The keeper of the post lights on the St. Johns River, Florida, wrote in his logbook the following report in May of 1912:

“I arrived at the light at 9:30 am. I took the lamp out. As I went to blow it out, it exploded and knocked me off the light (twenty-two feet) and I did not do anything until 12 am. When I came to, I found the lamp gone. I crawled back to the boat two hundred and fifty feet, got another lamp and put it on the beacon and lit it. Then came home (eight miles). Injury: Broken leg just above the ankle and severe bruised shin and bruised arm and lick on head.”

Now that’s what we call dedication.

This story appeared in the October 2005 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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