facebook   twitter   mail  

The Gisborne Photo News

 

18

An Exciting Day, Servicing The
Gable Island Lighthouse

×

One of the important navigation landmarks on the East Coast of the North Island lies about 25 miles by sea north of Gisborne. It is the Gable End Foreland (above), a pyramid of white cliff-face rising 300 feet from the Pacific. A couple of hundred yards offshore is Gable Island, a precipitous 123ft. rock, and on the topmost pinnacle of Gable Island there is a lighthouse.
Servicing this lighthouse is the responsibility of the Gisborne Harbour Board. Twice a year the Board's launch visits the island to replace the acetylene gas cylinders which supply fuel for the light. Early this month, "Photo News" went along to record what turned out to be an exciting day, full of adventure and good companionship.

×

Before reaching Gable Island (above, right), there was a 2 1/2 hour trip up the coast, with the launch rocking and rolling through a moderate easterly swell. An hour out, the sun came up and dispelled the chilly dawn (right). Further north a school of porpoises accompanied the launch for a mile or so (lower, right).

19

×

Island (above) looks forbidding as men set out in dinghy to make landing. This will depend on how well the landing shelf is protected from Pacific rollers. Landing shelf is at left of island, just short of skyline ridge. Sea looks calm here, but close in to shore a breaking wave (right) augurs poorly for the difficult business of getting men and materials ashore on this inhospitable spot. Dinghy will be used to ferry gas cylinders to and from the island. Each of these weighs over 2cwt and if sea is rough they cannot be landed. Dinghy also carries a tin of water and some rations which stay on the island until the last man comes off, in case of trouble. Sudden storm could mean men staying on island for days until seas calmed. Operation is in charge of harbour-master, who waits on launch and hopes for the best.

20

×

Jack Roach & Joe Haughton, having attached a block and tackle to derrick on landing shelf, haul a cylinder ashore, while Bill Edwards and Jim Glover attend to matters in the boat. With boat bobbing about as waves sweep past, this is a ticklish operation requiring skill and nerve, and above all a good sense of timing.

×

Cylinders are hoisted to top of island with a winch, derrick, and steel rope. They start journey on rails, continue on a steel hawser, and finally swing clear on the almost-vertical upper section. Des Wilson, at halfway station, watches cylinders about to leave the hawser.

×

Jimmy James conveys signals from top of the hoist to the winchmen

×

Brad Mitchell, Doug Chatfield, Ron Hutchins and John Holmberg.

21

×

View of light house and derrick seen from north ridge of the island. Angle pole of derrick is erected by men before hoisting operation begins. Each stage of work is carefully checked as lives of men below depend on nothing going wrong. Men ascend rock by the right-hand skyline ridge.

×

This almost vertical view was taken from foot of the derrick looking down to boat. Two cylinders are at half-way mark. Boatman, with wary eye on wave coming round corner, is easing his craft away from rocks.

22

×

Steel ladder gives access over final steep part of ascent leading to lighthouse.

×

Launch stands off shore during operation, all of which takes about three hours.

×

Adjusting the derrick.

×

Doug Chatfield and Rod Richardson handling cylinders on top of the island.

×

Doug Chatfield linking fresh cylinders into the lighthouse system. In picture at left, light valve may be seen on edge of roof. As daylight comes and goes each day, this delicate instrument turns gas on and off, will even turn on light on a very dull day.

23

×

Captain McKenzie Smart, the harbour-master, and launch-master Arnold Thomas watch proceedings from the "Takitimu".

×

Some of the men enjoy lunch back on board. Left to right they are Ron Hutchins, Bob Port, John Holmberg, Jimmy James, Jack Roach, Brad Mitchell and Des Wilson.

×

Picture at top, looking down into sea from lighthouse, shows long black rock which legend has it is a Maori War canoe complete with crew, turned into stone for some offence. Precipitous nature of island's northern face is indicated by picture, below right, looking out to sea from shelf half-way up to the lighthouse.