In the year 1793, when Admiral Cochrane addressed his letter to the Light-house Board, its surplus funds amounted only to a few hundred pounds; a sum so inadequate to meet the necessary expenditure of such a work, that the Commissioners judged it better for the interests of navigation, to go forward with the less expensive improvements on other parts of the coast, aware that nothing essential could be undertaken at the Bell Rock without the effectual aid of Government.
In this state, matters were allowed to rest till the great storm in December 1799, already noticed, which roused the public mind to fresh speculations about the necessity of some erection being made upon the Bell Rock; not merely as a local improvement, but as one essentially calculated to benefit the ships navigating the German Ocean, by opening the Firth of Forth more effectually as a place of safety in easterly storms, so that the Bell Rock, in place of being the dread of mariners, might in future become a point from which they would take their departure, and for which they might steer in sailing for the coast. Nautical and commercial men, especially, were interested, and felt this state of things in its fullest extent. Remarks were accordingly made in several of the periodical publications of the day, calling the attention of the public to the erection of a light-house there, as a subject of national importance.
In order to advance this object, the Corporation of the Trinity-House of Leith, made public advertisements, calling on persons likely to produce some practical plan that might lead to the means of making the erection in question. This, of course, produced various propositions on the subject.
Designs for the Bell Rock Light-house.
Designs by Captain Brodie and Mr Couper.
The late Captain Joseph Brodie of the Royal Navy, prepared and brought forward a model of a cast-iron light-house, supported upon four pillars, to be built and connected together in a very strong manner. This model was made by Mr Joseph Couper, Iron-Founder in Leith, who, in conjunction with Captain Brodie, proposed to erect a light-house on this plan on the Bell Rock, on being authorised to draw certain duties from shipping for their mutual remuneration. With this view, they sent their model, and made certain propositions to the different commercial towns on the coast, as Newcastle, Dundee, and Aberdeen. After having been at considerable trouble and expence with this scheme, as a private adventure, these gentlemen applied to the Commissioners of the Northern Light-houses, requesting their inspection of this model. The design, however, was not altogether approved of by the Light-house Board, in the form in which it had been modelled; yet such was the confidence of its projectors, that at different times, in pursuance of their plan, they erected two temporary beacons, constructed with spars of fir-timber; these unfortunately were almost immediately washed down. The Merchants of Leith, applauding the great perseverance of these gentlemen, aided their exertions by a subscription of about L. 150, when they erected a third beacon on the Bell Rock on a more extended scale. It consisted of four spars of fir-timber, each about 40 feet in length, strengthened by flat bars of iron, laid the lengthway of the spars, which were kept in their places by rings or hoops of iron, firmly wedged over them. These spars, when erected upon the rock, formed a common diameter of about 20 feet at the base, and crossed each other about 6 feet from the top. They were let into holes made in the rock, of about ten inches in depth, and were fixed by straps of iron, forming bats of about two inches square, and about six inches in length, which were also let into the rock, and run up with melted lead. At the place of junction, near the top, the spars were bolted together with iron, and above this, they were connected with small pieces of timber, nailed to the principal spars. After much labour and difficulty, with the assistance of a number of workmen, this temporary erection was fixed on the Bell Rock, in the month of July 1803. In the month of August the writer landed on the rock and examined it; but when the gales of winter set in, this erection also disappeared, having never been seen after the 20th of December. Nothing further was attempted to be done upon the Bell Rock till the author commenced the Light-house operations in the year 1807, by direction of the Commissioners of the Northern Light-houses.
Make further proposals to the Light-house Board.
Not discouraged, however, by the failure of these trifling works, Captain Brodie and Mr Couper addressed a letter to the Light-house Board, in which an offer was made to erect a cast-iron light-house, in the space of two years, agreeably to the model already alluded to, and on the following terms, viz. L. 6000 to be paid over to them during the first year of the work, together with the produce of a certain Duty for the erection, to be exacted from shipping, as a Northern Light, until the original cost of the work should be paid off. But this description of building having been considered objectionable, Captain Brodie proposed to construct a new model, upon an improved plan, by which the base of the building, instead of being raised on pillars, was to be continuous, with small interstices or holes in its circumference, or outer casing, to admit the water into the interior void, with a view to lessen the weight and expence of metal, and check the force of the sea. But this also appeared to the Commissioners to be defective, when compared with an erection of stone, like the Eddystone and Tour de Corduan Light-houses.
Captain Brodie’s remuneration.
Captain Brodie having, however, shewn a most laudable zeal in this work, and considering that he must have expended a sum of money beyond what had been subscribed for the erection of the Spar Beacon, the Commissioners proposed to make him a liberal allowance for the last model, to the preparation of which they had given their countenance. He was accordingly requested to state the expence of this model, with a view to his reimbursement. But, under an erroneous impression, he brought forward an account, containing an enumeration of charges connected with the Bell Rock, from the year 1792; and by applying these items to the imaginary profits of trade, the sum amounted to several thousand pounds. This appeared so contrary to the views of the Commissioners, that the account was returned, with an offer of L. 400 in full of all claims. This sum, however, was refused, and another proposition made, that the Board should apply to Government to have his services publicly rewarded. But it was finally intimated, that L. 400 were at his disposal; and here the matter rested till after Captain Brodie’s decease, when that sum, with interest, was, in 1816, paid to his widow.