}Joint Secs.

Edinburgh, 23d December 1843.

The following is a Specification of the Position of the Lighthouse, and the Appearance of the Light, by Mr Alan Stevenson, Engineer to the Commissioners.

The Skerryvore Rock lies off the Island of Tyree, in Lat. 56° 19′ 22″ N.; Long. 7° 6′ 32″ W.

By Compass, the Lighthouse bears from Barrahead Lighthouse S. ¹⁄₄ E., distant 33 nautic miles; from Hynish Point, in Tyree, WSW. ¹⁄₂ W., distant 10¹⁄₃ miles; from Iona Island, WNW. ³⁄₄ N., distant 20 miles; from Rhinns of Islay Lighthouse, N. ¹⁄₄ E., distant 44 miles; and from Innistrahull Lighthouse in Ireland, NE. by N., distant 53¹⁄₂ miles.

Owing to the distance to which the foul ground extends on every side of the rock on which the Lighthouse is placed, and the weight of sea which breaks on the shallow ground all round it, it is necessary to give the Light a wide berth. The better to enable seamen to judge of this, their attention is called to the prefixed [Chart],[87] which exhibits the relative position of the Skerryvore Rock, and the various dangers around it. In particular, it is necessary to notice the position of those rocks which lie seaward of the Lighthouse, viz. Mackenzie’s Rock, about 3 miles W. by S. ¹⁄₄ S. from the Lighthouse; Stevenson’s, 2¹⁄₄ miles W. ¹⁄₂ N.; and Fresnel’s, which lies between these two Rocks. To the left of the prefixed [Chart] is a small diagram, which exhibits the position of the Skerryvore Rock in reference to the principal landmarks above noticed.

[87] A copy of the Chart referred to will be found at [Plate II.] at the end of this volume.

The Skerryvore Light will be known to mariners as a Revolving Light, producing a Bright Flash once every minute. The Lantern, which is open all round, is elevated 150 feet above the level of the sea. In clear weather the flashes of the Light will be seen at the distance of six leagues, and at lesser distances according to the state of the atmosphere; and to a near observer, in favourable circumstances, the Light will not wholly disappear between the flashes.

APPENDIX, No. VI.
ACCOUNT OF THE EXPENSE OF ERECTING THE SKERRYVORE LIGHTHOUSE AND OF THE SUBSIDIARY WORKS.

Establishment at Hynish.
Wages of the different workmen quarrying and dressing the stones, and building the dwelling-houses,barracks, storehouses, inclosure and subdivision dykes, draining and trenching the ground, &c., at Hynish, and the wages of joinerspreparing and fitting up the joiner work,£299677
Timber, pavement, bricks, ironmongery, glass, &c., &c., used in the erections,1376169¹⁄₂
Slater, plaster, and plumber work of the houses,43610
Paid the tenant of Hynish for a barn which was used as a barrack to accommodate the workmen whenthey first landed at Tyree,1300
£482254¹⁄₂
Note.—Although these buildings had been erected for the purposes of theworks, yet the greater part of them were designed to serve as part of the permanent accommodation required at Tyree in connectionwith the Lighthouse Establishment, and have accordingly been so applied.
Rock Barrack, No. 1.
Cost of the barrack on the Rock, which was destroyed, including the contractor’s account for extrawork, &c.,£742177
Lead for running up the bats and for other purposes about the barrack,14116¹⁄₂
A smith’s forge, bellows, anvil, and smith’s tools used at Rock in erecting the barrack,32191¹⁄₄
79082³⁄₄
Rock Barrack, No. 2.
Cost of the carpenter and joiner work on the second barrack, the expense of fitting and erecting itat Greenock, the wages of four joiners and a smith, furnished by the contractor to assist in its erection at Skerryvore, includingsundry other minor charges,£911144
Cost of the iron-work of the barrack,369118
Lead for running up the bats and protecting the timber of cooking apartment, &c.,291110
Cooking apparatus for the cook-room of barrack, sheet-iron smoke tube, cooking utensils, &c.,54166
Bedding for beds of barrack,9091
Expense of upholding and making sundry small repairs on the barrack since its erection,22186¹⁄₂
1479111¹⁄₂
Cost of the furniture, bedding, and other utensils required for the dwelling-houses, barracks, &c.,connected with the different establishments of the works, 830192
Establishment at North Bay.
Wages of the quarriers, masons, joiners, &c., quarrying stones, building the barracks, storehouses,&c., &c., and fitting up the joiner work,£378119
Timber and other furnishings for the erections, the expense of making the doors andwindows, including furnishings required for erecting the habitable part of SkerryvoreBarrack at North Bay as a temporary accommodation for the workmen, and sundry other charges,36147
Sundry furnishings—such as utensils for provision store, smithy, &c.,1325
752189
Quarries at North Bay.
Cost of rails and timber for railway and timber, &c., for shipping-pier at North Bay,£13151
Wages of workmen who were employed at quarries in North Bay, quarrying the lighthouse blocks,constructing the pier, railway, &c.,175253
1883104
Temporary Wharf and Railway at the Skerryvore Rock.
Cost of timber used in the wharf and railway at the Skerryvore Rock,£103186
Iron bats, bolts, &c., for fastening the timber, rails for railway, and sundry furnishings connectedwith an apparatus for blasting under water,11976
Wages of the workmen constructing the railway, fastening the timber of wharf, &c.,34105
257165
Excavation at Rock and Platform, &c.
Wages of the workmen excavating the foundation for the Lighthouse Tower, on the Skerryvore Rock,£60923¹⁄₂
A portable forge, and other smith’s tools, used at the rock for this work,211510
Wages of the workmen excavating the site of a platformat the workyard in Hynish, and quarrying and dressing stones for sill of platform,£107165
Cost of freestone from Garscube Quarry, Glasgow, for part of the sill of platform,24140
76386¹⁄₂
Dressing Lighthouse Blocks.
Wages of masons, including the assistance of labourers, carters, &c., in dressing the blocksfor the Lighthouse Tower at Hynish,£858987¹⁄₂
Timber for moulds of the various blocks, and the joiners’ wages making the moulds,3841810
Timber, &c., and wages of joiners in erecting sheds for the masons,95545
99291110¹⁄₂
Expense of victualling the workmen and others who were employed at the rock during the operation of the whole works, 1503186
Implements and Tools for Masons, Smiths, &c.
Amount paid to sundry persons for the implements and tools used by the workmen in all the departments of the works,£117696¹⁄₂
Wages of the smiths and their hammermen keeping these tools in repair and making others,908165
2085511¹⁄₂
Machinery for the Works at the Rock, Hynish, and North Bay.
Cost of cranes, crabs, winches, trucks, iron blocks, chains, rope-guys, &c., with sundry otherfurnishings connected with these articles,£151695
1 Woolwich or sling-cart, a janker for wood, and four jack-screws,8964
Large balance crane used in building the Lighthouse Tower,533100¹⁄₂
Hoisting beams or needles, and a pair of strong sheer-poles, used in building the Lighthouse Tower,42112
21811611¹⁄₂
Cartage Account.
Cost of 3 large draught horses and a pony, for the use of the works,£127910¹⁄₂
Carts and stable utensils,65142¹⁄₂
Harness and other furniture, and keeping them in repair,5223¹⁄₂
Provender for the horses for seven years,858148
110410¹⁄₂
Mortar Account.
Cost of the lime which was used for all the departments of the works,£33198
Pozzolano which was used for the building of the Lighthouse Tower, excepting a small portion forthe works of the harbour or dock,376164
Mastic, cements, and stucco,39610
Wages of labourers grinding and sifting Pozzolano at Hynish, and burning and sifting a portion of the lime,121188
Packages to contain Pozzolano, to prevent its admixture with other cargo when on board ship,2001
889117
Signal Tower at Hynish.
Expense of quarrying, dressing, and building the stones, and executing the joiner work of theSignal Tower at Hynish,£370132
Pavement and bricks for the interior,32131
Cast-iron floor, with lintels and sole plates for windows, and cast-iron supports for do.,110134
Timber for joisting of floors, lining of walls andwindows, including the glazing of them, a wooden trap, flag-pole, and other furnishings for interior,28490
Plumber work of roof,3596
A 5 feet achromatic telescope, with stand, &c., for Signal Tower,35100
Cost of a code of signals, flags, return books, and other furnishings,11106
880187
Lights Account.
Expense of the apparatus required for the lights at the Pier and Signal Tower at Hynish,including fitting up, &c.,£6670
Cost of oil and other requisites for upholding these lights,13658
Salary of the Lightkeepers, &c.,131117
33443
“Skerryvore” Steamer.
First cost and complete outfit of the steamer Skerryvore,£5930011
Alteration on the engines, by raising the shafts, &c.,42350
Repairs on the hull and engines, on various occasions, during the progress of the works,105742
Sailing expenses (exclusive of the cost of coals supplied when the steamer was at Hynish),and sundry other minor charges,55381011¹⁄₄
12,94910¹⁄₄
“Queen” Tender.
First cost and complete outfit of the “Queen” Tender,£935133
Sailing expenses and other charges,101079
Repairs on the hull, rigging, sails, &c.,77128¹⁄₄
2023138¹⁄₄
StoneLighters.
First cost and outfit of four lighters for transporting the Lighthouse blocks, &c.,from Hynish to the Skerryvore Rock,£1666156¹⁄₂
Hawsers for towing, mooring-ropes, heaving-lines, &c., used in the course of transportingthe stones to the Rock,24916
Upholding the lighters in repair, and sundry other charges,17899¹⁄₂
Expense transporting the lighters on various occasions to different places,581510
Expense shifting and attending upon the lighters when lying at Leith, and advertising them for sale,19910¹⁄₂
2172126¹⁄₂
Moorings.
Cost of the buoys for mooring the vessels belonging to the works in Hynish Bay, and at theRock, when lying there,£24013
Cast-iron mushroom anchors for mooring the buoys,11874
Wrought-iron common anchors, grapnels, &c., for mooring the vessels, warping, kedging, &c.,48161
Chains and shackles for do., &c.,35427
Upholding and keeping in repair the buoys,4171
76644
Boats and Attendance.
Cost of 8 boats, with oars, sails, tackling, &c.,£2071911¹⁄₂
Upholding these boats in repair,28139
Amount paid for the use of boats and their crews assisting to discharge cargoes from vesselsprevious to the pier being built,11960
355198¹⁄₂
Amount paid the owners of hired vessels, as freights of the Lighthouse blocks from the quarriesat North Bay, in Mull, to the workyard at Hynish, 1300148¹⁄₂
Freight andSailing Expenses.
Freights and other charges paid the owners of hired vessels, vessels, for the materialswhich were imported for the use of various departments of the works, exclusive of the Lighthouse blocks from North Bay, 404597¹⁄₂
Wages of labourers, &c., discharging the cargoes from the vessels at the Pier at Hynish,and the wages of workmen quarrying stones for ballast, and putting it on board the vessels,9331210
Amount paid for travelling expenses, and other charges connected with the transport of theworkmen, including the expenses of the Officers, &c., travelling on the business of the works,1711112
Cost of the coals supplied to the steamer “Skerryvore,” when plying between the Skerryvore Rock,Hynish, &c., for the household purposes of the different departments of the works, and also for the smith’s forge,146307¹⁄₂
Cost of the blasting powder used for the purpose of quarrying stones, excavating rocks, &c.375142¹⁄₂
Lighthouse Tower.
Wages of the workmen who were engaged at Skerryvore Rock in building the Tower, and shippingthe materials at Hynish for Rock, including the wages of masons, &c., assisting the other tradesmen in the respectivedepartments of their work, after the completion of the building operations,£2381117
Cost of the wainscot and other articles for the joinery of the interior of the Lighthouse; thewages of the joiners preparing the wood at Hynish, and fitting it up at the Tower,141551
Green heart and oak for treenails, for securing the lower courses of Lighthouse Tower,40104
Plate-glass for windows and borrowed lights inpartitions of Tower,8474
Lewis bats, hinges, &c., for entrance-door and shutters of Tower, and the locks and othermounting for the interior,218152
14 Copper oil-cisterns, a copper-pump, gauging-rods for do.,276107
Cast-iron water-tanks and coal-boxes, for interior of Tower,160139
A large cooking apparatus for kitchen of Tower, a stove to heat the lower apartments, and cast-ironsmoke-tubes for both fire-places,117177
A bell-metal railing for balcony,341131
A bell-metal ladder from rock to entrance-door of Tower,194134
A cast-iron pillar to support floor of light-room,1787
A bell-metal lightning-conductor for Tower, and fixtures,65130
Cast-iron permanent railway on the Skerryvore Rock, from the landing creek to the Tower; a cast-ironplatform near the Tower, and stairs at landing creek,493118
A crane erected at the landing creek, for landing materials on the rock,98132
A copper flagstaff and ball for the top of the Lighthouse Tower, with bell-metal base, fixtures,pulleys, &c.,66108
A brass force-pump, for pumping water up from tanks to kitchen of Lighthouse,31175
Premiums paid the seamen who were employed in the shipping department, in lieu of extra time,45426
Premiums paid 17 seamen who were employed in thebuilding works at the Rock during the season of 1842, in lieu of extra time,121110
Premiums of the landing master at Rock, foreman of masons, &c.,96120
Cost of the furniture, bedding, utensils, books, &c., for the Lighthouse Tower,304610
Sundry furnishings connected with the building of the Lighthouse Tower,—the wages of workmen quarryingstones at Hynish for Lighthouse Tower, previous to opening quarries at North Bay, and the wages of workmen, and furnishings for thegeneral purposes of the works,1386185¹⁄₂
Cost of three models, in stucco, of different forms of the Lighthouse,2246
Cast-iron water-tanks, which were built and secured into recesses of the rock, for the supplyingof the rock works,—new water-casks, and their repairs, for taking off water,17511
Feu-duty, rent of ground, assessed taxes, &c., for the establishment at Hynish,14364
85511910¹⁄₂
Cost of the iron and steel which were used for all the departments of the works, 129935¹⁄₄
Lightroom and Apparatus.
Cost of the lantern of cast-iron, with facings of bell-metal, including the cleaning and trimmingpaths, and bell-metal ladder outside of lantern, and the wages of the contractor’s workmen fitting them up at Skerryvore,£863136
Plate-glass for the lantern,26846
Copper dome of lantern, including the internal frame of do., drip-pan, copper steps,handles, air-tubes, rain-water pipes, a platform outside of dome for cleaningthe vents, with the wages of the contractor’s workmen fitting them up at Skerryvore,348169
Machinery of the revolving apparatus, and brass case for do. complete; three machines for pumpingthe oil for supplying the burner; the expense of the lamps, fountains, &c.; and bell-metal frames for annular lenses, zones,pyramidal lenses, &c., with the wages of the contractor’s workmen fitting up the above apparatus at Skerryvore,1244106¹⁄₂
The charge of Mr François of Paris furnishing eight annular lenses, and two spare do., with eight catadioptricframes of the first order for lower part, and eight pyramidal lenses, with mirrors, for upper part,£76200
Expense of transporting the whole apparatus to Leith,79710
841710
Cost of two bells, and one spare do., used during foggy weather,£10763
Shafting for do.; bevel wheels, levers, hammers, &c., connecting with the machinery of apparatus,631411¹⁄₂
17112¹⁄₂
Eighteen screens for lantern, cased with iron, and brass mounted, with rollers, &c., and thetime of workmen fitting them up at Skerryvore,4876
Air watch-bells from lightroom to bedrooms and kitchen, time of workmen fitting them up at Skerryvore,and furnishings for the complete working of do.,34130
Brass medallion heads and copper tubes forventilation of lightroom,896
Wood and workmanship making models of the catadioptric zones to a full size, and a brass modelof frame for zones to a small scale,2212
385156
Salaries, Agencies, and Office Expenses.
Salaries of the Engineer, Surveyor, Clerk, and Store-keeper, including expenses of the surveyof the rocks and adjoining Islands,£3262105
Agency of the Agent at Aberdeen, who made the monthly payments to the workmen’s relatives, andfor some time superintending the making of tools; and the agency of the Lighthouse Agent at Greenock transacting business for the works,2941311
Iron safe, &c., books, and other stationery for the various departments of the works,991010
3656152
Petty disbursements and miscellaneous expenses, made on account of the general purposes of the works, 30879
Lightkeepers’ Houses.
Wages of workmen, quarrying, dressing, and building the stones of houses at Hynish for light-keepers,building the brick partitions and lining of walls, and the wages of joiners executing the joiner-work,£189362
Timber and other articles used in the joinery of the houses,462199
Plumber-work of roof, including the expense of bringing the water into the houses, &c.,963186
Bricks for partitions, lining of external walls, &c.,73100
Pavement for floors, water-cisterns, &c.,51160
Workmanship, executing the plaster-work (the lime being charged in a special account for this article),381211
Glass for glazing the windows and fan-lights,20123
Locks, hinges, and other mounting for the doors and windows,1011111
Cans for the chimney heads,9166
Furniture, bedding, utensils, &c., supplied for these houses,29904
391544
Pier at Hynish.
Wages of masons, quarriers, carters, labourers, &c., quarrying, dressing, and building the stonesof a pier at Hynish for the landing and shipping of materials,£2300171¹⁄₂
Iron rails for the works of building the pier,53101
Timbers for fenders of pier, and other purposes connected with the building of it,130194
Cost of a pont for building the pier,106811
2591155¹⁄₂
Dock or Harbour for Tender.
Wages of workmen, quarrying, dressing, and building stones to form a talus wall and parapetalong the south side and round the point of the pier at Hynish; raising the pier one course; excavating rock in the interiorof the harbour or dock and along the point of pier; quarrying, dressing, and building the stones of boom-heads and walls ofdock; excavating reservoir and forming embankment of do, for scouring sand, &c., from the dock; forming the feeders toreservoir, and the tail-race from reservoir to dock, refreshments to workmen during night and tide works, &c.,£6676106
Timber for double set of boom-gates of dock, copper for sheathing their ends, and mounting for booms,10126
Timber used in constructing coffer-dams, and for the general purposes of the harbour works,135180
Cost of two sluices, and of the machinery, &c., complete for working them,81140
Two cast-iron ladders for sides of pier and dock,1319
Cost of sea-boots, &c., and keeping them in repair, which were used by the workmen at tide works,26120
Cost of silt-pumps, and furnishings of leather, &c.,for making others, and keeping them in repair,9100
Compensation paid the tenant of the farm of Hynish, for liberty to cut drains for a supply of waterfor a reservoir,500
Two signal lamps, two torches, turpentine, &c., for signalizing when the tender enters the dock at night,5148
705535
Total,£89,817611
Deductions—
Price of steamer “Skerryvore,” sold,£161606
Do. of sloop “Queen,” sold,20000
Do. of 4 Stone Lighters, sold,22500
Do. of Horses and Carts, sold,6000
Implements sold or afterwards used at other works of the Board,738810
283994
£86,977177