Interview with Dennis M Powers, Author of "Sentinel of the Seas"

Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views ison the East Coast, marine historians and librarians
interviewing Dennis M. Powers, author of "Sentinel ofadded to my growing stacks of information. I searched
the Seas: Life and Death at the Most Dangerousfor all that I could find about the risky construction and
Lighthouse Ever Built."the station's history.
Dennis Powers is an avid historian of nautical life. He isAs with "Treasure Ship", I found the anecdotes from
the author of "Treasure Ship" and "The Raging Sea."those associated with this story to be very interesting
His new book, "Sentinel of the Seas," is aboutand gave a great balance to the research. Coast
lighthouses and more particularly St. George ReefGuardsmen who lived and operated St. George told
Lighthouse located off the California coast. He spenttheir tales of what life was actually like. From trying to
five years meticulously researching this subject.survive the tumultuous storms that swept in and
Tyler: Hello, Dennis. Thank you for joining me today. I'disolated this reef to the antics of young crewmen, the
like to start our conversation by asking how youlives of these keepers were not for the weak of
became so interested in writing this particular book.heart.
Dennis: My last book, "Treasure Ship", was about theI then found and worked in stories about what life was
loss, search for, and eventual discovery of thelike on other lighthouses, the courageous accounts of
gold-bearing steamer "S.S. Brother Jonathan". In 1865,the women who ran these sentinels, and the tales of
the large sidewheeler struck a seething reef insidethe ghosts that haunted them.
Dragon Rocks off the Northern California coast andTyler: You mentioned the role of women with
sank in forty-five minutes. In the West Coast's thenlighthouses. Could you comment more on this aspect
worst maritime accident, 225 people perished in thoseof your book?
raging waters. Newspapers throughout the countryDennis: Women lighthouse keepers were far more
headlined the news of the great loss and famousnumerous than is commonly known. Where families
personalities onboard when that vessel went down. Awere allowed, the wives of keepers always assisted
remote lighthouse somehow had to be built andor took over responsibilities and duties. More than 250
operated there in seas that unexpectedly rose storiesfemale wickies over time either worked alone running
high within short hours.a station or were officially appointed as an assistant
As I researched the stories for "Treasure Ship", I foundkeeper with their spouse.
myself spending as much time meandering throughThe first woman to serve at an American lighthouse
whatever files existed about St. George Lighthouse.was Hannah Thomas, whose career at the
This was the distant and dangerous station built inMassachusetts Gurnet Point Light lasted for ten years
response to that tragedy, constructed close to thefrom 1776 to 1786. During this time period, she tended
disaster site on a desolate wave-washed rock hit byto four flat-wick lamps, each having four large wicks.
the ocean on all sides. I discovered that the stories ofThe lamps burned whale oil, which required replenishing
courage, hardship, and the changing of eras of boththem up to three times a night, not to mention the daily
were intertwined.wick trimming, cleaning, maintenance, and
I became entranced by the stories about the men whoemergencies--every night and day without relief.
built and then operated the lighthouse on thisFrom Katie Walker (Robbins Reef Lighthouse in New
dangerous wave-washed spit of rock--and the risks ofYork Bay) and Ida Lewis (Lime Rock Lighthouse on
the work. The construction was difficult enough, butRhode Island) to Harriet Colfax (Lake Michigan) and
then it had to be operated and maintained against theEmily Fish (Point Pinos on the Monterey Peninsula in
onslaughts of typhoons and Nor'westers. MaroonedCalifornia), many other "keepers in skirts" followed her
with other men in tiny rooms for weeks at a time, alead in manning lighthouses on both coasts and the
keeper had to be mentally strong to overcome thegreat lakes. Fascinated by these accounts, I set down
close quarters, shrill ear-piercing foghorns, and sense oftheir stories in "Sentinel of the Seas".
isolation, especially when the whistling winds poweredTyler: And you included stories about ghosts?
the ocean into office-building-high crests that batteredDennis: Every lighthouse has its own mysteries,
the man-made structure and men held captive inside. Itstrange stories, and peculiar ghost. No other structure
was an easy decision to write "Sentinel of the Seas".built creates the strange sounds, sights, and
Tyler: That certainly is understandable. What anexperiences of a lighthouse, especially when at night
exciting if risky life, and you describe it so vividly. Couldon a spiraling spiral staircase, a moaning breeze whirls
you describe for us what the construction of thearound ones face and the sounds of the surf crash
lighthouse on St. George entailed?far below. Howling winds in lonely towers next to the
Dennis: When Alexander Ballantyne built Tillamookocean create weird noises any way, not to mention a
Rock Lighthouse, another engineering feat located offshadowy night with a full moon shining through
the Oregon coast, he proved that building on such awindows and walking alone up a creaking stairwell.
challenging site twelve miles from the closest port wasEchoing voices and squeaking window frames,
feasible. The U.S. Light-House Board next placed him inslamming metal doors, flashing lights, and unexplained
charge of building St. George. From his diary, detailedreflections all create their special effects--especially
notes, and reports on the construction of thesewhen isolated for hours in a dark place--even if at first
structures, I realized that he was one of the very fewone doesn't believe in ghosts. After reading and writing
who was up to such a difficult task--and the hardshipsabout these stories, it became hard to disbelieve or
started at the very beginning. A howling Nor-'westerexplain away "why" they actually happened.
with massive waves, shrieking winds, and stingingTyler: Is the St. George Reef Lighthouse said to be
sheets of spray twice forced the first constructionhaunted, and if so, would you provide us with one
expedition to turn back to its San Francisco homeport.story or anecdote about its haunting?
After horrifying experiences with more monstrousDennis: The stories of ghosts seem to exist at every
storms during the first winter, Ballantyne and his crewlighthouse, and St. George was no exception. Wickies
learned to adapt to these deadly forces of nature.on duty there swore that they heard or saw specters
They had to. Each spring, the workers had to rebuildhaunting the dark, wet Medieval-looking tower and
what the tumultuous ocean had later wrecked beforedesolate reef. One story concerns the soul of one of
they could restart construction. Storms and seasthe three Coast Guardsmen who died in a tragic
washed men away, whether they were working,accident at St. George in 1951. A keeper swore that
sleeping in quarters eventually built on the rock, orthis specter made his presence known when one of
running to avoid rogue waves. From the explosivethe cups in the galley would suddenly start shaking.
showering of blasted rock bits and drizzling rains toThe older seaman would then give the young fellows
running out of food and drinkable water, the conditionsa hard time. He'd tell them to give the old boy a cup of
that these workers endured were hard and terrifying.coffee. They would watch that cup swing and,
Ballantyne and his men had to be inventive inaccording to this sailor, "their eyes would get real big."
surmounting the elements--and they weren't alwaysHe told stories about unexplained whistling sounds and
successful. Years passed before their efforts coulddoors slamming for no reason. Another Coast
sufficiently overcome those hardship conditions andGuardsman toward the end of his duty was also on
complete the lighthouse, a massive medieval-lookingthis shift. He said: "I didn't believe in those ghosts. I don't
structure that towered above the rocks. It was thethink any self-respecting ghost would haunt a
most expensive, remote, and dangerous lighthouseGod-forsaken place like that tough station."
built--and men died in its operation over the years.Tyler: That's a great story, Dennis. It makes me want
Tyler: What made the operation and construction ofto go there to hunt for ghosts myself. Dennis, so many
this lighthouse so dangerous?of our lighthouses today are in danger of being
Dennis: Owing to the ever-present dangers, thedestroyed and their history lost. Why do you feel
Light-House Board didn't allow families to live there, aslighthouses are so important to our history?
distinct from nearly every other lighthouse. LocatedDennis: Lighthouses were the sentinels when shipping
miles off the coast, supply boats had to bring freshwas the dominant industry in this country, and this state
water, food, supplies, and medical equipment to theof affairs lasted over centuries into the late twentieth
rock, and the only way to land or leave St. Georgecentury. These lonely structures were the last warning,
was by a derrick and a stories high, wind-swung ride.navigational, and shelter outposts for the beleaguered
While the seas could be rising or falling as much assailors and seamen. They were not only this important
fifteen feet, the operator had to hoist small launchesthen, but even now these monuments have a
by a hook onto the reef or lighthouse. Danger wasparticular mystique, romance, and appeal for many of
always present. In the early years, keepers died andus.
others became seriously ill. Among the eighty menMany civic-minded individuals, associations, and groups
who served over a forty-year period between 1891are working hard to preserve the sentinels that are in
and 1930, sixty-seven resigned or transferred totheir area. These structures are a part of the history
another station.of not only this country but also that state and region. I
Coast Guardsmen had to land on the reef to physicallydedicated "Sentinel" to "those who protected the
remove more than one keeper who suffered a mentalmariners over the years--and who work today to
breakdown. Accounts maintain that one or twokeep the history." This is an important work.
lookouts simply disappeared after the seas crashedTyler: Is the St. George Reef lighthouse open to the
over the reef. During one storm, a monstrouspublic today? If so, what can visitors expect to find
160-foot-high wave crashed over the lighthouse, totallythere?
inundating it and the men inside, pouring ocean insideDennis: Owing to its location in uncertain ocean waters
while shattering windows in the uppermost lanternsix miles from land, the only way to see this
room that was fourteen-stories high above the reef.wave-washed spit of rock and its lighthouse is by
Despite this precarious state of affairs, keepershelicopter. These flights happen infrequently, but I would
returned to live on this station. They preferred this life,highly recommend them for the adventurous. To fly
even to the less isolated sentinels that were on land.over the ocean to a lighthouse where waves crash
Life at lighthouses on the coast was easier, as wickiesthunderously from all sides, land on a forty-foot wide
could have their families with them, school their children,stoned deck, and feel the ocean's power is the
raise sheep or cows, have pets, and tend to flowerexperience of a lifetime. I flew out to visit St. George
and vegetable gardens. The differences in these typeson a clear, sunny, windless day and found the surf
of lives are interesting, and I was able to bring this intosurrounding its caisson walls with impressive displays
the book.of spray and sea. See for the details on these
Tyler: You mentioned Ballantyne's diary above. Didhelicopter flights.
other men at the lighthouse keep diaries or other firstTyler: What stood out after you finished "Sentinel of
person accounts of their experiences? What would athe Seas"?
typical day be like for the men at the lighthouse?Dennis: The courage of these keepers--and their tales
Dennis: I was fortunate in tracking down thewhile on this prison-like fortress--were amazing.
descendants of the old keepers, as well asWhether they were painting a railing or coming to the
interviewing Coast Guardsmen who served in thelighthouse by small boat, risks to life and limb lurked
1950's, and their stories are in the book. The days atwhen performing the simplest of tasks. As important,
St. George were best described by one who said,the warning fortress on St. George is a testimonial to
"We could have days of routine or fun followed by thethe historical times that are so much a part of this
sudden appearance of absolute terror." Depending oncountry.
the weather, the men took shifts working on theThis book is about eras that our grandparents and
equipment, maintaining the lighthouse lamp (or light),even parents lived, knew, and read about. But the lives
painting, refurbishing, repairing, and working to keep theof those who built and lived in that lighthouse inside the
sentinel in good order. It was difficult to have a socialDragon's Rocks--and other sentinels as described in
life, as the lighthouse was located miles from land andthe book--were very different. And I still marvel at
gales could storm in to cut off any contact with thethese stories.
outside world for weeks. Life on this lighthouse wasTyler: Besides, "Sentinel of the Seas" I know you are
very misleading: A keeper could be preoccupied withthe author of "Treasure Ship" and "The Raging Sea."
his work, and then suddenly a stories-high rogue waveDo you have any other projects in the works about
could be steaming towards him with only seconds ofthe sea?
warning. Landing supplies and crews was also aDennis: I have a number of works in process, and
dangerous undertaking and this required the loweringthese range from salvaging ships at sea to the
of boats into a maelstrom of tides and rip currents.eighteenth-century captains who traveled the seven
Men died and were severely injured--or simplyseas. I enjoy the researching and talking about these
disappeared during a sudden storm. Despite this, somesubjects as much as the writing. It has become a way
keepers stayed for years, preferring the savageof life for me. As to more information on "Treasure
beauty of the sea and this station's isolation. "Sentinel"Ship" and "The Raging Sea", please see my website,
goes into details of these stories, ranging from thedennispowersbooks.com, for the details.
characters that lived there to what they enjoyed in thisTyler: Where can people find out more about "Sentinel
adventurous life at sea.of the Seas" and how to purchase it?
Tyler: What was the research and writing of this bookDennis: My website (dennispowersbooks.com) has
like?more information on "Sentinel of the Seas", including
Dennis: I poured over the Del Norte County Historicalpictures and further particulars. Readers can buy this
Society's voluminous files in Northern California aboutbook at their local independent bookstore, Barnes
St. George Reef Lighthouse, including its historical,& Noble, other chains, Amazon.com, various
one-of-a-kind records. The information from Del Nortewebsites, kensingtonbooks.com, and other fine places.
County was added to the accounts of other historicalTyler: Thank you for joining me today, Dennis. Your
societies and newspapers from Portland, Oregon, todescriptions of lighthouses, and especially the St.
San Francisco and Los Angeles. From the SanGeorge Reef Lighthouse, made me feel as if I were
Francisco Maritime Museum and National Archives inreally there experiencing the difficulties and richness of
Washington, D.C., to the U.S. Coast Guard Academythis maritime life. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion.