Interview with Dennis M. Powers

Sentinel of the Seas: Life and Death at the Most Dangerous Lighthouse Ever Built
Dennis M. Powers
Citadel (2007)
ISBN 0806528427
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (5/07)

Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is interviewing Dennis M. Powers, author of “Sentinel of the Seas: Life and Death at the Most Dangerous Lighthouse Ever Built.”

Dennis Powers is an avid historian of nautical life. He is the author of “Treasure Ship” and “The Raging Sea.”  His new book, “Sentinel of the Seas,” is about lighthouses and more particularly St. George Reef Lighthouse located off the California coast. He spent five years meticulously researching this subject.  

Tyler:  Hello, Dennis. Thank you for joining me today. I’d like to start our conversation by asking how you became so interested in writing this particular book. 

Dennis: My last book, “Treasure Ship”, was about the loss, search for, and eventual discovery of the gold-bearing steamer “S.S. Brother Jonathan”. In 1865, the large sidewheeler struck a seething reef inside Dragon Rocks off the Northern California coast and sank in forty-five minutes. In the West Coast’s then worst maritime accident, 225 people perished in those raging waters. Newspapers throughout the country headlined the news of the great loss and famous personalities onboard when that vessel went down. A remote lighthouse somehow had to be built and operated there in seas that unexpectedly rose stories high within short hours.

As I researched the stories for “Treasure Ship”, I found myself spending as much time meandering through whatever files existed about St. George Lighthouse. This was the distant and dangerous station built in response to that tragedy, constructed close to the disaster site on a desolate wave-washed rock hit by the ocean on all sides. I discovered that the stories of courage, hardship, and the changing of eras of both were intertwined.
       
I became entranced by the stories about the men who built and then operated the lighthouse on this dangerous wave-washed spit of rock—and the risks of the work. The construction was difficult enough, but then it had to be operated and maintained against the onslaughts of typhoons and Nor’westers. Marooned with other men in tiny rooms for weeks at a time, a keeper had to be mentally strong to overcome the close quarters, shrill ear-piercing foghorns, and sense of isolation, especially when the whistling winds powered the ocean into office-building-high crests that battered the man-made structure and men held captive inside. It was an easy decision to write “Sentinel of the Seas”.

Tyler:  That certainly is understandable. What an exciting if risky life, and you describe it so vividly. Could you describe for us what the construction of the lighthouse on St. George entailed?

Dennis: When Alexander Ballantyne built Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, another engineering feat located off the Oregon coast, he proved that building on such a challenging site twelve miles from the closest port was feasible. The U.S. Light-House Board next placed him in charge of building St. George. From his diary, detailed notes, and reports on the construction of these structures, I realized that he was one of the very few who was up to such a difficult task—and the hardships started at the very beginning.  A howling Nor-‘wester with massive waves, shrieking winds, and stinging sheets of spray twice forced the first construction expedition to turn back to its San Francisco homeport.
 
After horrifying experiences with more monstrous storms during the first winter, Ballantyne and his crew learned to adapt to these deadly forces of nature. They had to.  Each spring, the workers had to rebuild what the tumultuous ocean had later wrecked before they could restart construction. Storms and seas washed men away, whether they were working, sleeping in quarters eventually built on the rock, or running to avoid rogue waves. From the explosive showering of blasted rock bits and drizzling rains to running out of food and drinkable water, the conditions that these workers endured were hard and terrifying.

Ballantyne and his men had to be inventive in surmounting the elements—and they weren’t always successful. Years passed before their efforts could sufficiently overcome those hardship conditions and complete the lighthouse, a massive medieval-looking structure that towered above the rocks. It was the most expensive, remote, and dangerous lighthouse built—and men died in its operation over the years.

Tyler:   What made the operation and construction of this lighthouse so dangerous?

Dennis: Owing to the ever-present dangers, the Light-House Board didn’t allow families to live there, as distinct from nearly every other lighthouse. Located miles off the coast, supply boats had to bring fresh water, food, supplies, and medical equipment to the rock, and the only way to land or leave St. George was by a derrick and a stories high, wind-swung ride. While the seas could be rising or falling as much as fifteen feet, the operator had to hoist small launches by a hook onto the reef or lighthouse. Danger was always present. In the early years, keepers died and others became seriously ill. Among the eighty men who served over a forty-year period between 1891 and 1930, sixty-seven resigned or transferred to another station.

Coast Guardsmen had to land on the reef to physically remove more than one keeper who suffered a mental breakdown. Accounts maintain that one or two lookouts simply disappeared after the seas crashed over the reef. During one storm, a monstrous 160-foot-high wave crashed over the lighthouse, totally inundating it and the men inside, pouring ocean inside while shattering windows in the uppermost lantern room that was fourteen-stories high above the reef.

Despite this precarious state of affairs, keepers returned to live on this station.  They preferred this life, even to the less isolated sentinels that were on land. Life at lighthouses on the coast was easier, as wickies could have their families with them, school their children, raise sheep or cows, have pets, and tend to flower and vegetable gardens. The differences in these types of lives are interesting, and I was able to bring this into the book.   

Tyler:  You mentioned Ballantyne’s diary above. Did other men at the lighthouse keep diaries or other first person accounts of their experiences? What would a typical day be like for the men at the lighthouse?

Dennis: I was fortunate in tracking down the descendants of the old keepers, as well as interviewing Coast Guardsmen who served in the 1950’s, and their stories are in the book. The days at St. George were best described by one who said, “We could have days of routine or fun followed by the sudden appearance of absolute terror.” Depending on the weather, the men took shifts working on the equipment, maintaining the lighthouse lamp (or light), painting, refurbishing, repairing, and working to keep the sentinel in good order. It was difficult to have a social life, as the lighthouse was located miles from land and gales could storm in to cut off any contact with the outside world for weeks. Life on this lighthouse was very misleading: A keeper could be preoccupied with his work, and then suddenly a stories-high rogue wave could be steaming towards him with only seconds of warning. Landing supplies and crews was also a dangerous undertaking and this required the lowering of boats into a maelstrom of tides and rip currents. Men died and were severely injured—or simply disappeared during a sudden storm. Despite this, some keepers stayed for years, preferring the savage beauty of the sea and this station’s isolation. “Sentinel” goes into details of these stories, ranging from the characters that lived there to what they enjoyed in this adventurous life at sea. 

Tyler:  What was the research and writing of this book like?

Dennis: I poured over the Del Norte County Historical Society’s voluminous files in Northern California about St. George Reef Lighthouse, including its historical, one-of-a-kind records. The information from Del Norte County was added to the accounts of other historical societies and newspapers from Portland, Oregon, to San Francisco and Los Angeles. From the San Francisco Maritime Museum and National Archives in Washington, D.C., to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on the East Coast, marine historians and librarians added to my growing stacks of information. I searched for all that I could find about the risky construction and the station’s history.

As with “Treasure Ship”, I found the anecdotes from those associated with this story to be very interesting and gave a great balance to the research. Coast Guardsmen who lived and operated St. George told their tales of what life was actually like. From trying to survive the tumultuous storms that swept in and isolated this reef to the antics of young crewmen, the lives of these keepers were not for the weak of heart.
 
I then found and worked in stories about what life was like on other lighthouses, the courageous accounts of the women who ran these sentinels, and the tales of the ghosts that haunted them.

Tyler:  You mentioned the role of women with lighthouses.  Could you comment more on this aspect of your book?

Dennis: Women lighthouse keepers were far more numerous than is commonly known.  Where families were allowed, the wives of keepers always assisted or took over responsibilities and duties.  More than 250 female wickies over time either worked alone running a station or were officially appointed as an assistant keeper with their spouse.

The first woman to serve at an American lighthouse was Hannah Thomas, whose career at the Massachusetts Gurnet Point Light lasted for ten years from 1776 to 1786.  During this time period, she tended to four flat-wick lamps, each having four large wicks.  The lamps burned whale oil, which required replenishing them up to three times a night, not to mention the daily wick trimming, cleaning, maintenance, and emergencies—every night and day without relief.
 
From Katie Walker (Robbins Reef Lighthouse in New York Bay) and Ida Lewis (Lime Rock Lighthouse on Rhode Island) to Harriet Colfax (Lake Michigan) and Emily Fish (Point Pinos on the Monterey Peninsula in California), many other “keepers in skirts” followed her lead in manning lighthouses on both coasts and the great lakes.  Fascinated by these accounts, I set down their stories in “Sentinel of the Seas”. 
 
Tyler:  And you included stories about ghosts?

Dennis: Every lighthouse has its own mysteries, strange stories, and peculiar ghost. No other structure built creates the strange sounds, sights, and experiences of a lighthouse, especially when at night on a spiraling spiral staircase, a moaning breeze whirls around ones face and the sounds of the surf crash far below. Howling winds in lonely towers next to the ocean create weird noises any way, not to mention a shadowy night with a full moon shining through windows and walking alone up a creaking stairwell. Echoing voices and squeaking window frames, slamming metal doors, flashing lights, and unexplained reflections all create their special effects—especially when isolated for hours in a dark place—even if at first one doesn’t believe in ghosts. After reading and writing about these stories, it became hard to disbelieve or explain away “why” they actually happened.

Tyler:  Is the St. George Reef Lighthouse said to be haunted, and if so, would you provide us with one story or anecdote about its haunting?

Dennis: The stories of ghosts seem to exist at every lighthouse, and St. George was no exception. Wickies on duty there swore that they heard or saw specters haunting the dark, wet Medieval-looking tower and desolate reef. One story concerns the soul of one of the three Coast Guardsmen who died in a tragic accident at St. George in 1951. A keeper swore that this specter made his presence known when one of the cups in the galley would suddenly start shaking. The older seaman would then give the young fellows a hard time. He’d tell them to give the old boy a cup of coffee. They would watch that cup swing and, according to this sailor, “their eyes would get real big.” He told stories about unexplained whistling sounds and doors slamming for no reason. Another Coast Guardsman toward the end of his duty was also on this shift. He said: “I didn’t believe in those ghosts. I don’t think any self-respecting ghost would haunt a God-forsaken place like that tough station.”    

Tyler:   That’s a great story, Dennis. It makes me want to go there to hunt for ghosts myself. Dennis, so many of our lighthouses today are in danger of being destroyed and their history lost. Why do you feel lighthouses are so important to our history?

Dennis: Lighthouses were the sentinels when shipping was the dominant industry in this country, and this state of affairs lasted over centuries into the late twentieth century. These lonely structures were the last warning, navigational, and shelter outposts for the beleaguered sailors and seamen. They were not only this important then, but even now these monuments have a particular mystique, romance, and appeal for many of us.
  
Many civic-minded individuals, associations, and groups are working hard to preserve the sentinels that are in their area.  These structures are a part of the history of not only this country but also that state and region. I dedicated “Sentinel” to “those who protected the mariners over the years—and who work today to keep the history.” This is an important work.           

Tyler:   Is the St. George Reef lighthouse open to the public today? If so, what can visitors expect to find there?

Dennis: Owing to its location in uncertain ocean waters six miles from land, the only way to see this wave-washed spit of rock and its lighthouse is by helicopter. These flights happen infrequently, but I would highly recommend them for the adventurous. To fly over the ocean to a lighthouse where waves crash thunderously from all sides, land on a forty-foot wide stoned deck, and feel the ocean’s power is the experience of a lifetime. I flew out to visit St. George on a clear, sunny, windless day and found the surf surrounding its caisson walls with impressive displays of spray and sea.  See http://www.stgeorgereeflighthouse.us/ for the details on these helicopter flights.     

Tyler:  What stood out after you finished “Sentinel of the Seas”?

Dennis: The courage of these keepers—and their tales while on this prison-like fortress—were amazing.  Whether they were painting a railing or coming to the lighthouse by small boat, risks to life and limb lurked when performing the simplest of tasks. As important, the warning fortress on St. George is a testimonial to the historical times that are so much a part of this country.

This book is about eras that our grandparents and even parents lived, knew, and read about. But the lives of those who built and lived in that lighthouse inside the Dragon’s Rocks—and other sentinels as described in the book—were very different.  And I still marvel at these stories.

Tyler:   Besides, “Sentinel of the Seas” I know you are the author of “Treasure Ship” and “The Raging Sea.” Do you have any other projects in the works about the sea?

Dennis: I have a number of works in process, and these range from salvaging ships at sea to the eighteenth-century captains who traveled the seven seas. I enjoy the researching and talking about these subjects as much as the writing.  It has become a way of life for me. As to more information on “Treasure Ship” and “The Raging Sea”, please see my website, dennispowersbooks.com, for the details. 

Tyler:   Where can people find out more about “Sentinel of the Seas” and how to purchase it?

Dennis: My website (dennispowersbooks.com) has more information on “Sentinel of the Seas”, including pictures and further particulars. Readers can buy this book at their local independent bookstore, Barnes & Noble, other chains, Amazon.com, various websites, kensingtonbooks.com, and other fine places.
 
Tyler:  Thank you for joining me today, Dennis. Your descriptions of lighthouses, and especially the St. George Reef Lighthouse, made me feel as if I were really there experiencing the difficulties and richness of this maritime life. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion.

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