The boats landed this morning at a quarter from 8 o’clock, and the artificers left off work at half-past 10. During the evening’s tide, the operations were again continued with torch-light, from half-past 7 till 11 o’clock P. M., having to-day had four hours and three-quarters work upon the rock.
Force of the sea upon the Rock.
A remarkable fact may here be mentioned as an evidence of the force of the sea upon the Bell Rock. The reader may remember, that the mushroom anchor, with its chain and buoy, which had drifted during the very hard gale of the 6th September 1807, were found upon the Rock after the gale: at that time the buoy and chain were taken up, but the anchor having got into a pretty large hole or cavity of the rock, no convenient opportunity occurred for lifting it last season. No doubt, however, was entertained that a mass of iron, weighing about a ton, without any timber or buoyant matter attached to it, would remain in this position undisturbed, till a convenient time should occur for recovering it. But, at the commencement of the works this season, to the surprise of every one, the anchor in question could not be seen. To-day, however, it was discovered at the opposite side of the Rock, by one of the smiths who was at work upon the highest platform of the beacon; and the weather being extremely fine, it was weighed or lifted by the landing-master’s crew. For this purpose, spars were laid across two boats, between which the anchor was made fast: as the tide rose the boats floated, and the anchor thus suspended, was conveyed to one of the vessels in the offing; when a chain and buoy being attached to it, it was again laid down in a proper birth, as the moorings of one of the praam-boats.
Sunday, 26th.
The weather kept still very favourable for the operations at the rock, though, from the prevailing fogs, it was not only inconvenient, but hazardous, to ply even in the short distance between the rock and the vessels in the offing. The boats landed this morning at half-past 8, and again returned to the Tender at 12. In the evening, they landed at half-past 8 and continued with torch-light till half-past 11 P. M., having had five hours work during the two tides.
Monday, 27th.
The weather was still thick and hazy, but the sea kept smooth, and the tides were very favourable, so that in the morning, the artificers were at work from half-past 8 till half-past 11 o’clock; and in the evening, from a quarter past 9 till midnight; or had altogether five hours and three-quarters work to-day.
The writer wishing, in such favourable weather, to try the practicability of bringing the Stone-lighters directly into the landing creeks of the Rock, with the stones and building materials, by which great facility might occasionally be given to the work, in landing the stones directly from the vessels, instead of doing it on all occasions by loading and discharging the praam-boats; an experiment was accordingly made this evening, and the sloop Smeaton was towed into the eastern creek, when it was ascertained that her cargo, in such weather, might have been very speedily landed. But when the tide left the rock, the vessel heeled to the one side, her sails hung loose, and she had so much the appearance of a wreck, that the sight cast an immediate gloom particularly upon the countenances of the seamen, to whom a vessel, in this state, could not be viewed without some degree of horror. Whether it was partly from this circumstance, or that the tide and weather would so seldom answer this nice operation, or that the landing-master’s crew had become so expert in transporting the praam-boats, the idea of laying the stone-vessels upon the rock, was, from this night’s experiment, completely abandoned.
Tuesday 28th.