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A rare handwritten letter signed by one of the U. S. Navy’s illustrious
Admirals, Thornton A. Jenkins, from the time he served as the Lighthouse
Inspector in 1870, has recently been purchased at auction by the Museum of
Lighthouse History in Wells, Maine.
The handwritten letter, dated March 26, 1870, signed by Rear Admiral
Jenkins, is on the letterhead of the Treasury Department, Office of the
Light-House Board in Washington, D. C. to the Lighthouse Inspector in
Detroit, Michigan, acknowledges a request for additional supplies, which was
approved.
Admiral Jenkins commanded numerous ships during his career, including the
Preble during the Paraguayan Expedition of 1858-59, and he played a
major role in the Civil War. From 1865 to 1869 he served as the Chief of
the Bureau of Navigation, which many years later was absorbed into the
United States Guard.
More importantly he wrote a number of government books that became manuals
for the U. S. Navy, which included the Code of Flotilla and Boat Squadron
Signals for the United States Navy and The Barometer, Thermometer,
Hygrometer, and Atmospheric Appearances on Sea and Land as Aids in
Forecasting Weather.
For more information on the American Lighthouse Foundation or the Museum of
Lighthouse History contact us by phone at 207-646-0245 or by email at
info@lighthousefoundation.org
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