so violent that to effect a landing was impossible. This was not the history of one but repeated trials, and we must ever honor the man who, by his patient perseverance, won so noble a victory over the greatest obstacles that nature in her angriest mood could lay in his path.
It was determined that the lighthouse should be built of stone, and all arrangements having been made, Smeaton himself fixed the centre and laid down the lines on August 3rd, 1756, and from that date the work proceeded steadily but intermittently, depending greatly on tide and weather; at the most not more than six hours' labor could be done at one time. By the end of November the necessary cutting in the rock had been safely accomplished, and the workers returned to shore to prepare the stone for next season. The building was fairly begun in the summer of 1757, and, as soon as the work had been carried above high water, it proceeded rapidly. Next season the task was recommenced in May, and to the engineer's delight he found that the storms of winter had left the tower unscathed. This season saw the completion of the solid portion of the building, which formed the floor of the storeroom — the first of the necessary rooms for the lighthouse keepers: the walls of these rooms are twenty-six inches thick; the blocks of stone "joggled and cramped, so as to secure perfect solidity." All through these anxious months Smeaton's sole thought was for his lighthouse, and early in the morning and late at night would he gaze eagerly through his telescope from Plymouth Hoe, till the tall white pillar of darting spray assured him of the safety of his cherished undertaking, every portion of which had been manufactured under his own eye. The next season proved so stormy that the men did not begin their work till July; but, so rapidly did it now progress, that by August 17th the last stone was set, and on October 16th, 1759, that light was first exhibited which for more than a century has been a source of joy and safety to the tempest-tossed sailor. The Eddystone lighthouse is ninety feet high, and its light is visible for nine miles, and is now only one of the many beacons which light up the English Channel along its whole extent, and render its navigation as safe by night as by day.[1]
Eleven miles from the mainland of Scotland, near the entrances of the Firths of Forth and of Tay, lies a dangerous reef, which, so early as the fourteenth century, was a source of such peril that the Abbot of Arbroath caused a bell to be placed on what is now so well known as the Bell Rock. In 1799 a more than usually violent storm, which caused a,terrible loss of life, gave rise to the formation of many plans for a lighthouse on the fatal spot, and Captain Brodie proposed one of cast iron, but his idea was not approved of. Other plans were also proposed and rejected, till the commissioners appointed Mr. Rennie to examine the site, and report as to the best course to be pursued. After much deliberation he decided that a stone lighthouse, built on the plan of Eddystone, would alone meet the exigencies of the case; the rock being uncovered by the water for less time than that of Eddystone, the difficulties of the foundation would be even greater, but he had no doubt they could be overcome and the work accomplished in four years. The report was adopted, and Mr. Rennie appointed chief engineer, with Mr. Stevenson as assistant, to superintend operations on the spot, and in 1807 the task was begun.
It is impossible in one short paper to follow in detail the difficulties, disappointments, and slow progress of the building of each lighthouse, which were much the same in every case, varied only by the greater or less hindrances of tide and site. The history of the Bell Rock lighthouse rivals in thrilling interest that of Eddystone, and should be read by all who can sympathize with the daring yet patient ardor of our great engineers. We must be content to say that it was happily completed by the end of 1810, and the light regularly exhibited after February 11th, 1811. Its cost was £61,332; its height, one hundred and seventeen feet, and its light can be seen for a distance of eighteen miles.
Another celebrated Scotch lighthouse, to which a brief notice must be accorded, is that of Skerryvore, twenty-four miles west of Iona. It is the chief rock of a long reef of compact gneiss, which stretches for eight or ten miles, and in the only point which could afford the needful foundation; for forty-four years previous to 1844 it had been annually the scene of
- ↑ Since these words were written it has been discovered that the foundations of the Eddystone Lighthouse have commenced to give way. The lighthouse is consequently condemned. It was at first proposed to destroy the rock on which it stands by dynamite; but there appears to have been some objection to this plan: and the present lighthouse will probably give place to a new and still more perfect structure.
