CHAPTER IV.OPERATIONS OF 1838.

The hazardous nature of the anchorage, and the consequent difficulty of mooring a vessel in the neighbourhood of the Skerryvore Rock, induced me, from the first, to consider it as a matter of great importance, even at a large expenditure of time and money, to erectTemporary Barrack on Rock.some temporary dwelling on the Rock for the accommodation of the people engaged in the work, with the view of rendering the operations less dependent on the state of the sea, which varied with every wind. So important, indeed, did this object appear to me, that I was at times apt to look upon it as an indispensable step towards ultimate success. That opinion was amply confirmed during our first season’s operations, by the experience of the oft-recurring difficulty of returning to the moorings when driven away by stress of weather, together with the daily risk and loss of time in landing the workmen in small boats, even in weather when they could be profitably occupied if once placed on this smallterra firma. With this view, I naturally turned to the same plan which had been adopted at the Bell Rock, where the temporary barrack stood the test of five winters. That structure, which is represented inPlate No. V., and is particularly described in the Appendix to my father’s Account of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, consisted of an open framework of six logs, about 47 feet long and 13 inches square, assembled in such a manner as to form by their union a hexagonal pyramid, on the top of which rested a wooden turret; the whole erection rising to the height of about 60 feet above the rock. This pyramidal framework was strongly trussed and tied; and, being open at the lower part, offered little resistance to the waves. The upper part contained a gallery for keeping variousstores and such materials as could not be safely left on the Rock, even in the finest weather; but it was framed of lighter materials, so as to admit of its yielding easily to any extraordinary waves, without involving injury to the principal part of the structure, by offering great resistance to the sea. The turret on the top was in the form of a twelve-sided prism, 12 feet in diameter, and 30 feet high, and was securely attached, by means of the ties and braces shewn in thedrawing, to the apex of the pyramid, which entered into the lower part of it. The small space which the turret afforded was, with the utmost economy of room, divided into three storeys, of which the lower was entirely taken up by the kitchen and the bread-store, a great deal of room being occupied by the main beams of the pyramid which passed through its centre. The next storey was subdivided into two chambers, of which one was appropriated to the foreman of the works and the landing-master, while the other was set apart for myself; and the top storey, which was surmounted by a small lantern and ventilator, formed a barrack room, capable of containing 30 people. Of the comforts and discomforts of this habitation I shall at some future time have occasion to speak. I merely draw attention to its erection at present, as an operation, which it was most desirable should precede every other work on the Rock. One of the first proceedings, therefore, was to obtain estimates for the preparation of this log-house, which, in order to avoid loss of time in making adjustments on the Rock, was to be carefully fitted up in the workyard of the contractor before being shipped. Drawings and a specification were accordingly prepared, and submitted to several carpenters in Greenock, who gave in offers for the work; and it was finally commenced in the month of March, by the late Mr John Fleming, who was the successful offerer.

Tools and Machinery.It was also necessary to provide a large assortment of quarriers’ and masons’ tools of every kind; and many cranes, crabs, anchors, mooring buoys and other implements were ordered, according to detailed specifications and drawings. These preparations necessarily occupied the early part of the year 1838.

From the extent of the foul ground round the Skerryvore, and the absence of good harbours in the neighbourhood, it was foreseen at the outset that the operation of landing about 6000 tons of materials on the Rock could not be accomplished by means of sailing vessels with that degree of certainty or regularity which was desirable, in order to obtain the full benefit of the short working season which the climate of the Western Hebrides affords; and the necessity for providing aSteam Tender for the Works.steam tender was, therefore, generally admitted. It has already been stated, that, in order to avoid the expense attending the building of a vessel for this purpose, application was made at the principal ports of the kingdom, with the view of purchasing a suitable vessel; but, although twenty-four vessels of nearly the required dimensions were offered for sale, not one of them was considered fit for such a service, the great majority being light craft, such as are generally used in river and port navigation. It was therefore found necessary to build a steamer; for which purpose, specifications and drawings were prepared, and after receiving various tenders from respectable parties, a contract was entered into with Messrs Menzies and Sons, shipbuilders, and Messrs J. B. Maxton and Co., engineers, both of Leith, for building a steamer of 150 tons, with two engines of 30 horse power each.

The use of a steamer, at the very outset of the works, would doubtless have proved of the greatest service in the erection of the barrack on the Rock, and would have materially lightened our cares and toils; but I am not sure that I should have acquired so thorough an acquaintance with the difficulties and dangers of the Skerryvore, or that I should have been so well prepared for all the obstacles that presented themselves in the after parts of the work, had the first season’s operations been conducted under those advantages which are always derived from the use of steam-power. As it was, we had much to bear from the smallness of the Lighthouse Tender, named thePharos, a vessel of 36 tons, new register, which was all the regular shipping attendance we possessed during this first season; and the inconvenience arising from her heavypitching, was, to landsmen, by no means the least evil to be endured. But the frequent loss of opportunities, of which we might easily have availed ourselves, if we had possessed the command of steam-power, and the danger and difficulty of managing a sailing vessel in the foul ground near the Rock, and between it and Tyree, were, perhaps, even more felt by the seamen than by the landsmen; and if the experience of a single year’s work can form any ground for an estimate of the length of time required for building the Skerryvore Lighthouse, with a sailing vessel, I should say, we must still (even in 1845) have been engaged in the masonry part of the work, which was finished on the 25th July 1842.

About the middle of April, arrangements were made with Mr Charles Neilson, a builder in Aberdeen, to select granite masons for the works at the Skerryvore, as it was expected that the operation of dressing stones for the Tower would be begun in the ensuing summer; and it was also obvious, that their services would be required in excavating seats for the supports of the Barrack-house on the Rock.Employment and Wages of Workmen.Masons were accordingly selected, and engaged on the terms stated in the following letter to Mr James Scott, the Foreman, who was sent to Aberdeen to assist in choosing the men:—“Although it is difficult to fix the precise number of men who may be required, during the progress of the works, as this must, in some measure, depend upon the produce of the quarries at Hynish, and of those to be opened in Mull, you may, in the mean time, engage thirty masons or stone-cutters, twelve quarriers, and three or four smiths, for two years of certain employment. With regard to the rate of wages to be paid to the men, this will, in some measure, depend upon the demand for the season at Aberdeen; it is, at all events, expected, that they will on no account exceed the rate of 3s. 10d. per day for masons, and 2s. 6d. per day for quarriers, as paid last season during the long day, or from the 1st of February till 31st of October; and for the short day during the remaining three months, 3s. for the masons, and 2s. for the quarriers, from 1st November till 31st January.

“It is intended that subsistence money shall be paid to such ofthe families or relatives of the workmen as may require it; and that their wages shall be fully settled monthly, deducting the subsistence money advanced to their relatives. A Store will be kept at the works by the Lighthouse Board, from which provisions will be served out at stated periods, to be fixed by the storekeeper; and these provisions shall be sold to the workmen at the cost prices at which such stores are laid in. Barrack accommodation or lodgings, with cooking, will also, as formerly, be allowed to the men free of expense.”

Progress of the outfit for the season’s operations.Early in the month of May the preparation of the wooden barrack for the Rock had been completed, and the whole had been set up in the workyard at Greenock; and when I visited it for the last time about the 5th of that month, I found it all ready for shipment, excepting some additional iron ties, which I ordered for securing the turret to the top of the pyramid, which were to be applied at the level of the floor of the upper or barrack-room storey. I also found that the moorings, including the mushroom anchors and chains, and the workyard materials, consisting of several cranes, trucks, a janker for the transport of timber, and a Woolwich sling-cart for carrying stones to the various sheds, were in the course of preparation. A large assortment of masons’ and quarriers’ tools was at the same time ready for shipment at Aberdeen. Early in June, a vessel called the Duke of Montrose was chartered to carry coals to Tyree, both for household purposes and for the work; and two small portable smiths’ forges were prepared for use on the Rock.

In providing the means of efficiently carrying on so many complicated operations in a situation so difficult and remote, it is impossible, even with the greatest foresight, to avoid omissions; while delay of a most injurious kind may result from very trivial wants. Even the omission of a handful of sand, or a piece of clay, might effectually stop for a season the progress of plans, in the maturing of which hundreds of pounds had been expended. Accordingly, although I had bestowed all the forethought which I could give to the various details of the preparation for the season (ofwhich I found it absolutely indispensable to be personally aware, even to the extent of the cooking dishes), new wants were continually springing up, and new delays occasioned, so that it was not until the evening of the 23d of June that I couldEmbark for Skerryvore.embark at Tobermory in thePharosLighthouse Tender, commanded by Mr Thomas Macurich, with all the requisites on board for commencing the season’s operations. Next morning we moored off Hynish Point about three o’clock, and, from the roughness of the passage, were not unwilling to land at that early hour. Here I found that Mr Scott, the foreman of the workyard, had, notwithstanding the unworkable nature of the Rock, more particularly afterwards noticed, procured about sixty fine blocks of gneiss, as the produce of the Tyree quarries, which had been wrought for upwards of 15 months; and had at the same time completed the masonry of a range of buildings for stores and barracks, capable of containing upwards of 100 men, and had built about 100 feet in length of a landing-pier, reaching nearly to low-water mark. A magazine for gunpowder, of which a considerable stock was required for quarrying purposes, had also been built; and a piece of garden ground had been inclosed and stocked for the use of the people to be employed at the works. Measures had also been taken for inclosing the ground, which had been feued by the Board from the Duke of Argyll. This day being Sunday, nothing was done at Hynish, and we waited until next morning before sailing for the Rock.

25th June.—Sailed in thePharosfrom Hynish Bay this morning about six, with Mr Scott, the foreman of the workyard, and one or two masons on board; but, having a foul wind during the early part of the day, and the weather falling afterwards calm, it was not until three in the morning of the 26th that we reached the Rock.

26th June.—Our first step was toLay down Moorings, and try to land on the Rock.lay down moorings for the tender as near the Rock as seemed to be consistent with safety. The position chosen by Mr Macurich, who commanded the vessel, was to the S.S.E. of the Rock, about a quarter of a mile off, and in 13 fathoms water, on an irregular rocky bottom. About half-pastfive I attempted a landing on the Rock, but there was a great deal too much sea. The vessel was pitching the bowsprit under at her moorings, and the surf broke into the creek where landings are generally made, in such a manner as to render it quite impossible to get near the Rock. After hanging on our oars in the boat for nearly an hour, in the hope of a smooth lull between the heavy seas, we returned to the vessel, and, as the wind still freshened from the S.E., we reefed the mainsail and set the first jib, and steered for the Mull shores, where, about ten at night, we came to an anchor in Loch Loich, not far from the Island of Iona.

27th June.—Next day also being unsuitable for attempting to reach the Skerryvore, the vessel lay in North Bay, and the early part of the day was spent in a careful examination of the granite Rocks of the district calledDriven to Mull.Ross of Mull, with the view of establishing quarries there; as our experience of the unsatisfactoriness of working the Tyree quarries during fifteen months had frequently led me to anticipate the necessity of soon seeking a supply of materials in some other quarter. In this district an almost inexhaustible supply of flesh-coloured granite was found, not certainly of the hardest description, but singularly equal and homogeneous in its texture. I therefore made a general survey of the neighbouring localities, with a view to select the best position for opening quarries and establishing a landing place or wharf for shipping the materials, as well as for erecting barracks for the workmen. In the afternoon, I embarked at the call of Mr Macurich, to attempt another landing on the Skerryvore; but as the wind soon fell calm, we did very little good until evening, when some progress was made in stretching across towards the Rock.

28th June.—At nine this morning, we reached our moorings at the Rock, but there was still so much surf that a landing could not be attempted till mid-day, when I went with Mr Macurich in the boat, and with some difficulty contrived to spring on the Rock, after which the boat returned to the vessel for the rest of the party. While left alone on this sea-beaten Rock, on which I hadlanded with so much difficulty, and as I watched the waves, of which every succeeding one seemed to rise higher than the last, the idea was for a few minutes forcibly impressed on my mind, that it might, probably, be found impracticable to remove me from the Rock, and I could not avoid indulging in those unaccountable fancies which lead men to speculate with something like pleasure upon the horrors of their seemingly impending fate. These reflections were rendered more impressive by the thought that many human beings must have perished amongst those rocks. A consideration, however, of the rarity of an opportunity of landing on the Rock, and the necessary shortness of our stay, soon recalled me to my duty, and before the boat returned with a few of the workmen, I had projected some arrangements as to the first step to be taken in erecting the framework of the barrack-house. The second landing was more easily effected, as the tide had fallen, and the landing-place was more sheltered,First day’s work on the Rock.so that we were the more emboldened to make a fair commencement of operations. It was a day of great bustle and interest, the work consisting in chalking out and marking on the Rock with paint, the sites of the Lighthouse-Tower, and the wooden barrack, and the positions for cranes, crabs, and ring-bolts for guys and other tackling, as well as ascertaining such dimensions as would enable me at once to proceed to fit up the log-house, or barrack, at our next landing. In that way, we spent four hours on the Rock, much to the annoyance of the seals and the innumerable sea-fowl, which we drove from their favourite haunts. During the whole day, the sun had great power; and the smell from the cast-away feathers and the soil of the sea-fowl was extremely disagreeable. I was amazed to find that those animals should select, as their place of repose, a rock in the Atlantic, intersected by deep gullies which are never dry, with only one pinnacle, about 5 feet in diameter, raised about 16 feet above the sea. while the greater part is only 5 feet above high water. Yet, in a crevice of this Rock, I found an egg resting on a few downy feathers, which the first wave must have infallibly washedaway! After the day’s work on the Rock, we sailed for Tyree, but did not reach the workyard till next morning at nine; and a long day of bustle and hurry was spent there in preparing provisions, timber, ring-bolts, chains and all sorts of tackling for the operations connected with the erection of the barrack on the Rock. On the evening of the 30th June, I sailed for Greenock, whence I trusted soon to return to the Skerryvore with the whole of the materials, to commence operations.

It seldom happens that human expectations are fully realised, especially in matters which excite a strong interest in the mind, and thus lead one to desire a more rapid progress than usual. But this is peculiarly true in all arrangements which depend on the co-operation of many persons; and so I experienced on my visit to Greenock and Glasgow, where I had given orders forShipment of all the materials at Glasgow and Greenock.shipping all the machinery and apparatus required for carrying on the works, such as cranes, trucks, boats, blocks and tackle, anchors, coals, grindstones, stucco, pavement, mats and fascines for blasting, clay for puddling, shear-poles, and innumerable small utensils, some of no great value, but all necessary to the success of the work. The great bulk of those materials were despatched by a vessel called theNew Leven, and part by theMary Clark, on the 24th July; but it was not until the 30th that thePharosLighthouse tender was fully loaded, on the morning of which day I again embarked at Greenock for the Skerryvore Rock. The weather proving somewhat unfavourable, we were forced (being very heavily laden) to pass through the Crinan Canal, instead of going round the Mull of Kintyre, so that it was not till the morning of the 4th August that we landed atReach Tyree.Hynish, in Tyree. Here I found some farther progress had been made in building the barracks for the men, some of the houses being already roofed and slated. The quarries, too, had turned out stones sufficient for about four of the lowest courses of the Tower, a quantity which might be estimated at about 7920 cubic feet. Next day (August 5th), the wind blowing strong from the S.S.W., we were forced to leave Hynish Bay,Driven to Mull.and retreat before a very heavy sea to Tobermory. We immediately sailed again,and made for Loch Erin, a small creek in the Island of Coll, as being nearer to Hynish and better adapted for enabling us to take advantage of any sudden improvement in the weather. On our arrival at this singular natural haven, at nine in the evening, I was glad to find theNew Leven, before mentioned as having loaded materials at Greenock lying already there, waiting a favourable change of wind. Next morning we weighed anchor,Return to Tyree.and sailed along with that vessel for Hynish, where she was immediately discharged of her cargo, which was chiefly intended for the workyard there, and took in materials for the erection of the barrack on the Skerryvore Rock.

7th August.—We this morning took on board various tools and implements for the Rock, together with workmen to the number of four carpenters, sixteen masons and quarriers, and a smith, along with Mr George Middlemiss, as foreman. Having sailed with a northerly wind, we made a landing about noon,First good day’s work on the Rock.and had what may be called our first entire day of work on the Rock. Our work was by no means easy, as we had to erectshear-polesand fixcrabsfor landing the materials, and to lash every article that was landed, with great care down to ring-bolts on the Rock, which a few of the masons were fixing, while the rest of the people were discharging the vessel. All this was attended with a good deal of trouble, and it required my constant attention to keep everything going on in a fair train, so as to prevent one party of workmen requiring to wait for another; but, after eight hours of very hard work, I had the satisfaction of seeing all the materials which had been landed left in a secure state. The extreme smoothness of the surface of the Rock greatly impeded the landing of materials; for as yet we had no tramways on which wheeled trucks could be moved, and the transport by hand of heavy materials over so irregular and slippery a surface was attended with considerable danger. A short trial was this day made of boring one of the holes for the stancheons or bats, by which the timbers of the Barrack were to be secured to the Rock; and I found, that with a jumper of 3¹⁄₂ inches diameter, a depth of about 3 inches was boredin one hour. The commencement of the operations involved much labour and considerable discomfort; but it invariably happened throughout the work, that in spite of all the fatigue and privation attending a day’s work on this unsheltered Rock, the landsmen were for the most part sorry to exchange it for the ship, which rolled so heavily as to leave few free from sea-sickness, and to deprive most of the workmen of sleep at night, even after their unusually great exertions during the day.

On leaving the Rock at night we had the greatest difficulty in boarding thePharoswith two boats containing upwards of thirty-two persons, as the vessel rolled so heavily, that there was great danger of the boats being thrown right upon her deck. Next morning (8th August) we landed, with some sea running, about nine o’clock, before which hour it was impracticable, owing to the surf in the landing creek. Our first work was to prepare the tackling for landing the heavy materials from theNew Leven, which came up about eleven o’clock, and was made fast by a warp to thePharos. We next took means for fixing the smith’s forge on the Rock and preparing the fixtures for the crab, which stood on the point of rock to the westward (seePlate III.), and served chiefly for raising the beams of the log-house into their places. The greater part of the day, till half-past eight in the evening (when it became dark), was spent in lining off with accuracy the site of the supports of the wooden barrack, and in landing and fixing by strong lashings to the Rock, all the principal timbers and iron fixtures. The spot in which the framework of the first barrack was placed, will be seen by reference toPlate III.The Rock was at this place a good deal lower than the site afterwards adopted for the barrack. The high water of spring-tides rose 2¹⁄₂ feet upon the legs or main beams; but this site had many advantages, as it left more room for operations at or near the Tower itself than could have been obtained in any other position.

We also made some progress in erecting a wooden shed round the smith’s forge, to protect him and his fire from the wind andthe spray of the sea. As we left the Rock in the boats, speculating on the prospect of getting the whole of the materials discharged in the course of next day, it was remarked that the northern sky was very clear, and that the wind had entirely fallen. The great and sudden stillness of the air, which permitted every ripple on the ocean to be heard, was regarded by Mr Macurich and the seamen generally, as the forerunner of a change; and the moon, which rose red and fiery, confirmed their fears of a gale. Nor were they wrong in their forebodings.Sudden gale, and great peril to the vessels.About midnight there was a stiff breeze from the S.E., which induced the master of theNew Levento hoist sail, cast loose from us, and run; and had not the seaman on watch on the deck of thePharosfallen asleep in consequence of excessive fatigue, there can be little doubt we should have been at once called to follow her example, if, indeed, we had not led the way. No sooner, however, did Mr Macurich become aware of the state of the wind, which was blowing very strong at S.S.E. right into the landing place, than he roused me about two o’clock. At this time there was a very heavy sea; the little vessel was pitching her forecastle under, and we had to contend with a strong tide combined with the wind against us in working clear of the Rock, from which our moorings were not more than a quarter of a mile to windward; while from the place where we lay, half of the horizon was foul ground, all lying to our leeward. We soon set sail, but in vain tried to weather the sunk rock Bo-Rhua, whose large black mass (after having imagined ourselves past it) we discovered encircled by a wreath of white foam within less than a cable’s length of us. The heavy seas we encountered had greatly deceived us as to our progress, and thick blinding showers of rain made it difficult to see far beyond the vessel’s head. Such was the precarious and dangerous position of the vessel, that had an attempt been made totackher amidst the surf which came rolling off the Rock, she would most probably have missed stays, the consequence of which would have been the inevitable loss of the vessel and of every soul on board. In this dilemmawe were obliged to resort to a less dangerous expedient, bywearingthe ship and running her through the narrow passage between Bo-Rhua and the sunk rocks, about 300 yards to the W.N.W. of it, although this was a most hazardous attempt, as we had then little or no knowledge of that dangerous and intricate passage. A more anxious night I never spent; there being upwards of thirty people on board, with the prospect, during several hours, of the vessel striking every minute. And here I must award due praise to Mr Macurich for the coolness and intrepidity which he on this occasion displayed, and the calmness with which he gave his orders to the crew; and as I stood in the companion, telling him the time at intervals of five minutes, so as to enable him the better to judge of the vessel’s way through the water, I could not but remark the necessity for silence on the part of the master of a vessel in cases of difficulty. The workmen were told to be getting ready for landing, but we did not make them aware of the full extent of the danger; and to avoid confusion, they were not permitted to come on deck. We had no sooner cleared the sunk rocks already alluded to, than we were in fear of the great reef of Boinshly, and the heavy seas which were breaking over the foul ground all round it. In this way we spent a night of almost uninterrupted anxiety until daylight, and at eight in the morningReach Hynish in safety.we came to the moorings in Hynish Bay, after a hard struggle against wind and tide and a very heavy sea, which made us hangdeada long time off Hynish Point. At one time I feared we should have been forced, as I had been, when returning from my first unsuccessful and discouraging attempt to land on the Skerryvore in 1836, to go round the west side of Tyree and Coll, which is a very foul coast; and when we did round Hynish Point, it was almost at the expense of our boat, which the heavy sea had nearly swept away from us. After all this anxiety about our safety and discomfort from rain, wind, and spray, during five or six hours, we were not sorry to set foot even on the wild shores of Tyree; and I trust there were none who did not gratefully acknowledge the protecting care of Almighty God, in preserving us through such peril.

Detained by bad weather four days at Hynish.It was not until Monday the 13th that a landing was again effected on the rock, as the wind continued to blow strongly from the south; and the intervening four days were spent in Hynish Bay, landing in the morning, and again returning to the vessel in the evening. During this time I was engaged in making drawings of some of the lower courses of the Lighthouse Tower, with a view to fix finally upon dimensions, from which working drawings and wooden moulds for cutting the stones could be made. The only alleviation of my impatience at being detained at Hynish was the satisfaction of seeing some 20 feet of the pier founded at low water. Late in the evening of the 13th August we again landed on the Rock, when we found time, before dark, to complete the fixture of the smith’s forge, which I had been forced to leave unfinished. Even the short period of work this evening was curtailed by a very heavy shower, which drenched us to the skin—a great evil, where there are many people to be accommodated in a small vessel, without room for much spare clothing, or the means of getting any thing quickly dried.Return to the Rock, and have six days of good weather.After this we had an uninterrupted tract of good weather for six days; and as we landed every morning at four o’clock, and remained on the Rock until eight, taking only half an hour for breakfast, and the same time for dinner, we had thus the work of twenty-eight persons for about ninety hours.

Erection of the Pyramid of the wooden Barrack.After carefully setting out the radial directions in which the six legs, or main beams were to stand, our next step was to lay off their approximate distances from the centre of the Barrack, and to clear a space in the solid Rock of sufficient extent to admit of adjusting the exact positions of the bats before boring the holes. This operation involved the necessity of blasting parts of the Rock by very small shots, the bores being about 1¹⁄₂ inch diameter, and 15 inches in depth, and so directed as to have the effect of throwing off a thin superficial crust without shaking the solid part below. The materials thus quarried in forming the seats for each post were thrown, by means of tackle, into the deepest pools, to prevent their being driven by the sea against the timbers of the barrack, and so injuring them.

No. 4.Method of determining length of Beams

No. 4.

No. 5.Knobs on board

No. 5.

Mode of determining the length of the Beams, and the sites for their fixtures.For ascertaining the exact length of each of the six beams, which formed by their union a pyramid of about 21° 30′ of inclination, and, at the same time, for determining its exact place, in reference to the centre of the hexagon, both of which elements necessarily varied with the level of the irregular surface of the Rock, I used the following simple arrangement:—Each beam being of the greatest length that could be required, the level and distance from the centre were ascertained for the longest beam, which, of course, had the lowest seat or rest, by means of a wooden frame, shewn in the diagram (No. 4), in whicha ais a vertical rod of iron firmly batted into the rock, so as to coincide with the centre of the pyramid to be formed by the main beams, and of sufficient length to exceed the greatest variation of level between the different points where the beams are likely to stand;c cis a horizontal board which can be freely turned abouta ahorizontally, and resting upon a small shoulderd, and which is equal in length to the radius of the hexagon, on the horizontal plane at the level of the lowest beam. On this board is a spirit-levels, which regulates its horizontality;e eis the approximate position of the lower end of the beam;f fis apitched board, representing the section of the permanent beam, on a vertical plane passing through the axis of the pyramid, and also shewing its inclination towards the centre of the pyramid. As thispitched boardis capable of being moved up or down by sliding through a groove atg, it may be successively applied to the rough surface ate ein the course of cutting it down, and thus be made truly to represent the position of the beam, and, at the same time, give theinclination of the surfacee e, which must be at right angles to the axis of the beamf f. In this way, by repeated trials, the surface was truly dressed to its proper inclination, and the length ascertained which required to be cut from the beam, so as to make it rest on that surface when in its true position. Hence, also, in the case of all the other beams, the length which the pitch-boardf fwas moved upwards through the grooveg, beyond the levelc c, indicated the quantity to be cut from the end of any given beam.[17]The surface of the Rock, dressed for the seat of the beam, being thus brought to its proper inclination, the sliding-board correctly set and the centre linea aof the beam carefully marked on the Rock, a square board (seefig. No. 5) representing the cross section of one of the beams, was then put down at the proper distance, so as to cover the space indicated by thepitch-boardas the site of the beam, and with its centre coinciding with the radius already traced on the dressed seat or bed. When so placed, the small round knobs, or ears,dd(No. 5) on this board, shewed the position of the holes to be bored for the bats or side fixtures, which, as afterwards shewn in figure (No. 8, p. 88), spread outwards from the axis of the beam, and thus formed a kind of dovetail. In order to make the holes capable of receiving the bats and, at the same time, embracing the timbers of the barrack, a quoin of wood (Nos. 6and7)e, was put down, with bevelled faces or groovesg, cut in it for directing the motion of the jumper or boring ironi,thus:—

No. 6.Wooden quoinNo. 7.Wooden quoin

No. 6.Wooden quoin

No. 6.

No. 7.Wooden quoin

No. 7.

These holes were bored with jumpers, 3¹⁄₂ inches in diameter, and were sunk 2 feet deep in the rock. The boring of each hole took upwards of eight hours, in consequence of the hardness of the material, which is gneiss, a stone considerably more difficult to bore than even the granite of Aberdeenshire. The bats or stancheons, although very accurately forged, were occasionally found not to fit truly, owing to unavoidable twists in the holes, which arose fromdriesor veins in the Rock crossing the line of the hole, and thus disturbing the motion of the jumper. This gave us much trouble, and shewed that, had we determined, as I at first contemplated, to cut a lewis-hole, swelling towards the base, the work would have been almost impracticable. The mode which I had proposed for executing this operation was to bore a number of very small holes, inclined at the proper angle, all round the outside of this lewis chamber, and then to cut out between them; but this, as our after experience in cutting the foundation of the Tower proved, would have occupied an extent of time which we should have been very unwilling to bestow upon a merely temporary erection like the wooden barrack. Even as it was, and with all the retrenchments that could be safely adopted, the preparation of the seats for the six outer or main beams, and those for the six inner braces, employed twelve men for four days.

[17]The accented letterse′,c′,f′,g′,o′,s′, in the figure (No. 4), page 85, denote the various parts of the gauging-rule, when applied to the beam, opposite that to which the letterse,c,f,g,o,s, in the text, refer.

No. 8.Anchoring of pyramid feet

No. 8.

After the seats for the timbers had been dressed in this manner, the carpenters were employed cutting the beams to their respective lengths, the piece to be cut off being measured, as already stated, by the length through which the sliding-boardf f(No. 4, p. 85) had been raised above its position on the level platform on which the pyramid had been erected in the workyard at Greenock. At the same time, the stancheons (k k) in the figure (No. 8, p. 88), and the glands or collarsee(infigure No. 8), were let into grooves in the beam, and the holes admitting the screwed boltsaa, to pass through the two stancheons and the beam between them, were bored with an auger, and widened with a red hot iron. The tops of the beamsbb(seefig. No. 9), having been already fitted in the workyard atGreenock, so as to meet a hexagonal quoin of hardwoode, round which they were assembled as shewn in the figure (No. 9), straps of irond d, were made to pass over the top of the whole, and were secured to the beams with bolts, and a spike atawas driven into the centre to wedge the timbers tightly up, so as to fill a ring which embraced the exterior of the whole. It was obvious, that if the sliding-board (described onp. 85) had indicated the true inclination of the seat on the Rock for the end of the beam to rest on,as well as its radial distance from the centre of the pyramid and the corresponding length of the beams, the top of each beam must necessarily meet in its exact place around the central hexagonal quoin. The operation of determining the positions and lengths of such beams on a rugged rock, and placing them with the accuracy requisite, to insure theirmiteringtruly at the top, was attended with a good deal of trouble; and I have judged it advisable to give these details, as they may prove useful to others who may have a similar work in hand.

No. 9.Detail of pyramid construction

No. 9.

After a good deal of trouble, owing to the lowness of the Rock and the smallness of its surface, the six main beams, each nearly 50 feet long, were raised on end by means of shear-poles, and the iron straps which passed over the top of them, and the ring which embraced the whole so as to secure them at the top, were fixed with much care. The temporary guys were removed on the afternoon of the 18th August. A plummet suspended from the centre of the quoin, after all the six beams were in their places and the stancheons had been run up with lead, came within half-an-inch of the centre bar, which was about 40 feet below the point of suspension, thus indicating an angular deviation of less than 4′. This is a very good approximation, under all the circumstances with which we had to contend; and it is chiefly to be imputed to the very accurate measures pursued in the workyard of the contractor at Greenock, by Mr George Middlemiss, foreman of the carpenters (who then acted as superintendent of the contract works), and whose intelligence and zeal made him, at all times, able and ready to do full justice to all my suggestions for incurring as little loss of time on the Rock as possible. The operation of fixing these six beams, which formed, by their union, a hexagonal pyramid of about 44 feet high, and about 34 feet in diameter at the base, occupied only six days, including the cutting of the seats and the boring of the holes in the Rock. Much labour and time were consumed in the mere moving of beams, each weighing about 13 cwt., over the rugged surface of the Rock, for which purpose wecould only use a small set of shear-poles, with crabs and blocks, and tackle purchase; and it sometimes happened, that merely for the purpose of moving a beam, it was necessary to place a special ring-bolt for holding asnatch-blockfor a few minutes, in spite of all the care and forethought which had been bestowed, in selecting the most advantageous positions for placing them, before the work of raising the beam was begun. Nor was the necessity for securing every loose material by means of lashings to the Rock, before leaving for the night, an insignificant source of delay; for we were sometimes forced by the waves or the darkness, which drove us from our work, to lower a beam which was just ready for being fixed and to replace it in a safe situation.

Pyramid completed.On Saturday the 18th August, the pyramid having been successfully erected, the men were busied for two hours, before embarking for the vessel, in collecting and lashing all the loose materials to the Rock, for the sky gave some indications of a change. As we took to the boats, I looked at the result of our labours with some satisfaction, not unmingled with gratitude.

During the week, while we had been engaged in fitting up the main timbers of the barrack, the weather had been very fine; and except the long hours of toil and the sea-sickness on board the vessel, there was nothing to complain of;Mode of living while erecting the Barrack.but the economy of our life while moored for days off the Rock, was somewhat singular. We landed at four o’clock every morning to commence work, and generally breakfasted on the Rock at eight, at which time the boat arrived with large pitchers of tea, bags of biscuit, andcanteensof beef. Breakfast was despatched in half an hour and work again resumed, till about two o’clock, which hour brought the dinner, differing in its materials from breakfast only in the addition of a thick pottage of vegetables, and the substitution of beer for tea. Dinner occupied no longer time than breakfast, and like it, was succeeded by another season of toil, which lasted until eight and sometimes till nine o’clock, when it was so dark that we could scarcely scramble to the boats, and were oftenglad to avail ourselves of all the assistance we could obtain from an occasional flash of a lantern and from following the voices. Once on the deck of the little tender and the boats hoisted in, the materials of breakfast were again produced under the name of supper; but the heaving of the vessel damped the animation which attended the meals on the Rock, and destroyed the appetite of the men, who, with few exceptions, were so littlesea-worthyas to prefer messing on the Rock even during rain, to facing the closeness of the forecastle. As I generally retired to the cabin to write up my notes, when that was practicable, and to wait the arrival of my own refection, I was sometimes considerably amused by the regularity with which the men chose their mess-masters, and the desire which some displayed for the important duties of carving and distributing the rations. Even the short time that could be snatched from the half-hour’s interval at dinner, was generally devoted to a nap; and the amount of hard labour and long exposure to the sun, which could hardly be reckoned at less than 16 hours a-day, prevented much conversation over supper: yet, in many, the love of controversy is so deeply rooted, that I have often, from my small cabin, overheard the political topics of the day, with regard to Church and State, very gravely discussed on deck, over a pipe of tobacco. Perhaps the great heat below, where upwards of twenty people were confined, might in some measure account for this wakefulness on board the Tender.

One beautiful morning, during our stay of six days at the Rock, we had a visit fromShoals of Medusæ seen.a shoal of small fish, whose novel appearance made me take them for a fleet of some species of Nautilus. Those animals came in such numbers, that the pale blue silky membranes or sails, which wafted them before a gentle breeze over the glassy surface of the ocean, literally covered the water as far as we could see. One of those animals I sent in a small phial to my friend, Professor Fleming, then of King’s College, Aberdeen, who assigns to it the Linnean name ofMedusa velilla, and says it is noticed by Dr Walker and Mr Pennant, as a native of Scotland.

The threatening of the previous night was fully verified by the succeeding Sunday morning, as a strong southerly wind with heavy showers, forced us to part from our moorings at the Rock at break of day, and make sail for Hynish Bay, where we anchored at seven. On Monday I landed at Hynish; but as the wind, which had increased to a strong gale, was still rising and inclining more to E., Mr Macurich summoned me to the boat, when, with much difficulty, and at the expense of shipping several seas, we reached the vessel which was pitching the bowsprit under.Driven by a gale to Mull.This soon forced us to run for the Sound of Mull, where we were detained until Saturday the 25th, on the morning of which day we again made Hynish Bay; but the wind, which had been less violent when we started from Tobermory the night before, again commencing to blow strong from the same unpropitious quarter,Return to Hynish, and are driven to Coll.we had only time to land at Hynish, and take on board a salted sheep (which proved a rather unpalatable addition to our provisions), when we were forced to seek shelter in our old quarters at Loch Erin in Coll. As we entered Loch Erin, we saw theRegent(the General Lighthouse Tender) leave the Sound of Mull, and again put back to Tobermory. Next day (the 26th August) we left Loch Erin, and boarded the Regent; but the weather proving boisterous, we were again forced into our old anchorage, while theRegentproceeded with the Engineer, who was then on his annual voyage, to Barrahead Lighthouse, without attempting to go near the Skerryvore. From this date the weather did not prove favourable for a landing until the 30th, when the wind being N.W., we sailed from Loch Erin at daybreak,Return to the Rock.and reached the Skerryvore at ten. We now discharged all the remaining materials which had been shipped for the Rock with a view to complete the pyramid of the barrack, which it was intended should stand the test of a winter, deferring the fixing of the habitable part till next spring.

31st August.—The last day of August was one of considerable discomfort. Our landing at four in the morning was attended with great difficulty and some danger; and throughout the day we werea good deal incommoded by a thick drizzling rain, which continued without intermission. About mid-day the sea rose so much as to render it no longer prudent to delay leaving the Rock, and we therefore embarked. After lying at our moorings until half-past two, in what, to landsmen, was a most distressing sea,Driven to Tyree.we slipped and ran for Hynish Bay, which we reached at 5¹⁄₂P.M.The weather continued boisterous until next evening (1st September), when the wind went round to the north, and at eight all the men were summoned on board; but although we sailed at daybreak, we could not reach the moorings with daylight;Return to the Rock.and it was not till the morning of the 4th September, about four o’clock, that we could again land on the Rock. We succeeded, in spite of a very unfavourable day, in remaining till three o’clock,Horizontal braces fixed.during which time we fixed the whole of the horizontal braces, and got everything which we had not been able to secure in its place firmly lashed to the ring-bolts on the Rock, after whichDriven to Mull.we were forced to leave it for Mull.Heavy gale.The gale continued to blow very hard, without any intermission, for some days; and on the 6th,Timber cast on Tyree.some wreck-timber, covered with goose-barnacles, came ashore among the surf at the beach at Hynish, but no trace of its history was ever found, nor did any rumour reach us of a shipwreck having occurred on this coast. It was not till the 8th that we could again attempt to reach the Skerryvore; when, sailing from Mull with a fair wind, and taking on board at Hynish nine masons, and Mr C. Barclay, foreman of the quarriers, we again landed on it at 2¹⁄₂P.M.Return to Rock, and farther progress of barrack.We succeeded in getting up the mortar gallery (seePlate V.), and in fixing some of the diagonal braces, and left the Rock about eight. A marrot perched on the vessel’s side this afternoon, much fatigued and evidently desirous to get on board; but the sailors, from some superstitious dread, would not admit the poor bird.

10th September.—We landed at four o’clock, and had a long and good day’s work until daylight left us. We were now within twenty-four hours at most of completing all that could be expected to be done this season; and it was with no small anxiety that I observeda change of wind from N.E. to S.S.W., accompanied by a fall of the sympiesometer; as in the event of a change of weather at that season, it seemed very uncertain when we might again land, and still more uncertain whether our work, in its incomplete state, could resist the winter’s seas.

11th September.—Last day’s work on Rock this season.This was our last day’s work on the Rock this season. We landed at four o’clock with very great difficulty, and some danger of having our boats swamped; and we were forced, owing to the heavy sea which broke upon it, to leave the Rock at high water; but, about one o’clock, we were enabled to return, as the sea fell a little. By dint of great exertions, we got the last of the diagonal braces fixed, and the bats run up with lead and painted, for their protection against corrosion. We also contrived to remove the greater part of the tools from the Rock, but some we were forced to leave to their fate. To the upper part of the pyramid we lashed a water-tight chest, containing biscuits and a cask of water,Precaution for the benefit of shipwrecked seamen.to serve as a means of support to any shipwrecked mariners who might chance to reach the Rock. I also caused some spars to be lashed at various levels, by way of testing the effects of the sea; but to how little purpose, the sequel will shew. Before leaving the Rock, I climbed to the top of the pyramid,View from top of pyramid.from which I now, for the first time, got a bird’s eye view of the various shoals which the stormy state of the sea so well disclosed; and my elevation above the Rock itself decreased the apparent elevation of the rugged ledge so much, that it seemed to me as if each successive wave must sweep right over its surface, and carry us all before it into the wide Atlantic. So loud was the roaring of the wind among the timbers of the barrack, and so hoarse the clamour of the waves, that I could not hear the voices of the men below; and I, with difficulty, occasionally caught the sharp tinkle of the hammers on the Rock. When I looked back upon the works of the season, upon our difficulties, and, I must add, dangers, and the small result of our exertions—for we had only been 165 hours at work on the Rock between the 7th August and the 11th September—I couldsee that, in good truth, there were many difficulties before us; but there was also much cause for thankfulness, in the many escapes we had made.

After a somewhat precarious embarkation in the boats, and shipping several seas in our way, we reached the vessel, and immediately set sail with three cheers, rejoicing to have thus concluded our season’s work.

After spending a few days at Hynish in making various arrangements for the operations of the next season, which were to embrace the extension of the pier, the completion of the barracks and the erection of sheds and workshops for carrying on the dressing of the materials for the Lighthouse Tower, I left Tyree with the pleasing belief that the successful termination of our first season’s labours might be taken as an omen of future success. But how uncertain are even the most rational sources of satisfaction which Time can furnish! On the 12th November, I received from Mr Hogben, the clerk and store-keeper at Tyree, the unwelcome intelligenceDestruction of the barrack during a gale.that the Barrack-house had been destroyed, as was supposed, by the heavy sea of the 3d November; and as his letters contain all the facts of the case in so far as they could be collected at the time, I cannot do better than quote them at full length:—Letter from Mr Hogben.“Skerryvore Lighthouse Works, Tyree, 5th November 1838.—Dear Sir,—I am extremely sorry to inform you, that the barrack erected on Skerryvore Rock has totally disappeared. It was seen on the 31st of October, when I observed no change in its appearance. On the two following days the weather was showery, with haze, so that the Rock was not seen; and on the 3d it rained almost all day, with strong breezes. In the evening the wind increased to a gale, with a great swell, and an extraordinary high tide. Yesterday (Sunday the 4th) the weather was moderate, but the swell prevented the Rock being seen from the low ground. Mr Scott and Charles Barclay, however, having gone to the top of Ben Hynish, got a momentary glimpse of the Rock through the spray, and both were of opinion that the barrack was gone. This was not credited by theworkmen who had been employed at it, but this morning we found it to be the case; the Rock was pretty clearly seen, but no trace of the barrack. From the circumstance of the yard of a large vessel, and also a piece of a boom, having come ashore in the direction of the Rock, we think it is not improbable that some wreck has happened, and that some part of it has been thrown upon the barrack by the force of the sea. Should any opportunity occur for going out to the Rock, we shall take advantage of it, in order to give you farther information on the subject. I remain, &c. (Signed)Wm. S. Hogben.” A subsequent letter from Mr Hogben is of the following tenor:—“Skerryvore Lighthouse Works, Tyree, 10th November 1838.—Dear Sir,—This morning, Charles Barclay, with a boat and four men, went out to the Rock to view the site of the barrack; and, the weather being moderate, he got a good landing. The following is the state in which he found everything:—The whole barrack timbers had been carried away, excepting the long beam next the place where the crab stood which drew up the beams, and about seven feet of the long beam opposite the place where the other crab stood. The former of these beams had fallen in the direction of the highest part of the Rock, and had drawn one of the iron stancheons 16 inches. The latter was all in splinters, with one of the iron stancheons broken, and the other bent. The rest of the stancheons were broken at the point between the round and the flat, and some of them were drawn about 9 inches. The iron hoop which bound the top of the beams was lying at the distance of about the length of the beams to the eastward of the centre of the barrack, having one of its screws broken. Five large wooden knees were remaining, a ladder partly broken, some moulds for taking the angle of the beams, and most of the quarry and masons’ tools. The grindstone was thrown from the top of the Rock into a deep hole on the side next Tyree, a distance of about 12 yards, apparently whole. The smith’s forge had disappeared, and the anvil had been thrown about 8 yards to the N.E. of the place, where it was left; it was brought ashore, alongwith the hoop which encircled the top of the barrack. The iron posts which supported the bellows were standing. The crab on the S.W. side was thrown from its place to the east side of the site of the barrack, a distance of about 15 or 20 yards, and was dashed to pieces, excepting the axle, handles, pinion, and the trunk of the barrel. The other crab was thrown from its place to the N.E., over a part of the rock 5 or 6 feet high, to a distance of about 6 yards, and was found in a similar state to the former. A stone measuring three-fourths of a ton was found near the seat of one of the beams; it had been thrown up from the hole where it had been deposited while cutting the seats for the barrack timbers. One of the ring-bolts near the top of the Rock to which the chain binding the wood had been made fast, was broken close by the surface of the Rock, and the wood was all gone. The mooring buoy has also disappeared. The barrack was seen from the top of Ben Keen-na-vara, by some men on Saturday, 3d November, so that the succeeding night, which was truly awful, must have done the damage. I may mention, that many of the islanders say that they have not seen such a swell as on that evening for about sixteen years. I am happy to say that no damage has been done to the works on shore here, as on that evening the wind was about S.W., and we are pretty much sheltered from the wind in that direction. The shore on the S.W. side of the island is strewed with sea-weed, which has been carried up far beyond the usual reach of the tide. Hoping that the above information will suffice, I remain, &c.(Signed)“Wm. S. Hogben.”

On the day on which I received this discouraging intelligence, I requested a special meeting of the Committee, for the purpose of deliberating as to the best course to be pursued, when I received instructions to proceed to the Rock, and for that purpose to hire a steamer at Glasgow.Proceed to Skerryvore.I accordingly started that very evening for Skerryvore, with the intention at the same time of removing such of the men from Tyree as were not to be employed during the winter. I left Greenock in the steamerTobermory, accompaniedby Mr Macurich of the Lighthouse tender, at midnight of the 14th November, after some delay in repairing a leak in the boiler, which was discovered in time before starting, and reached Hynish at 11 on the forenoon of the 16th, having got a good passage round the Mull of Kintyre. The weather was, however, in every other respect most unfavourable for the purpose; and having merely touched, in passing Tyree, at the workyard at Hynish, to inquire whether any thing farther had transpired, and to take on board Mr Charles Barclay, who had visited the Rock after the loss of the barrack, we at once proceeded and reached Skerryvore about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The sea ran very high, and there was not the most remote chance of landing, but, having got into the boat, I approached near enough to the Rock to enable me to surveyState in which the Rock was found.the melancholy remains of our labours, which seemed to be in the same state in which they were described by Mr Hogben. The beam which lay back on the inclined ledge still kept its place, having been firmly lashed by Mr Charles Barclay to a ring which was near it when he landed on the 10th November; and I could see the remains of some of the stancheons and of the crabs which the sea had left. After waiting, in the hope of a change in the state of the sea, until it was nearly dark, we again turned towards Tyree, in all the gloom of a stormy night, and depressed by mingled disappointment and sad forebodings, occasioned by the fate of our intended asylum from the waves. Owing to the heavy sea, and a strong gale against us, we hung for a long time off Hynish Point, and did not reach the Bay till midnight. Next morning about 7, we came off Hynish, in order to take in the men who were to go home for the winter. The ground was deeply covered with snow, which made the embarkation of so many persons and so much baggage a tedious and uncomfortable operation; and when we sailed, we experienced all the inconveniences of a strong gale and a heavy sea, with the concomitant of a deck covered with passengers, all very sick and much dispirited. Many of the men, indeed, seemed to be as deeply concerned for the loss we had sustained as I myself was. To add to our difficulties,the vessel, under the care of a native pilot, had touched slightly on a rock off Hynish Point, and gave some indications of leaking. We, however, reached Oban in safety.

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