It was a general remark at the Bell Rock, as before noticed, that fish were never plenty in its neighbourhood, excepting in good weather. Indeed, the seamen used to speculate about the state of the weather from their success in fishing. When the fish disappeared at the Rock, it was considered a sure indication that a gale was not far off, as the fish seemed to seek shelter in deeper water, from the roughness of the sea, during these changes of the weather. At this time, the Rock, at high-water, was completely covered with podlies, or the fry of the coalfish, about six or eight inches in length. The artificers sometimes occupied half an hour after breakfast and dinner in catching these little fishes, but were more frequently supplied from the boats of the Tender. This evening the landing-master’s crew brought to the Rock a quantity of newly caught codfish, measuring from 15 to 24 inches in length. The membrane called the sound, which is attached to the back-bone of fishes, being understood to contain, at different times, greater portions of azote and of oxygen than common air, the present favourable opportunity was embraced for collecting a quantity of this gas in a drinking-glass, inverted into a pail of salt-water. The fish being held under this glass as a receiver, their bladders were punctured, and a considerable quantity of gas was thus collected. A lighted match was afterwards carefully introduced into the glass, when the gas exhibited in a considerable degree the bright and luminous flame which an excess of oxygen is known to produce.
Saturday, 16th.
Cause of ground swells.
The weather was hazy, and the wind had shifted to-day from west to east, accompanied with a heavy ground-swell in the sea. At the Bell Rock, this was sometimes observed to be the precursor of a gale, while, on other occasions, the swell did not make its appearance till the force of the wind had ceased. Many speculations have been made by naturalists upon the probable cause of ground-swells, so often observed by seamen, and which sometimes appear even without the accompaniment of wind, either before or after. To account for this, it may be noticed, that the waters of the German Ocean or North Sea, from their connection with the Atlantic Ocean, are often affected by gales of westerly winds, which never reach our shores, though they have the effect of forcing an undue portion of the waters of the Atlantic into the British seas, which tend to overfill all the friths and bays, producing the phenomenon of a ground-swell;—a condition of things which may also be supposed to follow from the account given of the gale experienced by the writer off Flamborough-head, on the 19th September 1809, described at page [320].; which might as readily have been checked in its progress, by the contrary wind, before it reached the northern shores, as off the coast of England. This subject is further illustrated by the writer in a paper read before the Wernerian Society, on the bed of the German Ocean, and given in the Appendix, No. [V.]
Landing-master’s dress, and activity of his crew.
The landing-master having this day discharged the Smeaton, and loaded the Hedderwick and Dickie praam-boats with 19 stones, they were towed to their respective moorings; when Captain Wilson, in consequence of the heavy swell of sea, came in his boat to the Beacon-house, to consult with the writer as to the propriety of venturing the loaded praam-boats with their cargoes to the Rock, while so much sea was running. After some dubiety expressed on the subject, in which the ardent mind of the landing-master suggested many arguments in favour of his being able to convey the praams in perfect safety, it was acceded to. In bad weather, and especially on occasions of difficulty like the present, Mr Wilson, who was an extremely active seaman, measuring about 5 feet 3 inches in height, of a robust habit, generally dressed himself in what he called a Monkey Jacket, made of thick duffle-cloth, with a pair of Dutchman’s petticoat-trowsers, reaching only to his knees, where they were met with a pair of long water-tight boots; with this dress, his glazed hat, and his small brass speaking-trumpet in his hand, he bade defiance to the weather. When he made his appearance in this most suitable attire for the service, his crew seemed to possess additional life, never failing to use their utmost exertions when the captain put on his “storm-rigging.” They had this morning commenced loading the praam-boats at 4 o’clock, and proceeded to tow them into the eastern landing-place, which was accomplished with much dexterity, though not without the risk of being thrown, by the force of the sea, on certain projecting ledges of the rock. In such a case, the loss even of a single stone would have greatly retarded the work. For the greater safety in entering this creek, it was necessary to put out several warps and guy-ropes, to guide the boats into its narrow and intricate entrance; and it frequently happened that the sea made a clean breach over the praams, which not only washed their decks, but completely drenched the crew in water.
Want of the western wharf.
On this, as on many other occasions, the want of the western wharf was particularly felt; for, although it had long been used with great advantage in the ordinary traffic of the Rock, and was now carried to its full extent, it was still not fit for all the purposes of landing weighty materials, otherwise the landing operations would have been accomplished with much more ease and facility to-day. So much, however, had been to do in boring the rock, inserting iron-bats and other operations, accessible only at the lowest tides, that, although Mr Watt and his squad of artificers had embraced every opportunity, by day and night,—for this work to the last was carried on by torch light,—yet the wharf of the western railway was not entirely completed.
Operation of shifting the Balance-crane. Its properties.
The building-artificers were employed to-day in raising the Balance-crane to the light-room-store, where it was supported upon two beams of oaken timber, which were made to rest upon the outward extremity of the floor, or close to the wall of the house. The removal of the crane from one storey to another was attended with considerable trouble. The body of the crane, as will be understood by examining Plates [IX.] and [XVII.], was raised upon the shaft at every two or three courses which were added to the height of the building. This mode might have been continued throughout, without once raising the foot of the crane, by simply adding to the length of the shaft. But, all things taken into view, it was considered preferable to lift the whole machine from floor to floor. This was accomplished in the following manner: Two beams of fir-timber were laid across the walls of the house, on which the body of the crane was rested. This new position did not prevent the purchase-tackle of the crane from being worked, and it was therefore applied to lift the foot and the four lengths of the shaft, which were laid aside till successively wanted in the course of building. The foot, with two lengths of the shaft, being placed upon the oaken beams above alluded to; a cutter or spear-bolt was passed through one of the numerous holes in the shaft; when the beams on which the body of the crane rested on the walls being removed, the crane was again in a complete working condition. The Balance-crane had therefore the property of being applicable to raising itself, from stage to stage, as well as of laying the stones, and preserving its equilibrium when loaded. In case, through inattention or accident, an undue proportion of weight had been brought upon one end of the beam of the crane, as was the case when the door-lintel was laid, four spurs or diagonal supports of oak, were attached to the shaft, the lower ends of which rested upon the floor and butted against the wall, while the upper ends fitted into a collar or circular piece of cast-iron, which embraced the shaft immediately under the body of the crane. These preparatory operations occupied a great part of this day, after which there was no further delay occasioned by the Balance-crane, till it was again to be raised to the next floor, except the occasional lifting of the body, and applying additional lengths to the shaft, as the building rose, things which were accomplished without retarding the work.