse?54200:44:49,960 --> 00:44:55,960100 feet of beach are gone. So much vegetation destroyed. The fishing dock was gone.54300:44:55,960 --> 00:45:03,280Houses are gone. Everything's gone. Yeah. Oh they have a dock. Yeah. So we'll I got54400:45:03,280 --> 00:45:09,880more coverage on that. Hurricane September 22 Hurricane Ian category 454500:45:09,880 --> 00:45:14,000category 4 storm ravaged Sanibel and swept away two keepers dwellings at54600:45:14,000 --> 00:45:19,400Sanibel Island lighthouse along with the oil house and a portion of one of the54700:45:19,400 --> 00:45:23,960four main legs that support the tower. Yeah. A section of the causeway leading54800:45:23,960 --> 00:45:26,880to the island collapsed during the storm leaving the island cut off from54900:45:26,880 --> 00:45:32,760immediate aid. The pieces get this the pieces of the support leg lost from the55000:45:32,760 --> 00:45:39,560storm were later recovered. No. Yeah. Yeah. That's insane. That's barely any material. They found it.55100:45:39,560 --> 00:45:44,320A structural engineer hired to assess the damage structure found it the structure55200:45:44,320 --> 00:45:49,200to be structurally sound with three legs. Oh no. So it's just left like that.55300:45:49,200 --> 00:45:54,200They repaired it. Okay. That would have been awesome though. The stairs were gone so they had to use a55400:45:54,200 --> 00:45:57,720ladder to even get to it and he's like yep this thing's good with his inspection.55500:45:57,720 --> 00:46:05,240That's insane. That is crazy. Oh yeah that other leg was just for show. Also how55600:46:05,240 --> 00:46:09,200crazy would it be like when you see how much sand has been moved by this55700:46:09,200 --> 00:46:15,160storm like that's it's shocking that it wouldn't just be buried beneath 10 feet55800:46:15,160 --> 00:46:19,840of sand. The fact that it's standing. Yeah. Just the tower. That's what it's made for.55900:46:19,840 --> 00:46:24,480That's why they do skeleton line houses. It's just they have just the wind56000:46:24,480 --> 00:46:29,360resistance you know. Less surface area. Yeah the wind just goes right through it.56100:46:29,360 --> 00:46:33,480There's no it's not taking the brunt of any high winds it just goes straight56200:46:33,480 --> 00:46:40,560through the lighthouse. It's just a bunch of pipes basically. Strong stuff. So after56300:46:40,560 --> 00:46:45,360Hurricane Ian the Florida Lighthouse Association provided $60,000 in56400:46:45,360 --> 00:46:51,560emergency funds to help repair Sanibel Island as well as Boca Grande lighthouse56500:46:51,560 --> 00:46:56,880and Gasparia Island lighthouse. I'm my pronunciation. You think those are nearby? They are.56600:46:56,880 --> 00:47:01,920Okay. I checked into them. Yep. Five months to the day after Hurricane Ian56700:47:01,920 --> 00:47:06,280nearly toppled Sanibel Island lighthouse a relighting ceremony was held at the56800:47:06,280 --> 00:47:10,700base of the tower early in the morning of February 28th. The reactivated56900:47:10,700 --> 00:47:14,400lighthouse served as a literal beacon of hope as an island community continued57000:47:14,400 --> 00:47:21,680its recovery. Let's get me. Very nice. Did they so did they have the same flash pattern for the57100:47:21,680 --> 00:47:26,960lighthouse? Did they change anything about it? No. Okay. No changes. That's good. I think I had other images that were57200:47:26,960 --> 00:47:31,720proud and cool but I had one from the base of the tower that showed this57300:47:31,720 --> 00:47:36,200scale of those houses and how big they are. Yeah. And now that they're gone I57400:47:36,200 --> 00:47:41,840just I've dumbfounded by how the tower is still there and all it's gone. Yeah57500:47:41,840 --> 00:47:47,080everything's wiped completely clean. Even there's not even any indication of57600:47:47,080 --> 00:47:51,320foundations there anymore. Yeah. Also I just realized those keepers57700:47:51,320 --> 00:47:55,800cottages are enormous for just having one head keeper and an assistant57800:47:55,800 --> 00:48:01,540sometimes. Very nice. I think they had multiple assistants at a time. Very big57900:48:01,540 --> 00:48:06,400and fancy. Oh they had like second and third assistants. Yep. Interesting. I58000:48:06,400 --> 00:48:10,560wanted to show you this a little bit out of order but this is so the city of58100:48:10,560 --> 00:48:15,640Sanibel their website is mysanibel.com. Okay. But you can go to Lee County58200:48:15,640 --> 00:48:22,280hurricane Ian damage assessments. This is my type of research. I go clicking and58300:48:22,280 --> 00:48:32,160this is to me is crazy. I'm clicking. I'm clicking. Clicking clicking clicking clicking.58400:48:32,160 --> 00:48:36,680All right so this shows the county that's why the borders are where they're58500:48:36,680 --> 00:48:41,160at. Whoa. But here's Sanibel Island. These are all instant reports of damage.58600:48:41,160 --> 00:48:45,800So the only here this is non-residential and non-commercial this is the58700:48:45,800 --> 00:48:51,320lighthouse or lighthouse. This is the Wildlife Reserve up here. But everywhere58800:48:51,320 --> 00:48:55,600else. These are all like buildings they're talking about. Yeah. So you can actually go look. So58900:48:55,600 --> 00:49:00,820reds are destroyed. Major damage minor affected. For everyone not on the59000:49:00,820 --> 00:49:07,480Instagram we're looking at a map on the website that shows little pins all over59100:49:07,480 --> 00:49:12,280where there was a house that was destroyed or had any sort of level of59200:49:12,280 --> 00:49:17,320damage and at the tip is of course the lighthouse cottages. Destroyed. So it's59300:49:17,320 --> 00:49:21,520only foundation remains is the description assessment and then if you59400:49:21,520 --> 00:49:25,560go down I think it shows the address and I looked up the address. Yep 11459500:49:25,560 --> 00:49:30,000periwinkle way. Periwinkle. I'm pretty sure that was one of those two. That's59600:49:30,000 --> 00:49:34,760interesting because often leading to a lighthouse like this road that you can59700:49:34,760 --> 00:49:40,720obviously see in the map. They're usually named lighthouse way from what I've seen59800:49:40,720 --> 00:49:45,120you know it's like a large percentage of the road names have something to do with59900:49:45,120 --> 00:49:49,400lighthouses and this one's just periwinkle. It's cute. That's a that's a60000:49:49,400 --> 00:49:54,920cooler. So that's just residential. Oh no. Show commercial as well and you know60100:49:54,920 --> 00:50:02,680it's a big tourism area so it's packed. It's a packed island. Yeah. 535 million.60200:50:02,680 --> 00:50:10,880Is that million? I don't know it goes off the page. Yeah. Major three billion60300:50:10,880 --> 00:50:17,480miners two billion total damages. Seven and a half billion dollars. That's in the60400:50:17,480 --> 00:50:22,840county. That's from one storm. In the county. Can you zoom in on the point at60500:50:22,840 --> 00:50:26,880the very end again? Because it doesn't say anything about the lighthouse. 15360600:50:26,880 --> 00:50:33,120periwinkle way. Oh that's that's another building. These are louvers. It's like a60700:50:33,120 --> 00:50:40,640door. Wow the door got blasted inward. That is pretty crazy. They have60800:50:40,640 --> 00:50:46,000pictures if you click on each pin they have some of them have pictures of the60900:50:46,000 --> 00:50:51,400damage and there's this door. It's a door that's still connected to the wall that61000:50:51,400 --> 00:50:56,560was just blasted in. Yeah so people are like oh it's just flooded. Nope it's like61100:50:56,560 --> 00:51:03,760punching through walls. Pretty wild. Total losses major damage. This is just61200:51:03,760 --> 00:51:08,520all these homes. All of them like almost all of them have a pin. If we go just61300:51:08,520 --> 00:51:15,280commercial. These are all businesses. Is this all water? So like between all the houses is water? I61400:51:15,280 --> 00:51:19,000think so. You think that's from the storm or is that was that intentional?61500:51:19,000 --> 00:51:23,400I think those are intentional. Oh yeah they're like channels. People have their boats in their backyards.61600:51:23,400 --> 00:51:28,800Oh so cool but you know some of these channels don't connect to the ocean. Really?61700:51:28,800 --> 00:51:35,520Yeah I was just looking. Like this one doesn't seem to connect anywhere. I bet61800:51:35,520 --> 00:51:39,680she gets out somewhere. We're in we're invested now. So they can go under that bridge.61900:51:39,680 --> 00:51:48,440Oh there it is. Oh yeah. Out north. There's Lighthouse Way. Oh there's always one somewhere.62000:51:48,440 --> 00:51:51,920Oh do you think the light? No I was gonna say you think Lighthouse used to be in a62100:51:51,920 --> 00:51:58,480different location. Battery's gonna die on us. Oh. I don't think so. I don't think so. I think it's been allocated.62200:51:58,480 --> 00:52:03,440It was built over here so but kind of interesting and then I was gonna show62300:52:03,440 --> 00:52:08,120you the aerial YouTube view but I don't think we need to cover that. It just shows.62400:52:08,120 --> 00:52:12,480We can put the link in our show notes so other people can watch it. I'll put it up62500:52:12,480 --> 00:52:17,840while we're closing out here. Okay. And a comment one last note someone left a note62600:52:17,840 --> 00:52:23,080on lighthousefriends.com. Craig writes the Sanibel stoop thing isn't just a62700:52:23,080 --> 00:52:26,960catchy phrase it's for real. During a visit to the island property on a Sunday62800:52:26,960 --> 00:52:30,600morning in 2006 we encountered dozens of people patrolling the beach looking for62900:52:30,600 --> 00:52:35,000the perfect seashell and yes a lot of the time they're bent over all at the63000:52:35,000 --> 00:52:40,320waist. One guy with a knatted sack knitted sack apparently made for shell63100:52:40,320 --> 00:52:43,120collecting waited about ten yards offshore and seemed to be having the63200:52:43,120 --> 00:52:47,760most success judging by his fullness of his sack. I was dying to join in on the63300:52:47,760 --> 00:52:51,640fun but unfortunately I was a tired for church and soon had to leave for the63400:52:51,640 --> 00:52:59,200other form of worship. Thank you Craig. So much fun. I love shelling. I am definitely63500:52:59,200 --> 00:53:03,520stooped over when I'm looking for seashells and I got my knitted sack.63600:53:03,520 --> 00:53:07,960Yeah it's like the one time that you and I were on vacation and I found a shark63700:53:07,960 --> 00:53:11,920tooth and I was like oh how cool I've never seen a shark tooth and then I63800:53:11,920 --> 00:53:15,840realized by talking to the other people who were shelling that they were all63900:53:15,840 --> 00:53:18,960looking for shark teeth and I had just happened to find one when I wasn't64000:53:18,960 --> 00:53:23,200looking for them. I was like oh yeah I just I just found one so they're around64100:53:23,200 --> 00:53:29,720and they were like oh you know get back. It's so crazy. It's like it is a discipline it is like a64200:53:29,720 --> 00:53:34,920it is like a way of life some people with the shelling well you know when you64300:53:34,920 --> 00:53:38,880take me on beach vacations I'm like well we better get up at five so that we can64400:53:38,880 --> 00:53:43,360beat the other people to shelling you're like what? All right I'm gonna insert a64500:53:43,360 --> 00:53:49,440picture right here Emily on her knee scooter after needing surgery didn't know64600:53:49,440 --> 00:53:54,400it at the time we literally got an all-terrain knee scooter I carried the64700:53:54,400 --> 00:53:59,320scooter and Emily crouched all the way across to the long beach get to the64800:53:59,320 --> 00:54:04,560water so you could ride her scooter to shell. Although I will say dedication I64900:54:04,560 --> 00:54:09,040first of all this was not an area that had shells it was where were we?65000:54:09,040 --> 00:54:13,640Hatterbanks, Hatteras. Yeah okay it was not a it had some shells but it had some65100:54:13,640 --> 00:54:18,280but they were already picked over yeah and I'm gonna insert a picture here of65200:54:18,280 --> 00:54:24,120Vince holding out shells because it was too hard to do it on my scooter so then65300:54:24,120 --> 00:54:32,280he took my place shelling. Do you have a picture? I do. All right well as always we65400:54:32,280 --> 00:54:35,760appreciate you guys listening this is a fun episode for me more professional than65500:54:35,760 --> 00:54:40,080my last one. Thanks for covering this one. You can tell from my excitement is that I65600:54:40,080 --> 00:54:45,320Florida's got a ton yeah they do yeah and it's fun to have a recommendation65700:54:45,320 --> 00:54:48,760from a personal friend of ours here in Kansas City. We love it when people give65800:54:48,760 --> 00:54:53,280us suggestions always anyone who lives near a lighthouse just send us an email65900:54:53,280 --> 00:54:56,160you don't have to tell us stories or anything just say I live near this66000:54:56,160 --> 00:55:01,840lighthouse you should cover it. It's a fact yeah awesome you know where to find us the66100:55:01,840 --> 00:55:07,720lighthouse slowdown calm also on Spotify YouTube everywhere everywhere all the66200:55:07,720 --> 00:55:12,880time we're not on Twitter but oh yeah that doesn't exist anymore now it's just X. Oh yeah we're66300:55:12,880 --> 00:55:19,880never on X or Twitter anyways yeah reach out to us we appreciate it and thank you66400:55:19,880 --> 00:55:46,800for listening to lighthouse lowdown.