Chapter III · (continued 3)

1807, October.

October, Thursday 1st.

This morning the wind shifted to NE. with moderate breezes. In the course of the forenoon we beat towards the Bell Rock, and sailed round it, when every thing appeared to be in good order about the beacon. Having no shelter in St Andrew’s Bay with this wind, the Yacht stood alternately towards Arbroath and the Bell Rock for the night. The floating-light being a most excellent guide for putting about, before the vessel got too near to the rock. The older sailors on board of the Yacht, on this occasion, made frequent observations as to the utility of this temporary light, expressing their admiration at the change of circumstances which had led to their cruising with so much confidence, both by day and night, in the immediate vicinity of this dangerous rock.

Friday 2d.

Effect a landing at the rock.

The wind having come round to NW. with fresh breezes, it soon run down the north-easterly swell of the sea, and at half-past 1 P. M., all hands, to the amount of twenty, landed on the rock, though not without difficulty. Twelve of the masons were engaged during three hours, or till 4 o’clock, in excavating the foundation of the light-house, while the eight joiners and smiths, who also had arrived with the Smeaton, were employed at the works of the beacon for nine hours and a half; and having continued at work by torchlight, they left the rock at half-past 10 o’clock P. M.

State of the Beacon after the late gale.

On carefully examining into the state of things at the Bell Rock, after the late gale, the writer had the satisfaction to find, that the principal beams of the beacon, with their diagonal supports, cross-beams and stanchions connecting them to the rock, had not the smallest appearance of working or shifting, as mechanics express it. One of the tie chains had indeed given way, and hung loosely from the beacon, and one of the bracing screws had wrought off its nut. This was an evidence that the principal beams from the elasticity of the timber, had been acted upon by the sea, and that they still required some additional stay in the middle. Such, however, were the fixtures of the beacon to the rock with the iron stanchions, and its connection at the top, where it was strongly girt with circular hoops of iron, that it was perfectly firm at both extremities. The central support was intended to be effected by means of strong bars of iron, stretching between the principal beams; but the season was now too far advanced for such an undertaking, and therefore, the bracing-chains, represented in Plate VIII., were attached for the present.

It was not a little remarkable, that notwithstanding the impression which the sea had produced during the late gale, in shaking the beacon, so as to break one of the tie-chains, unscrew one of the bracing-bolts, and in shaking several of the smith’s tools from his hearth on the platform at the top, yet these tools, and other small articles of iron, were all found lying on the rock. The nut of the bolt, for example, was got immediately under the chain from which it had dropped. Several other striking examples of this kind were observable, shewing how little will shelter articles somewhat ponderous in themselves, when they lie at a considerable depth in water.

Saturday 3d.

Working hours greatly extended.

The wind being west to-day, the weather was very favourable for the operations at the rock, and during the morning and evening tides, with the aid of torch-light, the masons had seven hours’ work upon the site of the building. The smiths and joiners, who landed at half-past 6 A. M., did not leave the rock till a quarter past 11 P. M., having been at work, with little intermission, for sixteen hours and three quarters. When the water left the rock, they were employed at the lower parts of the beacon, and as the tide rose or fell, they shifted the place of their operations. From these exertions, the fixing and securing of the beacon made rapid advancement, as the men were now landed in the morning, and remained throughout the day. But, as a sudden change of weather might have prevented their being taken off at the proper time of tide, a quantity of bread and water was always kept on the Beacon.

Sunday 4th.

The wind was southerly during the fore part of the day, and towards evening it became quite calm. The boats landed the artificers this morning at a quarter before 7 o’clock; when the masons had three and a half hours’ work at the foundation of the building, but the spring-tides were now taking off; the best of them having unfortunately been lost during the late gale. The smiths and joiners, however, continued their operations throughout the whole of the day, and did not leave the rock till half-past 12 at night.

During this period of working at the Beacon all the day, and often a great part of the night, the writer was much on board of the Tender; but, while the masons could work on the rock, and frequently also while it was covered by the tide, he remained on the Beacon; especially during the night, as he made a point of being on the rock to the latest hour, and was generally the last person who stepped into the boat. He had laid this down as part of his plan of procedure; and in this way had acquired, in the course of the first season, a pretty complete knowledge and experience of what could actually be done at the Bell Rock, under all circumstances of the weather. By this means also his assistants, and the artificers and mariners, got into a systematic habit of proceeding at the commencement of the work, which, it is believed, continued throughout the whole of the operations.

Beacon works finished for the season.

The external part of the beacon was now finished, with its supports and bracing-chains, and whatever else was considered necessary for its stability, in so far as the season would permit; and although much was still wanting to complete this fabric, yet it was in such a state that it could be left without much fear of the consequences of a storm. The painting of the upper part was nearly finished this afternoon; and the Smeaton had brought off a quantity of brush-wood and other articles, for the purpose of heating or charring the lower part of the principal beams, before being laid over with successive coats of boiling pitch, to the height of from eight to twelve feet, or as high as the rise of spring-tides. A small flag-staff having also been erected to-day, a flag was displayed for the first time from the Beacon, by which its perspective effect was greatly improved. On this, as on all like occasions at the Bell Rock, three hearty cheers were given; and the steward served out a dram of rum to all hands, while the Light-house Yacht, Smeaton, and Floating-light, hoisted their colours in compliment to the Erection.

Monday 5th.

To-day the wind was westerly, and the weather was very wet; but this was thought nothing of at the Bell Rock, so long as the wind kept moderate. At a quarter past 8 A. M. the boats landed the artificers. The masons had only 2½ hours’ work at the site of the building, owing to the smallness of the ebb-tide; but the joiners and smiths continued their operations till half-past 11 P. M., and were consequently 15 hours and a quarter upon the Rock.

Mr Rennie and one of his sons visit the Rock.

In the afternoon, and just as the tide’s work was over, Mr John Rennie, engineer, accompanied by his son Mr George, on their way to the harbour-works of Fraserburgh, in Aberdeenshire, paid a visit to the Bell Rock, in a boat from Arbroath. It being then too late in the tide for landing, they remained on board of the Light-house Yacht all night, when the writer, who had now been secluded from society for several weeks, enjoyed much of Mr Rennie’s interesting conversation; both on general topics, and professionally upon the progress of the Bell-Rock works, on which he was consulted as chief engineer. The weather continued very moderate all night; but although there was little swell in the sea, yet our quarters on board of the Yacht were not the most agreeable, especially to strangers. The vessel, being perfectly new, was so completely water-tight, that it was hardly possible to keep her free of bilge-water, and so strong was the hydrogenous gas or offensive effluvia arising from it, that it had affected the colour of the paint of the cabin floor-cloth, and even, to a certain degree, blackened the silver plate, coins and watch-cases on board, notwithstanding the frequent pumping of the ship, and other means which were taken to sweeten her.

Tuesday 6th.

Works given up for the season.

The artificers landed this morning at 9, after which one of the boats returned to the ship for the writer and Messrs Rennie, who, upon landing, were saluted with a display of the colours from the Beacon, and by three cheers from the workmen. Both the weather and the tide were pretty favourable for the operations, and the masons continued about three hours at work. Every thing was now in a prepared state for leaving the rock, and giving up the works afloat for this season, excepting some small articles, which would still occupy the smiths and joiners for a few days longer. They, accordingly, shifted on board of the Smeaton, while the Yacht left the rock for Arbroath, with Messrs Rennie, the writer, and the remainder of the artificers. But, before taking leave, the steward served out a farewell-glass, when three hearty cheers were given, and an earnest wish expressed, that every thing, in the spring of 1808, might be found in the same state of good order as it was now about to be left.

In concluding the account of the first season’s work, the writer may observe, that he had not at any time previously to his engaging in the Bell Rock works, been more than five or six days at sea on a stretch, even in the course of his voyages to the Northern Light-houses. But on the present occasion he had now been afloat upwards of seven weeks, with the exception of a single day spent in the Work Yard. Upon his return to the shore, therefore, after having successfully closed these critical operations, he felt a mixed emotion of happiness and gratitude, for so prosperous a termination; and, participating in those feelings which are known to actuate the mariner, after a dangerous voyage, he looked with thankfulness to that Providence which had preserved those engaged in the work under so many perilous circumstances.

Number of days the artificers were actually at work.

The period during which the works had been continued, appeared of much longer duration to every one than it really was, for, upon calculating the actual time spent upon the rock, it amounted to about 180 hours, of which only 133 or about 13½ days, of 10 hours each, could be said to have been actively employed. Upon looking back on this result, the writer is astonished at what had been accomplished in so short a period; for besides the erection of the principal beams of the Beacon-house, something considerable had also been done towards the preparation of the site of the Light-house. He cannot, therefore, help thinking, that the experience of this season’s work at the Bell Rock, affords a good example of what may be executed under similar circumstances, when every heart and every hand is anxiously and zealously engaged; for the artificers wrought at the erection of the Beacon as for life; or somewhat like men stopping a breach in a wall to keep out an overwhelming flood.

Progress of the Work.

In stating the progress of the Bell Rock works at the close of the first season, it is hardly necessary to say, that, for success, and ultimate utility, they far exceeded the writer’s most sanguine expectations. By the erection of the frame-work of the Beacon-house, the rock had in a great measure been robbed of its terrors to those employed in building the Light-house. At all times when a boat could be put to sea, or approach this sunken reef, there was not now that actual danger in landing which formerly presented itself. Should the Tender in future go a-drift, or a boat happen to be wrecked on the rock, the Beacon could now be looked to as a place of shelter, till more efficient means could be resorted to. This work had always been a great desideratum with the writer, who had now chiefly to consider how the future steps were to be attained, having much less to occupy his attention in regard to the safety of the people employed.

The whole of the artificers being collected at the work-yard of Arbroath, in the latter end of the month of October, their number amounted to forty-four. It, therefore, became indispensably necessary to get forward with the quarries, otherwise a number of experienced workmen must have been paid off, which would have been attended with much disadvantage to the operations at the rock next year. There was now every prospect that by mid-summer, the foundation or site of the Light-house would be completely excavated and ready for commencing the building; while as yet the hewing of one entire course had not been completed, for want of materials, although the stones of three or four successive courses were in progress. For example, 10 blocks of granite were still wanting of the first course, 30 blocks of the second, which measured 18 inches in thickness, and 20 blocks of the third, and so of other courses. The procuring of a sufficient stock of materials, and getting the quarries into a more regular system of supply, became an object which we shall more particularly notice under the article Building Materials, in the following chapter.

Work-Yard.

The Work-Yard at Arbroath, where the stones were collected and hewn, consisted of an inclosed piece of ground, extending to about three quarters of an acre, conveniently situate on the northern side of the Lady Lane, or street, leading from the western side of the Harbour, being only about 200 yards distant from the Light-House shipping birth, as will be seen from Plate XII. Upon this plot of ground there was built a suite or range of barrack-rooms for the artificers, and the several apartments connected with the engineer’s office, mould-makers’ drawing-room, stores, work-shops for smiths and joiners, stable, &c. extending 150 feet along the north side of the work-yard, which were now fully occupied. Shades of timber were also constructed for the workmen in wet weather, and a kiln for burning lime. In a centrical position of this ground, a circular platform of masonry was built, on which the stones were laid when dressed, and each course tried and marked, before being shipped for the rock. This platform measured 44 feet in diameter; it was founded with large broad stones, at the depth of about 2 feet 6 inches, and built to within 10 inches of the surface with ruble work; on which a course of neatly dressed and well jointed masonry was laid, of the red sandstone from the quarries to the eastward of Arbroath, which brought the platform on a level with the surface of the ground. Here the dressed part of the first entire course of the Light-House was now lying, and the platform was so substantially built as to be capable of supporting any number of courses which it might be found convenient to lay upon it, in the further progress of the work.

1807, November.

Mr Gloag, who commanded the Light-house Yacht, had been successful in grappling and finding the old moorings of the Pharos floating-light, from which that vessel had drifted after the dreadful gale of the 6th of September. These he had weighed, and removed to within about 400 fathoms of the new ground taken up by that vessel, and had placed a buoy upon them, that, in case of her again drifting, any vessel carrying the floating-light could immediately be brought to ride at these spare moorings. The Yacht had also lifted three of the four floating buoys, with their chains and mushroom anchors, from the neighbourhood of the Bell Rock, leaving one set for the use of the vessel occasionally attending for the purpose of inspecting the Beacon. In the course of the month of November several very severe gales of wind occurred, and Mr Watt, the foreman joiner, who had been appointed to examine the rock at spring-tides, when the weather would permit, with three or four artificers, found some small repairs necessary, in consequence of damage which the Beacon had sustained.

Sunday 22d.

The Writer visits the Rock.

On the morning of the 22d of this month, the writer landed at the Bell Rock, when the greater part of the bracing-chains of the Beacon were in a loosened state, and hanging from their eye-bolts, like so much shipwreck. Two of the chain-bats were also drawn, which had lifted considerable masses of the rock along with them. But after a most careful and minute examination of the six principal beams of the beacon, and their respective supports, it was satisfactory to find that the great iron-stanchions had not the smallest appearance of working or shifting; the wedges of timber and iron having exactly the same appearance as when they were at first driven home by the hammer; the coating of pitch and tar was also as entire upon the seams and joints as when first applied. Every thing connected with the fixing of the beams at the top was likewise in good order. Nor was it less surprising, after so much stormy weather, to find that the ruble building, with Pozzolano’s mortar, used in filling several holes in the site of the Beacon, remained in its place, having now become fully as hard as the adjoining parts of the rock.

Although it was found that the bracing-chains could not withstand the shaking and tremulous motion of the Beacon, yet they were again set up and tightened, with the exception of the two that had lifted their bats, with a mass of the rock; which were knocked off altogether. It is here worthy of remark, that the bolts of the bracing screws had always a tendency to unlock, and one of the nuts, as before noticed, had even unscrewed no less than three inches. To prevent this in future, a piece of small wire was turned round the threads of each screw, which had a tendency to preserve them; but still the chains stretched, became loose, and broke their eye-bolts, or lifted part of the rock with the strain. The bracing-chains may, however, be conceived to have had some effect in checking the force of the waves, as was observable in the operation of the sea upon the extensive beds of marine plants. It often happened, when heavy seas were rolling along the Bell Rock, which at a distance threatened to overrun the whole, that, upon reaching these beds of fuci, with which the flat and level parts of the rock were thickly coated, the velocity and force of the waves were immediately checked, and in a great measure destroyed.

Professor Playfair’s observations about the unlocking of screws.

The unlocking of screws, where washers had been introduced as a security, was rather unexpected, and the writer took an opportunity of conversing with his much respected friend Professor Playfair of Edinburgh, regarding this circumstance. The Professor observed, that he had experienced some inconveniency of this kind from the unlocking of almost all the screws of a telescope, which had been sent to him from London by the mail-coach. Indeed from the spiral form of the screw, which is, in fact, an inclined plane, Mr Playfair readily accounted for such an occurrence; and when reflected upon, it seems to be an effect rather to be looked for, and is a reason why rivetting the point of a bolt, in preference to screwing it, should generally be resorted to, where much friction or motion is to be apprehended.

1807, December.

State of the Floating-light.

At this visit to the Bell Rock, the writer went also on board of the Floating-light, where every thing was found in good order. On some occasions Mr Sinclair, the commander, stated, that the vessel had rolled excessively hard; that she had shipped two or three very heavy seas over the waste-boards, and that he had found it occasionally necessary to veer out 80 fathoms of cable. He also stated, that the floating-light had been run foul of by a large smack-rigged vessel, with all her canvas set, though the lights were burning perfectly clear. This vessel had struck upon the larboard quarter, damaged the taff-rail, and started three of the floating-lights’ trenails. That they immediately hailed the vessel, but she sheered-off, and her crew made no reply. The smack was beating to the northward, and was much lumbered on the quarter-deck with packages of earthen-ware, which were distinctly seen upon her deck from the brilliancy of the lights.

The sailors on board of the floating-light were all in good health, and appeared to be satisfied with their situation. The master, however, mentioned, that his crew, particularly the young men, calculated very sharply about their turns for leave on shore, which came round in the course of about six weeks. Indeed, the probability is, that had the seamen not been rather compelled to this duty, as a protection against the Impress-service, it might have been found extremely difficult to get able seamen to undertake so dreary a life as the continual round of riding at anchor in the open sea, without the company of other shipping, or the pleasure of intercourse with the shore, as is the case in the ordinary road or anchorage for shipping.

The several departments of the Bell Rock works being arranged for the winter months, the sloop Smeaton was appointed to make several trips to the quarries for stones, while the Light-house Yacht, being stationed at Arbroath, was to attend the Floating-light, and carry off the artificers to examine the state of the Beacon at spring-tides. The writer having adjusted these matters, returned to Edinburgh on the 4th of December. Here he was employed in preparing the necessary implements, procuring materials, and in other objects connected with the work, which will fall more properly to be noticed in the transactions of the year 1808.