Friday, January 02, 2009
Old Barney Beams Again
BARNEGAT LIGHT, N.J. (by Erik Larsen) -- Despite wind gusts that made the sea air feel several degrees below zero, thousands bundled up and crowded together on the northern tip of Long Beach Island on Thursday to see Barnegat Lighthouse relit for the first time since Calvin Coolidge was in the White House. Shortly after 5 p.m., to the gasps of awe for some and the sighs of disappointment for a few others assembled in the state park that bears its name, Barnegat Lighthouse — the latest in 19th-century navigational technology — was back in service as a Coast Guard-approved beacon.It had been lit, for decorative purposes only, with a 100 watt non-flashing bulb. USCG authorization was required for a new Fresnel lense & flashing beam.
If onlookers were expecting to see a blazing beam from Old Barney, what they got looked more like a giant, rotating candle holder. But that did not appear to diminish the enthusiasm of the moment for those who braved the winter to fill the park as if it were a humid afternoon in July.
Labels: jersey shore
