A raft of timber goes adrift.
The wind was at S.S.E., with strong gales, accompanied with a heavy breach of sea, so that the boats could not land, and there was consequently no work done to-day. The ship had also such a rolling motion, that the people could not be collected on deck, as usual, for reading prayers. The wind was at east, accompanied with a pretty heavy swell of sea to-day, so that it was not without considerable difficulty that the boats landed, when two hours’ and a quarter’s work were got, having been on the Rock from three quarters past 7 till 10 A. M. But in this state of the weather a landing was not attempted in the evening. In the course of this night, a raft of six Norway logs, intended for laying the railways over certain gullies or inequalities of the rock, drifted from one of the floating buoys to which it had been made fast. It was afterwards picked up by some fishermen in the Firth of Forth, near Anstruther, who were paid L. 2 for their trouble, in name of salvage and expences.
Tuesday, 25th.
The weather was more settled to-day, and the sea had become much smoother. At a quarter past 8 A. M. the work commenced, and left off again at half-past 11, after an excellent tide’s work of three hours and a quarter. The masons were chiefly employed at the foundation of the building,—the millwrights and joiners at the railways,—the blacksmiths were kept busy at both operations,—while the landing-master’s crew took part in the whole.
The boats landed again in the evening at 8 P. M., and the foundation having been cleared, the artificers began to the low-water works at a quarter past 9, and continued till 11. After an hour and three-quarters’ work they left the rock, but the joiners and blacksmiths had been employed on the beacon since morning.
State of things, at night, upon extinguishing the torches.
The wind being at S.E. this evening, we had a pretty heavy swell of sea upon the rock, and some difficulty attended our getting off in safety, as the boats got a-ground in the creek, and were in danger of being upset. Upon extinguishing the torch-lights, about twelve in number, the darkness of the night seemed quite horrible; the water being also much charged with the phosphorescent appearance which is familiar to every one on ship-board, the waves, as they dashed upon the rock, were in some degree like so much liquid flame. The scene, upon the whole, was truly awful.
Wednesday, 26th.
The first, or foundation course is finished to-day.
The work on the rock began this morning at 9 o’clock, and left off at a quarter past 12 noon, when the tide overflowed the site of the building. The masons then went on board of the Tender, but the smiths and joiners, as usual, continued their operations on the beacon. The weather being moderate, the boats landed again in the evening, at a quarter past 10, and left off at midnight, having had altogether four hours’ and three quarters’ of low-water work to-day, when the last of the eighteen detached pieces of stone, forming the Foundation-course, were laid. The several holes or cavities in it, varying in depth from six to eighteen inches, had now been built up with stones, exactly cut and fitted to their respective places, as represented in [Plate XV.]; and which brought the whole surface to a uniform level.