Sections of the Fresnel lens from the second-to-last East Light, now kept at the Sable Island Station. Although little remains of the life saving station structures, artifacts of historical interest are occasionally exposed as wind scours through the rubble. When operational, the Fresnel lens (invented in 1822 by August-Jean Fresnel, in France) is comprised of glass prisms, held in brass frames, arranged in rings above and below the lamp of a lighthouse – the prism assembly bends and concentrates the lamp light into a bright beam.