Staten Island: the lighthouse at the end of the world
That afternoon I walked in Cap Creus, near the beautiful Cadaqués, Catalonia, when I found incredibly plate that carried me to the lighthouse at the end of the world. Not with the, about Ushuaia, many guidelines presented as "The World's End Lighthouse", but true, which became famous Jules Verne and many excited children read. The board took me back to the inaccessible light of the Staten Island.
If there is a place in Patagonia, we can still consider unattainable, this is the Staten Island. This is nothing more nor less than the last link in the Andes, which flows into the Atlantic succumbing their impious Wuthering Heights in the Atlantic waves Antarctic winds driven by. In its northern coast a settlement is almost unthinkable, whereas in the south is absolutely impossible.
In this scenario of costs that fall to the bottom of the sea merciless and treacherous rocks, the famous French writer imagined a keeper that immoral, purposely, directed the ships to shipwrecks that he took advantage of substantial cost lives.
Never been to the Staten Island but does little more than a year, by the unfortunate death of my father, Aníbal Ford laureate writer, fell into my hands the photos he took on his trip when he was preparing a book. The box containing the manuscript of his book not yet published; I devoured. The paragraphs of text brought to mind images. Dozens of boats breaking their helmets as nuts against black stones when their masters could not control their ships to sail in the middle of hurricane winds. A case attracted my attention, English theater company that sailed bound for Chile to present Shakespeare's The Tempest "... not a survivor.
But my father also put his investigative magnifying glass less tragic cases. By the late nineteenth century and nobody wanted to sail boats. Metal hulls and steam engines stopped completely obsolete those enormous sailing three-and four-masted. Their captains, following precise instructions for shipping companies, guided its obsolete ships onto the rocks to simulate, with minimum risk, a crash to collect a hefty percentage, agreed beforehand, total insurance value.
The manuscript was messy, why had not yet been published. The following pages came back to the early 1870 and dealt with the figure of a quaint and quixotic Argentine naval, Luis Piedra. This man persuaded the government of Buenos Aires will give the island and other places in Patagonia grant intended to populate and make them productive. Piedrabuena tried everything, exploit the wood of the island, oil to the penguins living there, even introduced goats to multiply, but the only truly useful he could do was to save dozens of lives of shipwrecked boats trying to cross the Estrecho de Le Maire in the midst of intense Niebla bound for the Pacific. "Has he inspired Jules Verne for the character of his novel? It would be unfair to Piedrabuena that this had been, but surely they were his adventures which came to the attention of the novelist that the base created a masterpiece of adventure literature.
The manuscript of Anibal Ford jumped from one topic to another, now recounted the famous escape the prison that operated on the island a short time to be dismantled and moved to Ushuaia. Not rebel prisoners to be free but to escape certain death in the unforgiving island.
Has Jules Verne been inspired by him for the character in his famous novel? It would be unfair to Piedrabuena that this had been, but surely they were his adventures which came to the attention of the novelist that the base created a masterpiece of adventure literature.
The cemetery still exists shows that inmates were dying one by one. Desperation led to an amazing escape attempt of which only a handful survived.
The following paragraphs turn back a few years to focus on the construction of a lighthouse on the island who warned of the dangers of their costs. Its design had nothing of the traditional. Was low it was difficult to bring the material but made up for the height because I was on top of a cliff seventy feet; the light beam projected through the windows. In the list of attendees at the opening my father found a name that played: John David Ford. She felt that Irish marine, his grandfather, had been present when the light went on for the first time. The lighthouse was deactivated when it was built shortly after another, Automatic, on a nearby island offered a lot more visibility, so the original building fell into ruin until a few years ago a group of French, Verne enthusiastic followers, it was rebuilt. I smiled seeing the picture of my father in front of the lighthouse.
In the box I found another treasure, a video cassette. I remember seeing him years ago when my father returned from his second trip to the island. I looked for an old VCRs and sat on the sofa to watch the images of about ten years ago. I saw him on board a Navy ship Argentina. In the bridge of the waves crashing against the glass with great force. Anibal, straining to balance, spoke on camera. Then there were scenes of navigation along the fjord of ten kilometers leading to the tiny settlement of Marina Argentina, only town on the island. Despite the late spring snowing.
But my mind brought me back to the plate in front of my eyes, in northern Spain. This said that there, in the Cap Creus, in 1970 was holiwoodense blockbuster movie "The Lighthouse at the End of the World" Yull Burns and Kirk Douglas, I had seen at least half a dozen times. I smiled sadly ... I wanted to believe that my father had led me up to the plate to remind me what I said when I was already very ill and asked me to order his writings on the island for publication.
And I get to work on "The Lighthouse at the End of the World, Aníbal Ford's book.
Contacto@GerardoBartolome.com
Gerardo Bartolomé traveler and writer is. To learn more about him and his work go to www.GerardoBartolome.com
Comments (6)
mabel
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The truth that life has given you unique opportunities,Gerardo.Este story of your father in law is really striking,only you're able to continue his legacy,I see the same force adventurer and researcher….. and I think,not only me,We look forward to "The Lighthouse At The End Of The World" Successes!!!
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Francisco Páramo
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What a nice story. I love your blog Gerardo. I've never been to Patagonia, nor go rotten if ever, but I hooked the stories it tells. Write that book, sure your father will read it too.
Greetings
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Gerardo Bartolomé
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Mabel and Francis: During this year this "Lighthouse at the End of the World" by Anibal Ford will be published. Thanks for your words.
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The no lighthouse at the End of the World .
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[…] It was mounted on the Isla de los Estados in Ushuaia. You can read this interesting article about the Lighthouse at the End of the World to […]
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Argentravel The no lighthouse at the End of the World » Argentravel
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[…] It was mounted on the Isla de los Estados in Ushuaia. You can read this interesting article about the Lighthouse at the End of the World to […]
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demetrius ismael
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The island of the states should be used to send for many years the bad and corrupt politicians and unionists of this country, so capable and decent governments, what if there are, can develop their programs to finally recover our homeland
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