On the 24th of July, Lord Justice-Clerk Hope, Lord Boyle, Dr Hope, Mr Hamilton, and Mr James Spreull, besides Lady Charlotte Hope and Mrs Hamilton, embarked at Leith in the Light-house Yacht, to visit the Bell Rock. The wind being at SW., and blowing hard, the vessel had to put into Arbroath till the 26th, which prevented the Lord Justice-Clerk and his Lady from visiting the Light-house; but the rest of the party having remained, they had a most convenient landing on the Rock; were highly gratified with their visit, and returned in the Yacht to Leith on the 28th.
1811, September.
State of things at the Rock.
In the course of his annual voyage to the Northern Light-houses, the writer, on the 27th September, touched at Arbroath, and had the satisfaction to find that the Light-keepers’ houses were nearly in a habitable state, while the Signal-tower was ready for the plaster-work. Having landed on the following day at the Bell Rock, with Mr James Haldane, who had accompanied him thither on his first visit in the year 1800, they did not fail to express their mutual congratulations on the successful result of those operations which, on the former occasion, had been contemplated at a very distant view. On examining the Light-house, every thing was found to be in good order, and Mr Reid, and his assistants, quite satisfied with their habitation. Mr Dove had completed the copper flag-staff, and also the iron-grating on the outside of the Light-room, for the greater conveniency of cleaning the windows: Mr Slight had made great progress in fitting up the oak partitions, beds, and interior finishing of the house; and had dismantled the upper parts of the Beacon-house, which was now reduced to its state in 1809, as represented in [Plate VIII.] At low-water, all hands were engaged at the Railways to fortify them also for withstanding the storms of winter; and it was chiefly for this purpose that the principal beams of the Beacon-house were preserved on the Rock. It had been originally intended to erect a stone-slip for the conveniency of landing, till, from experience, it was found that the iron Railways were more suitable to the circumstances of the place than solid masonry; the waves acting with much more force on the solid wall, than on the open railways.
Tender goes adrift.
On the 12th of this month, the Smeaton having been, for several days, at the Rock, landing stores and articles for the artificers, unluckily broke adrift by the failure of the mooring-chain. As it came to blow fresh from W. NW., she narrowly escaped shipwreck; and having been driven eastward as far as Dunnottar Castle, it was not till Tuesday the 15th that she returned. This shewed the uncertainty of making the Tender fast to moorings at the Rock, excepting in fine weather, and pointed out the propriety of keeping her under-way, during her future casual attendance for the supply of the Light-house. This arrangement, however, required that the mate and one seaman should be left on board, while the master and other two were at work in the boat.
Boats suitable for the Bell Rock.
“Bruce’s boat.”
It may here be noticed, that a boat, in order to be at once safe and convenient for landing at the Bell Rock, should measure not more than from 14 to 16 feet in length of keel. A boat, therefore, of a proper size for parties visiting the Light-house from the shore, will be found too large for landing at the Rock; because, when she has still a depth of water to float her into the several creeks, the tide has not sufficiently ebbed to afford shelter from the breach of the sea, even when there is but a slight swell on the Rock. In like manner, she requires to lie too long in floating off again, and is consequently more apt to be damaged than a smaller boat. A decked vessel, with a float-boat of the dimensions mentioned above, is the safest; or, if a large open boat is used to go from the shore, it should not be less than 20 feet in length of keel, carrying a small boat, upon the plan of “Bruce’s Two-half boat.” This description of craft may be conveniently stowed into the fore-peak of a large boat, and, when put to use, the two-halves are screwed together with great facility, and used with perfect safety as one boat. For this ingenious contrivance, the public are indebted to the late Mr James Bruce, of the Naval Yard establishment, Leith.