Took to reading this book by candlelight on an evening which a snowstorm had knocked out the power to some of the Eastern Shore. Seemed appropriate.
The author presents the information the best that it can be for such a specific and dry subject. How many times can you write, it was an exceptionally cold winter, and parts of the Chesapeake froze over? The book discusses how geography, salinity and weather patterns drive ice formation and how ice overs affected oystering and shipping on the Bay, and the wider region. The author draws from early publications and later official record keeping to build the chapters.
Interesting take ways for me were that there is still no clear pattern that can be pointed to which would indicate when the region will suffer from abnormal cold and when the Chesapeake will experience higher amounts of ice than average. And even though average temperature in the region may be on the rise, year to year average ice formation seems unaffected by it.
Unfortunately the information regarding the lighthouse keepers at Smith Point Light in 1893 to 1895 is incorrect. On page 78 the author states that In January 1893 the “shifting ice proved too much for the screwpile Smith Point Lighthouse,” and “Two brothers who were the lighthouse’s keepers were forced to abandon their duty station.” The author goes on to say they escaped by pushing their skiff two miles over the ice to land, “However because it seemed that they were solely concerned with their own safety and not the vitals of the lighthouse . . . these hapless lightkeepers were summarily dismissed.” The author references in the bibliography “The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake Bay,” by Robert de Gast and “Great Storms of the Chesapeake,” by David Healey as the source of the information.
According to de Gast, Smith Point Lighthouse was damaged in 1893 and was abandoned, and Healy states that in 1893 the “keepers fled for their lives.” Neither author provides any attribution for these claims.
While the lighthouse was damaged by ice in 1893, I can find no record of the keepers abandoning their station that year, or their dismissal. The head keeper in 1893 was James B. Williams and the Second Assistant Keeper was his brother Thomas F. Williams my great-grandfather and his brother respectively.
Information provided by the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society states that both men were repeatedly promoted through 1895, not summarily dismissed for dereliction of duty in 1893. In 1895 the lighthouse was carried away by ice and was abandoned by the brothers, but the bell and light were later recovered. James was reassigned to Wolf Trap Lighthouse and returned to Smith Point two years later once the lighthouse was rebuilt and served as head keeper at Smith Point from 1897 through 1913.
Points off.
