 During 1863, Oke reported several concerns regarding gunners of the Royal Artillery stationed at the fort who were responsible for discharging the foghorn when Cape Spear was shrouded, including positioning the gun, whose forceful blasts were damaging the lighthouse windows and were likely to harm the lighting apparatus.One documented example of the military's lax handling of explosives described a detonation so powerful that the blast wave propelled keeper Sheppard from a chair to the other end of the room.Austin Oke Sheppard (1844–1927) assisted his father in maintaining the light from age 16 y, and after a post as head keeper at Green Island Light, Catalina Harbor, Trinity Bay, he returned to Fort Amherst in 1868 to assist his ailing father, whose health was impaired by round-the-clock maintenance of the Argand burner.