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THE LEEUWIN LIGHT -
HOUSE.
DEDICATORY CEREMONY.
(FROM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.)
KARRIDALE:. December IO.
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
Bussell, 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, a long
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 aré 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
au 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
is 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 Ís 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 this 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
of 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 it 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 now 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
ratifying 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 Gorernors of this colony had desired
should be undertaken. He well remem-
bered the great interés; 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 his 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
would 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
to 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.
(Cheersi) 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) then 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 they had, he believed, the
longest coast line of any colony; and since
he had 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 had got one of the
best lights in the world from Bir-
mingham. Not in hlmself-(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
provisión 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-
tral«»
The DIRECTOR of PUBLIC WORKS, ad-
dressing the Chief Harbour Master (Captain
Bussell), 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, I have now the pleasure of hand-
ing it over to you, as you are the 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
had great pleasure, as the representative
of the department responsible for the
proper working of the lighthouse, intakes;
charge of it, and he hoped that the officers
and employes who would be entrusted with
the importan 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 had been
greater than in the case of Cape Leeuwin.
He spoke of tei 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. Toole" 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 racing 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 had 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 io 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 wll 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 duty to report
them, aud 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 mads 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
strncture 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
been 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"bossod" 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 hare 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 material 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
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. DAVÍES proposed the health of
"The Ministry " in appropriate terms.
The PREMIER, in reply, said that it was
regretted that that portion of the country
should be so sparsely settled. He was de-
lighted with the district, and he wished he
could make his an 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, became 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 clossd.
OBJECTS OF INTEREST.
At the close of the luncheon mc st of the
party proccedod to inspect tho arrange-
ments by which tha w*«r is caavey^dtothe
lighthouse quartsr3. '?'.u wr_isr is drawn
from a large fi33h wate-s vamp whichlies
somewhat above the level of the se<. ;
a wooden channel carries the water to tho
water wheel, which is employed to put in
mol,iori the hydiaulic ram. By tras means
an abundant supply for all purposes is
obtained. Aftoj- examining these m;nia.
tur« waterworks, a vis'fc »»as paid
to the quarry from which the stone
employed in tbo lighthouse build-
ing was obtainad. The contractors
appear to have been getting near the enda
of the supply of good stone by the termi-
nation of their labours, but enough re-
mained to give a good idea of the quality
of the material obtained. The quarry con-
sists of an upper cap of fine limestone, such
as we are familiar with near Fremantle, and
underneath this there is a solid bed several
feet in thickness of some of the
most excellent limestone to be found in
the colony. It is from this bed that the
material was got for the construction of
the lighthouse. From this quarry blocks
of stone seven feet in length, a foot
wide, and several feet broad were obtained
in very large numbers and without
a flaw of any kind. The portion of the
stone rejected as being too small for the
purposes of the lighthouse contains blocks
of a size equal to much of the larger stone
employed in Perth and Fremantle build-
ings, and is invariably harder than any
obtained in the metropolitan district.
THE RETURN JOURNEY.
The return journey to Karridale waj
then begun, and this little township was
reached at about 7 p.m.
A call was made en route at Mr. Ellis's
homestead, where the party were regaled
with light refreshments, and had an
opportunity of inspecting the Blackwood
River.
This evening a ball took place in the
Karridale ballroom in honour of the visi-
tors, and dancing was kept up till a late
hour.
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