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WCID 12 Pres. Matt Wiggins now Kemah City Councilman, found Designer and lens preservationist Dan Spinella in Florida and arranged for him to "Create" the Lens for the new WCID 12 Water Tower/Lighthouse. Here is a brief summary of the Fresnel lens that was installed in the Kemah Lighthouse.

Dan Spinella

The lens is a 3^rd order rotating Fresnel lens replica. It was modeled after the historic Fresnel lenses that were common in

U.S.

lighthouses from the mid 1800’s to the early 1900’s. Some lighthouses still retain their Fresnel lenses but most are in museums. The lens was invented by the French physicist Augustin Fresnel in 1819. These lenses come in 6 sizes also know as orders, 6^th order (smallest lens) to 1^st order (largest lens). The production of these lenses stopped in the early 1900’s.

The lens installed in the Kemah Lighthouse is a 3^rd order rotating style. The lenses and prisms are machined from an optical acrylic material. Original Fresnel lenses have glass lenses and prisms. The Coast Guard values an original 3^rd order lens at $750,000.00. Manufacturing the lens out of acrylic is more cost effective and can be produced for about 1/10 the cost. The frame is made of solid brass just as the historic lenses. The lens has 8 flash panels, or bulls-eyes, and produces 8 beams of light. The lens rotates approximately 1 revolution per minute and produces a flash every 7 seconds. The light source is a 1000 watt bulb that remains steady. The flash is produced by the rotation of the lens viewed from a distance as the flash panel rotates in your line of sight. The lens weighs 750 lbs. and is 6 feet tall and 4 feet in diameter. The total height is 10 feet including the pedestal.
I designed the lens. My company name is Artworks Florida www.artworks-florida.com . Augustin Fresnel’s original formulas were used to calculate the shapes and curvatures of the lenses and prisms. The lens collects light from a single source and directs it into horizontal beams. The original lenses were illuminated by oil or kerosene burning lamps. A clockwork mechanism was used to rotate the lens driven by a weight that would drop down the center of the lighthouse, very similar to a grandfather clock. The Kemah lens is rotated by an electric motor and gearbox.
Dan Spinella

New Lighthouse in Kemah

Saturday 9 Sept. 2006 6:30 p.m
Casino Gambling Returns
To Kemah – One Night Only!

Casino gambling will return to Kemah! Yes, but gambling returns for one night only as a fundraiser for the Kemah Historical Society, Sept. 9 at the Kemah Community Center, Highway 146 at 8th St. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the gaming tables will open at 7 p.m.

From the 1920s through the 1950s, Kemah was a hot bed of casino gambling. Gambling played a large part in the city’s history. So, directors of the Kemah Historical Society thought a night of gambling was a natural for their fundraiser. Roaring ‘20s attire is encouraged.

Attendees can get that nostalgic Kemah feel playing Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, Blackjack and Craps. The tables will be operated by Monte Carlo Associates, Inc., professional gaming operators for charitable events.

Tickets for the event are $20 per person in advance and $25 per person at the door. Ticket gives each attendee $1,000 in play money and hors d’oeuvres. There will be a cash wine and beer bar. Tickets are available by contacting Pepper Coffey, event chairman, at 281-334-2398 or PepCoffey@hotmail.com.

There will be a raffle and a live auction of donations from Kemah merchants and other supporters. The Kemah Historical Society is a 501©(3) non-profit organization. All proceeds from Casino Night will benefit the society whose mission is preserving the history of Kemah. For more information, the group’s web address is www.kemahhistoricalsociety.net.

KEMAH.NET PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT