the
agitation of the sea. The
writer, in particular, felt
himself almost as much fatigued and worn-out as he had been at
any period since the
cement" target="_blank" title="n.开始;毕业典礼(日)">
commencement of the work. The very
backward state of the weather at so
advanced a period of the
season unavoidably created some alarm, lest he should be
overtaken with bad weather at a late period of the season,
with the building operations in an
unfinished state. These
apprehensions were, no doubt, rather increased by the
inconveniences of his situation
afloat, as the tender rolled
and pitched excessively at times. This being also his first
off-set for the season, every bone of his body felt sore with
preserving a sitting
posture while he endeavoured to pass away
the time in
reading; as for
writing, it was
whollyimpracticable. He had several times entertained thoughts of
leaving the station for a few days and going into Arbroath
with the tender till the weather should improve; but as the
artificers had been landed on the rock he was
averse to this
at the
cement" target="_blank" title="n.开始;毕业典礼(日)">
commencement of the season,
knowing also that he would
be
equallyuneasy in every situation till the first cargo was
landed: and he
thereforeresolved to continue at his post
until this should be effected.
[Friday, 18th May]
The wind being now N.W., the sea was
considerably run
down, and this morning at five o'clock the
landing-master's
crew, thirteen in number, left the tender; and having now no
detention with the
landing of artificers, they proceeded to
unmoor the HEDDERWICK praam-boat, and towed her
alongside of
the SMEATON: and in the course of the day twenty-three blocks
of stone, three casks of pozzolano, three of sand, three of
lime, and one of Roman
cement, together with three bundles of
trenails and three of wedges, were all landed on the rock and
raised the top of the building by means of the tackle
suspended from the cross-beam on the middle of the
bridge.
The stones were then moved along the
bridge on the
waggon to
the building within reach of the balance-crane, with which
they were laid in their
respective places on the building.
The masons immediately
thereafter proceeded to bore the
trenail-holes into the course below, and
otherwise to complete
the one in hand. When the first stone was to be suspended by
the balance-crane, the bell on the
beacon was rung, and all
the artificers and seamen were collected on the building.
Three
hearty cheers were given while it was lowered into its
place, and the
steward served round a glass of rum, when
success was drunk to the further progress of the building.
[Sunday, 20th May]
The wind was southerly to-day, but there was much less
sea than
yesterday, and the
landing-master's crew were enabled
to
charge" target="_blank" title="vt.&n.卸货;释放;解雇">
discharge and land twenty-three pieces of stone and other
articles for the work. The artificers had completed the
laying of the twenty-seventh or first course of the staircase
this morning, and in the evening they finished the boring,
trenailing, wedging, and grouting it with
mortar. At twelve
o'clock noon the
beacon-house bell was rung, and all hands
were collected on the top of the building, where prayers were
read for the first time on the
lighthouse, which forcibly
struck every one, and had, upon the whole, a very impressive
effect.
From the
hazardous situation of the
beacon-house with
regard to fire, being
composedwholly of
timber, there was no
small risk from accident: and on this
account one of the most
steady of the artificers was appointed to see that the fire of
the cooking-house, and the lights in general, were carefully
extinguished at stated hours.
[Monday, 4th June]
This being the birthday of our much-revered Sovereign
King George III, now in the fiftieth year of his reign, the
shipping of the Lighthouse service were this morning decorated
with colours according to the taste of their
respectivecaptains. Flags were also hoisted upon the
beacon-house and
balance-crane on the top of the building. At twelve noon a
salute was fired from the tender, when the King's health was
drunk, with all the honours, both on the rock and on board of
the shipping.
[Tuesday, 5th June]
As the
lighthouseadvanced in
height, the cubical
contents of the stones were less, but they had to be raised to
a greater
height; and the walls, being thinner, were less
commodious for the necessary machinery and the artificers
employed, which
considerably retarded the work. Inconvenience
was also
occasionallyexperienced from the men dropping their
coats, hats, mallets, and other tools, at high-water, which
were carried away by the tide; and the danger to the people
themselves was now greatly increased. Had any of them fallen
from the
beacon or building at high-water, while the
landing-
master's crew were generally engaged with the craft at a
distance, it must have rendered the accident
doublypainful to
those on the rock, who at this time had no boat, and
consequently no means of rendering immediate and prompt
assistance. In such cases it would have been too late to have
got a boat by signal from the tender. A small boat, which
could be lowered at pleasure, was
therefore suspended by a
pair of davits projected from the cook-house, the keel being
about thirty feet from the rock. This boat, with its tackle
was put under the
charge of James Glen, of whose exertions on
the
beacon mention has already been made, and who, having in
early life been a
seaman, was also very
expert in the
management of a boat. A life-buoy was
likewise suspended from
the
bridge, to which a coil of line two hundred fathoms in
length was attached, which could be let out to a person
falling into the water, or to the people in the boat, should
they not be able to work her with the oars.
[Tuesday, 7th June]
To-day twelve stones were landed on the rock, being the
remainder of the PATRIOT'S cargo; and the artificers built the
thirty-ninth course, consisting of fourteen stones. The Bell
Rock works had now a very busy appearance, as the
lighthousewas daily getting more into form. Besides the artificers and
their cook, the
writer and his servant were also lodged on the
beacon, counting in all twenty-nine; and at low-water the
landing-master's crew, consisting of from twelve to fifteen
seamen, were employed in transporting the building materials,
working the
landingapparatus on the rock, and dragging the
stone
waggons along the railways.
[Friday, 8th June]
In the course of this day the weather
varied much. In
the morning it was calm, in the middle part of the day there
were light airs of wind from the south, and in the evening
fresh breezes from the east. The barometer in the
writer's
cabin in the
beacon-house oscillated from 30 inches to 30.42,
and the weather was
extremely pleasant. This, in any
situation, forms one of the chief comforts of life; but, as
may easily be conceived, it was
doubly so to people stuck, as
it were, upon a
pinnacle in the middle of the ocean.
[Sunday, 10th June]
One of the praam-boats had been brought to the rock with
eleven stones,
notwithstanding the
perplexity which attended
the getting of those
formerly landed taken up to the building.
Mr. Peter Logan, the
foremanbuilder, interposed, and
prevented this cargo from being delivered; but the
landing-