, which used lenses instead of reflectors to focus the beam. The Fresnel lens was able to capture and project 85 percent of the light emitted by a light source, much more efficient than the mere 50 percent from a parabolic reflector, Cuadrado said. Today, in addition to lighthouses, stage lights and car headlights still use Fresnel’s technology.
“We’re still trying to figure out [who worked here] by using census newspaper records, and even oral histories or family histories,” Cuadrado said. “A lot of them were clerks processing orders from lighthouse keepers or regional district depots...we’re trying to get a handle on it.”
ForgottenNY