Cape Vincent Tibbets Point lighthouse question

Open to discussion on all lighthouses from the Great Lakes and beyond.
Terry-Pepper

Re: Cape Vincent Tibbets Point lighthouse question

Unread post by Terry-Pepper »

Tibbetts Point was outfitted with a fixed Fourth-Order Fresnel lens. As such, it did not rotate, but merely exhibited a constant white light. After electrification in 1931, the characteristic was modified to occulting white every ten seconds, by merely installing a timer which automatically switched the electric lamp on and off. That same lens is still in the lantern, and exhibits the same occulting characteristic to this day. As such, there are no beams - just a "flash"

tark9m is 100% correct. By design, the Fresnel lens concentrates 95% its light horizontally, and with a focal plane of approximately 50 feet above the base of the tower, you would not see very much light until you were a considerable distance away.
tark9m
Posts: 80
Joined: March 15, 2010, 9:02 am

Re: Cape Vincent Tibbets Point lighthouse question

Unread post by tark9m »

It may just be a case of where you are looking at it from. The light is very directional so if you are beneath it's focal plane it will not appear especially brilliant. As for seeing a beam radiating away from the light, it may just have been a clear night so there was not much to reflect the light and make the beam visible.
LeoA

Cape Vincent Tibbets Point lighthouse question

Unread post by LeoA »

I've been through here many times and drove up to see the lighthouse several times, but never have after the sun has set until last night.

I was expecting a powerful beam of light (Its' Fourth Order Fresnel lens has a range of 16nm) and for it to be rotating 360 degrees.

Instead, the light from what I saw seemed dim, there was no beam of light in the sky, and it wasn't rotating. Is that how it's supposed to be?
Post Reply