Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Friday 18 December 1896, page 4


THE LEEUWIN LIGHT-

HOUSE.

DEDICATORY CEREMONY.

(FROM OUR SPECIAL BEPORTER.)

'KARRIDALE. December 10.

The members of the Ministry and the parliamentary party left Mr. Davies' resi-dence at about 9 o'clock this morning for the Leeuwin lighthouse, where the cere-mony of dedicating that important structure to the mariners of the world was to be per-formed by the Premier, Sir John Forrest. The weather was somewhat overcast ; but,

fortunately, the rain held off, which, per-mitted of the drive through the forest be-

ing greatly enjoyed. The extreme south-western corner of the colony, on which the

Government determined to build the light-house structure, was reached by the party

about noon, and some little time was then spent in inspecting the work. Captain Russell, the Chief Harbour Master of the colony, was on the spot to welcome the party, and some busy hands had been at work, in gaily bedecking the light-house itself, long strings of flags being suspended alike from the flagstaff and the top of the lighthouse. A descrip-tion of the building and light has already

appeared in the WEST AUSTRALIAN. It may here be mentioned, however, that the

site chosen for the building is that favoured by the Premier, namely, along and narrow neck of land which projects

out into the sea at the extreme south-

western point on the coast, with huge rocks and nasty looking breakers on either side of it. The structure is an imposing one and is supplied with one of the most modern lights, furnished by the well-known firm of Chance Bros., of Birmingham, England. The light is composed of a bi-valve optical apparatus, and is the first of its size and arrangement yet made. The two panels are strongly stayed and connected, and are mounted on a carriage made to re-volve by suitable clockwork in such manner that the flash, from each of

them lasts one-fifth of a second, with an intervening eclipse of four and four-fifth seconds. The light is several thousand candle power stronger than that at Rottnest, which was also supplied by Messrs. Chance. The power of the Leeu-win light through the lens is equal to 250,000 candles, and in clear weather the light will be visible for a distance of about 25 miles. The lighthouse has also been fitted up with telephone apparatus, secur-ing communication with the lighthouse keeper's quarters, which are connected with the Post and Telegraph Office at Karridale. It will be by this means, at any rate for the present, that reports of vessels having passed, or been sighted, will be communicated to the officials at Karriadale, so that they can be telegraphed thence to the metropolis. The lighthouse ls also fitted up with a number of speaking tubes to facilitate communication from

the men on the topmost floor of the build-ing with those on the lower storeys, and a spiral staircase extends from the ground floor to the room in which the light is placed, convenient landing stages being so provided every

20ft. or so. Soon after the arrival of the party at the lighthouse the Premier, accompanied by Lady Forrest and most of the other visitors, ascended to the lantern tower for the purpose of applying a light to the wick of the lamp. The Premier and the other guests were received by Mr. P. Taylor; the representative of the Messrs. Chance, who explained to those interested the mechanism of the apparatus. The Premier having performed his duty, the party descended the basement, where, after the group had been photographed by the Chief Commissioner of Police. THE CEREMONY

of dedicating - the lighthouse to the mariners of the world was to take place. The ceremony was begun by Mr. Poole, the Colonial Architect.

Mr. POOLE, speaking to the Director of Public Works, said :- This work has been completed, and I have pleasure in saying that I am sure by the reports that I have received from the supervisors and the in-spectors who have had charge of this work that it has been well done. The craftsmen were skilled in their work, the material was ff good quality and was well used, and this noble work, this fine work, of which the details of construction, we are assured, are good, is an important one, and I have the

honour to request that you will take poses-sion of on behalf of the department and the Government.

Mr. F. H. PIESSE, Director of Public Works, addressing Sir John Forrest, said the ceremony they were met together to perform was one of the most im-portant in the interests of the colony.

The Premier had always taken a great interest in the placing of a light at Cape Leeuwin and it must therefore be gratify-ing to him and to the Government to be able to take part in the dedicatory cere-mony that day, the ambitious idea at

which they had worked having how been consummated. The work was one of which they were justified in being proud. The workmanship had been alluded to by the Colonial Architect as having been carried out in a most faithful manner, and they would agree with him that no further evidence beyond the lighthouse itself was

necessary to show the Premier's wonder-ful faith in the progress of the colony.

They were all proud that Sir John was now holding the position of Premier of the Colony, and that the work of erect-ing a lighthouse at the Leeuwin had been completed during the time he was

at the head of the Government, and

it now devolved upon him to ask Sir John, as the Premier, to dedicate the lighthouse

to the world at large. The lighthouse

would be of great help to those mariners who were accustomed to visit the colony, and to all whose occupation necessitated their traversing the ocean and encounter-ing the dangers of the deep. The placing of a light on the Leeuwin would be of immense advantage to all navigators, especially in times of storms, who had occasion to approach this part of the Aus-tralian coast. When they remembered that it was only since the early part of this century that the wonderful mechanism they had just inspected had been perfected, and that in the early part of the century the famous Eddystone lighthouse was lighted with candles, they would recognise the great progress that science had made. The light was a credit to the makers as the building was a credit to the architect. He hoped it would long remain to prove a blessing to those hardy mariners whose duties brought them near to Australia's shores, and that it would long prove of great advantage to the colony. He then requested the Premier to dedicate the building to the use of the public and the benefit of the world at large. (Cheers.)

The PREMIER thanked Mr. Piesse for the very kind manner in which he had asked him to dedicate the lighthouse to public use, and he assured them that it was very gratifying to him to have the opportunity of doing as they desired. It was just about a year ago since he had the pleasure of laying the foundation stone of the build-ing, for on December 13 of last year many of those who were present on this occasion assembled to witness that function. It was a matter for congratulation that the work had been so speedily and so well per-formed. He was sure that anyone who had taken the opportunity of looking at that great structure must be convinced that many things had conduced to its present condition. They were fortunate in having excellent stone close at hand with which to build the structure, and they appeared to have had good contractors and capable supervisors, so that they were now able to show the people of the colony and to offer to the world a magnificent structure, de-signed and executed for the world's benefit. A lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin had been talked about in this colony for many years, and probably the question had been dis-cussed more in other parts of Australia than it had been in Western Australia. It was a noble work, and one which succes-sive Governors of this colony had desired should be undertaken. He well remem-bered the great interest that was taken by the late Sir Frederick Broome in the establishment of a lighthouse at that spot. Sir Frederick visited the place with the Admiralty surveyor ; and, most probably on the very spot on which they now stood, he designed in his own mind to carry out the great undertaking that had now been accomplished. Sir Frederick, however, was unable to obtain the co-operation of the eastern colonies in the carrying out of the work, although, he tried very hard to gain their assistance, and at that time the colony was unable to undertake the work itself. Thinking of the great interest that Sir Frederick Broome took in the matter, their hearts, he was sure, would be touched by memory of him, and they would regret that such a man as he was- such a noble figure in the public life of this colony- had been cut off in bis prime and

in his strong manhood so early in life. After the introduction of Responsible Government which took place in October, 1890, the Government, of which he was the head, introduced to Parliament at its first meeting a Loan Bill in which an item providing funds for the erection of the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse appeared. In February, 1891, he asked the Legislative Assembly to grant the necessary funds for the work, and the money was granted. It would therefore be seen that a long time - nearly six years- had elapsed from the time when the Legislature acquiesced in the vote until the work was completed. Various things had contributed to the de-lays, but of all the difficulties the question

of the site was the most troublesome. Many other delays had occurred, but all the difficulties had been overcome. The lighthouse would prove to be an important adjunct to the colony in many ways. First of all, it would be a lighthouse for the ocean-going steamers. It would be im-portant as a station from which ships could be signalled as they passed by. It would be important also as a principal meteorological station, being situated on the south-western extremity of the Aus-tralian continent ; and it would be most useful for the purposes of local naviga-tion, as ships trading round the coast would find it of inestimable benefit. It would further be of very great benefit indeed to the ships engaged on the high-ways between the old country and Aus-tralia. He was sure it must be gratifying to every public man and to the people of the colony that this work had at length been completed. From the time when more than 100 years ago Australia was taken possession of by the British up to the present, ships had come from the old country to this continent. They had gone to and from it, and had carried thousands he might say millions of people- and all those persons on approaching the shores of Australia had had no welcome light to greet them, nothing whatever to cheer them, or to show them they were arriving in a hospitable country. He was sure that those who had had the opportunity of travelling in one of the ocean steamers from Colombo to this con-tinent must have felt that when they caught the first glimpse of Australia that there was nothing at its south-west ex-tremity to signal their advent. On the contrary, there was nothing but the low coast, made all the more dispiriting by the fact that their ships had to keep a con-siderable distance away from the land, with nothing whatever to welcome or cheer them as they approached the shores of Australia, or to give them light in the way wherein they should go. He was glad, indeed, that that would all be changed now. Henceforth this light would shine out its welcome to strangers approaching our shores and guide

them safely to this land. It would not only shine, but it would be an emblem of welcome and would give joy and com-fort, it was to be hoped, to millions of their countrymen coming this way in the future. It would be the chief milestone on the

ocean highway between the mother country and the. continent of Australia. He felt certain that that day must be, to all those who took an interest in the colony and its position as a self-governing country, a day. of rejoicing, because the structure which had been completed was an index of the great prosperity that was going on in the colony. It was also a proof that they, the people of the colony, had done something, not for personal gain, not for profit for themselves, but for the benefit of humanity. It was a work which he fully believed would remain there for all time. Science would perhaps provide even a better light than they had been able to procure, but he believed that the lamp was one of the very best that the great Chance Bros., of Birmingham, the greatest makers of lights in the world, were able to produce. It would last not merely for an age, but for all time. The carrying out of this work also showed those in other parts of the world, and those who took an interest in their affairs, that they were doing their duty in the day of their great prosperity as a self-governing country. They were that day engaged upon a work which would be a tribute to Australia. It was also a tribute to the grand Empire to which they belonged, and

the whole civilised world. Surely then this should be a day of rejoicing. This was a far off country, no doubt- far away from the centres of civilisation in the old world. They-had served in this part of Australia a long apprenticeship of toil and difficulty. They had been isolated and unknown, but he was glad to say that those conditions were now changing and that the colony was fast becoming promi-nent in the world. This work had been undertaken, not with the assistance of others, as was desired by the late Sir Frederick Broome some ten years ago, but it had been undertaken and com-pleted with the colony's own funds. (Cheers.) It was not a work for this Colony, which had no large merchant service of its own. The ships that came here were owned in other parts of the world, and he would therefore repeat that the construction of the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse showed that this colony, with its own resources, had desired to do its duty not only to its own people but to all the nations of the earth. (Cheers.) Sir John then read a declaration embodying the terms of the dedication as follows : "On behalf of the Government and the people of Western Australia I dedicate this lighthouse, erected. at Cape Leeuwin, the extreme south-west point of the Australian continent, to the world's mariners."

The Right Rev. Dr. RILEY, (the Anglican Bishop of Perth) t hen offered up a prayer. He prayed " That this light may be a light of hope for those in danger and distress, and a light of welcome for those who come to these shores, and for our-selves. We pray that as we toss upon the stormy main of life we may always see be-fore us burning brightly the light of Truth, and at last reach the haven where we all would be." His Lordship also made

a short speech, in the course of which he

stated that the public ought to feel grati-

fied at the fact that the work of erecting the lighthouse had been accomplished. They should also congratulate the Govern-ment on the fact that they had, he believed, the longest coast line of any colony; and since he bad been in the colony, which was only a very short time, they had erected two great lights which they had dedicated to humanity. Personally, he was delighted to be present, because he came from Birmingham. He was born in that city, and they bad got one of the best lights in the world from Bir-mingham. Not in himself- (laughter)-but above them in the tower. He had travelled a good deal over the sea in diffe-rent parts of the world, and from his heart he thanked the people of the colony for having provided this magnificent light for the mariners of the world . (Hear, hear.)

Sir GEORGE SHENTON also spoke. He said he was the representative of Lloyd's, the largest insurance company in the world, and he joined with those present in congratulating the Government on the completion of the lighthouse. The insur-ance companies of course ran very big risks on the policies on the ships trading to Western Australia, and it had always been a source of anxiety to the under-writers owing to there being no light on Cape Leeuwin. When they remembered the long stretch of ocean from Colombo to the Leeuwin, without any island on the way by which the captain of a ship could correct his position, they would be able to recognise the value of this important lighthouse which had been erected by the Government. By the provision of this building a great amount of anxiety would be removed, as this mag-nificent light would throw out its rays and welcome the voyagers to the shores of Aus-

tralia.

The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, ad-dressing the Chief Harbour Master (Captain Russell), said : You have just heard that the Premier has dedicated this light to the mariners of the world, and as Director of Public Works, which department has had charge of the construction of this building, Ihave now the pleasure of hand-ing it over to you, as you are tbe chief officer who will have the care and the cus-tody of the lighthouse in the future. I hope that every success will attend the efforts of those in charge, and that they will faithfully carry out their duties to your satisfaction and to the satisfaction of the colony generally.

Captain RUSSELL, in reply, said that he bad great pleasure, as the representative of the department responsible for the proper working of the lighthouse, in taking charge of it, and be hoped that the officers and employès who would be entrusted with the important and responsible duty of looking after it would carry out their duties satisfactorily. There were very few

lighthouses in the world where the diffi-culty of obtaining a suitable site bad been greater than in the case of Cape Leeuwin. He spoke of the excellent lantern that had been provided by Messrs. Chance Bros. and said that it was the largest oil lamp in

existence.

This completed the dedication ceremony.

THE LUNCHEON.

Luncheon was provided later on at the quarters of the lighthouse keepers. Mr. Piesse, Director of Public Works, presided. After the repast the usual loyal toast of the Queen was proposed by the chairman and duly honoured.

The PREMIER (Sir John Forrest) then proposed the toast of " The Architect, Mr. Geo. T. Poole." He was glad they had amongst them the gentleman responsible for the designing of the structure which had that day been dedicated, and under whose guidance and superintendence the work had been carried out. A great respon-sibility rested upon those who had the superintendence of such buildings as light-

houses. They were not in the same cate-gory as buildings of an ordinary character, because when the storms were raging at their fiercest was the time of trial. It therefore became necessary above all for the lighthouse to be built on very solid foun-dations of rock, so that the structure would be able to withstand the elements of all time. He believed the responsibility which had rested on Mr. Poole bad been recog-nised and his work carried out in a way that was to his credit. He (Sir John) believed that the building would be a per-manent one and that it would endure. (Hear, hear.) His thanks were therefore due to Mr. Poole for producing such a great and noble structure as they had that

day inspected. (Cheers.)

Mr. POOLE, in reply, thanked Sir John for his courteous words, which had gone home to him with unusual force, in view of his early retirement from the service of the Government. One thing that made an architect less eloquent than anyone else was that he allowed his work to speak for him. He was persuaded that the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse would always speak well for the men who constructed it, and 'would, he thought, also say one word of kindness for himself. He was proud of the

work indeed.

Mr. F. H. PIESSE (Director of Public Works) proposed the toast of the "Con-tractors, Messrs. Davies and Wishart," and referred to the very fine structure which he said would be a monument, both of the architectural skill of the designer and of

the contractors' good work. It would also be a monument of the Premier's enterprise, for it was one of the greatest works he had ever undertaken. He could only speak of the contractors as men who had done a great deal of work for the Government in different parts of the colony from time to time- work which had been done satis-factorily and well. From his observation of their latest work, the lighthouse, and from reports placed before him by different officers of his department who had been entrusted with the control of the contract on behalf of the Government, and who had spoken very highly of the work in every instance, he judged that, the struc-

ture was well erected. Of course there had been exceptions taken by those who had

been in charge of the work ; but what con-

tract was there to which objection was not

taken in some direction. It was the duty of the officer to watch the interests of the Government, and if any undue pressure was brought to bear on those officers in any direction, or if any unfairness was done,

the Government expected them to do their duty. If the supervisors found faults with the structure it was their duly to report them, and further, if the contractors put any bad material into the lighthouse, he was sure it had been taken out again.

Even contractors were human and had not always perfect control over their workmen and the material placed in the buildings entrusted to them, and occasionally mistakes would occur. He did not mean that any mistake had occurred in this instance, but he had not had an opportunity of looking thoroughly over the work. As mention had been made in the Press of this matter, he had referred to it, and he felt it his duty to say that the Go-vernment of the colony had had fair play from those who had been engaged in this particular work. The building was well constructed, and the material that had been placed in it was the best obtainable

within a reasonable distance of the site of

the lighthouse. That it would be a lasting structure they would all admit from the observations that had been made, and also from the reports made by the officers of his department. He wished the con-tractors, on behalf of the Govern-ment, every success, and he thanked them for the manner in which they had carried out the work. It had

bean a pleasure to work with them, and their reputation was sufficient to guarantee good and lasting satisfaction being given

to the colony. (Hear, hear.)

Mr. WISHART, a member of the firm of Davies and Wishart, briefly replied. He stated that from the outset they recognised that the lighthouse was not a work to be built of rotten stone and his instructions to his men were to the effect that no materia was to be used in its erection but that of first-class quality. He himself " bossed " the work to about 80ft., and the founda-tion and other works , in connection with the structure were properly constructed. Mr. Bushby then came on the scene, and he carried the work out without making any complaints. Mr. Bushby's reports to the Works Department were favourable until such time as Mr. Bushby came to conceive that he was the man to " boss " the whole concern, and that all the rest of them were mere nonentities. He (Mr. Wishart), how-ever, had " bossed " the work so long that he contended that he had a right to have

some say in the matter. He and Mr. Bushby thereupon came to cross pur-poses, and it was not in consequence of his reports on the class of work put into the building that Mr. Bushby was removed. His removal was decided upon for other reasons. The

matter was reported to Mr. Poole, who sent down the best inspectors to report on the building. The work was therefore stopped for five weeks, but the contractors were so confident of what they had done that they still went on dressing the stones for the lighthouse. Mr. Har-wood also came down and examined all the stones to be seen in the building. Of course, it was possible that a faulty stone might have got into the structure,

but whenever such a defect had been

pointed out the defective stones had been removed. The report about the badness of the stone had got into the papers through spite. He had had to do with the carrying out of works in the other colonies and his firm would readily submit the character of their work at the Leeuwin to the verdict of

any inspectors in the world. (Hear, hear.)

Mr. L. J, DAVIES also responded. He said that Mr. "Wishart had referred to the little question regarding the materia in the lighthouse that had recently been raised in the Press. He was not going to refer to the practical part of it. Of course the business of all contractors involved the question of pounds, shillings and pence , but no contractor who was worthy of the name respected that consideration alone. He had a feeling of sentiment which prompted him to do his work well. Both his father and Mr. Wishart had borne that idea in mind

when doing this work. They had regarded it as a work of national importance and de-termined that a first-class structure should be put up. Of course, they had seen the statements in the Press regarding the material used in the lighthouse. He was not prepared to say that the stone was as stiff as the conscience of the gentleman who made those statements, or as hard as his skin, or as dense as his brain was. They contracted to put stone into the building, and not adamant. He asked them to look

at the building as completed, to consider

the reputation of the contractors and the reports made by the officers of the Depart-

ment, and then place them against unsup-ported statements of a gentleman of whom very little was known in this colony. As far as the contractors were concerned, they were quite willing to allow that monument of their faithfulness to stand for all time. (Cheers.)

The PREMIER proposed the toast of "Messrs. Chance Brothers, of Birming-ham," who had supplied the light.

Mr. P. TAYLOR, a representative of the firm, in reply, said that he was certain that the lighthouse was well constructed, and that the material was sound.

Mr. L. J. DAVIES proposed the health of " The Ministry" in appropriate terms.

The PREMIER, in reply, said that it was regretted that the portion of the country should be so sparsely settled. He was de-lighted with the district, and he wished he could make his visit an annual one. It

was a country which, he was sure,

was capable of doing great things, and he hoped that those who had

the time and the means would visit it, because he could not be-lieve that the district would always re-main as it was now. It was capable of supporting a large population, and every rood of it would afford a living for

one man.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL also replied in a humorous speech.

The proceedings then closed.