Work

From Rock Hopper II, the workboat I’m running for the Rock of Ages Lighthouse Preservation Society (ROALPS), I watched as the bright white appeared through the power spray as it swept across a small patch of the lighthouse tower. The day before, during the ferry crossing, part of the lighthouse tower shone white across the miles that separated us - a whole new sight as we passed by. 

Now closer, I could see the lichen that was yet to be removed as the power sprayer operator patiently moved the wand slowly back and forth from the basket in which he stood. The contrast was dramatic: the yellow of the lichen against the freshly cleaned white surface. All I could think of at that moment was how sore his arms and hands must have been. Power washing my driveway or paver stones is a satisfying but slow job that often leads to an aspirin or two that evening. This was that, but vertical, and all day long.

Two of those operators had been working on the tower from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with a half-hour break for lunch, according to Dave, the ROALPS crew leader during the contractors' time on the rock. Once the tower was thoroughly cleaned, they began the core task - something that had been in ROALPS's strategic plan for years, and funded by a grant awarded three years ago: sealing cracks and holes that allowed moisture to seep into the tower, keeping it humid and accelerating decay.

For the two weeks since they arrived, the three contractor employees worked those 11-hour days, sometimes in the bone-chilling conditions of rain with a high temperature of around 60 degrees. Their own work - spraying the tower - added to the damp. Water leaked through every opening, saturating the interior.  There’s no real way to warm up in the lighthouse, without a heater or nice fireplace, and sleeping wasn’t the most pleasant. The menu was pretty simple and repetitive, and their selection of downloaded movies was insufficient to fill the downtime.

Yet they persisted. These are masonry restoration experts, dedicated to their work and proud of their results. This became obvious as the supervising cultural resources ranger from Isle Royale arrived by boat to pick them up and return them, gear and all, to Mott Island, where they would catch the Ranger III to Houghton and home. Excited to see their ride, they gave him a comprehensive tour of their accomplishments. The entire tower was caulked and patched, not just the big cracks and some of the small ones, as expected by the contract. They explained what they found, how they addressed hidden issues - like the missing chunk of apron at the tower's base -  and outlined what should come next. When the Ranger asked if they could return to apply a coating to the whole tower to preserve their work, they didn't hesitate. They said yes, almost eagerly.

That kind of craftsmanship, perseverance, and pride in one's work is to be admired in this day and time. If we hope to continue to preserve historic structures into the future, it's going to depend on people like them. If not them - then who?