June 1,
2010…Update # 3 – The 2010 restoration of Owls Head Lighthouse is an $80,000
project being funded and managed by the nonprofit American Lighthouse
Foundation and ALF chapter, Friends of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse
Owls Head Light Restoration Perseveres
Through the Blasts of the Fog Horn
By Bob Trapani,
Jr.
Fog and misty
sea conditions are no strangers along the coast of Midcoast Maine. Their
shrouding presence often shows up at the doorstep of Owls Head
Lighthouse, prompting the light station’s fog horn to spring into action
to help warn mariners of nearby navigational dangers.
When this
time-honored
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Fog rolls in over West Penobscot Bay,
causing the fog horn at Owls Head to
sound its warning to mariners
“battle” between
fog and the sound signal occurs at Owls Head Light, visitors usually “run
for cover” to avoid the horn’s mighty blasts.
This is not the
case for the work crews of J.B. Leslie Company, Inc., who have been
contracted by the American Lighthouse Foundation to facilitate historic
restoration work at the site.
With no place to
hide and a project that must be carried out in a timely manner, crews have
persevered with their work through stretches of time this spring when the
station’s raucous fog horn, which is located just below the light tower, is
sounding.
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
A close-up view of the
ELG-300/02 sound signal
at Owls Head Lighthouse
The noise
rattles the scaffolding around the tower and everything on it, and
breaks up all cell phone communication.
Moving from
the east around to west side of the lighthouse offers very little in the
way of relief from the horn’s audible barrage, and though ear protection
helps, the crews still “feel” the noise as it moves through the air
around them.
“At first, the
fog horn can be annoying,” said Jim Leslie, president of J.B. Leslie
Company, “but after a bit of time, you actually adapt the timing of your
conversations around the horn’s characteristics. In some ways, it is
sort of a comforting sound.”
As modern day
sound signals go, the fog horn at Owls Head Lighthouse is an audible force
to contend with. Its powerful “voice” harkens back to a bygone era when fog
horns were vital aids to navigation. The long range ELG-300/02 signal, with
its pair of steel diaphragms, is nothing short of an acoustic warrior under
foggy or low visibility conditions.
Despite contending
with the periodic challenges posed by the presence of the fog horn at the
site, crews have remained on schedule and accomplished much of the project’s
labor intensive work.
By June 1,
2010, J.B. Leslie Company had completed the repointing work on the brick
interior and exterior, rehabilitated and primed the interior ironwork
(staircase, landing, ladder to the lantern, window frames, etc.),
repaired the masonry foundation of the tower and cleaned the exterior of
the lighthouse in preparation for the repainting phase.
In talking
about some of
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Crewmembers of J.B. Leslie Company, Inc.
(L to R) Jake Johnson, Jim Leslie,
Dave Eastman & Alan Spier
the intricate
aspects of the work, Jim Leslie noted, “One place we have paid attention to
detail was under the very bottom of the staircase, which is quite hard to
get to. It’s probably a spot the public will never look at, but it matters
nonetheless that it was properly addressed.”
“Another aspect
that might go unseen by the public but remains important was the effort
required to completely clean the granite doorway, as well as the window
jambs, headers and sills before repainting. The finer, less glamorous
details of this kind of project matter, which is something our crews take
great pride in accomplishing.”
The restoration
work is now entering its final phases during the month of June, and though
the project is not complete, the results to date are already starting to
restore the light tower’s “sparkle” and splendor.
When the public is
finally able to view the completed effort up close and personal later this
summer, they will be wowed at how great Owls Head Lighthouse will appear
during visits and tours, but will still “run for cover” when the station’s
fog horn flexes its diaphragms!
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Jake Johnson uses a needle gun to remove
old coatings from the face of the brickwork
Dave Eastman uses
a needle gun to remove old coatings
from the face of the brickwork
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Jake Johnson uses
hand tools to remove old coatings and
rust from the treads & risers
of the staircase
Dave Eastman is shown "striking" the new
mortar joints during
the repointing phase
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
(L to R) Alan Spier,
Jake Johnson & Dave Eastman inside Owls
Head Lighthouse
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Dave Eastman & Alan Spier
work on repointing the
tower's interior brickwork
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Jake Johnson hand-scrubs
the brick exterior prior to
the repainting phase
Jim Leslie uses an
all-saw to cut safe, square lines around
a spalling brick designated for replacement along
the tower's exterior
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Dave Eastman
hand-scrubs the brick
exterior prior to the
repainting phase
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Alan Spier scrubs the brickwork...note
the top &
bottom difference on the tower
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Dave Eastman "cuts-in" with a primer coat
in advance of the interior repainting phase
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Alan Spier applies a primer coat to the
metalwork inside
the light tower
Jim Leslie uses an
all-saw to repair the mortar joints along
a window's headers
and sills
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Alan Spier uses a chipping gun to
remove mortar from a deteriorated
control joint where the tower's brickwork meets the granite gallery
Dave Eastman works on removing
deteriorated mortar from the east or bay side foundation
base of the tower
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Jake Johnson works on repairing the east
or bay side foundation base
