Eight months ago, the tree chances carried the lighthouse lantern Yaquina Bay away and truck about 2,500 miles to Alabama to get urgently needed care. In the early Tuesday, the crews led the 11,000 pound lanterns carefully to their lawful space with covering a foggy Dawn Heaven and signaled the upcoming reopening of Oregon's second most visited State Park.
The landing of the 10 by 11 feet on Tuesday was the second attempt, after an attempt on Monday, in which the lantern landed as good as landed and then down to fine -tuning.
“Yesterday we had two editions,” said Brian Mcbeth, project manager for historical architecture at the Department of Parks and Recreation in Oregon. “The supporting carriers were only a little too close together. They were not far enough apart to prevent damage to the wooden cladding on the tower.”
The 135-ton crane returned the lantern to the earth, but until the rays were adjusted, the coastal winds, which already caused problems, had increased even more.
“Security is of the greatest importance,” said McBeth. “We don't want someone to pinch or lose a hand. There is not a single structure that is worth the life somewhere.”
But Tuesday morning the morning winds were quiet and the elevator was a success.
“This is a fantastic example of planning and skills with high missions and the right specialists,” said McBeth.
The lantern repair is part of a 1.8 million dollar -lighthouse -restoration project, the repairs to the roof frame, the chimney, the brick foundation, the lantern, the siding, the doors and windows as well as a new roof and complete outer colors. The lighthouse has been closed to the public since January.
All Architectural Metals, which McBeth described as one of the leading companies for cast iron restoration companies in the country, acted the restoration of the lantern in her shop in Talladega, Alabama. There the lantern was broken down, each piece numbered and cataloged. The glass panes were restored or, if they damaged beyond the repair, were replaced. The metal railing was also replaced.
“The whistle was in very bad shape, parts of it rusted and hang there in space,” said Chris Lacey, Vice President for Operations of everyone. “Many of them were not even connected, just gravity.” The cast iron pieces of the lantern were sent to a specialist for a distance and then returned to all metals, where they were checked for cracks and damage, the color may have hidden.
The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was commissioned in 1871 to conduct ships that sailed in Newport's port, but only three years later, with the nearby lighthouse of Yaquina Headthouse completed, the lighthouse of Yaquina Bay was relieved of its tasks.
Today the lighthouse on the hill with a view of the Pacific Ocean remains a popular attraction, draws families, tour buses and visitors from afar through the rooms of the Victorian period. It is the only wooden tower that is still intact on the Oregon coast and the last existing lighthouse with combined living rooms.
The local retired teachers, Kim and Bob Disher, in the lighthouse and were on site on Monday to see the first attempt to land the lantern.
“The outside looked really bad,” said Kim Disher. “I'm so happy to see that you have repaired it.”
After the exterior of the lighthouse has been restored, the maintenance is critical, said McBeth. “I will pay a lot of attention. If we see something, we have to say something and we have to do something. If we see a color chip that starts rusting and corrode, we have to do something before it becomes a big problem.”
And there is still a lot to do, he said.
Next, McBeth hopes that the lighthouse is more accessible to people with disabilities. Heating and cooling systems must also be installed together with a fire suppression system. A rough cost estimate for these repairs is 2 million US dollars, he said.
“These are the things we should address when we are good administrators of the property,” said McBeth. “We have to protect our state assets, and that's fantastic.”
The lighthouse is expected to be reopened in public at the recovery of Yaquina Bay State in about two weeks.