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LOCAL Saturday 11 May 2024
A11

A brief history of the California Light House

(Oranjestad)—At the furthest west- was only a donkey trail. Those were
ern point of the island, there lies the the only means of transportation.”
tallest structure on the island: The
California Light House. Standing on Mr. Fingal continues, “In 1939, I was
top of a limestone cliff, this light- born in the lighthouse, and my fa-
house oversees the entire island, ther was the last lighthouse keeper
offering one of few best views of until he retired in 1962. After that,
the island and the surrounding sea. they removed the power cables
It is also one of the few monuments all the way to the top. According
that hold a rich history. to the story, we couldn’t have the
light ourselves because they dis-
The lighthouse was constructed mantled it, and after many years,
in between 1914-1916, and its I heard that it is in a train museum
first keeper was a young trained in San Nicolas, where we found this
lighthouse keeper from Curacao very special lens that, when the
names Jacob Jacobs. Mr. Frederi- light shines through it, it reaches 30
co Fingal was the last man to have kilometers out to sea.” Mr. Fingal
occupied this position until 1962. told our reporter.
Though his son, Mr. Romulo Fingal
did not continue in his father’s foot- The lighthouse has a long and very
steps, he does have a special con- interesting history. The reason why
nection to the lighthouse. He sat the lighthouse was built, according
down with our reporter and shared to Mr. Fingal, dates back to the day
a bit of its history. when the cargo ship S.S. California
sank because of the lack of light.
As Mr. Fingal explains, “In 1915, In 1913, Aruba made a request
cargo donkeys were hired from to Curacao to build a Lighthouse
Figaroa di Noord to help build the at Westpunt, and the governor of
Lighthouse at Westpunt. The don- Curacao responded to Aruba to
keys had to walk along the beach come back in 1915 with a well-de-
all the way to Westpunt carrying tailed plan. “During the First World
the cargo, poles, cement, and all War from 1914 to 1918, they had to
these things. At that time, it was wait for the light to be transported
a difficult task until Aruba got its to Aruba because it was manufac-
first truck. These things reflect how tured in France. At that time, there
people could have accomplished was no electricity, and the light
this tremendous job with so little.” was very interesting because it ro-
Mr. Fingal said, “At that time, it tated with a kerosene lamp that
wasn’t a place for people to work. planes used; clean kerosene,” Mr.
It was very challenging because it Fingal said.
was full of goats and donkeys, and
it was very isolated. There were no Mr. Fingal discovered something
hotels or roads to get there. There very interesting about the light- house after much research was meters high. It is designed not to
documented in his book ‘History of collapse,” Mr. Fingal explains.
the Lighthouse at Westpunt.’
Mr. Fingal further explains that in
He found many details: “I found one night, the lighthouse rotates
out that the height of the light- 4,320 times and consumes one
house was due to the absence gallon of kerosene for the whole
of electricity. There was also the operation. “At that time, the kero-
presence of coral. There is a long sene was supplied from the Lago
steel cable from where the light is, refinery. Every day it was brought
and under the light, at the highest down, and to start the light again,
point, there is a hanging weight, a they had to lift the weight up, so
sort of pendulum that swings like our job as children was to crank it
that, with a weight that measures and raise the weight back up in the
about 1 meter by 30 centimeters evening when the light stuck, they
wide, which is a block of solid iron would take it down again, and the
attached to a cable. When you light stayed down. That’s how it
release it upwards, it comes down, worked for a very long time,” Mr.
and the weight that comes down Fingal explains.
pulls it up, gradually. And while it
comes down, the same weight Thanks to the Monument Fund
that is descending causes many Aruba, which worked hard and
small wheels to turn in the opposite is currently in charge of the Light-
direction. The Lighthouse rotates house, Mr. Fingal is very happy
from 6 pm in the evening, when with its preservation, along with all
the sun sets, until 6 am in the morn- the renovations that have taken
ing. During the entire night, the light place. He hopes that the story of
shines on the lantern, it goes down the lighthouse will continue to live
24 meters, and the Lighthouse is 30 on for future generations.