Page 16 - AHATA

Friday 25 July 2025 locAl
A10

A brief history of the California Light House

(Oranjestad)—At the furthest
western point of the island,
there lies the tallest structure
on the island: The California
Light House. Standing on top
of a limestone cliff, this light-
house oversees the entire is-
land, offering one of few best
views of the island and the
surrounding sea. It is also one
of the few monuments that
hold a rich history.

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