Probably, every inhabitant of the planet is familiar with the Alexandria Lighthouse. Built in the third century BC, today it is known as one of the seven wonders of the world. Already then they built it for a specific purpose: it helped sailors to safely pass the reefs, which were met in large numbers on the way to the Alexandrian Bay. During the day the ships were helped by a column of smoke, and at night - reflected bonfires. How did you choose a place to build this lighthouse? When did these structures become widespread? Where are the most mystical lighthouses in the world? And what does the word lighthouse mean? Look for answers to these and many other questions below!
Lighthouse: meaning in the etymological dictionary
Linguists say: the roots of this word in Proto-Slavic. "Ma'ak" became the basis for the old Russian word "mayak", which in modern Russian means "milestone" or "sign". In addition, ma'ak is the basis of the Polish majak, meaning "mirage, roundabout." "Lighthouse" is consonant with the Old Indian, New Persian and Ossetian words that have the translation "pile".
Lighthouse: meaning of the word today
To date, lighthouses are a means of navigation equipment of a tower type. These capital facilities are located on the shores of large bodies of water and have precise geographical coordinates.
The explanatory dictionary also has a “lighthouse”. The meaning of the word is "a tower equipped with signal lights, located on the seashore."
According to their purpose, lighthouses are divided into several types:
- Port. Such structures are located at the entrance to the port.
- Cautionary. These beacons allow ships to see the dangerous places of the fairway.
- Indicative. Their main goal is to allow mariners to verify the correct course of the ship. Such lighthouses are usually placed directly in the open sea - on the shallows or rocks. Often, artificial elevations are created as the basis for towers.
Lighthouse inside and out
The typical color of the lighthouses is white. There are structures with transverse stripes of black or red. Build towers in the form of towers. The main feature of these towers is that the hewn stones of impressive size from which they are built represent an almost monolithic mass. This result is achieved thanks to a high-quality affix.
In order for the lighthouse to be clearly visible even in a storm, it is equipped with a powerful light source. The caretaker's room is usually erected next to the main tower, if it is located on the shore. But if the lighthouse is in the middle of the sea, the living space for the lighthouse will be organized right in the tower. There are also warehouses, water tanks.
Navigation properties
In order for the ship's crew to determine which side the ship approaches the lighthouse, some lights are colored in color, consisting of several stripes of a certain color. These bands are called the "day mark". In the dark, this function is performed by sector lights. The white color of the sector light, which marks the lighthouse, means a safe sect. The area to the left of the safe sector is usually designated as red, and the right to green.
Interesting facts about lighthouses
The oldest lighthouse is a lighthouse located in Spain. It was built by the Roman emperor Trajan in the second century! And the Statue of Liberty has been used as a means of navigation for sixteen years. The first stone lighthouse, which is located in England, was erected in 1756. He showed the sailors the way with 24 candles. The power of today's navigation towers is more than twenty million candles!
By the way, there is even a functioning lighthouse church. This is the Ascension Church. It was built in 1862 on the Big Solovetsky Island. And the tallest lighthouse in the world is a steel tower located in Yokohama. Its height exceeds 100 meters. Despite the fact that lighthouses have been known since ancient times, the French until the seventeenth century did not mark their coastlines with lights. The absence of lighthouses was supposed to prevent the attack of the pirates.
Mystical Lighthouses
All over the world there are many abandoned lighthouse towers that previously served as guides for sailors. A lot of mystical and mysterious stories are associated with them.
Probably the most mysterious lighthouse is Eileen More. In mid-December 1900, under mysterious circumstances, three rangers disappeared at once here! Sailors who arrived at the lighthouse found only empty boxes in which there were previously products. The gate leading to the tower was securely closed. Once inside, the sailors were extremely surprised: the rangers' beds were straightened, the table was turned upside down. Raincoats of lighthouses lay here. However, the following fact struck the sailors the most: the frozen hands of all the clocks in the tower showed one time. This mystery remains unsolved to this day.
There is a beacon in the world that brings physical ailments to people. It is located in Britain. The Talacre lighthouse was abandoned at the end of the nineteenth century, however, its visitors today complain about the symptoms of various diseases that appear after visiting the building. The history of this lighthouse says: one of its caretakers died right at the workplace. The cause was a fever. Some visitors claim: the lighthouse in the old form looks after the tower today. People often see his ghost, which is either standing upstairs or walking nearby.
The most expensive lighthouse in the history of the United States of America is a lighthouse built on the reef of St. George. Its construction took more than ten years. However, there were practically no people wishing to work here - the island where it is located is at a considerable distance from civilization, waves are constantly raging in this place. Five rangers always worked here, this allowed people not to lose their minds. However, in 1923, the five lighthouses washed away a huge wave. Since then, the light on the lighthouse has never come on.