30

The fog alarm has the characteristic of blowing for six seconds every fifty—six seconds. The lighthouse's char~ acteristic is a flash every five seconds.157

The lighthouse has certainly reduced the number of wrecks on the dangerous reefs nearby. Stewart MacIntyre re— calls that the lighthouse keeper also warned unheeding ships of the danger nearby. He recalled that one ship would have beached itself in 1955 if he had not blown the fog alarm.158 Stewart also stated that Belle Burge, daughter of a worker at the lighthouse, worked there also. Apparently she was unafraid of heights and sure-footed because she ran around the rail of the lighthouse — sixty feet off the ground!159

Beacon operators for the East Point lighthouse were, Donald MacIntyre, Philip Ritchie, Jack Wilmhurst, Les Peppin, Phil Johnston and Steve Q'Hearn.160 q

The post office was one of the centers of socializa— tion within East Point. The job of the postmaster, which was usually a political appointment, also included the provision of the post office in your home. In 1858 the Postmaster General asked that the letters to East Point be addressed either as north or south side by the sender.161

The job of post master in East Point went first to Alex Beaton. James Angus Beaton was the second and last post—

master.162

The post office remained there for over thirty years. It was then closed in 1915 because the railroad came to Elmira and a main post office was established there.165 In earlier

days the mail was brought by horseback from Souris to the east—