D 18
13.-Lighthouses.
GAP ROCK LIGHTHOUSE.
27. During 1920, seven hundred and ten (710) vessels were reported by telegraph as passing this station and one hundred and forty (140) were not reported owing to telegraphic communication being interrupted.
Three thousand and eighteen (3,018) messages including meteorological observations for the Observatory were sent and four hundred and forty-five (445) messages were received.
Telegraphic communication was interrupted on seventy-nine (79) days during the year.
There were ninety-three (93) hours of fog and the fog-signal was fired five hundred and eighty-three (583) times.
The fortnightly reliefs were delayed twelve (12) times during the year owing to bad weather.
WAGLAN Lighthouse.
During 1920, two thousand five hundred and thirty-nine (2,539) vessels were reported by telegraph from this station. Of this number, 491 were signalled by Morse Lamp.
Two hundred and thirteen (213) vessels were not reported owing to telegraphic communication being interrupted.
Two thousand two hundred and sixty-two (2,262) telegraphic messages were sent including meteorological observations for the Royal Observatory, and 521 messages were received.
There were 353 hours and 22 minutes of fog during the year, and the fog signal was fired 6,232 times.
Commencing on the 1st of January the interval between successive pairs of explosions was reduced from 12 minutes to 5 minutes, and that between the explosions of each pair from 15 seconds to 5 seconds. From the 15th of March the order was reverted to the former interval between successive pairs of explosions of 12 minutes, and between each pair of explosions of 15 seconds: 94 hours, 30 minutes continuous firing in one spell of fog is the longest on record for this station.
Telegraphic communication was maintained throughout the year with the exception of 15 complete days when the cable was broken, and 6 complete days owing to faults in cables, and a few short interruptions caused by the land line being in contact with telephone wires.
On two occasions the relief was delayed by rough sea.