Holland Island Bar Light The original ATON here was a hexagonal screwpile light which was built in 1899 on Holland Island Bar to mark the approach to the Kedges Straits. Since Holland Island Bar was located in the center of the bay its relative isolation made it a more difficult assignment than some of the other bay lights. In the winter of 1917-1918, assistant keeper W. F. McDorican struggled alone for a month to keep the light operational, despite terrible snowstorms and ice. Head keeper C. C. Tyler had gone ashore just prior to the storms, and was unable to return once the weather turned foul. An exhausted McDorican finally conceded and walked from the lighthouse across the frozen bay to Holland Island.
Holland Island Bar's isolation also contributed to the mystery surrounding the death of keeper Ullman Owens in 1931. Keeper Owens, who had served since 1911, was last seen alive on March 11, 1931. Shortly afterwards, keeper Henry Sterling of Solomons Lump light observed that Holland Island Bar was not lit. Sterling's light was not equipped with a radio, so Sterling had to wait until a vessel came within hailing distance to communicate his concerns. Sterling finally was able to flag down the Winnie and Estelle, whose first mate, H. J. Garner, agreed to check on the keeper. On the way, Garner was joined by oyster boat captain John Tawes Tyler of Crisfield. Garner and Tyler arrived at the Holland Island Bar light to find a horrific and bizarre scene. Keeper Ullman was dead in the kitchen. The kitchen was in disarray, as if there had been an altercation. There were blood stains throughout the station, and a bloody butcher's knife near Ullman's body. Despite the blood, there was no visible sign of any gunshots or stab wounds on Ullman's body - only scrapes and bruises. A later autopsy revealed that Ullman suffered a cracked skull - a far more severe injury than identified in the initial examination. On May 12, federal agent C. J. Callahan testified that he overheard Guy Parkhurst, arrested for rum running, say "There go the rats that turned us in. Well, the lighthouse keeper got in the headlines. We did that. What these rats get will be worse." Further complicating matters was that Ullman had several girlfriends - two of whom left their husbands. Some surmised that one of the ex-husbands was responsible for the keeper's demise. Ultimately, however, the investigation was closed as the autopsy revealed an enlarged heart - symptomatic of heart disease. The ruling that Ullman died of natural causes stood, and the case was closed. In another incident, a Japanese freighter collided with the lighthouse on a particularly foggy day. Fortunately, the freighter did not hit the lighthouse squarely - the freighter rolled off and continued on course. Further misfortune befell the lighthouse on the night of February 19, 1957. Nearby, an old grounded hull of the Hannibal was frequently used as target practice by pilots at the nearby Navy stations. One night, three pilots confused the lighthouse for the hulk. Flares were dropped at the "target" site, and three ADSN Skyraiders fired seven five-inch rockets - three of which hit the lighthouse. Fortunately, the practice rockets did not carry explosives, but they still managed to tear holes in the walls and cut several of the cast-iron legs. The keepers radioed the Coast Guard, and the lighthouse was evacuated. The next day, shaken but unhurt, the four Coastguardsmen returned to the station to begin repairs. _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
