Page 10 - AHATA

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local Friday 31 January 2025

A brief history of the California Light House

(Oranjestad)—At the furthest portation." to Mr. Fingal, dates back to the lighthouse after much
western point of the island, the day when the cargo ship research was documented
there lies the tallest structure Mr. Fingal continues, "In 1939, S.S. California sank because in his book 'History of the
on the island: The California I was born in the lighthouse, of the lack of light. In 1913, Lighthouse at Westpunt.'
Light House. Standing on top and my father was the last Aruba made a request to Cu- He found many details: "I
of a limestone cliff, this light- lighthouse keeper until he racao to build a Lighthouse found out that the height
house oversees the entire is- retired in 1962. After that, at Westpunt, and the gover- of the lighthouse was due
land, offering one of few best they removed the power nor of Curacao responded to the absence of electric-
views of the island and the cables all the way to the to Aruba to come back in ity. There was also the pres- scending causes many small
surrounding sea. It is also one top. According to the story, 1915 with a well-detailed ence of coral. There is a long wheels to turn in the oppo-
of the few monuments that we couldn't have the light plan. "During the First World steel cable from where the site direction. The Lighthouse
hold a rich history. ourselves because they dis- War from 1914 to 1918, they light is, and under the light, rotates from 6 pm in the
mantled it, and after many had to wait for the light to at the highest point, there evening, when the sun sets,
The lighthouse was con- years, I heard that it is in a be transported to Aruba be- is a hanging weight, a sort until 6 am in the morning.
structed in between 1914- train museum in San Nicolas, cause it was manufactured of pendulum that swings During the entire night, the
1916, and its first keeper was where we found this very spe- in France. At that time, there like that, with a weight that light shines on the lantern, it
a young trained lighthouse cial lens that, when the light was no electricity, and the measures about 1 meter by goes down 24 meters, and
keeper from Curacao names shines through it, it reaches light was very interesting 30 centimeters wide, which is the Lighthouse is 30 meters
Jacob Jacobs. Mr. Frederico 30 kilometers out to sea." Mr. because it rotated with a a block of solid iron attached high. It is designed not to col-
Fingal was the last man to Fingal told our reporter. kerosene lamp that planes to a cable. When you release lapse," Mr. Fingal explains.
have occupied this position used; clean kerosene," Mr. it upwards, it comes down,
until 1962. Though his son, Mr. The lighthouse has a long Fingal said. and the weight that comes Mr. Fingal further explains
Romulo Fingal did not con- and very interesting history. down pulls it up, gradually. that in one night, the light-
tinue in his father’s footsteps, The reason why the light- Mr. Fingal discovered some- And while it comes down, house rotates 4,320 times
he does have a special con- house was built, according thing very interesting about the same weight that is de- and consumes one gallon
nection to the lighthouse. He of kerosene for the whole
sat down with our reporter operation. "At that time, the
and shared a bit of its history. kerosene was supplied from
the Lago refinery. Every day
As Mr. Fingal explains, "In it was brought down, and to
1915, cargo donkeys were start the light again, they had
hired from Figaroa di Noord to lift the weight up, so our
to help build the Lighthouse job as children was to crank
at Westpunt. The donkeys it and raise the weight back
had to walk along the beach up in the evening when the
all the way to Westpunt car- light stuck, they would take
rying the cargo, poles, ce- it down again, and the light
ment, and all these things. stayed down. That's how it
At that time, it was a difficult worked for a very long time,"
task until Aruba got its first Mr. Fingal explains.
truck. These things reflect
how people could have ac- Thanks to the Monument
complished this tremendous Fund Aruba, which worked
job with so little." Mr. Fingal hard and is currently in
said, "At that time, it wasn't charge of the Lighthouse, Mr.
a place for people to work. Fingal is very happy with its
It was very challenging be- preservation, along with all
cause it was full of goats and the renovations that have
donkeys, and it was very iso- taken place. He hopes that
lated. There were no hotels the story of the lighthouse will
or roads to get there. There continue to live on for future
was only a donkey trail. Those generations.q
were the only means of trans-