Lime Point Lighthouse Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

The hungry boilers could consume over seventy-five tons of coal a year, at a rate of 250 pounds per hour when the signal was in operation. In an attempt to save money, the boilers were converted from coal to oil in 1902. The cost of operating the signal for a twenty-four hour period fell from $25.44 to $6.91, and the oil had the added advantage of producing less smoke.

Light stations, which may or may not have included a fog signal, were much more common than fog signal stations. However, fog posed a very serious danger to vessels, especially near San Francisco, and in the late 1800s, fog signal stations were established at Año Nuevo, Point Montara, Lime Point and Point Knox. A light was added at Año Nuevo in 1890, and a decade later, it was decided that the keepers at the remaining three fog signal stations should also exhibit a light. Accordingly, on November 26, 1900, lens lanterns were lighted at the three stations, and California now had three new lighthouses. The lens lantern at Lime Point was hung on the wall of the fog signal building at a height of just nineteen feet above the water.

Two keepers were originally assigned to the station, with each keeper required to stand two alternate, six-hour shifts a day. Later, a third story was added to the dwelling, likely to provide room for a third keeper to help with the growing workload at the station. This made for quite the settlement crowded onto the small rocky outcropping. In 1923, the keepers were given the added responsibility of maintaining a minor light placed on Point Diablo, 1.2 miles west of Lime Point.

Lime Point Keeper Harry Davis and wife Ester Photograph courtesy Byron Oglesby

Being located at the base of a steep cliff at the foot of the Marin hills, the station witnessed several landslides and mudslides, the worst of which was triggered by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The slides caused minor damage to the station and often closed the trail to Sausalito.

When the Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937, a fog horn and light were placed at the base of the bridge’s south tower, making the Fort Point Lighthouse unnecessary. The station at lime point, was located just east of the base of the north tower, and remained an effective position for a light and fog horn. Even with the massive, lighted bridge, and active fog signals, navigating the Golden Gate in foggy condition could still be tricky. On June 3, 1960, the 440-foot freighter India Bear wandered off course and rammed the station, even though the fog signal was sounding. The ship received $60,000 of damage, while the station had a repair bill of only $7,500.

In 1959, the station had received another unexpected visitor just a week before Christmas, and it wasn’t Santa Claus. I’m not sure exactly what a burglar was expecting to steal from a light station, but the Coast Guardsmen manning the station that night found themselves looking down the barrel of a gun. The robber ordered the men to hand over all their cash, and then retreated down the station’s dark road firing a couple of warning shots to deter any attempt at a pursuit. Lime Point was automated in July of 1961, and the three-story dwelling and other outbuildings were torn down. All that remains of the station today is the pocked fog signal building, which mostly goes unnoticed by the throngs of tourists that come to admire the impressive art deco bridge.

References

1. Guardians of the Golden Gate, Ralph Shanks, 1990.
2. Lighthouses of the Pacific, Jim Gibbs, 1986.
3. Umbrella Guide to California Lighthouses, Sharlene and Ted Nelson, 1993.

Bay Cruises offered by Blue & Gold Fleet and Red and White Fleet that pass under the Golden Gate Bridge will take you near the Lime Point Lighthouse.