Report for Five Finger Light Station (Alaska) - 1932
| General |
| District: | 16th |
| Inspector: | Various |
| Location: | On most S'ly of Five Finger Islands, S end of Stephens Passage |
| Date of Report: | 10/08/1932 |
| Latitude: | 57° 16' 05" |
| Longitude: | 133° 37' 21" |
| Premises |
| Site: | Public land reserved by Executive Order. |
| Date of Reservation: | 01/06/1901 |
| Date of Deed: | |
| Date of Permission: | |
| Date of Lease: | |
| Area of the Entire Site: | 1.3 acres |
| Area Inclosed: | None |
| Character of Soil: | |
| Distance of tower from Nearest High-Water Mark: | 40' |
| Inclosures to Premises / Type of Fence: | |
| Wharf or Landing on Premises: | Small wharf & landing ladder on E side. |
| Road to Land or Wharf Chararacter of and Distance: | |
| Means to Reach Light Station: | By gas boat from Juneau, 70 miles or from Petersburg, 40 miles. |
| Distance to Nearest Road: | |
| Distance to Post Office: | On regular mail route by gas boat from Juneau, service every week in summer, every 2 weeks in winter. |
| Distance to Village: | |
| Facilities for Public Conveyance: | |
| Facilities for Private Conveyance: | |
| Means Used for Support of Lantern: | Tower rises from one end of fog signal & dwelling. |
| Number of Separate Lights: | 1 |
| First Built or Established: | 1902 |
| Last Rebuilt, Repaired, or Renovated: | None since station was built |
| Condition at This Date: | |
| Shape of Tower in Plan: | |
| Form of Tower: | |
| Height from Base to Ventilator Ball: | |
| Height of Focal Plane Above Mean High Water: | 68' |
| Background of Lighthouse as Seen from Sea: | Sky-line |
| Color of Tower: | White, lead color trimmings, brown roof, gray lantern. |
| Color of Tower/ How Produced: | Paint |
| Tower Connection: | In same bldg |
| Object of Navigation: | General navigation on main steamship route thru SE Alaska by way of Wrangell Narrows. |
| Building Materials: | Wood |
| General Description: | |
| Wall Thickness at Base: | |
| Wall Thickness at Parapet: | |
| Diameter at Base: | |
| Diameter at Parapet: | |
| Kind of Stairway and Steps: | Wood |
| Number of Landings: | |
| Size of Glass: | 8" x 9" |
| Number of Windows and Size of Sash: | 3 double - 1' 6" x 1' 6" |
| Number of Doors: | 1 - 2' x 6' 2" |
| Kind of Foundation and Depth Below Surface: | |
| Character of Soil Surrounding the Lighthouse: | |
| Soil Susceptibility: | |
| Miscellaneous Remarks: | On small rocky islet partly timbered with spruce. |
| Lantern and Fixtures |
| Order of Lantern: | 4th |
| Shape of Lantern: | Cylindrical |
| Diameter to Glass: | 7' 8 1/16" |
| Diameter in the Clear: | |
| Number of Sides: | |
| Type of Bars: | Helical |
| Thickness of Bars: | |
| Height Glazed: | 3' 1 1/4" |
| Number of Plates in Height: | 1 diamond pane alternating with 2 half diamonds. |
| Number of Plates Each Side: | |
| Thickness of Plates: | 1/4" |
| Size of Plates: | 2' 1.08" x 2' 1.08" |
| Number of Storm Panes: | |
| Unglazed Side of Lantern: | |
| What Bearings: | |
| Construction Material Lantern: | Iron bronze & glass |
| Construction Material Roof / Cowl: | Cast iron |
| Ventilator / Cowl: | Cast iron |
| Lightning Spindle: | Brass spindle with platinum tip. |
| Description of Lightning Rod: | |
| Balustrade: | Wooden balusters, wooden floor covered with copper |
| Lantern Doors: | Iron, bronze hinges & lock. |
| Floor of Lantern: | Wood |
| Watchroom Doors: | None |
| Parapet Diameter: |
| Ventilators |
| Location / Number: | Parapet wall of lantern |
| Ladders / Cleaning Arrangement: | Wooden step-ladder |
| Curtain Hooks / Hanger: | Brass hangers, with spring rollers. |
| Illuminating Apparatus |
| Kind of Apparatus: | |
| Intensity in Candles: | |
| Name of Maker: | Henry LePaute, 11 Rue Desnauettes, Paris |
| Year Made: | Not known |
| Marks and Number: | Maker's name & address only. |
| Order of Apparatus: | 4th |
| Inside Diameter: | 19 11/16" |
| Light Characteristic: | Flash 1 sec, eclipse 9 sec |
| Time of Revolution: | |
| Flash Interval: | |
| Duration of Flash: | |
| Arc of Each Fixed Part: | |
| Number of Panels: | 4 |
| Number of Flash Panels: | None |
| Arc of Each: | |
| Number of Elements in Central Drum: | 5 |
| Number of Prisms Above Center Drum: | 6, fixed |
| Number of Prisms Below Center Drum: | 3, fixed |
| Does Apparatus Revolve?: | False |
| Is There a Revolving Belt?: | False |
| Revolving Panels: | |
| How Flash is Produced: | Valve |
| Number of Vertical Elements Panel: | |
| Fixed Lens Covered: | |
| Pedestal: | 4 iron posts encased in polished brass pipe mounted on C.I. floor ring & supporting polished steel service table & circular brass plate about midway btwn floor & service table. |
| Service Table: | |
| Draft Tube Description: | Dia. bottom 11", dia top 7 5/8", no damper |
| Revolving Machinery: | |
| Standby and Description: | |
| Chariot Float or Balls: | |
| Chariot Description: | |
| Length of Drop Tube: | |
| Clock Weight: | |
| Length of Winding Time: | |
| Drive During Rewind: | |
| Machinery Protection: | |
| Regulated: | |
| Lens Protection: | Cloth cover. |
| How Color is Produced: | |
| Red Sectors Description: | |
| Where Color Attached: | |
| Form of Colored Glass: | |
| Lamp Description: | 4th order |
| Type of Illuminant: | Acetylene |
| Number of Spare Lamps: | 1 - 4th order oil |
| Number of Spare Burners: | |
| Candle Power: | 54 (cp of burner) CP of light thru lens 600 |
| Compressed Gas |
| Gas Container: | 4 AGA a-25 accumulators |
| Compressed Gas Capacity: | 500 cu ft. |
| Compressed Gas Charge: | 13 to 15 atms. |
| How Supply Renewed: | Substitution for empty containers |
| At What Intervals: | 6 months |
| Spare Containers: | 4 |
| Gas Light |
| Gas Light Kind: | Acetylene |
| Gas Light Number of Burners: | 1 |
| Kind of Burner: | AGA |
| Candlepower Per Burner: | 54 |
| Total Candlepower: | 54 |
| Consumption Gas Burner Per Hour: | 1 14 cu. ft. |
| Total Consumption Per Hour: | 1 1/4 cu. ft. |
| How Gas Obtained: | Acetylene in acetone system is used. |
| Occulting Light |
| Characteristic: | Flash 1 sec, eclipse 9 sec |
| Time Limit: | Not known |
| Eclipse Type: | |
| Size and Amplitude: | |
| Axis Rotation: | |
| Axis Relation: | |
| Screen Revolution: | |
| Screen Number: | |
| Screen Time: | |
| Screen Form: | |
| Screen Mounting: | |
| Screen Order: | |
| Screen Date: | |
| Valve Maker: | AGA flasher |
| Valve Pattern: | K-130 |
| Reliability: | Yes |
| Closets and Store Rooms |
| Tower Closet Use: | Service closet in attic floor with lockers & drawers & shelves. |
| Oil House Description: | On same foundation as bldg. 7' 2" from end, no fittings. |
| Oil House Inside Dimension: | 7' x 10' 8" |
| Oil House Construction Material: | Concrete |
| Oil House Capacity: | 500 5-gal cans. Has 3 galv. iron cylindrical kerosene storage tanks, cap. 220 gal each. |
| Other (Describe): | Storeroom on 1st floor, fitted with shelves. Room for storage of materials in basment & in attic |
| Suitability: | Dry & suitable. |
| Fog Signal General |
| Fog Signal Kind: | 3rd order, Daboll trumpet |
| Time to Start: | 15 min |
| How Long Will Pressure Last: | 4 min. |
| Manufacturer: | |
| Year of Manufacture: | |
| Characteristic: | 5 sec blast, 25 sec silent |
| Duplication: | All |
| Timing Device: | Tripping gear, connected to engine shaft by chain & gears |
| If whistle, siren, or trumpet, Pressure at Which Blown: | 8 to 11 lbs |
| Height Above Water: | 44' |
| Compass Direction: | 77 degrees |
| Location: | In same bldg |
| Distance and Direction: | Same bldg |
| Water Supply: | Rain water from roof |
| Reached from Lighthouse: | Same bldg |
| Description of Fog Signal Building: | 2-story & attic frame bldg set on concrete foundation with tower rising at 1 end; fog signal machinery work room, radio room, battery room, hall store room & bathroom on 1st floor. Keeper's living quarters on 2nd floor. Bldg lighted by electricity. |
| Pressure And Recording Gauge: | Pressure gauge, no recording gauge. |
| Internal Combustion Signal |
| Fog Signal Kind: | |
| Internal Combustion Kind: | 2 single cyl. hor. oil |
| Internal Combustion Manufacturer: | August Mietz, 128-138 Mott St., NY NY # 4605 & 4607 |
| Internal Combustion Date: | 5/1/1906 |
| Internal Combustion Size: | 6" x 6.5" |
| Internal Combustion Horsepower: | 4 |
| Internal Combustion Fuel: | Kerosene |
| Internal Combustion Starter: | Oil torch |
| Compressor Maker: | Clayton Air Compressor Co., Dec. 23, 1901 |
| Compressor Seat: | Renolds silent chain drive |
| Compressor Machinery: | Ratio 24 : 86 |
| Compressor Diameter: | 6" |
| Compressor Stroke: | 7" |
| Compressor RPMs: | 108 |
| Character of Air Inlet: | 1 5/8" dia spring valves |
| Kind of Unloader: | None |
| Diameter of Delivery Pipe: | 1 1/2" |
| Daboll Signal |
| Daboll: | 3rd class |
| Daboll Reed: | |
| Daboll Length: | 8 7/16" |
| Daboll Breadth: | 2 1/4" |
| Daboll Base Thickness: | 3/8" |
| Daboll Tip Thickness: | 7/32" |
| Trumpet Signal |
| Trumpet: | |
| Trumpet Length: | 12' |
| Trumpet Diameter: | 3" & 40" |
| Trumpet Material: | Copper |
| Air Receiver |
| Number: | 2 |
| Diameter: | 3.5' |
| Height: | 7.5' |
| Capacity Cubic Feet: | 72 |
| Pressure in Each: | 8 to 11 lbs |
| Make of Reducing Valve: | None |
| Remarks: | Air relieving valve on tanks, no marks |
| Dwelling |
| Location: | In same bldg (2nd floor) |
| Coloring: | White with lead color trimmings, brown roof, gray lantern. |
| Construction Materials: | Wood frame bldg with shingle roof, on concrete foundation. |
| Number of Rooms: | 5, on 2nd floor (3 bedrooms, office, kitchen & pantry). |
| Number of Dwellings: | 1 |
| Heating Plant: | No. 202 (Perfect) hot-water heater with radiators in each room. |
| Number of Keepers: | 3 |
| Furnished Quarters: | All |
| NOT Furnished Quarters: | None |
| Outhouses: | Hoist house, work shop, boathouse |
| Outhouse Coloring: | Same as dwelling |
| Paths and Walks: | To all bldgs |
| Area Inclosed: | |
| Area of Garden: | |
| Area Timber or Shrubbery: | |
| Cultivation Area Available: | None |
| Area Cultivated: | None |
| Character of Surroundings: | Rocky |
| Stove, Maker: | Bridge Beach & Co., St. Louis |
| Stove, Size: | Top 37x22 3/8", 6 - 8 3/8" holes; oven 20x20x29" h |
| Sink, Maker: | |
| Sink, Size: | 20" x 30" |
| Pump, Maker: | The Demming Co., Salem, OR |
| Pump, Size: | 2 3/4" cylinder |
| Lamps: | 3 table lamps, 3 bedroom lamps, 3 lanterns. |
| Water |
| How Procured: | Rain water from roof |
| Quality: | Fair |
| Quantity: | Ample |
| Injury Possible: | No |
| Purity Precaution: | Filtered thru brick walls |
| Tank Capacity: | 2 cisterns, 4600 gal each; 2 cisterns 1200 gal each located in foundation under bldg. |
| Tank Material: | Concrete |
| Distilling Apparatus: | False |
| Distilling Manufacturer: | |
| Well Description: | |
| Well Diameter: | |
| Well Lining: | |
| Pump or Bucket: | Pump from cistern |
| What Power Used: | Hand |
| Distance from Dwelling: | Same bldg |
| Healthfulness |
| General Opinion: | Good |
| Diseases: | Rheumatism |
| Prevalency: | All seasons |
| Local Causes: | No more so than anywhere else in Alaska |
| Recommended Improvements: | No |
| Miscellaneous |
| Access to Lighthouse: | Small timber wharf built over a break in rock & a timber platform back of & above this at level of bldg foundation. A wooden derrick with 2 stiff legs & wire guys is used for landing supplies either on the wharf or on the upper platform. |
| Distance and Direction: | 50' E of bldg. |
| Miscellaneous Remarks: | An iron ladder leads up face of rock at landing. Hoist is used for landing supplies by means of derrick. Hoist is not equipped with boom swinging gear; boom is swung by hand. |
| Boats |
| Boat #1 | |
| Boat Number: | 17 |
| Type: | Dinghy |
| Length: | 4' 8" |
| Width: | 14' |
| When Built: | Not known |
| Date Harbored at Station: | 7/1/1902 |
| Sails: | True |
| Suited to Work: | No, worn out |
| Boat #2 | |
| Boat Number: | 36 |
| Type: | Launch |
| Length: | 5' 11" |
| Width: | 20' 01" |
| When Built: | Not known |
| Date Harbored at Station: | 9/15/1917 |
| Sails: | False |
| Suited to Work: | Yes |
| Power Boat |
| Engine Type: | Sheffield Marine Motor |
| Horsepower: | 4:5 |
| Engine Maker: | Fairbanks, Morse & co. |
| Spare Coil: | |
| Magnet: | K.W. Ignition Co., Model SA 90295 Cleveland, OH |
| Battery: | Dry, Columbia, Miltiple, Metal, No. 246. |
| Propeller Diameter: | 14" |
| Propeller Pitch: | 19.6" |
| Hoisting Engines |
| Hoisting Engine Kind: | Mietz & Weiss, 1-drum horizontal oil engine |
| Engine RPMs: | |
| Engine Diameter: | 6" |
| Engine Stroke: | 6/5" |
| Engine Boiler: | |
| Engine Maker and Date: | August Mietz. Date not known |
| Serial Number: | |
| Cylinders and Size: | |
| Horsepower: | 4 |
| Fuel: | |
| Hoist Starter: | |
| Hoist Miscellaneous: |
| Miscellaneous |
| General Information: | |
| Boats on Station: | In boathouse. |