The Patriot arrived at the Bell Rock this evening at 9 o’clock, with a cargo of the cornice-stones; but, as it blew a fresh gale from the N.E., the Tender’s boat could not make fast her hawser to the moorings, and she was obliged to stand in for the Bay of Arbroath. There being, of course, no building materials on the Rock, the artificers were employed in dressing off and polishing some of the joints in the interior of the Light-house. At high-water to-day, it being now the time of spring-tides, there was a great deal of sea upon the Rock: considerable sprays rushed up to the smith’s gallery on the Beacon, and the water occasionally rose in jets to the height of 40 feet upon the building.
Friday, 20th.
Ceremony observed at loading the last stone at Leith.
The gale from the N.E. still continued so strong, accompanied with a heavy sea, that the Patriot could not approach her moorings; and, although the Tender still kept her station, no landing was made to-day at the Rock. At high-water, it was remarked, that the spray rose to the height of about 60 feet upon the building. The Smeaton now lay in Leith loaded; but the wind and weather being so unfavourable for her getting down the Firth , she did not sail till this afternoon. It may here be proper to notice, that the loading of the centre of the Light-room floor, or last principal stone of the building, did not fail, when put on board, to excite an interest among those connected with the work. When the stone was laid upon the cart, to be conveyed to Leith, the seamen fixed an ensign-staff and flag into the circular hole in the centre of the stone, and decorated their own hats, and that of James Craw’s, the Bell Rock carter, with ribbons; even his faithful and trusty horse Bassey, was ornamented with beaus and streamers of various colours. The masons also provided themselves with new aprons; and, in this manner the cart was attended in its progress to the ship. When the cart came opposite the Trinity-House of Leith, the officer of that Corporation made his appearance, dressed in his uniforms, with his staff of office; and when it reached the harbour, the shipping in the different tiers where the Smeaton lay, hoisted their colours, manifesting, by these trifling ceremonies, the interest with which the progress of this work was regarded by the public, as ultimately tending to afford safety and protection to the mariner. The wind had fortunately shifted to the S.W.; and about 5 o’clock this afternoon the Smeaton reached the Bell Rock. The writer had also the satisfaction soon afterwards to see the Patriot made fast to her moorings; but there was still too much sea to admit of landing upon the Rock.
Monday, 23d.
Many Strangers visit the present interesting state of the Works.
The present interesting state of the Light-house, which had now attained the height of 90 feet, induced a great many strangers to visit the Bell Rock, while the machinery was in operation, and the Light-house and Beacon were connected with the wooden-bridge; and beams were projected from the windows of the store-room and bed-room, for the suspension of the tackle with which the stones were raised. The Stone-lighters and Tender also lay in the offing at this time, while the Praam-boats were occasionally at the landing creeks on the eastern and western sides of the Rock, delivering the stones, which were afterwards wheeled along the railways. The whole, as shewn in [Plate XVIII.], afforded great pleasure, and excited the surprise of many visitants, who often endured much hardship in open boats, on a passage of from 12 to 20 miles, from the shore. Two parties, under these circumstances, landed to-day, among whom were Messrs Gellatly and Macpherson, accountants, from the Greenside works at Edinburgh. This being the fifth day of the gale, much relief was felt at the Rock on the arrival of the boats.
Tuesday, 24th.
Difficulty of landing and raising the stones of the Cornice.
At 6 o’clock this morning, Captain Wilson and his people left the Tender to load the praam-boats with stones from the Patriot, so as to be ready at tide time for landing them on the Rock. In the course of this day, the whole of the Eighty-third, and 2 stones of the Eighty-fourth courses were landed in safety, which greatly relieved the writer’s mind as to the practicability of landing the stones of the Eighty-fifth course, forming the balcony-walk and light-room floor, as shewn in Plates [XIII.] and [XVI.] The stones of this course measured 7½ feet in length, and weighed upwards of one ton each. For the safety of these unwieldy and more delicately formed stones, Captain Wilson had made some very judicious arrangements. In particular, he had procured pieces of matting, and the seamen of the Tender and Floating-light had been at work for some time, preparing additional defenders, made of old ropes. By a proper application of these, the stones went safely through the progressive stages of being taken from the hold of the Smeaton, and laid on the decks of the praam-boats, after which they were delivered by the landing-apparatus on the Bell Rock, laid on the stone-waggons, conveyed along the railway to a centrical position under the bridge, and raised by four different sets of tackles to the top of the building, as will be understood by examining Plates [IX.] and [XVIII.] These several movements were fortunately accomplished with all the stones, without even a trifling injury being done to any of them. The writer, in the course of this day’s work, remarked, that, from the time that one of these large blocks was laid upon the waggon at the landing-apparatus, till it reached the top of the building, then about 95 feet in height, it required, on an average of eight observations, at the rate of 14 minutes for each. Though the number of stones landed to-day was only 18, yet there being still some remains of sea from the former gale, much care and attention became necessary in the management of these unhandy materials. The landing-master’s crew, who were frequently working up to the middle in water, were occupied till 10 o’clock at night before they returned to the Tender. The building-artificers were no less constantly employed, though they only laid 8 stones of the Eighty-fourth course to-day, after continuing their operations till 9 o’clock P. M.