An Account of the Bell Rock Light-House / Including the Details of the Erection and Peculiar Structure of That Edifice; to Which Is Prefixed a Historical View of the Institution and Progress of the Northern Light-Houses

by Robert Stevenson

Crane erected at western Wharf.

Although stones had hitherto been occasionally landed on the western, as well as the eastern side of the Bell Rock, according to the state of the weather; yet, as the railways and apparatus of the eastern creek were much sooner in a working condition than those of the other, and being only 90 feet from the Light-house, while the western Railway extended to 290 feet in length, as will be seen from Plates [VI.] and [XVIII.], the eastern creek was generally used in all directions of the wind, when the weather was moderate. To-day, however, the wharf at the western creek had been completed to its full extent, and one of the moveable-beam cranes was erected at it, upon a piece of frame-work constructed of Norway logs, forming also a platform employed in landing the stones.

Two stones upset by the Sea.

In the course of last night, the wind had blown pretty strongly from the S.E., and towards morning it shifted to the S.W., which created a considerable swell of sea. Owing to the time unavoidably occupied in the shifting the balance-crane, and fitting the brass cases for the Lewis-bat hinges of the window-shutters of the provision-store, together with the eagerness, and even impatience of Captain Wilson, the landing-master, on all occasions, to get his part of the business accomplished by the speedy delivery of the stone-vessels, he had landed both the Thirty-first and Thirty-second courses, which were thus piled in rather too great a number at the western side of the building. During the night, though the range of the sea was considered trifling, yet it had upset two of the stones, which, when the tide left the Rock, were found lying at some distance with the Lewis-bats turned downwards. These two courses, being too much at the mercy of the waves, were raised to their places on the building, and, though not laid with mortar for the present, were, nevertheless, out of the reach of heavy seas, and more at the command of the artificers.

A Praam boat is sent from the Rock with her cargo.

Although the praam-boats, from their built, and the construction of their moorings, rode easily with a cargo on deck, as formerly noticed, yet a certain risk also attended this state of things, and the writer rather wished the Smeaton and Patriot to remain at their station, with the stones on board, until an opportunity was afforded of landing and getting them at once laid in their places upon the building. One of the praam-boats had, however, been brought to the Rock with 11 stones, notwithstanding the perplexity which attended the getting of those formerly landed taken up to the building. Mr Peter Logan, the foreman builder, interposed, and prevented this cargo from being delivered, but the landing-master’s crew were exceedingly averse to this arrangement, from an idea that “ill luck” would in future attend the Praam, her cargo, and those who navigated her, from thus reversing her voyage. It may be noticed, that this was the first instance of a Praam-boat having been sent from the Bell Rock with any part of her cargo on board, and was considered so uncommon an occurrence, that it became a topic of conversation among the seamen and artificers.

At 1 P. M. the bell rung for prayers, which were read by the writer in the Beacon; after which the artificers went to dinner, and the work again commenced and was continued till 9.

Monday, 11th.

The first operation of the building-artificers this morning, was to lift the two courses laid on the top of the walls last night, and build them with mortar; some of the stones of the upper course, in the mean time, being stowed round the foot of the balance-crane. These two courses consisted each of 16 stones, besides the dove-tail joggles for connecting the perpendicular joints, as shewn in diagrams of [Plate XIII.] The landing-master’s crew proceeded this morning to discharge the Patriot, and having loaded the Hedderwick Praam-boat, she was towed to her moorings to remain until the stones could be received at the Rock. In the afternoon the Patriot sailed; and in the evening the Smeaton arrived from Arbroath with another cargo, bringing also letters, papers, provisions, water, and fuel for the Beacon.

Tuesday, 12th.