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What are some idea for a non electric powered lighthouse?

Alright, so I’ve embarked on another story. There’s going to be a lighthouse in it, but it’s set in a time where there’s no electricity, and I’m really unsure as to how lighthouses would have been run then. I’ve had a few ideas of my own, but I’d like to hear some other input on how you think it should be done. I’m not completely closed off to the idea of magic, so feel free to suggest anything. Thanks in advance.

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Answer #1

Before electricity, lighthouses needed light keepers. The keepers made sure the lights worked and added fuel to the lamp.

Answer #2

Lighthouses DID function before electricity without the use of magic, ya know. The Lighthouse of Alexandria could be seen for 30 miles, and it was basically a tower with a bonfire on top. When frensel lenses were developed, the light from a small oil or kerosene lamp could be focused into such a tight beam, it could be seen for dozens of miles. There’s really no great mystery to it.

Answer #3

I vaguely knew the idea around it, not about the lenses though, I’ll have to look into that. I was looking for something different, just not sure what exactly. Thanks for the info though.

Answer #4

The brightest lighthouses before electricity used limelight. Limelights were an intense form of illumination created by heating Calcium Oxide (Lime) in a hydrogen-oxygen flame. Prior to the invention of the electric arc lamp limelights were the brightest lights available.

Limelights were more famously used in theater. You see before electricity theater illumination came mainly from candles and lanterns. To draw attention to the stars limelight was focused on them much the way we use spotlights today. We still use the term “in the limelight” when someone is the center of attention.

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