She was no sooner launched, than her rigging and equipment, in the best manner, were undertaken by professional people; but the inspection of the interior fitting and accommodations was kindly undertaken by the late Provost Balfour of Arbroath, a gentleman who took great delight in architectural pursuits, and who, upon all occasions, felt the most lively interest in the operations of the Bell Rock. In order that this vessel might stow two large boats upon deck, and be got as quickly as possible under sail, in the event of her breaking adrift, she was rigged as a schooner; and that, by the application of a tackle from each mast, the boats might be conveniently managed, in getting them in and out of the vessel. The Sir Joseph Banks being only 81 tons register, it was necessary to lay out the births, for the several departments of the service, with all possible attention to the economising of room. The forepeak was accordingly fitted up with a coboose for cooking; immediately aft of this birth, a compartment was set off for the ship’s company and the landing-master’s crew, with births for fifteen sailors. But Jack is by no means ill to satisfy with his sleeping-place, and it was often found necessary to encroach upon the allotted number for this birth, according to the exigencies of the service. The waist or middle of the ship was set apart for the artificers, and was capable of containing forty men. Still proceeding aft, a small birth was set off for the mate and steward, which communicated both with the artificers’ birth, and also with the cabin for the engineer’s assistants, the landing-master, and the captain of the tender. In the sternmost part of the ship, a cabin was fitted up for the use of the writer; the whole being found extremely commodious and suitable. From the great proportion of the ship required for the birthage of seamen and artificers, the hold of this small vessel was much curtailed, there being hardly more room left than was sufficient for containing a stock of provisions, water and fuel, for any length of time, besides stowing two or three tiers of casks of lime, cement, and other necessaries for the use of the work.
Praam-boats, or Stone-lighters.
Continuing the description of the marine part of the establishment, we next notice three new praam-boats, or stone-lighters, built for conveying the building materials to the Bell Rock, from the vessels employed in bringing them from the work-yard at Arbroath. The term Praam-boat is applied to a certain description of Norwegian boats, having their stem and stem rounded after a peculiar fashion. The introduction of this phrase, in the Bell Rock service, was purely accidental, having been applied, by Captain Grindlay, Master of the Trinity-House of Leith, to the first or experimental stone-lighter, from its resemblance to the praams of Norway. Those now alluded to, however, were built of a more rounded form, after the Dutch manner. They measured over all, on deck, about 28 feet by 8 feet 6 inches, and their depth of hold may be stated at 2 feet, for, being built by different carpenters, they were not exactly of the same dimensions. They had a considerable spring or sheer, and were constructed for carrying their cargoes entirely upon deck, which formed a kind of cockpit in the waist, having a high gunwale on each side, and a break, both fore and aft, as will be seen in [Plate XI.], the first tier of stones seldom reaching above the level of the gunwale. They had, consequently, little or no hold, having only what was sufficient for stowing some pig or cast iron ballast, a few empty casks, with the necessary warps, kedge-anchors, and grappling-irons.
Precautions taken for rendering them water-tight and buoyant.
These lighters were built of uncommonly strong materials, both in their timbers, outward planks, and ceiling or lining, which last was caulked and secured in a manner similar to that described for the Floating-light, so that although the outward skin were damaged, by striking or rubbing on the rock, there would still be an additional defence against sinking. Such, however, was the presentiment of danger attached to the landing-department, that besides the precaution of a water-tight lining, each praam was provided with twelve strong empty casks, which were stowed in the hold, and were sufficient to float and render her buoyant, in case of accident. The praams, therefore, became so many life-boats moored in the neighbourhood of the rock.
Method of mooring the Praam-boats.
These praams had but one hawse-hole, and that they might ride more easily at their moorings in the open sea, it was placed amid-ships, and as low or near the water-line as possible. The chain-hawsers with which they were connected to their respective floating-buoys and mushroom-anchors, were made of rod-iron, one-half inch in diameter, turned into as short links as possible. This piece of chain was about five fathoms in length, and was attached to the praam by a strong hook, connected with her bits, the farther end being made permanently fast to the mooring-chain of the mushroom-anchor. From the lowness of the hawse-hole, and its central position in the praam, and from having only a short piece of chain to carry, which connected the boat to the mooring-buoy, may be attributed the astonishing ease and safety with which these boats rode at anchor. So remarkable was this, that while the tender, and the other vessels in the service, were tossed about, and shipping a great deal of sea, and even at times obliged to slip their moorings, the praams floated with an easy undulating motion, and were generally as dry upon deck during a gale, though loaded with ten tons of stone, as if, to use a sailor’s phrase, they had been riding in a mill-pond. The facility, also, with which the praams were attached and disengaged from their moorings, was another very great conveniency to the work. In unmooring them, all that became necessary was to unhook the hawser-chain from the bits, and throw it overboard, with a small floating-buoy attached to it, for the purpose of suspending the hawser-chain for the time. In the same manner, in making the praams fast to their moorings, this chain was simply to be laid hold of, by taking the small floating-buoy on board. The chain was then slipped into the hawse-hole, by a corresponding slit in the stem of the praam, and then attached to the bits, when the process was complete. By inspecting the diagrams in [Plate XI.], this process will be better understood.
Attending Boats.
The two cutters or boats employed last year for transporting the artificers from the Floating-light to the Bell Rock, were found to be rather too small in rough weather. They measured 16 feet in length of keel, 5 feet 3 inches in breadth, on the mid-ship thwart or seat, and 2 feet 6 inches in depth. These boats were of as large dimensions as the floating-light could stow, after making the necessary allowance for ranging her cables on deck. They had square sterns, were rowed with four oars, and accommodated twelve sitters, including sailors. But the Sir Joseph Banks being entirely fitted as a tender for the works, the stowing of large landing-boats became a principal object. Her boats were therefore made as large as possible, due regard being had to their convenient management and fitness for the small creeks or landing-places at the rock. After a careful consideration of these circumstances, it was resolved that the two new attending-boats should measure 20 feet in length of keel, 5 feet 8 inches in breadth, and 2 feet 10 inches in depth. They were rowed with eight oars, double banked, or two upon each thwart, and could accommodate eighteen sitters each. They were round in the stern, fitted with a backboard and a convenient seat for the cockswain, who steered with a yoke and lines, instead of a tiller.