As the weather was extremely fine, with light airs of wind from the east, we landed without difficulty upon the central part of the rock at half-past 5, but the water had not yet sufficiently left it for commencing the work. This interval, however, did not pass unoccupied; the first and last of all the principal operations at the Bell Rock were accompanied by three hearty cheers from all hands, and, on occasions like the present, the steward of the ship attended, when each man was regaled with a glass of rum. As the water left the rock about 6, some began to bore the holes for the great bats or holdfasts, for fixing the beams of the Beacon-house, while the smith was fully attended in laying out the site of his forge, upon a somewhat sheltered spot of the rock, which also recommended itself from the vicinity of a pool of water for tempering his irons. These preliminary steps occupied about an hour, and as nothing further could be done during this tide towards fixing the forge, the workmen gratified their curiosity, by roaming about the rock, which they investigated with great eagerness till the tide overflowed it. Those who had been sick picked dulse (Fucus palmatus), which they ate with much seeming appetite; others were more intent upon collecting limpets for bait, to enjoy the amusement of fishing when they returned on board of the vessel. Indeed none came away empty handed, as every thing found upon the Bell Rock was considered valuable, being connected with some interesting association. Several coins, and numerous bits of shipwrecked iron were picked up, of almost every description; and, in particular, a marking-iron lettered James,—a circumstance of which it was thought proper to give notice to the public, as it might lead to the knowledge of some unfortunate shipwreck, perhaps unheard of till this simple occurrence led to the discovery. When the rock began to be overflowed, the landing-master arranged the crews of the respective boats, appointing twelve persons to each. According to a rule, which the writer had laid down to himself, he was always the last person who left the rock. Another maxim was, to allow the landing-master’s boat to proceed about twice or three times her own length a-head of the other boats, that in case of accident he might be ready to assist; and when he had thus cleared the rock, he waited till the others got out of the respective creeks; after which they proceeded in company. Upon the present occasion, the boats reached the tender about half-past 8, after having been two hours upon the rock, and three hours absent from the ship.
In a short time, the Bell Rock was laid completely under water, and the weather being extremely fine, the sea was so smooth, that its place could not be pointed out from the appearance of the surface,—a circumstance which sufficiently demonstrates the dangerous nature of this rock, even during the day, and in the smoothest and calmest state of the sea. During the interval between the morning and the evening tides, the artificers were variously employed in fishing and reading, others were busy in drying and adjusting their wet clothes, and one or two amused their companions with the violin and German-flute.
Method of fixing iron-bats into the Rock.
About 7 in the evening the signal bell for landing on the rock was again rung, when every man was at his quarters. In this service it was thought more appropriate to use the bell than to pipe to quarters, as the use of this instrument is less known to the mechanic than the sound of the bell. The landing, as in the morning, was at the eastern harbour. During this tide, the sea-weed was pretty well cleared from the site of the operations, and also from the tracks leading to the different landing-places; for walking upon the rugged surface of the Bell Rock, when covered with sea-weed, was found to be extremely difficult, and even dangerous. Every hand that could possibly be occupied, was now employed in assisting the smith to fit up the apparatus for his forge. The frame-work of iron, forming the hearth, was now got into its place; and the four legs which supported it were let into holes, bored from six to twelve inches into the rock, according to the inequalities of the site: and then firmly wedged, first with wood, and then with iron, a method followed in all the operations of batting at the Bell Rock, and found greatly preferable to running in melted lead. The block of timber for supporting the anvil was fixed in the same manner, on which the anvil was simply laid, without any other fixture than the small stud, fitted as usual into its seat, depending upon the gravity of the mass for preserving its place against the effects of the sea. In this state things were left on the rock at 9 P. M., when the boats returned to the tender, after other two hours work, in the same order as formerly, perhaps as much gratified with the success that attended the work of this day, as with any other in the whole course of the operations. Although it could not be said that the fatigues of this day had been great, yet all on board retired early to rest. The sea being calm, and no movement on deck, it was pretty generally remarked in the morning, that the bell awakened the greater number on board from their first sleep; and, though this observation was not altogether applicable to the writer himself, yet he was not a little pleased to find, that thirty people could all at once become so reconciled to a night’s quarters within a few hundred paces of the Bell Rock.
Wednesday, 19th.
Landing-master’s duty.
It was a rule laid down and adhered to by the writer, throughout the whole of the Bell Rock works, that, as far as possible, the charge should be arranged into departments. It therefore fell to the officer termed the Landing-master, who was also master of the Floating-light, to take the responsibility of the safe and proper landing of the artificers and materials upon the rock. With him, the writer generally arranged the business of the following day; his crew watched the ebbing of the water, and the appearance of the rock, and from the state of the weather, he judged of the proper time for causing the signal bell to be rung, when the boats were to leave the ship for the rock. It was also a special injunction laid upon him to say, from the state of the weather, when it was necessary for the boats to leave the rock and return to the tender.
Indications of the weather.
Being extremely anxious at this time to get forward with fixing the smith’s forge, on which the progress of the work at present depended, the writer requested that he might be called at day-break to learn the landing-master’s opinion of the weather, from the appearance of the rising sun, a criterion by which experienced seamen can generally judge pretty accurately of the state of the weather for the following day. About 5 o’clock, on coming upon deck, the sun’s upper limb or disk had just begun to appear, as if rising from the ocean; and in less than a minute he was seen in the fullest splendour; but after a short interval he was enveloped in a soft cloudy sky, which was considered emblematical of fine weather. His rays had not yet sufficiently dispelled the clouds which hid the land from view, and the Bell Rock being still overflowed, the whole was one expanse of water. This scene in itself was highly gratifying; and when the morning bell was tolled, we were gratified with the happy forebodings of good weather, and the expectation of having both a morning and an evening tide’s work on the rock.
Wednesday, 19th.