The Dark Side of Lighthouses (hakaimagazine.com) Mouthfuls of molten lead, wild weather, and insanity: the occupational hazards of an early lighthouse keeper.
Henry Hall, the 94-year-old lighthouse keeper, discovered that a spark, probably from a candle in the lantern, had flown up and ignited the top of the tower. As Hall looked up to throw a bucket of water on the blaze, a stream of molten lead from the roof poured down his face and throat.