Probably every inhabitant of the planet is familiar with the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Built in the third century BC, today it is known as one of the seven wonders of the world. Even then, it was built with a specific purpose: it helped sailors safely pass the reefs, which were encountered in large numbers on the way to the Alexandrian Bay. In the daytime, a column of smoke helped the ships in this, and at night, reflected bonfires. How was the place chosen for the construction of this lighthouse? When did these structures become widespread? Where are the most mystical lighthouses in the world located? And what does the word "lighthouse" mean? Find answers to these and many other questions below!
Lighthouse: meaning in the etymological dictionary
Linguists say: the roots of this word are 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'akj is the basis of the Polish majak, meaning "mirage, detour". "Mayak" is also consonant with the ancient Indian, New Persian and Ossetian words, which have the translation "pile".
Lighthouse: the meaning of the word today
Today, beacons are tower-type navigation aids. These capital structures are located on the shores of large water bodies and have precise geographical coordinates.
In the explanatory dictionary there is also a "lighthouse". The meaning of the word is "a tower equipped with signal lights, located on the seashore".
According to their purpose, beacons are divided into several types:
- Port. Such structures are located at the entrance to the port.
- Cautionary. These beacons allow ships to see dangerous areas of the fairway.
- Pointer. Their main purpose is to allow sailors to check the correctness of the course on which the ship is going. Such lighthouses are usually placed right in the open sea - on shallows or rocks. Often, artificial elevations are created as the basis for towers.
Lighthouse outside and inside
Typical colors of lighthouses are white. There are structures with transverse stripes of black or red. Build beacons in the form of towers. The main feature of these towers is that the impressive size of hewn stones from which they are erected is almost a monolithic mass. This result is achieved thanks to high-quality stitching.
In order for the lighthouse to be clearly visible even in a storm, it is equipped with a powerful light source. The caretaker's quarters are usually erected next to the main tower if it is located on the shore. But if the lighthouse is located in the middle of the sea, the living quarters for the lighthouse will be organized right in the tower. There are also warehouses and water tanks.
Navigation properties
In order for the ship's crew to determine from which side the ship is approaching the lighthouse, some lights have a color scheme consisting of several stripes of a certain color. These bands are referred to as the "day mark". In the dark, this function is performed by sector lights. The white color of the sector light, which marks the beacon, means a safe sector. The area to the left of the safe sector is usually marked with red fire, and the right area is green.
Interesting facts about lighthouses
The oldest lighthouse is the one located in Spain. It was built by the Roman emperor Trajan in the second century! And the Statue of Liberty was used as a means of navigation for sixteen years. The first stone lighthouse in England was built in 1756. He showed the sailors the way with the help of 24 candles. The power of today's navigation towers is over twenty million candles!
By the way, there is even a functioning lighthouse church. This is the Church of the Ascension. 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 thatlighthouses have been known since ancient times, the French did not mark their coastlines with lights until the seventeenth century. The absence of lighthouses was supposed to prevent the attack of pirates.
Mystical Beacons
There are many abandoned lighthouses around the world that used to serve as guides for sailors. Many mystical and mysterious stories are associated with them.
Probably the most mysterious lighthouse is Eileen Mor. In mid-December 1900, under mysterious circumstances, three caretakers disappeared at once! The sailors who sailed to the lighthouse found only empty boxes that previously contained food. The gates leading to the tower were securely closed. Once inside, the sailors were extremely surprised: the beds of the caretakers were straightened, the table was turned over. Lighthouse raincoats lay here. However, the sailors were most struck by the following fact: the frozen hands of all the clocks in the tower showed the same time. This mystery remains unsolved to this day.
There is a beacon in the world that brings people physical ailments. It is located in Britain. The Talakre Lighthouse was abandoned at the end of the nineteenth century, but its visitors still 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 fever. Some visitors claim that the lighthouse in the old form looks after the tower even today. People often see his ghost, which either stands upstairs or walks nearby.
The most expensive lighthouse in the history of the United States of America is a lighthouse built on St. George's Reef. It took over ten years to build. However, there were practically no people willing to work here - the island where it is located is at a considerable distance from civilization, waves are constantly raging in this place. Five caretakers always worked here, this allowed people not to go crazy. However, in 1923, five lighthouses were washed away by a huge wave. The lighthouse has never been lit since.
