INTRODUCTION.
Inconsequence probably of my connection of more than fifty years with the Northern Lighthouse Board, and of the almost equally long service of my father, I have been requested, and with much diffidence have complied with the request, to write, by way of Introduction to these very interesting and instructive “Notes from the Bell Rock,” a few words regarding Lighthouses, and a short account of the Northern Lighthouse Service and its Lightkeepers. My love for that service, and the esteem I have for those responsible and patient watchmen of the night, whose duty it is to keep their lights burning to guard the mariner from some of the dangers to which he is exposed, and to guide him on his way over the vasty deep, may possibly enable me to say something to interest readers of the Notes in a service whose appropriate motto is “In Salutem Omnium.”
The origin, as well as the early history, of lighthouses is involved in much obscurity, although we learn from ancient writers that lights of some sort, or beacon fires, were used for guiding vessels or warning them of danger at least three hundred years before the Christian era. The Colossus of Rhodes and the Pharos of Alexandria are those that we first read of, but very little authentic information is to be got regarding them. At a much later date we know that sea lights for such purposes were produced by the burning of wood and coal in chauffers on coasts where they could be well seen. One such beacon fire was shown from a tower on the Isle of May, at the entrance to the Firth of Forth, from the year 1635 till 1816, when the present lighthouse was built, and is supposed to have been the first sea light on the coast of Scotland. It is not unlikely, however, that long before that date some of the most dangerous parts of the Mediterranean were lighted in a like primitive manner.
The first lighthouse of any note of which we have authentic record is the Tour de Corduan, near the mouth of the river Garonne, in the south-west of France, which was founded in 1584, but not completed and lighted till 1610. On account of the style and grandeur of its architecture, it was long regarded as one of the wonders of the world, the Pharos of Alexandria having been regarded as another. Its lightroom was originally constructed for the combustion of wood in a kind of chauffer raised six feet above the floor of the lantern; but it has undergone many alterations and improvements since then, to bring it into keeping with the progressing and modern system of lighthouse illumination, which has made great strides during the last half-century.
Winstanley’s wooden structure to mark the Eddystone Rock off Plymouth was probably the next work of importance in lighthouse building. It was lighted in 1698, but washed away in a storm about five years afterwards when Winstanley, who had gone there with some workmen to execute certain repairs, and the lightkeepers all perished. A subsequent lighthouse, also of wood, on the Eddystone, was accidentally burned down about fifty years later, after which Smeaton’s structure of stone was placed on it. This building stood until a few years ago, when it was seen the sea was making such serious inroads on the rock on which it was founded, that it was deemed advisable to take it down and have another built on a different part of the reef. The success of Smeaton’s lighthouse having been assured, attention was directed at the beginning of last century to the Bell Rock, which was a source of great danger to vessels navigating the East Coast of Scotland, and particularly to those sailing to or from the Firths of Forth and Tay, many of them being lost on it.
The Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses accordingly resolved to erect a lighthouse there, somewhat after the model of Smeaton’s Eddystone, but the work proved to be a much more difficult and arduous undertaking owing to the Rock being always covered by the sea, except for a short time at low water, whereas the Eddystone was never altogether covered, even at high water. The Bell Rock is a low flat lying reef, the surface of which becomes uncovered to any extent only at low water of spring tides, but on which at high water there is a depth of from twelve to sixteen feet. Its extent is about 1400 or 1500 feet in length, with a breadth of about 300 feet. In olden times it was known as the Inchcape Rock. Tradition has it that at one time an Abbot of Aberbrothock being impressed with its danger, and anxious to avert to some extent, if possible, the loss of life which often occurred on it by shipwrecks, moored thereon a buoy or log of wood, having a bell attached to it, which the action of the sea tolled continuously, thus giving warning of danger. It afterwards became known as the Bell Rock. Tradition also says that a pirate known as Ralph the Rover, who frequented these seas, finding that the bell interfered with his nefarious occupation, removed it. Retribution, however, was not long of overtaking him, for it is said that his vessel shortly afterwards struck on the reef and was lost with all on board. Southey’s graphic ballad, descriptive of the legend, entitled “Sir Ralph the Rover,” is so well known that it is quite unnecessary to do more than refer to it here.
The sanction of Government having to be procured before the erection of the lighthouse could be proceeded with, considerable time was occupied with the necessary negotiations, but in 1807, Mr Robert Stevenson, the Engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Board, was allowed to commence operations, and after encountering and overcoming innumerable difficulties by his indomitable skill, energy, and perseverance, he at last completed the work, and had a light shown from it on 1st February 1811. It is very satisfactory to be able to state as testifying to the excellency of the materials used in its construction, as well as to the careful and well devised scheme and execution of the workmanship, that the tower as yet shows no symptoms of decay, and stands as strong to-day as when newly erected.
In a highly interesting lecture which the writer of the Notes delivered at Arbroath, about a year ago, he thus described the lightroom and lighting apparatus, which had just been renewed, not on account of tear and wear, but to bring it up to present daystandard:—
“In the centre of the floor stands the revolving machinery enclosed in a heavy metal case, upon which the huge lens, with its supporting carriage, revolves. The lensitself—a marvel of the glassmaker’sart—is the production of a French firm. Imagine a huge saucer, twelve feet in diameter, composed of twenty concentric prisms of purest glass, each with a diameter almost as much as a man may enclose with both hands, terminating centrally in a sixteen inch plano-convex lens or bull’s-eye. Suppose the rim of this saucer to the extent of four prisms be turned sharply inwards, the whole set vertically onedge—convexityoutwards—and a verticalsection—in which the bull’s-eye and three adjoining prisms are aloneintact—projected a foot further forward, one may gain some idea of that particular portion of the lens allotted to the red flash, the colour of which is attained by means of sheets of red glass attached inside the central section and on the outside of the adjoining wings. On the opposite side of the lens, and in a line with the central red section, is a similarsection—minus the adjoining wings and the redmedia—through which the white flash is transmitted. Both flashes are intended to equal each other in intensity, which accounts for the much smaller portion of the lens allotted to the white. A belt of horizontal prisms, three feet wide, connects the wings of the red section with the white on either side, and reflects the rays of light equally to both sections. Stooping underneath this belt, access is obtained to a fixed circular platform in the interior of the lens. In the centre of this platform, upon an iron pedestal, is placed the source of illumination, a large six-wick lamp. Between this platform and the top of the machine case, the circular carriage upon which the superstructure of the lens is erected revolves upon twelve five-inch steel rollers travelling upon a circular metal pathway. Attached to the under side of this carriage is a heavy gun-metal ring, six feet in diameter, toothed on its inner circumference, which engages with a horizontal pinion wheel rising from the corner of the machine case, and through which the driving power is transmitted. Themachine—an exaggerated form ofclockwork—is driven by a weight of 400 lbs. travelling in the centre of the spiral stair on the first flat. The speed of the machine is regulated by adjustable fans; and a speed indicator, furnished with an alarm bell, intimates the periods ofwinding—an operation necessitating two minutes’ stiff winding every half-hour. The entire lens, with its supporting carriage, is estimated to weigh about six tons. The lamp, as I have already stated, is placed upon an iron pedestal in the centre of the platform, or service table, as it is called, in the interior of the lens. It is fitted with what is known as the stepped Doty burner, and carries six concentric wicks, each slightly elevated above the other towards the centre. The burner is six inches in diameter, and consumes paraffin oil at the rate of eighteen gills per hour. To maintain this supply, a forty gallon tank of polished brass is placed on the lightroom floor; and a small force pump, with triple plungers, working in conjunction with the revolving machine, maintains a constant supply of oil, which is kept cool by circulating within an inch of the burning edge of the wicks, the surplus oil returning to the pump-tank. The flash, on being transmitted through the lens, is reckoned to be equal to 60,000 candles; and the characteristic of thelight—a red and white flash alternately everyhalf-minute—visible twenty miles distant.”
A description of the work of renewal of the lighting apparatus and the erection of a new and enlarged lantern to hold it on the top of the tower, is also given in the Notes; and no further reference to it is needed than to say that the light, which has the same characteristic as before, is now, by means of the new apparatus, made much stronger and more brilliant.
Such an erection as thislighthouse—standing, as it were, a pillar in the ocean, with a stormy sea raging roundit—may surely be described as one of the noblest and most wonderful works of man. As no ship has been wrecked on the Rock since the light was first exhibited, it is incalculable how many valuable lives may have been saved by it. Sir Walter Scott, on the occasion of his visiting the Bell Rock as the guest of the Commissioners on their annual tour of inspection in 1814, gave beautiful expression to his feelings in the following appropriate lines, which he wrote in the LighthouseAlbum:—
Pharos Loquitur.
Far in the bosom of the deep,O’er these wild shelves my watch I keep,A ruddy gem of changeful lightBound on the dusky brow of night;The seaman bids my lustre hailAnd scorns to strike his timorous sail.
Far in the bosom of the deep,O’er these wild shelves my watch I keep,A ruddy gem of changeful lightBound on the dusky brow of night;The seaman bids my lustre hailAnd scorns to strike his timorous sail.
Far in the bosom of the deep,
O’er these wild shelves my watch I keep,
A ruddy gem of changeful light
Bound on the dusky brow of night;
The seaman bids my lustre hail
And scorns to strike his timorous sail.
The Eddystone and the Bell Rock Lighthouses having been, as it were, the forerunners of the class of lighthouse that required to be built on rocks exposed to the full fetch of heavy seas, many more of the same sort have since been erected off the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. That of Skerryvore, which is situated in the Atlantic, west of the Island of Tiree in Argyllshire, is regarded as probably the finest specimen of lighthouse architecture in the world. This lighthouse was the creation of Alan Stevenson, who succeeded his father, Robert, as Engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Board, and it is interesting to know that the designing and engineering of the Northern Lighthouses has now been in the hands of the Stevenson family for more than a hundred years, Mr David Alan Stevenson, one of the grandsons of Robert, now holding the position of Engineer to the Board. But the family is not altogether indebted to lighthouse engineering for its fame, as the late talented and lamented writer and novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson, who made a world-wide name for himself, was another grandson of the Bell Rock Engineer.
It is not necessary to say more about lighthouses, but I considered it desirable to give a short description of one or two of the most notable, including that of the Bell Rock, in which these Notes were written, to show from what limited sources a man of intelligence and keen observation can procure subjects of surpassing interest to engage his attention, as well as to instruct and amuse others.
The Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom are the Trinity House for England, the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses for Scotland, and the Commissioners of Irish Lights for Ireland. The Trinity House exerts a certain control over the Scottish and Irish Boards, particularly as to the site and character of lights proposed by them, and the Board of Trade holds the financial control of all three. The Boards are not all similarly constituted, the members of the Trinity House being mostly men of nautical knowledge, while those composing the Irish Board are mostly connected with the Corporation of Dublin. The Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses are the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor-General for Scotland, the Lord Provosts of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee; the Provosts of Greenock, Inverness, Campbeltown, and Leith; the eldest Bailies of Edinburgh andGlasgow—and the Sheriffs of the maritime counties of Scotland. The origin of the Board dates from 1786, and it was incorporated by an Act of Parliament passed in 1798. The primary and general object of the three Boards is the erection and maintenance of lighthouses and other sea marks, such as beacons and buoys, for the security of navigation and the saving of life and property. The funds for these objects are got by levying tolls on shipping.
In 1815 the Northern Lighthouse Commissioners acquired the right to erect lighthouses on the Isle of Man, which since then has been under their jurisdiction.
In olden times, many lighthouses in England and Ireland were the property of private individuals, who had the power of charging dues for their erection and maintenance; but the Isle of May light was the only one of that kind in Scotland, and it became the property of the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses by purchase in 1814. The tolls or dues have long been collected for the different Boards by the Collectors of Customs at the various ports, and are now paid into what is called the “General Lighthouse Fund,” which is held by the Board of Trade, and on which the Lighthouse Boards draw according to their requirements. Sixty years ago this tax, as it may be called, on shipping varied as regarded different lighthouses from a farthing to one-penny-halfpenny per ton for each light passed, the rates on over-sea voyages being generally double those for coasting voyages; but since then they have frequently been reduced, both in amount and in incidence. Ships of the Navy and all lighthouse vessels are, of course, exempt from such dues. On 1st April 1899, an alteration was made by which vessels were no longer charged a rate per ton for each light passed, but a rate per ton per voyage, and in some cases a rate per vessel; and a deduction was made when a number of similar voyages took place during the year. Very recently, a further reduction has been granted by an abatement of twelve-and-a-half per cent. on the total. This, of course, is all paid by the shipowners, who have long been, and still are, discontented at being charged for light dues at all, their contention being that all the expenditure necessary for erecting and maintaining lighthouses and other sea marks should be paid out of the Imperial taxation of the country. They also now desire to be represented on the three Boards, and have a share in the management. I, who have seen half-a-century’s administration by the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, may be allowed to express an opinion that it would be very difficult to construct a Board to do its work better than the Northern Lighthouse Board. The Commissioners require no eulogy from me; but I cannot imagine any other body of men, be they scientific or unscientific, nautical or commercial, paid orunpaid—and be it noted that the Commissioners are allunpaid—taking more interest in their work, or devoting more time and attention to it. The introduction of shipowners, who may have conflicting interests to serve in the lighting of different parts of the coast, might introduce an element of discord from which the present Board, so far as I am aware, has always been exempt.
The staff of the Board consists of an Engineer and a Secretary, who also acts as General Manager, with an accountant, examiner of accounts, and five clerks. Then there is a superintending staff, consisting of a superintendent, with an assistant, and three district superintendents. Four small steamers, the property of the Board, deliver stores and oil, and fill with gas the lighted beacons and buoys, as well as relieve the keepers at some of the rock lighthouses. A number of boats also attend certain island and remote stations. There are more than 200 lightkeepers attached to about 80 lights, most of these lights being attended by two keepers, one acting as principal and the other as assistant. At rock and fog signal stations, however, there are three or four keepers, according to requirement; such lighthouses as the Bell Rock, Skerryvore, and several others of that class having four. At the Isle of May, which is an electric light station, there is an engineer in charge, with six assistants. Besides these, there are also a number of small beacon and subsidiary lights which do not require the personal attendance of lightkeepers. In the early part of last century lightkeepers were mostly chosen from the seafaring class, or from men who resided in the district in which a lighthouse was placed, and age was considered no detriment so long as they were able-bodied and of good character. The Scottish Board never employed women as lightkeepers, but not very long ago it was customary in certain cases for lightkeepers’ wives to act in this capacity in Ireland. As lighthouses increased in number, applications to fill the post of lightkeepers also became more numerous, and now it is almost essential that an applicant, in order to get his name placed on the expectant list, should be either a mechanic or a seaman. Before receiving an appointment he has also to undergo a period of probation at one or two lighthouses, where he gets instruction in his duties. There is now so much delicate and expensive machinery in lightrooms that those placed in charge should not only have skill to keep it in good working order, but be able to execute slight repairs should accidents occur. It is also found that seamen are most suitable for rock or island stations, where there is much boating or landing of stores and provisions, their early training and familiarity with the sea giving expertness to their movements and a confidence which few landsmen can ever acquire. There is now an age limit for entrance to the service, consequently all are young when first appointed, and before getting an appointment require to pass an examination in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and give evidence of general intelligence. They must also pass a medical examination to prove that they are free from physical defects and have a sound constitution, and freedom from colour blindness. At sixty years of age they may retire, and at sixty-five they must do so, pensions being awarded them according to their period of service. The day duties are light, except during spells of fog, when at those stations where there are fog signals, and the sirens require to be continually sounded, close attention must be given to the engines and machinery connected with them. The night duties are divided into watches similar to those adopted on board ships. Lightkeepers are not allowed to read, write, or work while on watch in the lightroom, as duty there requires all the attention they can give to keep the lights burning brightly, and at revolving lights to watch and wind up the machinery periodically. Then during certain states of the atmosphere the glass of the lantern requires cleaning, more especially when snow is falling on it and obscuring the light. A graphic description of this operation at the Bell Rock is given in the Notes.
The lives of all lightkeepers are insured, and much is done to make their position and that of their families a comfortable one. They have a liberal allowance of holidays; and, if sickness overtakes them or any member of their families, medical attendance and medicines are furnished by the Board practically free. Comfortable dwelling-houses, with a certain amount of furniture, are supplied to all of them, with uniform clothing, bedding, cooking utensils, coal, and oil for lighting purposes. When men are doing duty on rock lighthouses, their food and all their wants are, as a matter of course, supplied. At stations remote from schools, a boarding allowance is given to enable lightkeepers to get their children boarded and educated elsewhere. Nor must I omit to mention that all are liberally supplied with illustrated and other newspapers, monthly periodicals, and books of useful and general literature. Lightkeepers and their families at most island stations have also means afforded them for occasional attendance on Divine ordinances. They have time to indulge in hobbies, such as handicraft of various kinds, from the making and mending of shoes to the construction of beautiful models of lighthouses and ships, or, like that of the writer of the Notes, the studying of the natural history of the objects around them. I knew one who, on the eve of his retirement, built for himself a small boat of plate iron, in which he afterwards used to go fishing.
The lights shown from lighthouses have all specialcharacteristics—such as fixed, flashing, or a variation incolour—to distinguish them from each other, and to enable the mariner when he sights them to know exactly off what part of the coast he is. Unfortunately, this does not always prevent shipwrecks occurring; for, although he should not do so, sometimes the mariner mistakes his light, and runs into danger instead of out of it; or fog may render a light invisible; or a storm may drive a vessel on a lee shore in spite of any light. It might be said that wrecks should never occur from the first of these causes, viz., a mariner mistaking his light; but sailors are sometimes careless, like other people, and only learn their lesson when too late. It is different, however, when a master or officer has been storm tossed, probably for many days and nights, without seeing the sun or stars to give him an idea of his whereabouts. Suddenly the fog lifts a little and he sees a gleam of light which, in the anxious state of his mind, he supposes to be one which he thinks he ought to be approaching, and then taking, as he supposes, his correct course, runs on the rocks. Such a case occurred about five years ago, when the s.s.Labrador, bound from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Liverpool, was lost on the Skerryvore reef. The captain had not been able for many days to take an observation owing to fog, and the tide had evidently carried him further to the north than he reckoned on, when suddenly the light of Skerryvore appeared, and mistaking it for a light on the north coast of Ireland, he unfortunately altered his course, with the result that the ship ran on a portion of the Skerryvore reef and became a total wreck. Fortunately, all on board were saved. Two boat-loads of crew and passengers were picked up by a steamer and landed on the Island of Mull; while another boat, containing the remainder, eighteen in all, reached the rock where the lighthouse stood, and, assisted by the lightkeepers, landed and found shelter there, and had all their wants attended to till the lighthouse steamerHesperuswent to their assistance and took them to Oban. Many acts of heroism since that of Grace Darling have been performed by lightkeepers in saving life from shipwreck, and have been suitably acknowledged by the Lifeboat Institution or Humane Society. A short time ago, two daughters of the principal lightkeeper at Kyleakin, observed a sailing boat struck by a squall off the lighthouse, and its occupants (two men) thrown into the water. The tide was running fast, and as there was no time to lose, they rushed down to the shore, and, getting into a boat, rowed out to where they saw one man struggling in the water, and, after taking him on board, rowed after the upturned boat, which had the other man clinging to it, and saved him also.
In closing my short Introduction I cannot do better than refer to a visit paid to the Bell Rock Lighthouse by some fifty members of the British Association in 1850, and give a few quotations from a speech made by Dr Robinson, of Armagh, at a general meeting of that Association held in Edinburgh shortly afterwards, when he moved a vote of thanks to the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses for their courtesy in conveying the party and showing them over the Lighthouse. He said he had been led to an object which, almost from the days of his childhood, engrossed his attention, and which he had ever regarded as one of the wonders of the world.
“When I visited that marvellous, beautiful structure, rising up in its strength and loneliness out of the deep, I found that though the sea was calm and the wind was still, yet there was quite enough of danger in the enterprise of approaching it. Under these circumstances it enabled the mind to call up for itself the terrors which must in former years have beset those who were unhappily entangled in that wilderness of rocks, which that noble structure now crowns as a beacon.... It was impossible not to feel admiration for the beneficent courage and the mechanical skill of the late distinguished engineer, Robert Stevenson.... When I thought of the extraordinary resources, both of wealth and talent, that must have been accumulated to overcome such a tremendous difficulty, I naturally looked to the nature of the power by which such marvels had been achieved, and I found not a mere unenlightened body of what are called practical men, of persons who followed the road of experience, going always into the same old track, and incapable of availing themselves of the progress of the age to perfect their feeble endeavours. I found I was among men who were able to teach me in many important facts regarding which I had in vain sought for information for years, and which I learned in that excursion.... When I was led to ask the question, Who are the controllers of this admirable system? I learned with surprise that the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses are not a set of salaried functionaries, whose professional habits might have led them to interest themselves in these pursuits, but a body of lawyers and municipal magistrates.”
Dr Robinson’s appreciation of the Commissioners in the important services they render to the shipping interests is, I am sure, shared and endorsed by all who know or have known the Commissioners of any period.
J. M.
Edinburgh,August 1904.