Part two of: “Life on the Rock” - Tillamook Rock Lighthouse

By Lon Haynes (a former inmate of the Rock)

The first part of “Life on the Rock” covered my arrival, in this chapter I will attempt to describe getting used to daily life on the rock. Not your conventional duty station by any stretch of the imagination. For the most part, each day was pretty much like the day before it, uneventful, boring, drab. Daily cleaning of walls, floors, doors, etc. with periodic painting of walls, floors, doors, etc. Summertime provided a welcome change with outside of the building cleaning, and painting of walls, doors, and oiling the boom.

This kind of daily life prompted me on one occasion to ask Oswald Allik the keeper in charge, if anyone had ever gone “nuts” or lost their grip on reality while on the Rock? He assured me no one had, except for one person many years earlier who wanted OFF and faked insanity. I asked him how he was sure the man was faking, his reply was less than convincing.

Every one stood a daily 4 hour watch that consisted of “It’s your turn to answer the phone,” write the weather in the log, turn on the light at dusk, start the foghorn if it’s needed, and send a radio report about procedures and events in your area.

Needless to say, this highly active, mentally challenging, excitement filled lifestyle took getting used to. Then just as we would adapt to all the daily excitement, our 42 days on duty had finished and we were forced to go ashore for 3 weeks before being allowed back on the Rock.

As for myself, being a native of Portland, I would go the 100 miles to home by hitch hiking, walking, or whatever it took to get there and spend over two weeks seeing my girl friend every day. One occasion preparing for the return trip to the Rock I attempted to fit her into my duffle bag. She was small, but not quite small enough.

The Storm

After a few months had passed and I was settled in to the lifestyle of the Rock, a significant storm occurred one evening. When I say storm, I am not referring to some rain with a little wind! I had never experienced anything like it ever, even being a native Oregonian and being at the beach during winter storms, this one was different; rain has space between the drops. There was NO space between the drops. It was a solid wall of water pushed by a gentle breeze blowing from the north at 1000 miles an hour.

You could hear the huge waves hit the base of the Rock, and then on a count of two, green water came completely over the 133 foot lighthouse. I know it was not moving the Rock, but at the time we all could feel it “shudder.” Definitely not our imaginations.

The Birds

In the morning the storm had passed all was calm and I was making breakfast for myself when the old keeper came into the main purpose room where we were gathered and he announced: “Let’s go out and throw the birds off.”

I asked what he meant by that? and one of the other crew members explained that during severe storms, birds could only see the light and would fly toward it. In so doing, many of them flew into the cyclone fencing that had been placed around the light to protect it from small rocks that were broken off the base of the Rock and thrown as high as the light by the huge waves that struck the Rock.

These disabled birds had to be removed from the roof and other areas of the Rock where they had fallen. I had a brief flashback at the incident of the tiny outhouse and the removal of used coffee where I had been the source of entertainment for the day, and I quickly decided I would be the first one out the side door of the building and to the outside so as to prevent anyone for setting up an event where I might become the entertainment once again.

As I stepped off the second of two steps to the Rock itself, my right foot came down on something that was giving way and “screeching” with a piercing noise! After discovering I could actually jump 12 feet into the air; I looked down at a cormorant that had flown into the Rock and broken its wing.

(At this point in my story I would like to take a moment to explain to all readers who are animal rights activists and to any children who may be reading this):

We collected all the birds that couldn’t fly and lowered them gently down to the bottom of the Rock in a basket where their other bird friends helped them out of the basket, brought them food and watched over them and looked after them until they got better and could fly again.

(Disclaimer done, back to the REAL story):

Oswald Allik was of a stoic personality and I don’t think I can remember him ever smiling. This is not to say anything negative about the man, he just never displayed emotion of any kind, it wasn’t in his nature. So forever after “The Storm” incident I took him at his word. The other guys however….

My Foray Into Cooking

The lighthouse crew changed personnel one man at a time several times while my 20 months passed. Most everyone got along very well with one another. Why not? There really wasn’t anything that required decision making based on a unanimous vote of the occupants. Work was clearly defined, and done by the individuals assigned to it.

The person on watch had specific duties as I said before. The person who had the 12 midnight to 4 am duty was also given the assignment to “COOK” and as I recall it was either lunch, dinner or both. Not breakfast, because the 12 to 4 watch had to sleep from 4 until 11 or noon (can’t remember which).

I had always enjoyed good food and therefore I took more interest in making it, which most of the other crew members were ambivalent about doing. After a short discussion it was agreed by majority, I would take the 12 to 4am watch permanently, thereby making me the cook on a permanent basis. Each time I was at home for my leave I would ask my mother about how to prepare different foods, I would write down the instructions and give them a try when I returned to the Rock.

I did pretty well at most common meals, and only rarely did I have a problem. Once when I asked my mother how to make gravy, her answer was a little too brief in explanation of using flour and shortening and stock or water. I thought she had said 2cups of flour and half cup shortening, in fact she had said 2 tablespoons flour and shortening. Those of you who have cooked or made gravy may have some idea as to the amount of stock and water I had to add, and the amount it constructed, and there was NO flavor!

A five gallon bucket of wallpaper paste was what I had on the first try at gravy.

Next time: Finally, a sense of humor arrives

Photos, Newsclips and Article Copyright © 2008 by Lon Haynes.

Color Photo of Gravy by stopnlook. Some rights reserved.

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