the disappearance of the Solway Light, 1909

The Solway Light, officially designated as "Blackskerry Beacon L-7," was a newly automated, acetylene-powered navigational aid situated on the perilous Blackskerry Rock in the eastern Solway Firth. Commissioned in April 1908, its purpose was to guide vessels through the treacherous channels north of Maryport and Workington, a vital artery for coal shipments. On the evening of November 17, 1909, during a period of particularly dense