章节正文
required a considerable degree of trouble to get their upper
ends to fit. Here they formed the apex of a cone, and were
all together mortised into a large piece of beechwood, and
secured, for the present, with ropes, in a temporary manner.
During the short period of one tide all that could further be
done for their security was to put a single screw-bolt through
the great kneed bats or stanchions on each side of the beams,
and screw the nut home.
In this manner these four principal beams were erected,
and left in a pretty secure state. The men had commenced
while there was about two or three feet of water upon the side
of the beacon, and as the sea was smooth they continued the
work equally long during flood-tide. Two of the boats being
left at the rock to take off the joiners, who were busily
employed on the upper parts till two o'clock p.m., this tide's
work may be said to have continued for about seven hours,
which was the longest that had hitherto been got upon the rock
by at least three hours.
When the first boats left the rock with the artificers
employed on the lower part of the work during the flood-tide,
the beacon had quite a novel appearance. The beams erected
formed a common base of about thirty-three feet, meeting at
the top, which was about forty-five feet above the rock, and
here half a dozen of the artificers were still at work. After
clearing the rock the boats made a stop, when three hearty
cheers were given, which were returned with equal goodwill by
those upon the beacon, from the personal interest which every
one felt in the prosperity of this work, so intimately
connected with his safety.
All hands having returned to their respective ships, they
got a shift of dry clothes and some refreshment. Being
Sunday, they were afterwards convened by signal on board of
the Lighthouse yacht, when prayers were read; for every heart
upon this occasion felt gladness, and every mind was disposed
to be thankful for the happy and successful termination of the
operations of this day.
[Monday, 21st Sept.]
The remaining two principal beams were erected in the
course of this tide, which, with the assistance of those set
up yesterday, was found to be a very simple operation.
The six principal beams of the beacon were thus secured,
at least in a temporary manner, in the course of two tides, or
in the short space of about eleven hours and a half. Such is
the progress that may be made when active hands and willing
minds set properly to work in operations of this kind.
[Tuesday 22nd, Sept.]
Having now got the weighty part of this work over, and
being thereby relieved of the difficulty both of landing and
victualling such a number of men, the SMEATON could now be
spared, and she was accordingly despatched to Arbroath for a
supply of water and provisions, and carried with her six of
the artificers who could best be spared.
[Wednesday, 23rd Sept.]
In going out of the eastern harbour, the boat which the
writer steered shipped a sea, that filled her about one-third
with water. She had also been hid for a short time, by the
waves breaking upon the rock, from the sight of the crew of
the preceding boat, who were much alarmed for our safety,
imagining for a time that she had gone down.
The SMEATON returned from Arbroath this afternoon, but
there was so much sea that she could not be made fast to her
moorings, and the vessel was obliged to return to Arbroath
without being able either to deliver the provisions or take
the artificers on board. The Lighthouse yacht was also soon
obliged to follow her example, as the sea was breaking heavily
over her bows. After getting two reefs in the mainsail, and
the third or storm-jib set, the wind being S.W., she bent to
windward, though blowing a hard gale, and got into St. Andrews
Bay, where we passed the night under the lee of Fifeness.
[Thursday, 24th Sept.]
At two o'clock this morning we were in St. Andrews Bay,
standing off and on shore, with strong gales of wind at S.W.;
at seven we were off the entrance of the Tay; at eight stood
towards the rock, and at ten passed to leeward of it, but
could not attempt a landing. The beacon, however, appeared to
remain in good order, and by six p.m. the vessel had again
beaten up to St. Andrews Bay, and got into somewhat smoother
water for the night.
[Friday, 25th Sept.]
At seven o'clock bore away for the Bell Rock, but finding
a heavy sea running on it were unable to land. The writer,
however, had the satisfaction to observe, with his telescope,
that everything about the beacon appeared entire: and although
the sea had a most frightful appearance, yet it was the
opinion of every one that, since the erection of the beacon,
the Bell Rock was divested of many of its terrors, and had it
been possible to have got the boats hoisted out and manned, it
might have even been found practicable to land. At six it
blew so hard that it was found necessary to strike the topmast
and take in a third reef of the mainsail, and under this low
canvas we soon reached St. Andrews Bay, and got again under
the lee of the land for the night. The artificers, being sea-
hardy, were quite reconciled to their quarters on board of the
Lighthouse yacht; but it is believed that hardly any
consideration would have induced them again to take up their
abode in the floating light.
[Saturday, 26th Sept.]
At daylight the yacht steered towards the Bell Rock, and
at eight a.m. made fast to her moorings; at ten, all hands, to
the amount of thirty, landed, when the writer had the
happiness to find that the beacon had withstood the violence
of the gale and the heavy breach of sea, everything being
found in the same state in which it had been left on the 21st.
The artificers were now enabled to work upon the rock
throughout the whole day, both at low and high water, but it
required the strictest attention to the state of the weather,
in case of their being overtaken with a gale, which might
prevent the possibility of getting them off the rock.
Two somewhat memorable circumstances in the annals of the
Bell Rock attended the operations of this day: one was the
removal of Mr. James Dove, the foreman smith, with his
apparatus, from the rock to the upper part of the beacon,
where the forge was now erected on a temporaryplatform, laid
on the cross beams or upper framing. The other was the
artificers having dined for the first time upon the rock,
their dinner being cooked on board of the yacht, and sent to
them by one of the boats. But what afforded the greatest
happiness and relief was the removal of the large bellows,
which had all along been a source of much trouble and
perplexity, by their hampering and incommoding the boat which
carried the smiths and their apparatus.
[Saturday, 3rd Oct.]
The wind being west to-day, the weather was very
favourable for operations at the rock, and during the morning
and evening tides, with the aid of torchlight, the masons had
seven hours' work upon the site of the building. The smiths
and joiners, who landed at half-past six a.m., did not leave
the rock till a quarter-past eleven 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.
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.
[Sunday, 4th Oct.]
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 brushwood 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 flagstaff 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 Lighthouse yacht, SMEATON, and floating light,
hoisted their colours in compliment to the erection.
[Monday, 5th Oct.]
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 Lighthouse 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.
[Tuesday, 6th Oct.]
The artificers landed this morning at nine, 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. Everything 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 everything, in
the spring of 1808, might be found in the same state of good
order as it was now about to be left.
ends to fit. Here they formed the apex of a cone, and were
all together mortised into a large piece of beechwood, and
secured, for the present, with ropes, in a temporary manner.
During the short period of one tide all that could further be
done for their security was to put a single screw-bolt through
the great kneed bats or stanchions on each side of the beams,
and screw the nut home.
In this manner these four principal beams were erected,
and left in a pretty secure state. The men had commenced
while there was about two or three feet of water upon the side
of the beacon, and as the sea was smooth they continued the
work equally long during flood-tide. Two of the boats being
left at the rock to take off the joiners, who were busily
employed on the upper parts till two o'clock p.m., this tide's
work may be said to have continued for about seven hours,
which was the longest that had hitherto been got upon the rock
by at least three hours.
When the first boats left the rock with the artificers
employed on the lower part of the work during the flood-tide,
the beacon had quite a novel appearance. The beams erected
formed a common base of about thirty-three feet, meeting at
the top, which was about forty-five feet above the rock, and
here half a dozen of the artificers were still at work. After
clearing the rock the boats made a stop, when three hearty
cheers were given, which were returned with equal goodwill by
those upon the beacon, from the personal interest which every
one felt in the prosperity of this work, so intimately
connected with his safety.
All hands having returned to their respective ships, they
got a shift of dry clothes and some refreshment. Being
Sunday, they were afterwards convened by signal on board of
the Lighthouse yacht, when prayers were read; for every heart
upon this occasion felt gladness, and every mind was disposed
to be thankful for the happy and successful termination of the
operations of this day.
[Monday, 21st Sept.]
The remaining two principal beams were erected in the
course of this tide, which, with the assistance of those set
up yesterday, was found to be a very simple operation.
The six principal beams of the beacon were thus secured,
at least in a temporary manner, in the course of two tides, or
in the short space of about eleven hours and a half. Such is
the progress that may be made when active hands and willing
minds set properly to work in operations of this kind.
[Tuesday 22nd, Sept.]
Having now got the weighty part of this work over, and
being thereby relieved of the difficulty both of landing and
victualling such a number of men, the SMEATON could now be
spared, and she was accordingly despatched to Arbroath for a
supply of water and provisions, and carried with her six of
the artificers who could best be spared.
[Wednesday, 23rd Sept.]
In going out of the eastern harbour, the boat which the
writer steered shipped a sea, that filled her about one-third
with water. She had also been hid for a short time, by the
waves breaking upon the rock, from the sight of the crew of
the preceding boat, who were much alarmed for our safety,
imagining for a time that she had gone down.
The SMEATON returned from Arbroath this afternoon, but
there was so much sea that she could not be made fast to her
moorings, and the vessel was obliged to return to Arbroath
without being able either to deliver the provisions or take
the artificers on board. The Lighthouse yacht was also soon
obliged to follow her example, as the sea was breaking heavily
over her bows. After getting two reefs in the mainsail, and
the third or storm-jib set, the wind being S.W., she bent to
windward, though blowing a hard gale, and got into St. Andrews
Bay, where we passed the night under the lee of Fifeness.
[Thursday, 24th Sept.]
At two o'clock this morning we were in St. Andrews Bay,
standing off and on shore, with strong gales of wind at S.W.;
at seven we were off the entrance of the Tay; at eight stood
towards the rock, and at ten passed to leeward of it, but
could not attempt a landing. The beacon, however, appeared to
remain in good order, and by six p.m. the vessel had again
beaten up to St. Andrews Bay, and got into somewhat smoother
water for the night.
[Friday, 25th Sept.]
At seven o'clock bore away for the Bell Rock, but finding
a heavy sea running on it were unable to land. The writer,
however, had the satisfaction to observe, with his telescope,
that everything about the beacon appeared entire: and although
the sea had a most frightful appearance, yet it was the
opinion of every one that, since the erection of the beacon,
the Bell Rock was divested of many of its terrors, and had it
been possible to have got the boats hoisted out and manned, it
might have even been found practicable to land. At six it
blew so hard that it was found necessary to strike the topmast
and take in a third reef of the mainsail, and under this low
canvas we soon reached St. Andrews Bay, and got again under
the lee of the land for the night. The artificers, being sea-
hardy, were quite reconciled to their quarters on board of the
Lighthouse yacht; but it is believed that hardly any
consideration would have induced them again to take up their
abode in the floating light.
[Saturday, 26th Sept.]
At daylight the yacht steered towards the Bell Rock, and
at eight a.m. made fast to her moorings; at ten, all hands, to
the amount of thirty, landed, when the writer had the
happiness to find that the beacon had withstood the violence
of the gale and the heavy breach of sea, everything being
found in the same state in which it had been left on the 21st.
The artificers were now enabled to work upon the rock
throughout the whole day, both at low and high water, but it
required the strictest attention to the state of the weather,
in case of their being overtaken with a gale, which might
prevent the possibility of getting them off the rock.
Two somewhat memorable circumstances in the annals of the
Bell Rock attended the operations of this day: one was the
removal of Mr. James Dove, the foreman smith, with his
apparatus, from the rock to the upper part of the beacon,
where the forge was now erected on a temporaryplatform, laid
on the cross beams or upper framing. The other was the
artificers having dined for the first time upon the rock,
their dinner being cooked on board of the yacht, and sent to
them by one of the boats. But what afforded the greatest
happiness and relief was the removal of the large bellows,
which had all along been a source of much trouble and
perplexity, by their hampering and incommoding the boat which
carried the smiths and their apparatus.
[Saturday, 3rd Oct.]
The wind being west to-day, the weather was very
favourable for operations at the rock, and during the morning
and evening tides, with the aid of torchlight, the masons had
seven hours' work upon the site of the building. The smiths
and joiners, who landed at half-past six a.m., did not leave
the rock till a quarter-past eleven 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.
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.
[Sunday, 4th Oct.]
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 brushwood 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 flagstaff 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 Lighthouse yacht, SMEATON, and floating light,
hoisted their colours in compliment to the erection.
[Monday, 5th Oct.]
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 Lighthouse 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.
[Tuesday, 6th Oct.]
The artificers landed this morning at nine, 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. Everything 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 everything, in
the spring of 1808, might be found in the same state of good
order as it was now about to be left.
- considerable [kən´sidərəbəl]
a.重要的；值得重视 (初中英语单词) - security [si´kjuəriti] n.安全；证券；抵押品 (初中英语单词)
- principal [´prinsəpəl] a.主要的 n.负责人 (初中英语单词)
- equally [´i:kwəli] ad.相等地；平等地 (初中英语单词)
- prosperity [prɔ´speriti] n.繁荣；成功；幸运 (初中英语单词)
- assistance [ə´sistəns] n.协作；援助；帮助 (初中英语单词)
- yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
- properly [´prɔpəli] ad.适当地；严格地 (初中英语单词)
- thereby [´ðeəbai] ad.因此，由此 (初中英语单词)
- accordingly [ə´kɔ:diŋli] ad.因此；从而；依照 (初中英语单词)
- vessel [´vesəl] n.容器；船；脉管 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)
- satisfaction [,sætis´fækʃən] n.满意；满足 (初中英语单词)
- daylight [´deilait] n.日光；黎明 (初中英语单词)
- amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
- writer [´raitə] n.作者；作家 (初中英语单词)
- possibility [,pɔsə´biliti] n.可能(性)；希望；前途 (初中英语单词)
- platform [´plætfɔ:m] n.(平)台；讲台；站台 (初中英语单词)
- relief [ri´li:f] n.救济；援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)
- working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)
- actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)
- whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)
- fabric [´fæbrik] n.织物；结构；组织 (初中英语单词)
- height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)
- farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)
- earnest [´ə:nist] a.认真的 n.认真；诚恳 (初中英语单词)
- temporary [´tempərəri] a.暂时的 n.临时工 (高中英语单词)
- hitherto [,hiðə´tu:] ad.至今，迄今 (高中英语单词)
- goodwill [,gud´wil] n.友好，亲善；信誉 (高中英语单词)
- refreshment [ri´freʃmənt] n.精神爽快 (高中英语单词)
- thankful [´θæŋkfəl] a.感激的；欣慰的 (高中英语单词)
- frightful [´fraitfəl] a.可怕的；不愉快的 (高中英语单词)
- breach [bri:tʃ] n.&v.破坏；违犯 (高中英语单词)
- memorable [´memərəbəl] a.难忘的；重大的 (高中英语单词)
- removal [ri´mu:vəl] a.可移动的；可去除的 (高中英语单词)
- procedure [prə´si:dʒə] n.过程；手续；方法 (高中英语单词)
- proceeding [prə´si:diŋ] n.程序；进程；行动 (高中英语单词)
- external [ik´stə:nəl] a.外部的；外面的 (高中英语单词)
- hearty [´hɑ:ti] a.热忱的；强健的 (高中英语单词)
- steward [´stju:əd] n.管家；服务员 (高中英语单词)
- compliment [´kɔmplimənt] n.敬意 vt.赞美；祝贺 (高中英语单词)
- respective [ri´spektiv] a.各自的，各个的 (英语四级单词)
- lighthouse [´laithaus] n.灯塔 (英语四级单词)
- gladness [´glædnis] n.愉快，高兴，喜悦 (英语四级单词)
- preceding [pri(:)´si:diŋ] a.在先的；前面的 (英语四级单词)
- foreman [´fɔ:mən] n.领班；陪审团主席 (英语四级单词)
- stability [stə´biliti] n.稳定；巩固；坚定 (英语四级单词)
- afloat [ə´fləut] ad.&a.漂浮；在海上 (英语四级单词)
- beacon [´bi:kən] n.灯塔；信标 v.照亮 (英语六级单词)
- termination [,tə:mi´neiʃən] n.终止，结束；结局 (英语六级单词)
- landing [´lændiŋ] n.登陆；降落；楼梯平台 (英语六级单词)
- erection [i´rekʃən] n.直立，建立；建筑物 (英语六级单词)
- practicable [´præktikəbəl] a.可实行的；适用的 (英语六级单词)
- systematic [,sisti´mætik] a.有系统的，成体系的 (英语六级单词)
- wanting [´wɔntiŋ, wɑ:n-] a.短缺的；不足的 (英语六级单词)
- taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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