New This Week:

3.70  BOXED COMPASS.  Pristine, virtually MINT, little American boxed compass with the North point marked by a conjoined “WC,” the trademark of the famous Wilcox Crittenden Company of Middletown, Connecticut.  It also bears the company’s trade label in the bottom dated 1934.  This darling little liquid compass is incredibly detailed.  The composition card is marked in points of the compass down to ¼ points with the Cardinal and Intercardinal points identified.  It is also marked in degrees on the outer periphery 0 - 360 in 2 degree increments.  The center of the open face card has a high quality agate pivot.  This high quality compass is damped by liquid to minimize extraneous movement.  It is housed in a very sturdy solid bronze body slung in gimbals.  It is mounted in the original dove-tailed hardwood box with sliding lid.  The box retains its original marine red paint.  The compass measures    3 inches in diameter.  The box measures 4 3/4 inches square and is 3 3/4 inches deep.  Outstanding original condition in all respects.  The compass is lively and accurate.  279

5.84/8.00  NAVY LIFEBOAT CASK.  Scarce, World War I or earlier water barrel as outfitted on life boats of the U.S. Naval fleet at the turn-of-the-last-century.  This genuine example of the cooper’s art consists of a very sturdy barrel with stout oak staves encircled by 6 brass bands.  The bands are riveted together at the top and held in place by L-shaped retainers driven into the wood to securely hold the staves.  This cask has a pivoting wire handle with a wooden grip for carrying.  It is complete with its threaded brass bung for filling at the top and threaded spigot on the end for discharge.  Four of the bands are extended on their bottoms to provide “feet” for storing the cask upright in the boat.  The barrel measures 17 ¾ inches in length, 10 inches in diameter and stands 14 ½ inches tall with the handle.  Excellent original condition.  The brass has acquired a lovely old age patina.  The wood retains its original surfaces with expected minor age cracks which do not compromise its overall integrity.  In short, a very handsome example of a rare, nautical icon over 100 years old at nominal cost!  415  

10.01   U.S. NAVY MARK V DIVING  HELMET.  Faithful to the original, exceptional, early 1980’s reproduction of the famous U.S. Navy Mark V diving helmet.  This exacting copy was commissioned by the San Francisco-based company Sign of The Crab, under the moniker “Emory Douglas.”   The innovative company produced a large line of high quality reproductions beginning in the 1970’s, capitalizing on the emerging quality and low cost of Oriental imports.  At the time, Mainland China was still regarded as a backward player in international commerce.  Taiwan became in industrial powerhouse, producing high quality products at significant savings to American manufacturers.  This diving helmet is a product of that narrow transitional era.  Faithful to an original, this helmet is constructed of thick walled copper and heavy cast brass fittings.  To the untrained eye this helmet has all of the earmarks of the real deal!  It has acquired a lovely age patina through the years and it is free from any dents or damage.  It stands 18 ½ inches tall, 14 inches wide and 16 ½ inches front to back.  It weighs an impressive 38 pounds – nearly that of an original.  1980 

According to public records the Sign of the Crab Company was incorporated in 1981 under the name “Emory & Douglas” as manufacturers of high grade metal sculptures, clocks and jewelry.  The tenure of the company, established in the 1970’s, was short-lived.  It did not reestablish its charter in 1983.  As such, this helmet is approaching ½ century old!

Typically we do not deal in reproductions.  But the quality of this item demands our attention as a very good value for our customer who desires a realistic look but cannot see spending upwards of $10,000 for a genuine Mark V helmet.

21.69  CAPTAIN’s TELESCOPE.  Very nice late 19th century sea captain’s telescope of made for the Western market.  This impressive telescope is composed of 3 hand-held draws.  The main barrel is brass with its rich leather covering.  The 4-element erecting system within the brass draws combine with the 2-element achromatic objective lens to produce a clear, highly magnified image upright image of surprising clarity.  The lens measures 1 7/8 inches in diameter and is in perfect original condition.  This fine telescope is complete with both the press-on objective lens cap and pivoting ocular dust shade.  It also has a built-in sliding sun shade with beautiful knurling.  The telescope measures 10 inches closed and 32 inches long fully extended.  The draw action is smooth and tight.  An excellent example of this type of mariners’ spyglass.  389

20.88  SCRIMSHAW FIST CANE.   World class whaleman’s dress cane made to impress.  This superb example of scrimshaw is composed of whale tooth, whalebone, baleen, mother-of-pearl, abalone shell, tortoise shell and sterling silver – running the gamut of materials prized by whalemen to construct their finest output!  The knob of this cane, carved from a solid piece of whale tooth ivory, is in the form of an anatomically correct fist complete with skin folds and fingernails.  The fist clenches a scroll with a realistic spiral roll pattern on both ends.  Below the fist is an old fashioned cuff and below it is an octagonal connector – all made from the single solid whale tooth.  Moving down the shaft from the connector is a baleen separator above a “fringe” of 8 triangular sections of black baleen.  These are inlaid in each facet of the octagonal cane shaft along with silver discs at their tips.  Further down there are two inlaid diamonds of abalone and two discs of mother-of-pearl on opposite sides of the shaft.  Mimicking the diamond pattern, there are 4 inlays of silver on the opposing sides.  The octagonal shaft ends with a course cross hatching interspersed with 16 more silver inlays.  This gives way to a rounded shaft with fine cross hatching and inlays of 4 of tortoise shell diamonds.  Below that is splendid columnar fluting which is followed by a rope twist carved elongated helix.  There are 6 more inlaid silver discs below the helix.  The remainder of the shaft is cylindrical, gradually tapering to a blunt end.  This spectacular cane measures 36 ¼ inches long overall and 2 inches wide on the scroll.  Outstanding original condition.  There are no chips, cracks, losses or damage.  Just good honest evidence of age.  If one word is used to describe this walking stick it is “exquisite.” 6000

10.83  MARK V TOOL.  Scarce, authentic World War II or earlier American-made tool used by a tender to assist a diver in donning his dress.  This "cuff stretcher" was made by "Schrader U.S.A." as stamped in the handle.  It consists of a handsome solid brass goose neck with flared spade, much like a shoe horn, designed to stretch the tight and bulky canvas/rubber sleeves of a hard hat diving suit.  The wooden handle is lovely turned rosewood.   6 ½ inches long by 2 3/8 inches wide on the spade.  Very heavy duty and in perfect condition! 195

AUTHENTIC LIGHTHOUSE. The ultimate! This was an exceptional opportunity to own a very historic relic of America’s rich maritime heritage embodied in the original lamp room from the famous Ballast Point Lighthouse, which served its sentinel duties in the channel of San Diego Bay from 1890 until 1960. This incredibly well-preserved piece of history was built according to specifications laid out by the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1885. A copy of the original specifications are included as are much printed references and photographs. Erected in 1890, the 5th Order lighthouse was a significant aid to navigation in conjunction with the Point Loma Lighthouse (1850) poised at the entrance to San Diego Bay. Ballast Point Light was situated further inside the massive bay on a point which jutted into the seaway which posed a hazard to shipping. 135 years old! SOLD

HISTORY

On October 2, 1888, recognizing the need for a harbor light in the increasingly congested channel of San Diego Bay, Congress authorized $25,000 for the construction of a lighthouse to be built on Ballast Point. Fashioned in the late Victorian style, the entire structure took 3 months to build beginning in March 1890. The light was first lit on August 1st. It was a sister of the lights at San Luis Obispo and Table Bluff, south of Humboldt Bay. All were wood framed structures with attached living quarters. The ironwork for the lantern was forged in San Francisco and carried south to San Diego by ship. The French firm of Sautter, Lemmonier, & Cie. manufactured the Freznel lens for the Ballast Point Light in 1886. The fixed 5th Order lens was visible for a distance of at least 11 miles.

When California was still part of Mexico the peninsula jutting into San Diego Bay was known as Punta del los Guijarros or “Pebble Point.” For centuries cobblestones washed down by the San Diego River had been deposited on the point. When California gained statehood in 1850 the point was renamed Middle Ground Shoal. As time went on and merchant traffic in the harbor increased, many sailing ships found it convenient to load or discharge the stones as ballast. The practice continued and eventually the name “Ballast Point” stuck.

Accompanying the Ballast Point lighthouse was a huge 2,000 pound fog bell in a wooden tower. In 1928 it was supplanted by a single tone electric diaphone horn.

The first keeper of the light was John M. Nilsson, assigned duty on July 15, 1890. The second was Henry Hall, who took the job on December 1, 1892. Perhaps the most famous keeper was Irish born David R. Splaine, a Civil War veteran and veteran lighthouse keeper, who assumed the post in 1894, having served at Point Conception, the Farallons and San Diego’s own Point Loma light from 1886-1889.

In 1913 the original old kerosene lamp was replaced with an acetylene burner. Acetylene gave way to electricity in 1928. In 1938 a filter was fitted inside the 5th Order Freznel lens giving the light a distinctive green hue for recognition. One of the last keepers of the light was Radford Franke who recalled receiving the order to “douse the light” upon the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

By early 1960 the light was deemed to be of no further service, so in June of that year the lantern room was removed to a salvage yard. The wooden tower and its brick and mortar foundation remained a couple of years later until they too were declared structurally unsafe and demolished. The bell tower continued to survive, mounted with a 375 mm high intensity lamp on its roof. However the value of maintaining any light on Ballast Point diminished with the installation of harbor entrance range lights. In the late 1960’s the bell and its tower were dismantled. The tower found its way to a private residence in Lakeside, California. The bell had a more circuitous later life. It was purchased from a San Diego area junk yard in 1969 for its scrap value of 5 cents per pound! The one ton bell remained on local private property until 1991, when it was put on loan to the San Diego Maritime Museum. In 1999 the bell was transported to the son of the original buyer, living in Colorado. Then in 2002, the bell finally found its way to the home of the owner’s granddaughter living in Vermont, where it rests to this day.

The story of the lantern’s later life is even more fascinating. The nation was just recovering from the Cuban Missile Crisis between JFK and Khrushchev, when in 1964 the Cuban government cut off the fresh water supply to the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay. By that time, an experimental desalinization plant had been in operation at Point Loma for 2 years. The Navy hastily ordered it to be disassembled and shipped through the Panama Canal to Cuba. A gentleman working as a crane operator during the process noted the shabby lantern room in a trash heap nearby. He inquired as to the fate of the relic and was told it was salvage. Asking if he could purchase it, the yard foreman told him he could “have it” if he would haul it away. With that, for the next 34 years the lantern room served as a gazebo in the backyard of the man’s residence in Bonita, California. It was purchased by the present owners in 1998, fully refurbished, and then placed on public display ever since. Now it is time for it to find its next new home. According to the crane operator who delivered the lamp room it weighs approximately 5 tons. It will require a crane and a flat bed truck for removal.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

F. Ross Holland, “The Old Point Loma Lighthouse,” 1978, Cabrillo Historical Association, San Diego, California

Jim Gibbs, “The Twilight of Lighthouses,” 1996, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA.

Kin Fahlen and Karen Scanlon, “Lighthouse of San Diego,” 2008, Arcadia Publishing, San Francisco

Kraig Anderson, “Forgotten Ballast Point “Lighthouse” Seeks New Home,” article in “Lighthouse Digest,” East Machias, Maine, September – October 2011, Vol. XX, no. 5 pages 34 – 37.

“Mains’l Haul,” a periodic publication of the San Diego Maritime Association, Summer 1990, Vol. XXVI, No. 4, pp. 11-12.