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(That's a weird random vitriolic response made, within the original source-thread).

Interesting extra details, about which I was unaware. The lighthouse log entry, about the otherwise-unreported/'localised' storm, is thought-provoking. ‘Storm ended, sea calm. God is over all’.

And I didn't know about the strewn ropes, either. Shows you can think you know all about a classic incident, when the truth is, you don't.

I'm going to have to pull my socks up, as a Fortean investigateur, or this won't look good at my annual Merit Review....if this one had come up in the written paper, I could've failed the whole exam....
 
(That's a weird random vitriolic response made, within the original source-thread)

What - "Bullshit and stupid comment", you mean? That was a bit odd, for sure. Possibly David Kilbourne of Kansas City thinks that the whole story is a load of old rubbish, and that any comment about it it therefore stupid. On the other hand, the comment in question, that it's a "sad" story, is not my own obvious reaction. Scary, mysterious, fascinating. I suppose it was tremendously sad for the families of the lost men, but the mystery goes far deeper than that.
 
(That's a weird random vitriolic response made, within the original source-thread).

Interesting extra details, about which I was unaware. The lighthouse log entry, about the otherwise-unreported/'localised' storm, is thought-provoking. ‘Storm ended, sea calm. God is over all’.

And I didn't know about the strewn ropes, either. Shows you can think you know all about a classic incident, when the truth is, you don't.

I'm going to have to pull my socks up, as a Fortean investigateur, or this won't look good at my annual Merit Review....if this one had come up in the written paper, I could've failed the whole exam....

Ermin, I don't know if the comment is correct but apparently the log entries were embellishments to the story added much later on.
 
What - "Bullshit and stupid comment", you mean? That was a bit odd, for sure. Possibly David Kilbourne of Kansas City thinks that the whole story is a load of old rubbish, and that any comment about it it therefore stupid. On the other hand, the comment in question, that it's a "sad" story, is not my own obvious reaction. Scary, mysterious, fascinating. I suppose it was tremendously sad for the families of the lost men, but the mystery goes far deeper than that.
Stereo-typically thick American with that ultra-orthodox skeptic troll attitude.
 
The log-book entries are the most singular thing about this account. I wonder if the three men were suffering form a common psychosis, perhaps brought on by food poisoning or some other kind of poisoning, like ergot or something of that type?
 
Mike Dash wrote a substantial, well-researched piece on this case for Fortean Studies.

I see that the location of this piece has moved, though it is still available:

Vanishing Lighthousemen Found! :clap:


Dash finds the log entries very suspicious for several reasons:
1: It does not read like a log, which would be factual not impressionistic or emotional.
The version of the log which is frequently quoted came from a 1920s US magazine!
2: A log would be kept by whoever was on watch not just Marshall.
3: The entries after 13th December were never in the log but kept on a slate.
4: Contemporary records show that no entry was made later than 9am on 15th December.
The 1pm "God is over all" quote is effective story-telling but bad history.
 
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The log-book entries are the most singular thing about this account. I wonder if the three men were suffering form a common psychosis, perhaps brought on by food poisoning or some other kind of poisoning, like ergot or something of that type?
Mouldy bread has a lot to answer for.
 
The log-book entries are the most singular thing about this account. I wonder if the three men were suffering form a common psychosis, perhaps brought on by food poisoning or some other kind of poisoning, like ergot or something of that type?
Having read the report, which was excellent and carefully researched, I'm inclined towards the 'mundane' which is they got washed off the rock by 100ft+ waves. Terrifying though.
 
I see that the location of this piece has moved, though it is still available:
Vanishing Lighthousemen Found! :clap:

Dash finds the log entries very suspicious for several reasons:

Thanks for that, James. That's a really well-produced article, which cuts through the rumour and nonsense very well. Mike Dash spends far too much time near the end apologising for his lack of access to certain primary sources, but as far as I'm concerned, that's the best summary of the case I've read so far. I'm just itching to see some of Walter Adelbert's photographs, but that will have to wait!
 
I see that the location of this piece has moved, though it is still available:

Vanishing Lighthousemen Found!
Thanks for posting that. The story as recounted on this thread so far does not mention that the light was not seen in good visibility by a passing ship, although that was one of my memories of the story. Mike dash's account does mention it, however - the ship was the Archtor. "The Archtor reached Leith on the 18th, but the captain did not report until the disaster had been discovered."
 
I'm inclined towards the 'mundane' which is they got washed off the rock by 100ft+ waves. Terrifying though.

Yes, me too. What I like about the case is the way it's developed though. A look into what the human mind will do and how we work.

And yes, terrifying!
 
A snippet about lighthouse keepers and freak waves:

For the lighthouse keepers, the job was often dangerous and exhausting work.
"I remember not believing in freak waves, until I was hit by one on rocks below Longstone Lighthouse, in the Farne Islands," said Gordon Medlicott, 73, who was a keeper for 32 years.
"I heard an almighty sound and it came from nowhere. I just had sufficient time to crouch behind a protective rock and hold on. I emerged very wet and very frightened.
"It hit me and I survived it, but I later found out a man had been killed in exactly the same spot a few years before."

http://forum.forteantimes.com/index.php?threads/the-lone-coastguard-ii.58311/page-2#post-1479405
 
Very strange that all three should fall victim to freak waves. You'd think that once one went over the other two would get out of the way, and it seems unlikely they would all be out in the same spot at once if they went over together. But we'll never know.
 
I read "The Lighthouse" by Keith McCloskey earlier this year.

Good book and a fascinating read. Much as I would like something spooky to have been afoot I really don't think there was. There was an appaling storm, they went out to try and fix/save a winch on the side of the cliff and were blown, and or, washed away. Very sad. Anyway, it's a good book- level-headed and scholarly but entertaining too.
 
Vincent Gaddis also went into this story in his book, Invisible Horizons, as I recall.
 
Soon to be a movie
Gerard Butler filming in Galloway for new movie Keepers
By Giancarlo RinaldiSouth Scotland reporter, BBC Scotland news website

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Image captionStar Gerard Butler said it was great to be back in Scotland for the filming
As you wend your way through Galloway it's not hard to see how it could provide a great cinematic backdrop.

And this scenic corner of south west Scotland is in the grip of movie fever right now.

Gerard Butler, best known for his action film roles, is in the area along with Peter Mullan and newcomer Connor Swindells to shoot Keepers.

The psychological thriller sees the region stand in for the remote Flannan Isles in the Outer Hebrides.

The starting point for the film is the true story of the disappearance of three lighthouse keepers more than 100 years ago which has never been properly explained.

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Image copyrightKATHLEEN M
Image captionGerard Butler has been happy to mingle with fans
The filming has created a buzz around this part of the country with the cast and crew mingling happily with the community.

"It is great to be back in Scotland," Butler told his fans via social media this week. "It is just paradise."

Spending a day on the set, it was clear everyone involved in the film has been equally impressed with what the region has to offer.

Different aspects
Three lighthouses in Dumfries and Galloway - Killantringan, Mull of Galloway and Corsewall - along with Cloch in the Firth of Clyde - have been standing in for the Flannan Isles.

Location manager Michael Panikkou said they all offered different aspects they were looking for, with the Mull of Galloway appearing to be on an island for exterior shots while Cloch proved better for interior scenes.

They have also been filming in Port Logan which he said had many similar features to the Isle of Lewis harbour where the men would have sailed to the Flannan Isles.

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Image captionPort Logan is one of the locations which has seen the clock turned back more than a century
"We have had a marvellously warm reception from everybody here," he said. "We have been very happy to work with local people."

"We are using a lot of local companies for stuff that might normally get outsourced to film-only companies.

"Having their support has really helped us achieve what we needed to do."

Producer Andy Evans said the area provided an ideal backdrop for the story.

"The setting is off the north west Scotland, there is a rock called Flannan Isle and on that there is a lighthouse," he explained.

"They used to have three keepers that would spend time on the lighthouse, every few weeks they would swap them out.

"In 1900, the relief keepers arrived at the island and there was no-one to meet them.

"They got on the island, they got to the lighthouse, the door was open, the table was set for dinner, one chair was knocked over, the light had stopped, two oilskins were missing, the lifeboat was still there but the keepers were never found."

He said that unsolved mystery had inspired the idea and Keepers would tell a "version of what might have happened".

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Image captionEveryone involved with the film said they had been given a warm welcome during filming
"From day one we wanted to keep it genuine - we didn't want to go and film this in America or Australia, you know, with a ridiculous cast," he added.

"We always wanted to be in Scotland with Scottish actors on the location.

"We started back in October looking for our lighthouse, our fourth character we called it, our Millennium Falcon."

Ultimately they settled on the Mull of Galloway site as the one which fitted best for external shots.

"Because of that peninsula it really gives you, from a good 270 degrees, you could believe you are on an island, you really can," said the producer.

In addition to a perfect backdrop, he said the 60-strong crew and the cast had all been warmly welcomed.

'Over the moon'
"The towns and the villages have really taken us to heart," he said.

"Gerard Butler, Peter Mullan and Connor - they have all embraced it so we've all been to the pub, we've all been to the restaurants and everyone has been amazing."

Co-writer Joe Bone said he first came across the Flannan Isles mystery six or seven years ago, describing it as a "great departure point for a variety of different story lines".

Along with fellow writer Celyn Jones, they were pleased the movie ended up being filmed in Scotland.

"We were both thrilled when it was green lit to be shot in this area," he said.

"There were some mutterings and whispers that it might need to move to Canada for monetary reasons and this, that and the other.

"But when we heard that it was finally, definitely going to be set here we were both over the moon."

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Image captionScenes like this have been commonplace in Galloway over the last few weeks
He said it provided the ideal setting.

"You couldn't find a better backdrop, you are at the mercy of the elements, but it is a gorgeous part of the world," he said.

"Every time you meet someone they are super-friendly and they are excited that the film is going to be here.

"Everyone has been really, really nice. I know I am going to be really sad when it comes to leaving come the end of the shoot."

Director Kristoffer Nyholm, probably best known in the UK for the TV series The Killing, said filming in the region presented its own challenges.

"I think the weather has been pretty difficult to control, it changes all the time, and so does it in our film as well - we are just following the weather flow," he said.

"It can be a challenge but it is a gift I think."

'Tread carefully'
He also said he felt a certain sense of responsibility in order to do the area justice when it appeared on film.

"You meet spots where things haven't changed much - the landscapes and the atmospheres - and if you go into pubs you hear old songs," he said.

"You feel there is a constant factor here, things might change in the big cities quick but here in the more deserted areas of Scotland things are quite constant.

"And that is very nice, it is a good feeling but it also makes you a little humble - I think is the word - because you think: 'I have to respect this and tread carefully in a way'."

Judging by the community response so far, the film is on the right track in that regard.

And when it hits the big screens, it should attract a sizeable audience in this particular part of the country.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-39594023
 
Gerard might find it difficult to manage the Scottish accent. He certainly does these days.
 
Peter Mullan is a great actor.


Gerard Butler could be the world's worst.

Don't know the director but he directed "The Enfield Poltergeist".
 
," the table was set for dinner, one chair was knocked over"

No they weren't! I know it is supposed to be artistic licence and all that but incorrect stuff being propagated really annoys me. I will probably still watch the film. But shout at the screen..
 
They're obviously taking their version from the made up American short story as detailed in a recent FT. Maybe "they were blown off the cliff" doesn't sound as impressive as "they were abducted by aliens" or whatever explanation they're going to invent will be.
 
They're obviously taking their version from the made up American short story as detailed in a recent FT. Maybe "they were blown off the cliff" doesn't sound as impressive as "they were abducted by aliens" or whatever explanation they're going to invent will be.

They've probably got a team of artists working on a CGI monster right now.
 
I think Ray Harryhausen and Ray Bradbury beat them to it 1:13 if you want to skip to it
 
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