Page 19 - AHATA

A11
LOCAL Thursday 22 February 2024

A brief history of the California Light House

(Oranjestad)—At the furthest west- the only means of transportation."
ern point of the island, there lies the
tallest structure on the island: The Mr. Fingal continues, "In 1939, I was
California Light House. Standing on born in the lighthouse, and my fa-
top of a limestone cliff, this light- ther was the last lighthouse keeper
house oversees the entire island, until he retired in 1962. After that,
offering one of few best views of they removed the power cables
the island and the surrounding sea. all the way to the top. According
It is also one of the few monuments to the story, we couldn't have the
that hold a rich history. light ourselves because they dis-
mantled it, and after many years,
The lighthouse was constructed I heard that it is in a train museum
in between 1914-1916, and its in San Nicolas, where we found this
first keeper was a young trained very special lens that, when the
lighthouse keeper from Curacao light shines through it, it reaches 30
names Jacob Jacobs. Mr. Frederi- kilometers out to sea." Mr. Fingal
co Fingal was the last man to have told our reporter.
occupied this position until 1962.
Though his son, Mr. Romulo Fingal The lighthouse has a long and very
did not continue in his father’s foot- interesting history. The reason why
steps, he does have a special con- the lighthouse was built, according
nection to the lighthouse. He sat to Mr. Fingal, dates back to the day
down with our reporter and shared when the cargo ship S.S. California
a bit of its history. sank because of the lack of light.
In 1913, Aruba made a request
As Mr. Fingal explains, "In 1915, to Curacao to build a Lighthouse
cargo donkeys were hired from at Westpunt, and the governor of
Figaroa di Noord to help build the Curacao responded to Aruba to
Lighthouse at Westpunt. The don- come back in 1915 with a well-de-
keys had to walk along the beach tailed plan. "During the First World
all the way to Westpunt carrying War from 1914 to 1918, they had to
the cargo, poles, cement, and all wait for the light to be transported of the Lighthouse at Westpunt.' attached to a cable. When you
these things. At that time, it was to Aruba because it was manufac- He found many details: "I found release it upwards, it comes down,
a difficult task until Aruba got its tured in France. At that time, there out that the height of the light- and the weight that comes down
first truck. These things reflect how was no electricity, and the light house was due to the absence pulls it up, gradually. And while it
people could have accomplished was very interesting because it ro- of electricity. There was also the comes down, the same weight
this tremendous job with so little." tated with a kerosene lamp that presence of coral. There is a long that is descending causes many
Mr. Fingal said, "At that time, it planes used; clean kerosene," Mr. steel cable from where the light is, small wheels to turn in the opposite
wasn't a place for people to work. Fingal said. and under the light, at the highest direction. The Lighthouse rotates
It was very challenging because it point, there is a hanging weight, a from 6 pm in the evening, when
was full of goats and donkeys, and Mr. Fingal discovered something sort of pendulum that swings like the sun sets, until 6 am in the morn-
it was very isolated. There were no very interesting about the light- that, with a weight that measures ing. During the entire night, the light
hotels or roads to get there. There house after much research was about 1 meter by 30 centimeters shines on the lantern, it goes down
was only a donkey trail. Those were documented in his book 'History wide, which is a block of solid iron 24 meters, and the Lighthouse is 30
meters high. It is designed not to
collapse," Mr. Fingal explains.

Mr. Fingal further explains that in
one night, the lighthouse rotates
4,320 times and consumes one
gallon of kerosene for the whole
operation. "At that time, the kero-
sene was supplied from the Lago
refinery. Every day it was brought
down, and to start the light again,
they had to lift the weight up, so
our job as children was to crank
it and raise the weight back up in
the evening when the light stuck,
they would take it down again,
and the light stayed down. That's
how it worked for a very long time,"
Mr. Fingal explains.

Thanks to the Monument Fund
Aruba, which worked hard and
is currently in charge of the Light-
house, Mr. Fingal is very happy
with its preservation, along with all
the renovations that have taken
place. He hopes that the story of
the lighthouse will continue to live