Photo by George Bacon. |
The 3 1/2 order bivalve Fresnel lens on display at
Montauk Point is one of the most beautiful Fresnel lenses you're likely to see. The
combination of shiny brass and glass prisms exemplifies the combination of art and science
inherent in Fresnel lenses. This particular lens was built by Barbier, Benard &
Turenne (BBT) in Paris. This lens replaced Montauk Point's classical First Order lens in
1903, giving the lighthouse a bright flash. At this time, the tower's famous brown stripe
was also added. The lens served at Montauk Point until the lighthouse's automation in
1987, and has since been properly cared for as a museum exhibit. Bivalve lenses, so called because of their shape, gave a brighter, more
concentrated flash than the classical design. A bivalve was first seen in the US at the
Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. That lens, a first order bivalve, was scheduled
to be installed at the Fire Island lighthouse, but ended up at the Navesink lighthouse,
where it still resides. The first bivalve to serve in a US lighthouse is believed to have
been at the Crooked River, Florida lighthouse. |
