[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 83 (Friday, June 7, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S5983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF MONTAUK POINT LIGHTHOUSE

 Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, on the seventh day of June, 1796, 
the founding block of sandstone was placed at the base of the Montauk 
Point Lighthouse on the eastern tip of Long Island. Two hundred years 
of Atlantic breakers have worn away more than half of the land that 
once separated the great black and white striped tower from the ocean; 
however, this steady beacon continues to welcome seafarers from near 
and far and guides them around the point, safely to shore.
  On April 12, 1792, President George Washington signed into law the 
congressional authorization for the construction of the Montauk Point 
Lighthouse. On March 2, 1793, a sum of $20,000 was appropriated for the 
project. Unbiased in its service to the vessels of the sea, the 
lighthouse was the first to be constructed in New York State at full 
Federal expense, and it remains a shining beacon of the best of what we 
can do as a nation.
  From the top of the lighthouse tower, one can see Long Island, 
Connecticut, Rhode Island and Block Island. This range of sight proved 
beneficial during World War II, when spotters from the tower would 
coordinate the 16" cannons located in the battery at Fort Hero--500 
meters to the west. Throughout the war, the lighthouse was operated by 
the Army Signal Corps and established itself as a crucial part of the 
eastern coastal defensive shield.
  Though its construction was significantly altered only once, the 
lighthouse has changed with the times. Originally it burned whale oil, 
housed a lightkeeper, and could be seen from but a few miles from its 
source. Today the lighthouse runs on an automated system, and can be 
seen at a distance of 19 nautical miles. In addition, it forms part of 
a satelite-based global positioning system.
  This year the Montauk Point Lighthouse Museum will welcome its 1 
millionth visitor by land. On behalf of those who pass both by land and 
by sea, I would like to thank the Montauk Historical Society and the 
Coast Guard for their dutiful service to the light, and I am delighted 
to celebrate the Bicentennial of the Montauk Lighthouse.

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