Pilot boat accidentally comes to our relief.
The writer had all along been considering of various schemes,—providing the men could be kept under command,—which might be put in practice for the general safety, in hopes that the Smeaton might be able to pick up the boats to leeward, when they were obliged to leave the rock. He was, accordingly, about to address the artificers on the perilous nature of their circumstances, and to propose, That all hands should unstrip their upper clothing, when the higher parts of the rock were laid under water; that the seamen should remove every unnecessary weight and encumbrance from the boats; that a specified number of men should go into each boat, and that the remainder should hang by the gunwales, while the boats were to be rowed gently towards the Smeaton, as the course to the Pharos or floating-light lay rather to windward of the rock. But when he attempted to speak, his mouth was so parched, that his tongue refused utterance, and he now learned by experience that the saliva is as necessary as the tongue itself for speech. He then turned to one of the pools on the rock and lapped a little water, which produced immediate relief. But what was his happiness, when, on rising from this unpleasant beverage, some one called out “A boat, a boat!” and, on looking around, at no great distance, a large boat was seen through the haze making towards the rock. This at once enlivened and rejoiced every heart. The timeous visitor proved to be James Spink, the Bell Rock pilot, who had come express from Arbroath with letters. Spink had, for some time, seen the Smeaton, and had even supposed, from the state of the weather, that all hands were on board of her, till he approached more nearly, and observed people upon the rock; but not supposing that the assistance of his boat was necessary to carry the artificers off the rock, he anchored on the lee-side and began to fish, waiting, as usual, till the letters were sent for, as the pilot-boat was too large and unwieldy for approaching the rock, when there was any roughness or run of the sea at the entrance of the landing creeks.
The boats have a rough passage from the rock.
Upon this fortunate change of circumstances, sixteen of the artificers were sent, at two trips, in one of the boats, with instructions for Spink to proceed with them to the floating-light. This being accomplished, the remaining sixteen followed in the two boats belonging to the service of the rock. Every one felt the most perfect happiness at leaving the Bell Rock this morning, though a very hard and even dangerous passage to the floating-light still awaited us, as the wind, by this time, had encreased to a pretty hard gale, accompanied with a considerable swell of sea. The boats left the rock about 9, but did not reach the vessel till 12 o’clock noon, after a most disagreeable and fatiguing passage of three hours. Every one was as completely drenched in water as if he had been dragged astern of the boats. The writer in particular, being at the helm, found, on getting on board, that his face and ears were completely coated with a thin film of salt from the sea spray, which broke constantly over the bows of the boat. After much baling of water and severe work at the oars, the three boats reached the floating-light, where some new difficulties occurred in getting on board in safety, owing partly to the exhausted state of the men, and partly to the violent rolling of the vessel.
Smeaton bears away for Arbroath.
As the tide flowed, it was expected that the Smeaton would have got to windward, but, seeing that all was safe, after tacking for several hours, and making little progress, she bore away for Arbroath, with the praam boat. As there was now too much wind for the pilot-boat to return to Arbroath, she was made fast astern of the floating-light, and the crew remained on board till next day, when the weather moderated. There can be very little doubt, that the appearance of James Spink with his boat, on this critical occasion, was the means of preventing the loss of lives at the rock this morning. When these circumstances, some years afterwards, came to the knowledge of the Board, a small pension was ordered to our faithful pilot, then in his seventieth year; and he still continues to wear the uniform clothes and badge of the Light-house service.
Indispensable utility of the Beacon-house.
The experience of this day’s hard passage to the floating-light strongly impressed the writer with the inconveniency and danger arising from the want of a proper tender, which could be cast loose at pleasure, and brought to the lee-side of the rock, and could, at all times, be moored nearer than it would have been safe or proper to have risked a vessel of the description of the floating-light. Another circumstance, no less deeply interesting to the safety of those on the rock, was the erection of the beacon-house, as a place of refuge in cases like the present. Here the writer could not help congratulating himself not only upon the near prospect of completing this work, but also on the perseverance with which he had maintained the indispensable necessity of the erection of the beacon. He was aware of the well grounded fears for the safety of all concerned, in the event of its being washed away by the sea; but, without such an erection on the Bell Rock, it is impossible to describe the continual hazard which must have attended the undertaking, or to determine the period when works so peculiarly situate, and especially so low in the water, might have been brought to a conclusion.
Thursday, 3d.
Eighteen of the artificers decline embarking for the rock.