3-021-058 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Aspinwall, Central America: Lighthouse Point, 1865. 'The seaport town of Aspinwall, on the coast of New Granada, in the Gulf of Mexico, is the Atlantic terminus of the Panama Railroad by which passengers are conveyed in a few hours to the shore of the Pacific Ocean. It is, as all the world knows, quite a new place, having been founded on Feb. 29, 1852, by the Panama Railroad Company, and named after one of the most active promoters of the scheme, with the sanction of the New Granadian Government...The roadstead or port of Aspinwall is very exposed; between the months of October and March tremendous northers visit the coast, and commit great havoc amongst the wharfs and shipping. [Our Engraving] shows the lighthouse erected on the Point at Aspinwall. It is a slight-looking structure, yet strong enough to withstand the heaviest sea. If the Panama Railway had belonged to an English instead of an American company, a solid pile of masonry would have been built, costing as many pounds as the present structure cost dollars. The light is visible at a distance of twelve miles, and is under the charge of the Harbour-Master, Captain Tuthill, who keeps it in excellent order'. From "Illustrated London News", 1865.