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Race Rock New York
Harbour Lights #272
The Steamer Atlantic struggled against the breaking waves and strong currents that swelled in the wake of a raging storm. The captain and crew of twenty were confident in their command of the Atlantic, but knew that the malevolent Race Point Reef lay just ahead. The swirling and “racing” waters at this point have caught hundreds of vessels off guard, pulling them towards the deadly hazard. As the ship reaches the bottleneck at the opening of Long Island Sound, the captain ordered the engines full speed ahead.
Meanwhile, the 39 passengers fought against seasickness and fear, furtively noting the frightened glances flying between crewmembers. They heard a mighty roar as the ship’s engines swelled. Apprehension eased a bit as the Atlantic appeared to win the battle against the current. But just as the crew and passengers thought they were out of danger, a steam pipe burst and all power was lost.
Two anchors were tossed overboard in a vain attempt to keep the Atlantic from drifting into the dangerous shores of Fishers Island, but the current was too strong. The Steamer dragged its anchors until it reached a rocky ledge, snapping the tethered cables. The ship breached, breaking up within a matter of minutes. Of the 59 souls aboard the Atlantic, only 14 would make it ashore alive.
Officials knew that Race Rock was a perilous hazard responsible for hundreds of wrecks, but this tragedy of 1846 finally spurred them on to appropriate funds for the construction of a lighthouse. All previous attempts to place buoys or spindles failed and it was clear that Race Rock needed a marker.
Work began in the spring of 1870 after the government commissioned Francis Hopkinson Smith and Captain Thomas Albertson Scott to lead the efforts. Mr. Smith had built the seawall at Governors Island and the foundation for the Statue of Liberty. Mr. Scott was a master diver, established in the days when diving meant climbing into clumsy rubber suits, donning a copper helmet and breathing through a long tube pumping air from the surface.
The large concrete foundation and granite lighthouse took more than seven years to complete, slowed by winter storms, strong currents and catastrophe. Thousands of tons of riprap was placed in the seemingly bottomless
hole, accomplished only through numerous acts of courage by the construction team. Two workers lost their lives on the job. Much of the masonry was completed underwater. By the time the lighthouse was completed, more than $270,000 had been spent on the lighthouse (a huge sum for those days).
Lit New Year’s Day 1879 , the 45 -foot tower flashed its fourth-order Fresnel lens , blinking red and white. The Gothic Revival-style station stands on a high stone pier near where three state boundaries come together just off the tip of New York’s Fishers Island . Race Rock Light marks the end of masonry lighthouses on wave swept or water-bound sites. It was automated in 1978 and is still operational today. Despite the century of exposure to the elements of nature, the strongly built sentinel shows no substantial damage to the structure. Race Rock truly stands as a tribute to its builders and as a navigational aid for mariners.
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HL# |
Name |
MSRP |
Introduced |
Retired |
Edition |
|
272 |
Race
Rock NY |
$69 |
Jan 02 |
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5,000 |
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