Katherine Bickford

Entrance Island Light

The first Entrance Island lighthouse was a square white wood tower rising sixty-five feet about high water -the lighthouse’s six lamps were first lit on June 8, 1876.

In 1891, a fifth-order dioptric apparatus, visible for fourteen miles and equipped with a red sector to warn of Gabriola Reefs, replaced the original light. A larger, fourth-order lens with a twin capillary burner was installed in May 1905, and a revolving lens floating upon a mercury bath replaced this in 1921.

The light station also saw a progression of fog signals. An engine room housing a steam-powered foghorn was built in 1894. In 1915 the signal was converted to diaphones with gasoline engines driving the air compressors.

In 1970, a cylindrical concrete tower was built to replace the original light. The tower stands 14 metres tall, with a focal plane of 19 metres, and flashes a solar powered white light every five seconds.

GCRU – a Canadian Coast Guard 2014 Bell 429

Sometimes you need a bigger picture to see the big picture – the image below is linked to a much larger version