Illustration of Partridge Island Lighthouse with the words “Partridge Island!” echoing through fog over the Bay of Fundy, inspired by 1930s experiments with a talking foghorn.
Canada, History Mysteries, Saint John

The Talking Fog Horn That Never Was? A Partridge Island History Mystery

by Lea St John

Here in Saint John, New Brunswick, the fog visits often throughout the year, no matter the season or time of day. In summer, it offers free air conditioning. During autumn, it rolls into the Bay of Fundy with spooky vibes. Then, in winter, it comes whitened with a frosty chill, and for spring, it surprises us like morning dew. 

There is something magical about this thick mist, as if it’s setting the scene for a grand story. Over the past few years, I’ve found myself getting lost in digitized pages of old newspapers from the 1800s to the early 1900s. I love stumbling across curious articles, the ones that make you wonder, think, and question. Mostly, I end up with more questions than answers. 

One question in particular stuck with me: What if lighthouses talked?

Specifically… did robot voices ever boom warnings to passerbys in the fog, bellowing “Partridge Island, Partridge Island!” in 1933? (1, Evening Times Globe, “ROBOT VOICES MAY REPLACE FOG SIRENS”, Jan 4, 1933, Page 9)

Historic 1933 Evening Times Globe article titled “Robot Voices May Replace Fog Sirens,” reporting plans for a phonograph-style device to make the Partridge Island Lighthouse call out its own name.

The title of this first article immediately had me hooked! The Department of Marine’s district agent, J.C. Chesley, confirmed that a new fog signal device was being built. He explained that it would work similarly to a phonograph, playing an amplified voice that calls out the island’s name. 

source image 1, 1933 Evening Times Globe article, source Saint John Free Public Library microfiche

Could this be true? Did Partridge Island “talk” to ships in the 1930s? 

I excitedly started looking for other references and found it mentioned in Canadian and U.S. papers, from the New Yorker (3) to the Ottawa Citizen (4) and Popular Science Monthly (5) shared this innovative Saint John idea.

Source, image 2 Popular Science cover and article excerpt, Internet Archive

March 1933 issue of Popular Science Monthly featuring an article titled “Loud Voice to Shout Warning to Sailors,” describing plans for a talking fog signal at Partridge Island Lighthouse in Saint John, New Brunswick.

With all the hype happening while the device was being manufactured, I figured it would be easy to find more headlines once it was installed. That was not the case. 

What Was Actually Installed? 

I did confirm in the 1932-33 Annual Report of the Department of Marine that an “experimental two-tone type F diapone” was installed on Partridge Island that year (6). That the device was labelled as experimental gave me hope. However, the description didn’t seem to suggest a talking modification.

Did anyone hear the new fog siren? 

1933 newspaper clipping titled “Moose Miss Mate’s Moo?” with a cartoon of startled moose, describing how Partridge Island’s old foghorn once resembled a moose call.

Local newspaper report from March 1933 noted a “falsette, basso-profundo duet” horn with high and low tones from Partridge Island. They humoursly referenced the experimental fog horn as a “two-toned tooter” and hoped it would work better in different kinds of weather (source 7, Saint John Times Globe). A different writer wondered if this new horn would mean fewer moose getting lost in the city streets, as the old foghorn used to attract them to the streets with its call (source 8, Telegraph-Journal)

Source, image 3, Moose cartoon article, source Saint John Free Public Library microfiche

Finally, I found a visit to the Island mentioned in a newspaper from August 1933, when 150 businessmen visited the Island, explored it, and learned about the horn. The Evening Times Globe detailed how the six-month-old horn used compressed air to create its “loud roar and echoing wheeze” (9).

The Verdict: A Talking Lighthouse or Just a Tall Tale?

After months of searching, I have yet to find any firsthand tales of a booming voice calling out “Partridge Island!”. While the lighthouse did get an experimental two-toned foghorn, the evidence suggests the lighthouse never spoke its name. I think it’s safe to say that Mr. Chesley from the Department of Marine, who was so excited about it early in 1933, was probably disappointed that he never received his vocal fog warning device (source 1)

Thanks for joining me on this history mystery!

If you know more about the Partridge Island “talking foghorn” that seemingly never was, please reach out and share. I’d love to learn more about the tales behind this story. 

It would be so cool to visit the Island. Please note that the public is not permitted to visit the Island. However, there is one tour company that has special permission to take groups out. Check out River Bay Adventures’ Facebook page to learn about the next kayaking trip that they have planned.

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Pinterest-friendly blog graphic for “The Talking Fog Horn That Never Was,” a Saint John, New Brunswick history mystery about the Partridge Island Lighthouse and its rumored talking foghorn in 1933.

References list  

Source 1, Evening Times Globe, “ROBOT VOICES MAY REPLACE FOG SIRENS”, Jan 4, 1933, Page 9, https://www.newspapers.com/article/saint-john-times-globe-partridge-island/181520801/

Source 2, The Central New Jersey Home News, “What Other Editors Say”, Jan 09, 1933 ·Page 4, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-central-new-jersey-home-news-partrid/181519518/

Source 3, The New Yorker, March 4, 1933 Page, 9, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1933/03/04/comment-819#:~:text=We%20would%20like%20to%20cruise,will%20listen%20to%20a%20stupendous 

Source 4, Ottawa Citizen, “An Up-To-Date Seaport”, Saint John Times Globe , Mar 20, 1933, Page 4, https://www.newspapers.com/article/saint-john-times-globe-partridge-island/181519574/

Source 5, Popular Science Monthly, “Loud Voice to Shout Warning to Sailors,  1933-03: Vol 122 Iss 3, page 100, https://archive.org/details/sim_popular-science_1933-03_122_3/page/100/mode/1up?q=TALKING+FOG+SIGNAL 

Source 6, Government of Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Library, 1932-33 Annual Report of the Department of Marine, Part 2, Page 10, https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/library-bibliotheque/40937112_1932_33_Part2.pdf#:~:text=,Changes%20and%20additions 

Source 7, Saint John Times Globe, “Hope Horn’s Double Voice Will Go Far, Mar 16, 1933, Page 16, https://www.newspapers.com/article/saint-john-times-globe-partridge-island/181519623/

Source 8, Telegraph-Journal, “Test New Fog Horn For Use in Dominion”, Mar 16, 1933, Page 10, https://www.newspapers.com/article/telegraph-journal-partridge-island-light/181519676/

Source 9, Saint John Times Globe, “Partridge Island Novelty to Party”, Aug 25, 1933, Page 6, https://www.newspapers.com/article/saint-john-times-globe-partridge-island/181519718/

Image 1, microfiche, Saint John Free Public Library, Central Branch, Evening Times Globe, Jan. 1933, “ROBOT VOICES MAY REPLACE FOG SIRENS”, Jan 4, 1933, Page 9

Image 2 screenshot from Internet Archive, Popular Science Monthly, “Loud Voice to Shout Warning to Sailors”, 1933-03: Vol 122 Iss 3, page 100, https://archive.org/details/sim_popular-science_1933-03_122_3/page/100/mode/1up?q=TALKING+FOG+SIGNAL 

Image 3, microfiche, Saint John Free Public Library, Central Branch, Telegraph-Journal, “Test New Fog Horn For Use in Dominion”, Mar 16, 1933, Page 10

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