A broken lighthouse Rhode Island doesn’t get a lot of hurricanes but has had some whoppers. The monsters in 1938 and 1954 changed the coastline and caused literally billions of dollars in damage. The one in 1938 even managed to break in half a nearly indestructible cast iron light called Whale Rock Light. Whale Rock is a treacherous reef that was responsible for the destruction of many ships over the years. Laying right in the middle of the west passage of Narragansett Bay it was difficult to avoid and miss in bad weather so in 1882 the authorities finally decided to mark this deadly spot with a sturdy and stout cast iron«spark plug» light. This design was popular in severe areas because it was thought to be able to withstand anything nature could throw at it. Of course people underestimated the fury of exactly what nature was capable of. The light serve well until 1938 when an unprecedented and unbelievably powerful cat 3 hurricane slammed into the bay without warning. Sustained winds of over 120 miles per hour and gusts of almost 200 miles per hour literally shook the ocean and hurled it toward the shore. They didn’t give official names for hurricanes back then but the colossus of 38 has been called The Yankee Clipper, The Long Island Express, The Great Hurricane or simply The Beast. Over 600 people died in New England and probably another hundred or so in other states. A 25 feet storm surge hit in places like a giant tidal wave and parts of Providence were under 35 feet of water. Millions of trees were destroyed and thousands of houses and buildings were laid waste. The destruction was sudden, complete and unimaginable. The intrepid and faithful lighthouse keeper was the 40 year old Walter Eberle, a father of 6 who was no stranger to the sea. He was off duty but knew a big one was brewing and bravely went out to the lighthouse to relieve his less experienced assistant who went back to shore. Walter stayed at his duty at the light as the waves and winds grew. He probably had to go up to the top of the structure but might have believed that nothing could actually destroy this lighthouse. Unfortunately he was wrong. The next morning the lighthouse was gone and Walter’s body was never found. Over the years the the remains of the lighthouse were examined to determine why it failed. No reason was every found except for the fact that the storm was just so incredibly powerful that nothing could stand in it’s way. Just a short distance north of Whale Rock five more people died in Prudence Island Lighthouse and the entire island was completely wiped out. Today a new hurricane called Irene is taking aim at Narragansett Bay. I have heard some of my neightbors along the water say that they aren’t worried or scared because it will probably«only» be a cat one when it hits. Sometimes it is wise to be afraid, sometimes very afraid, it what keeps you alive. Perhaps people forget exactly what the ocean and wind is capable of but what remains of Whale Rock can be seen out in Narragansett Bay if anyone needs to be reminded. Perhaps this storm will turn out to be nothing more than just the usual histrionics of the modern media. But the again perhaps Irene will decided to get nasty and unleash the fury of her some of her predecessors. Perhaps people along the coast have nothing to worry about or perhaps now is the time to be very worried. We shall see.
