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

While the writer was at Edinburgh, he was fortunate enough to meet with Mrs Dickson, only daughter of the late celebrated Mr Smeaton, whose works at the Edystone Light-house had been of such essential consequence to the operations at the Bell Rock. Even her own elegant accomplishments are identified with her father’s work, she having herself made the drawing of the vignette on the title-page of the Narrative of the Edystone Light-house. Every admirer of the works of that singularly eminent man, must also feel an obligation to her for the very comprehensive and distinct account given of his life, which is attached to his Reports, published in three volumes quarto, by the Society of Civil Engineers. Mrs Dickson being, at this time, returning from a tour to the Hebrides and Western Highlands of Scotland, had heard of the Bell Rock works, and from their similarity to those of the Edystone, was strongly impressed with the desire of visiting the spot. But, on inquiring for the writer at Edinburgh, and finding from him that the upper part of the Light-house, consisting of nine courses, might be seen in the immediate vicinity, and also, that one of the vessels which, in compliment to her father’s memory, had been named “The Smeaton,” might also now be seen in Leith,—she considered herself extremely fortunate; and having first visited the works at Greenside, she afterwards went to Leith to see “The Smeaton,” then loading for the Bell Rock. On stepping on board, Mrs Dickson seemed to be quite overcome with so many concurrent circumstances, tending in a peculiar manner to revive and enliven the memory of her departed father; and, on leaving the vessel, she would not be restrained from presenting the crew with a piece of money. “The Smeaton” had been named spontaneously, from a sense of the obligation which a public work of the description of the Bell Rock owed to the labours and the abilities of Mr Smeaton. The writer certainly never could have anticipated the satisfaction which he this day felt, in witnessing the pleasure it afforded to the only representative of this great man’s family. Mrs Dickson’s stay in Edinburgh was short, as, in seeing so much of the Bell Rock works, she had accomplished the chief object which brought her to this side of the country. On her return to the neighbourhood of Kendal, the place of her residence, she had the kindness to send the writer a portrait of her father, together with the vignette of the Edystone Light-house.

Mr David Logan joins the Works at the Rock.

At the Bell Rock, Mr Peter Logan, foreman builder, was reinforced by the able and active exertions of his son Mr David Logan, who was now relieved from attendance at the work-yard of Arbroath, where the stone-cutters had just completed their operations. In the mean time, the walls of the Light-house were progressively rising, and, on Friday the 6th, the artificers laid the Seventy-first course, consisting of 16 stones, and shifted the foot of the Balance-crane from the kitchen to the bed-room, about 42 feet above the bridge. A considerable time was, therefore, occupied in raising a stone from thence to the top of the building. To remedy this, as formerly alluded to, a beam was projected from the western window of the light-room store, where a winch-machine and apparatus were placed, with which the stones were raised from the bridge to the level of the window-sill. The chain of the balance-crane was then lowered, and hooked into the Lewis-bat of the stone, which was thus hoisted up, and laid in its place on the building, as will be fully understood by examining the progress of the work in [Plate IX.] This additional tackle from the store-room window gave a wonderful facility to the operation of raising the stones; for, though the time of working upon the walls of the building was now extended to the whole day, yet the period of landing the materials upon the Rock was still unavoidably confined to the few hours during which it was left by the tide at low-water.

Saturday, 7th.

The Patriot is seven days in being cleared of a cargo.

The landing-master’s crew commenced at 4 o’clock this morning, and transported 24 blocks of stone and 8 dove-tailed joggles to the Rock in the course of the day, which cleared the Patriot of her cargo, when she sailed for Arbroath, having now been no less than 7 days on the birth. This was, therefore, the most tedious trip since the first cargo of this season, which, as before noticed, had been on board of the Smeaton for 11 days. The stones landed to-day could not be raised to the top of the building, as the joiners had possession of the upper apartment, where they were fixing the framing used for supporting the floor-stones, while building. The stones were, in the mean time, left chiefly on the Rock, though a few were laid upon the bridge.

Saturday, 8th.

Progress of raising the Stones.

To-day the Seventy-second course was laid. The mill-wrights, in the mean time, made preparations for fitting up another winch-apparatus on the bed-room floor, similar to that already described for the store-room, by projecting a beam from its western window, which was to form another stage for lifting the materials. When, therefore, a stone was landed on the Rock, and conveyed along the Railways, within reach of the winch-apparatus upon the bridge, and raised to its level, it was next hooked by the chain of the winch on the store-room floor: having attained that height, it was laid hold of by the chain of the machinery on the bed-room floor; and last of all, it was hooked to the chain of the balance-crane, by which it was raised to the top of the walls and laid in its place. The series of machinery now in motion on the Bell Rock, was very complete, and gave great facility to the landing of the materials. A set of tackle was at work at the landing-cranes on the eastern and western side of the Rock, for lifting the stones from on board of the Praam-boats, and laying them on the waggons: from thence they were wheeled along the Railways to the bridge; from which they were successively lifted, as has been described, by the machinery upon it; then by that in the store-room; next by that in the bed-room, and last of all by the balance-crane,—as will be more particularly seen in the third year’s work of [Plate IX.], and in the General View of the Works, [Plate XVIII.]