Sunday, 20th.
Prayers first read on the Light-house.
The wind was southerly to-day, but there was much less sea than yesterday, and the landing-master’s crew were enabled to discharge and land twenty-three pieces of stone, and other articles for the work. The artificers had completed the laying of the Twenty-seventh or First course of the staircase this morning, and in the evening, they finished the boring, trenailing, wedging, and grouting with it mortar. At 12 o’clock noon, the Beacon-house bell was rung, and all hands were collected on the top of the building, where prayers were read, for the first time, on the Light-house, which forcibly struck every one, and had, upon the whole, a very impressive effect. The artificers then went to their barrack to dinner, and the landing-master’s crew went off to the Tender. In the afternoon, the remainder of the Smeaton’s cargo was discharged, and she sailed for Arbroath at 11 P. M.
Monday, 21st.
Active exertions of the landing-master’s crew.
The Patriot had arrived at Arbroath with the last cargo of stones from Mylnefield Quarry for the Light-house, on the 19th, and was fully discharged to-day, and was now fitting with her ballast and platform for carrying off the worked materials to the Rock. The wind being at south, caused a considerable swell on the Rock, and it was with great difficulty that the landing-master got the remaining ten stones of the Smeaton’s last cargo landed from the Hedderwick. His crew were not only completely drenched, but were much exhausted with the fatigue of pulling the loaded praam-boat against the swell of the sea; and on reaching the Rock, it required their utmost exertions to prevent her from driving to leeward upon the rugged ledges which encumbered the eastern creek.
Tuesday, 22d.
Thirty-first course completed.
The dispatch made by the Smeaton in performing her trips between Arbroath and the Bell Rock, was quite surprising, being seldom more than one day absent. On the last trip, for example, she had only left the Rock on Sunday night at 11, and this morning at 8 o’clock, she returned to her moorings with thirty-five pieces of stone. Of these, seventeen were landed to-day, with which the Thirty-first course of the building was completed, and the remainder of the day was occupied in boring the trenail holes in the lower course, fixing the trenails and wedges, and grouting the whole carefully with mortar.
Wednesday, 23d.