1819.
Permanent Railways completed.
In the course of the summer of 1819, Mr James Slight, and his brother Alexander (who had assisted throughout the works in making moulds for the stone-cutters, and in other operations requiring neat and ingenious workmanship), together with Messrs George Dove, Robert Selkirk, James Glen, James Scott, Alexander Brebner, and John Mitchell, completed the remaining parts of the western and southern-reaches of the railways, by the addition of a number of large cast-iron stays or braces, as represented in Figs. 13, 14, and 15, of [Plate X.] The bats of these new railways were wedged with timber and iron in the usual manner, and the feet of the supports, with their bats and spear-bolts, were plastered over with Roman-cement, with a view to secure them against the effects of oxidation.
Improvement on the entrance to the Light-house by a ladder of brass.
By taking the stores from the railways to the entrance of the Light-house up the sloping exterior wall, the joints of the courses at that part had been somewhat injured. The access also to the door had hitherto been only by a rope-ladder, or, to strangers, by a suspended chair, which was hoisted up by the crane fixed to the building. Both of these were liable to accidents and decay, from the wearing of the ropes by frequent use. In order, therefore, to prevent injury to the building, and to remove these defects, two strong bars of brass, of the same composition as the thunder-rod, were fixed on the building, from the door down to the rock, to answer the purpose of skids; and steps of the same metal, being attached to these bars by screw-bolts, a substantial and convenient ladder, or rather flight of steps, was thus constructed; and, as this apparatus became a fixture, ready entrance to the Light-house was provided for, and could on all occasions of emergency be safely obtained. A connection being also formed between this metallic-stair and the kitchen-chimney, a thunder-rod was thus obtained for the interior as well as the exterior of the house; the whole including the stair, weighing about 3133 pounds, or about 1 ton 8 cwt. of brass.
Sprays rise 105 feet.
In the course of the three last winters, the weather had been so uncommonly mild, that the sea, as appears from the Light-house Returns, had rarely risen upon the building higher than from 30 to 50 feet. But, in October 1819, there were some very severe gales, accompanied with heavy seas, the sprays of which, on the 24th, rose to the height of 105 feet above the Rock. The water had struck the light-room with such force at this time, that one of the assistants, then on watch, started from his seat, imagining that some serious accident had occurred. The writer having landed on the 20th November following, examined into the precise state of matters upon that occasion, when it was stated, that it appeared as if a bucket or two of water had been thrown with violence against the Light-room windows. Mr Reid, principal Light-keeper, and Mr Taylor, commander of the Tender, also confidently observed, that this was the most severe gale which they had experienced since they were connected with the service. It may, perhaps, therefore, be concluded, that the maximum force of the sea at the Bell Rock is to raise the sprays to the height of about 105 feet above the surface of the Rock.
A piece of the highest part of the Rock carried away.
These storms had proved so severe, that the Rock actually lost about 18 inches of its height, a fragment of that thickness having been carried away from the highest part. This spot the workmen had significantly termed “The Last-hope,” as marked on [Plate VI.], in allusion to the imminent hazard which the party on the Rock had incurred in the year 1807. The removal of this highest stratum is the more particularly noticed, as forming a link in the chain of probabilities, leading to the conclusion of the Bell Rock having once been of much greater extent.
1820.