OPERATIONS OF 1838.
~Temporary Barrack on Rock.~
The hazardous nature of the anchorage, and the consequent difficulty of
mooring a vessel in the neighbourhood of the Skerryvore Rock, induced
me, from the first, to consider it as a matter of great importance,
even at a large expenditure of time and money, to erect some temporary
dwelling on the Rock for the accommodation of the people engaged in the
work, with the view of rendering the operations less dependent on the
state of the sea, which varied with every wind. So important, indeed,
did this object appear to me, that I was at times apt to look upon it
as an indispensable step towards ultimate success. That opinion was
amply confirmed during our first season’s operations, by the experience
of the oft-recurring difficulty of returning to the moorings when
driven away by stress of weather, together with the daily risk and loss
of time in landing the workmen in small boats, even in weather when
they could be profitably occupied if once placed on this small _terra
firma_. With this view, I naturally turned to the same plan which had
been adopted at the Bell Rock, where the temporary barrack stood the
test of five winters. That structure, which is represented in Plate
No. V., and is particularly described in the Appendix to my father’s
Account of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, consisted of an open framework
of six logs, about 47 feet long and 13 inches square, assembled in
such a manner as to form by their union a hexagonal pyramid, on the
top of which rested a wooden turret; the whole erection rising to the
height of about 60 feet above the rock. This pyramidal framework was
strongly trussed and tied; and, being open at the lower part, offered
little resistance to the waves. The upper part contained a gallery for
keeping various stores and such materials as could not be safely left
on the Rock, even in the finest weather; but it was framed of lighter
materials, so as to admit of its yielding easily to any extraordinary
waves, without involving injury to the principal part of the structure,
by offering great resistance to the sea. The turret on the top was in
the form of a twelve-sided prism, 12 feet in diameter, and 30 feet
high, and was securely attached, by means of the ties and braces shewn
in the drawing, to the apex of the pyramid, which entered into the
lower part of it. The small space which the turret afforded was, with
the utmost economy of room, divided into three storeys, of which the
lower was entirely taken up by the kitchen and the bread-store, a great
deal of room being occupied by the main beams of the pyramid which
passed through its centre. The next storey was subdivided into two
chambers, of which one was appropriated to the foreman of the works and
the landing-master, while the other was set apart for myself; and the
top storey, which was surmounted by a small lantern and ventilator,
formed a barrack room, capable of containing 30 people. Of the comforts
and discomforts of this habitation I shall at some future time have
occasion to speak. I merely draw attention to its erection at present,
as an operation, which it was most desirable should precede every
other work on the Rock. One of the first proceedings, therefore, was
to obtain estimates for the preparation of this log-house, which, in
order to avoid loss of time in making adjustments on the Rock, was to
be carefully fitted up in the workyard of the contractor before being
shipped. Drawings and a specification were accordingly prepared, and
submitted to several carpenters in Greenock, who gave in offers for the
work; and it was finally commenced in the month of March, by the late
Mr John Fleming, who was the successful offerer.
~Tools and Machinery.~
It was also necessary to provide a large assortment of quarriers’
and masons’ tools of every kind; and many cranes, crabs, anchors,
mooring buoys and other implements were ordered, according to detailed
specifications and drawings. These preparations necessarily occupied
the early part of the year 1838.
~Steam Tender for the Works.~
From the extent of the foul ground round the Skerryvore, and the
absence of good harbours in the neighbourhood, it was foreseen at the
outset that the operation of landing about 6000 tons of materials on
the Rock could not be accomplished by means of sailing vessels with
that degree of certainty or regularity which was desirable, in order to
obtain the full benefit of the short working season which the climate
of the Western Hebrides affords; and the necessity for providing a
steam tender was, therefore, generally admitted. It has already been
stated, that, in order to avoid the expense attending the building
of a vessel for this purpose, application was made at the principal
ports of the kingdom, with the view of purchasing a suitable vessel;
but, although twenty-four vessels of nearly the required dimensions
were offered for sale, not one of them was considered fit for such a
service, the great majority being light craft, such as are generally
used in river and port navigation. It was therefore found necessary to
build a steamer; for which purpose, specifications and drawings were
prepared, and after receiving various tenders from respectable parties,
a contract was entered into with Messrs Menzies and Sons, shipbuilders,
and Messrs J. B. Maxton and Co., engineers, both of Leith, for building
a steamer of 150 tons, with two engines of 30 horse power each.
The use of a steamer, at the very outset of the works, would doubtless
have proved of the greatest service in the erection of the barrack
on the Rock, and would have materially lightened our cares and
toils; but I am not sure that I should have acquired so thorough an
acquaintance with the difficulties and dangers of the Skerryvore, or
that I should have been so well prepared for all the obstacles that
presented themselves in the after parts of the work, had the first
season’s operations been conducted under those advantages which are
always derived from the use of steam-power. As it was, we had much to
bear from the smallness of the Lighthouse Tender, named the _Pharos_,
a vessel of 36 tons, new register, which was all the regular shipping
attendance we possessed during this first season; and the inconvenience
arising from her heavy pitching, was, to landsmen, by no means the
least evil to be endured. But the frequent loss of opportunities, of
which we might easily have availed ourselves, if we had possessed the
command of steam-power, and the danger and difficulty of managing
a sailing vessel in the foul ground near the Rock, and between it
and Tyree, were, perhaps, even more felt by the seamen than by the
landsmen; and if the experience of a single year’s work can form any
ground for an estimate of the length of time required for building the
Skerryvore Lighthouse, with a sailing vessel, I should say, we must
still (even in 1845) have been engaged in the masonry part of the work,
which was finished on the 25th July 1842.
~Employment and Wages of Workmen.~
About the middle of April, arrangements were made with Mr Charles
Neilson, a builder in Aberdeen, to select granite masons for the works
at the Skerryvore, as it was expected that the operation of dressing
stones for the Tower would be begun in the ensuing summer; and it was
also obvious, that their services would be required in excavating
seats for the supports of the Barrack-house on the Rock. Masons were
accordingly selected, and engaged on the terms stated in the following
letter to Mr James Scott, the Foreman, who was sent to Aberdeen to
assist in choosing the men:--“Although it is difficult to fix the
precise number of men who may be required, during the progress of the
works, as this must, in some measure, depend upon the produce of the
quarries at Hynish, and of those to be opened in Mull, you may, in the
mean time, engage thirty masons or stone-cutters, twelve quarriers,
and three or four smiths, for two years of certain employment. With
regard to the rate of wages to be paid to the men, this will, in some
measure, depend upon the demand for the season at Aberdeen; it is, at
all events, expected, that they will on no account exceed the rate of
3s. 10d. per day for masons, and 2s. 6d. per day for quarriers, as paid
last season during the long day, or from the 1st of February till 31st
of October; and for the short day during the remaining three months,
3s. for the masons, and 2s. for the quarriers, from 1st November till
31st January.
“It is intended that subsistence money shall be paid to such of the
families or relatives of the workmen as may require it; and that their
wages shall be fully settled monthly, deducting the subsistence money
advanced to their relatives. A Store will be kept at the works by the
Lighthouse Board, from which provisions will be served out at stated
periods, to be fixed by the storekeeper; and these provisions shall be
sold to the workmen at the cost prices at which such stores are laid
in. Barrack accommodation or lodgings, with cooking, will also, as
formerly, be allowed to the men free of expense.”
~Progress of the outfit for the season’s operations.~
Early in the month of May the preparation of the wooden barrack for
the Rock had been completed, and the whole had been set up in the
workyard at Greenock; and when I visited it for the last time about the
5th of that month, I found it all ready for shipment, excepting some
additional iron ties, which I ordered for securing the turret to the
top of the pyramid, which were to be applied at the level of the floor
of the upper or barrack-room storey. I also found that the moorings,
including the mushroom anchors and chains, and the workyard materials,
consisting of several cranes, trucks, a janker for the transport of
timber, and a Woolwich sling-cart for carrying stones to the various
sheds, were in the course of preparation. A large assortment of
masons’ and quarriers’ tools was at the same time ready for shipment
at Aberdeen. Early in June, a vessel called the Duke of Montrose was
chartered to carry coals to Tyree, both for household purposes and for
the work; and two small portable smiths’ forges were prepared for use
on the Rock.
~Embark for Skerryvore.~
In providing the means of efficiently carrying on so many complicated
operations in a situation so difficult and remote, it is impossible,
even with the greatest foresight, to avoid omissions; while delay of
a most injurious kind may result from very trivial wants. Even the
omission of a handful of sand, or a piece of clay, might effectually
stop for a season the progress of plans, in the maturing of which
hundreds of pounds had been expended. Accordingly, although I had
bestowed all the forethought which I could give to the various details
of the preparation for the season (of which I found it absolutely
indispensable to be personally aware, even to the extent of the cooking
dishes), new wants were continually springing up, and new delays
occasioned, so that it was not until the evening of the 23d of June
that I could embark at Tobermory in the _Pharos_ Lighthouse Tender,
commanded by Mr Thomas Macurich, with all the requisites on board for
commencing the season’s operations. Next morning we moored off Hynish
Point about three o’clock, and, from the roughness of the passage, were
not unwilling to land at that early hour. Here I found that Mr Scott,
the foreman of the workyard, had, notwithstanding the unworkable nature
of the Rock, more particularly afterwards noticed, procured about sixty
fine blocks of gneiss, as the produce of the Tyree quarries, which
had been wrought for upwards of 15 months; and had at the same time
completed the masonry of a range of buildings for stores and barracks,
capable of containing upwards of 100 men, and had built about 100 feet
in length of a landing-pier, reaching nearly to low-water mark. A
magazine for gunpowder, of which a considerable stock was required for
quarrying purposes, had also been built; and a piece of garden ground
had been inclosed and stocked for the use of the people to be employed
at the works. Measures had also been taken for inclosing the ground,
which had been feued by the Board from the Duke of Argyll. This day
being Sunday, nothing was done at Hynish, and we waited until next
morning before sailing for the Rock.
_25th June._--Sailed in the _Pharos_ from Hynish Bay this morning about
six, with Mr Scott, the foreman of the workyard, and one or two masons
on board; but, having a foul wind during the early part of the day,
and the weather falling afterwards calm, it was not until three in the
morning of the 26th that we reached the Rock.
~Lay down Moorings, and try to land on the Rock.~
_26th June._--Our first step was to lay down moorings for the tender
as near the Rock as seemed to be consistent with safety. The position
chosen by Mr Macurich, who commanded the vessel, was to the S.S.E. of
the Rock, about a quarter of a mile off, and in 13 fathoms water, on
an irregular rocky bottom. About half-past five I attempted a landing
on the Rock, but there was a great deal too much sea. The vessel was
pitching the bowsprit under at her moorings, and the surf broke into
the creek where landings are generally made, in such a manner as to
render it quite impossible to get near the Rock. After hanging on our
oars in the boat for nearly an hour, in the hope of a smooth lull
between the heavy seas, we returned to the vessel, and, as the wind
still freshened from the S.E., we reefed the mainsail and set the first
jib, and steered for the Mull shores, where, about ten at night, we
came to an anchor in Loch Loich, not far from the Island of Iona.
~Driven to Mull.~
_27th June._--Next day also being unsuitable for attempting to reach
the Skerryvore, the vessel lay in North Bay, and the early part of the
day was spent in a careful examination of the granite Rocks of the
district called _Ross of Mull_, with the view of establishing quarries
there; as our experience of the unsatisfactoriness of working the Tyree
quarries during fifteen months had frequently led me to anticipate the
necessity of soon seeking a supply of materials in some other quarter.
In this district an almost inexhaustible supply of flesh-coloured
granite was found, not certainly of the hardest description, but
singularly equal and homogeneous in its texture. I therefore made a
general survey of the neighbouring localities, with a view to select
the best position for opening quarries and establishing a landing
place or wharf for shipping the materials, as well as for erecting
barracks for the workmen. In the afternoon, I embarked at the call of
Mr Macurich, to attempt another landing on the Skerryvore; but as the
wind soon fell calm, we did very little good until evening, when some
progress was made in stretching across towards the Rock.
~First day’s work on the Rock.~
_28th June._--At nine this morning, we reached our moorings at the
Rock, but there was still so much surf that a landing could not be
attempted till mid-day, when I went with Mr Macurich in the boat, and
with some difficulty contrived to spring on the Rock, after which the
boat returned to the vessel for the rest of the party. While left
alone on this sea-beaten Rock, on which I had landed with so much
difficulty, and as I watched the waves, of which every succeeding
one seemed to rise higher than the last, the idea was for a few
minutes forcibly impressed on my mind, that it might, probably, be
found impracticable to remove me from the Rock, and I could not avoid
indulging in those unaccountable fancies which lead men to speculate
with something like pleasure upon the horrors of their seemingly
impending fate. These reflections were rendered more impressive by
the thought that many human beings must have perished amongst those
rocks. A consideration, however, of the rarity of an opportunity of
landing on the Rock, and the necessary shortness of our stay, soon
recalled me to my duty, and before the boat returned with a few of the
workmen, I had projected some arrangements as to the first step to
be taken in erecting the framework of the barrack-house. The second
landing was more easily effected, as the tide had fallen, and the
landing-place was more sheltered, so that we were the more emboldened
to make a fair commencement of operations. It was a day of great bustle
and interest, the work consisting in chalking out and marking on the
Rock with paint, the sites of the Lighthouse-Tower, and the wooden
barrack, and the positions for cranes, crabs, and ring-bolts for guys
and other tackling, as well as ascertaining such dimensions as would
enable me at once to proceed to fit up the log-house, or barrack, at
our next landing. In that way, we spent four hours on the Rock, much
to the annoyance of the seals and the innumerable sea-fowl, which we
drove from their favourite haunts. During the whole day, the sun had
great power; and the smell from the cast-away feathers and the soil
of the sea-fowl was extremely disagreeable. I was amazed to find that
those animals should select, as their place of repose, a rock in the
Atlantic, intersected by deep gullies which are never dry, with only
one pinnacle, about 5 feet in diameter, raised about 16 feet above the
sea. while the greater part is only 5 feet above high water. Yet, in a
crevice of this Rock, I found an egg resting on a few downy feathers,
which the first wave must have infallibly washed away! After the day’s
work on the Rock, we sailed for Tyree, but did not reach the workyard
till next morning at nine; and a long day of bustle and hurry was spent
there in preparing provisions, timber, ring-bolts, chains and all
sorts of tackling for the operations connected with the erection of
the barrack on the Rock. On the evening of the 30th June, I sailed for
Greenock, whence I trusted soon to return to the Skerryvore with the
whole of the materials, to commence operations.
~Shipment of all the materials at Glasgow and Greenock.~
~Reach Tyree.~
~Driven to Mull.~
~Return to Tyree.~
It seldom happens that human expectations are fully realised,
especially in matters which excite a strong interest in the mind, and
thus lead one to desire a more rapid progress than usual. But this is
peculiarly true in all arrangements which depend on the co-operation of
many persons; and so I experienced on my visit to Greenock and Glasgow,
where I had given orders for shipping all the machinery and apparatus
required for carrying on the works, such as cranes, trucks, boats,
blocks and tackle, anchors, coals, grindstones, stucco, pavement,
mats and fascines for blasting, clay for puddling, shear-poles, and
innumerable small utensils, some of no great value, but all necessary
to the success of the work. The great bulk of those materials were
despatched by a vessel called the _New Leven_, and part by the _Mary
Clark_, on the 24th July; but it was not until the 30th that the
_Pharos_ Lighthouse tender was fully loaded, on the morning of which
day I again embarked at Greenock for the Skerryvore Rock. The weather
proving somewhat unfavourable, we were forced (being very heavily
laden) to pass through the Crinan Canal, instead of going round the
Mull of Kintyre, so that it was not till the morning of the 4th August
that we landed at Hynish, in Tyree. Here I found some farther progress
had been made in building the barracks for the men, some of the houses
being already roofed and slated. The quarries, too, had turned out
stones sufficient for about four of the lowest courses of the Tower, a
quantity which might be estimated at about 7920 cubic feet. Next day
(August 5th), the wind blowing strong from the S.S.W., we were forced
to leave Hynish Bay, and retreat before a very heavy sea to Tobermory.
We immediately sailed again, and made for Loch Erin, a small creek
in the Island of Coll, as being nearer to Hynish and better adapted
for enabling us to take advantage of any sudden improvement in the
weather. On our arrival at this singular natural haven, at nine in the
evening, I was glad to find the _New Leven_, before mentioned as having
loaded materials at Greenock lying already there, waiting a favourable
change of wind. Next morning we weighed anchor, and sailed along with
that vessel for Hynish, where she was immediately discharged of her
cargo, which was chiefly intended for the workyard there, and took in
materials for the erection of the barrack on the Skerryvore Rock.
~First good day’s work on the Rock.~
_7th August._--We this morning took on board various tools and
implements for the Rock, together with workmen to the number of four
carpenters, sixteen masons and quarriers, and a smith, along with Mr
George Middlemiss, as foreman. Having sailed with a northerly wind, we
made a landing about noon, and had what may be called our first entire
day of work on the Rock. Our work was by no means easy, as we had to
erect _shear-poles_ and fix _crabs_ for landing the materials, and to
lash every article that was landed, with great care down to ring-bolts
on the Rock, which a few of the masons were fixing, while the rest of
the people were discharging the vessel. All this was attended with a
good deal of trouble, and it required my constant attention to keep
everything going on in a fair train, so as to prevent one party of
workmen requiring to wait for another; but, after eight hours of very
hard work, I had the satisfaction of seeing all the materials which
had been landed left in a secure state. The extreme smoothness of the
surface of the Rock greatly impeded the landing of materials; for as
yet we had no tramways on which wheeled trucks could be moved, and the
transport by hand of heavy materials over so irregular and slippery a
surface was attended with considerable danger. A short trial was this
day made of boring one of the holes for the stancheons or bats, by
which the timbers of the Barrack were to be secured to the Rock; and
I found, that with a jumper of 3¹⁄₂ inches diameter, a depth of about
3 inches was bored in one hour. The commencement of the operations
involved much labour and considerable discomfort; but it invariably
happened throughout the work, that in spite of all the fatigue and
privation attending a day’s work on this unsheltered Rock, the landsmen
were for the most part sorry to exchange it for the ship, which rolled
so heavily as to leave few free from sea-sickness, and to deprive most
of the workmen of sleep at night, even after their unusually great
exertions during the day.
On leaving the Rock at night we had the greatest difficulty in boarding
the _Pharos_ with two boats containing upwards of thirty-two persons,
as the vessel rolled so heavily, that there was great danger of the
boats being thrown right upon her deck. Next morning (8th August) we
landed, with some sea running, about nine o’clock, before which hour it
was impracticable, owing to the surf in the landing creek. Our first
work was to prepare the tackling for landing the heavy materials from
the _New Leven_, which came up about eleven o’clock, and was made fast
by a warp to the _Pharos_. We next took means for fixing the smith’s
forge on the Rock and preparing the fixtures for the crab, which stood
on the point of rock to the westward (see Plate III.), and served
chiefly for raising the beams of the log-house into their places. The
greater part of the day, till half-past eight in the evening (when it
became dark), was spent in lining off with accuracy the site of the
supports of the wooden barrack, and in landing and fixing by strong
lashings to the Rock, all the principal timbers and iron fixtures.
The spot in which the framework of the first barrack was placed, will
be seen by reference to Plate III. The Rock was at this place a good
deal lower than the site afterwards adopted for the barrack. The high
water of spring-tides rose 2¹⁄₂ feet upon the legs or main beams; but
this site had many advantages, as it left more room for operations at
or near the Tower itself than could have been obtained in any other
position.
~Sudden gale, and great peril to the vessels.~
~Reach Hynish in safety.~
We also made some progress in erecting a wooden shed round the smith’s
forge, to protect him and his fire from the wind and the spray of the
sea. As we left the Rock in the boats, speculating on the prospect
of getting the whole of the materials discharged in the course of
next day, it was remarked that the northern sky was very clear, and
that the wind had entirely fallen. The great and sudden stillness of
the air, which permitted every ripple on the ocean to be heard, was
regarded by Mr Macurich and the seamen generally, as the forerunner of
a change; and the moon, which rose red and fiery, confirmed their fears
of a gale. Nor were they wrong in their forebodings. About midnight
there was a stiff breeze from the S.E., which induced the master of
the _New Leven_ to hoist sail, cast loose from us, and run; and had
not the seaman on watch on the deck of the _Pharos_ fallen asleep in
consequence of excessive fatigue, there can be little doubt we should
have been at once called to follow her example, if, indeed, we had
not led the way. No sooner, however, did Mr Macurich become aware of
the state of the wind, which was blowing very strong at S.S.E. right
into the landing place, than he roused me about two o’clock. At this
time there was a very heavy sea; the little vessel was pitching her
forecastle under, and we had to contend with a strong tide combined
with the wind against us in working clear of the Rock, from which our
moorings were not more than a quarter of a mile to windward; while
from the place where we lay, half of the horizon was foul ground, all
lying to our leeward. We soon set sail, but in vain tried to weather
the sunk rock Bo-Rhua, whose large black mass (after having imagined
ourselves past it) we discovered encircled by a wreath of white foam
within less than a cable’s length of us. The heavy seas we encountered
had greatly deceived us as to our progress, and thick blinding showers
of rain made it difficult to see far beyond the vessel’s head. Such
was the precarious and dangerous position of the vessel, that had an
attempt been made to _tack_ her amidst the surf which came rolling off
the Rock, she would most probably have missed stays, the consequence of
which would have been the inevitable loss of the vessel and of every
soul on board. In this dilemma we were obliged to resort to a less
dangerous expedient, by _wearing_ the ship and running her through the
narrow passage between Bo-Rhua and the sunk rocks, about 300 yards to
the W.N.W. of it, although this was a most hazardous attempt, as we had
then little or no knowledge of that dangerous and intricate passage.
A more anxious night I never spent; there being upwards of thirty
people on board, with the prospect, during several hours, of the vessel
striking every minute. And here I must award due praise to Mr Macurich
for the coolness and intrepidity which he on this occasion displayed,
and the calmness with which he gave his orders to the crew; and as
I stood in the companion, telling him the time at intervals of five
minutes, so as to enable him the better to judge of the vessel’s way
through the water, I could not but remark the necessity for silence on
the part of the master of a vessel in cases of difficulty. The workmen
were told to be getting ready for landing, but we did not make them
aware of the full extent of the danger; and to avoid confusion, they
were not permitted to come on deck. We had no sooner cleared the sunk
rocks already alluded to, than we were in fear of the great reef of
Boinshly, and the heavy seas which were breaking over the foul ground
all round it. In this way we spent a night of almost uninterrupted
anxiety until daylight, and at eight in the morning we came to the
moorings in Hynish Bay, after a hard struggle against wind and tide
and a very heavy sea, which made us hang _dead_ a long time off Hynish
Point. At one time I feared we should have been forced, as I had been,
when returning from my first unsuccessful and discouraging attempt to
land on the Skerryvore in 1836, to go round the west side of Tyree
and Coll, which is a very foul coast; and when we did round Hynish
Point, it was almost at the expense of our boat, which the heavy sea
had nearly swept away from us. After all this anxiety about our safety
and discomfort from rain, wind, and spray, during five or six hours,
we were not sorry to set foot even on the wild shores of Tyree; and I
trust there were none who did not gratefully acknowledge the protecting
care of Almighty God, in preserving us through such peril.
~Detained by bad weather four days at Hynish.~
~Return to the Rock, and have six days of good weather.~
It was not until Monday the 13th that a landing was again effected on
the rock, as the wind continued to blow strongly from the south; and
the intervening four days were spent in Hynish Bay, landing in the
morning, and again returning to the vessel in the evening. During this
time I was engaged in making drawings of some of the lower courses of
the Lighthouse Tower, with a view to fix finally upon dimensions, from
which working drawings and wooden moulds for cutting the stones could
be made. The only alleviation of my impatience at being detained at
Hynish was the satisfaction of seeing some 20 feet of the pier founded
at low water. Late in the evening of the 13th August we again landed on
the Rock, when we found time, before dark, to complete the fixture of
the smith’s forge, which I had been forced to leave unfinished. Even
the short period of work this evening was curtailed by a very heavy
shower, which drenched us to the skin--a great evil, where there are
many people to be accommodated in a small vessel, without room for much
spare clothing, or the means of getting any thing quickly dried. After
this we had an uninterrupted tract of good weather for six days; and as
we landed every morning at four o’clock, and remained on the Rock until
eight, taking only half an hour for breakfast, and the same time for
dinner, we had thus the work of twenty-eight persons for about ninety
hours.
~Erection of the Pyramid of the wooden Barrack.~
After carefully setting out the radial directions in which the six
legs, or main beams were to stand, our next step was to lay off their
approximate distances from the centre of the Barrack, and to clear a
space in the solid Rock of sufficient extent to admit of adjusting the
exact positions of the bats before boring the holes. This operation
involved the necessity of blasting parts of the Rock by very small
shots, the bores being about 1¹⁄₂ inch diameter, and 15 inches in
depth, and so directed as to have the effect of throwing off a thin
superficial crust without shaking the solid part below. The materials
thus quarried in forming the seats for each post were thrown, by means
of tackle, into the deepest pools, to prevent their being driven by the
sea against the timbers of the barrack, and so injuring them.
[Illustration: No. 4.]
[Illustration: No. 5.]
~Mode of determining the length of the Beams, and the sites for their
fixtures.~
For ascertaining the exact length of each of the six beams, which
formed by their union a pyramid of about 21° 30′ of inclination, and,
at the same time, for determining its exact place, in reference to the
centre of the hexagon, both of which elements necessarily varied with
the level of the irregular surface of the Rock, I used the following
simple arrangement:--Each beam being of the greatest length that could
be required, the level and distance from the centre were ascertained
for the longest beam, which, of course, had the lowest seat or rest,
by means of a wooden frame, shewn in the diagram (No. 4), in which
_a a_ is a vertical rod of iron firmly batted into the rock, so as
to coincide with the centre of the pyramid to be formed by the main
beams, and of sufficient length to exceed the greatest variation of
level between the different points where the beams are likely to stand;
_c c_ is a horizontal board which can be freely turned about _a a_
horizontally, and resting upon a small shoulder _d_, and which is equal
in length to the radius of the hexagon, on the horizontal plane at the
level of the lowest beam. On this board is a spirit-level _s_, which
regulates its horizontality; _e e_ is the approximate position of the
lower end of the beam; _f f_ is a _pitched board_, representing the
section of the permanent beam, on a vertical plane passing through
the axis of the pyramid, and also shewing its inclination towards
the centre of the pyramid. As this _pitched board_ is capable of
being moved up or down by sliding through a groove at _g_, it may be
successively applied to the rough surface at _e e_ in the course of
cutting it down, and thus be made truly to represent the position of
the beam, and, at the same time, give the inclination of the surface
_e e_, which must be at right angles to the axis of the beam _f f_.
In this way, by repeated trials, the surface was truly dressed to its
proper inclination, and the length ascertained which required to be
cut from the beam, so as to make it rest on that surface when in its
true position. Hence, also, in the case of all the other beams, the
length which the pitch-board _f f_ was moved upwards through the groove
_g_, beyond the level _c c_, indicated the quantity to be cut from
the end of any given beam.[17] The surface of the Rock, dressed for
the seat of the beam, being thus brought to its proper inclination,
the sliding-board correctly set and the centre line _a a_ of the
beam carefully marked on the Rock, a square board (see fig. No. 5)
representing the cross section of one of the beams, was then put down
at the proper distance, so as to cover the space indicated by the
_pitch-board_ as the site of the beam, and with its centre coinciding
with the radius already traced on the dressed seat or bed. When so
placed, the small round knobs, or ears, _d_ _d_ (No. 5) on this board,
shewed the position of the holes to be bored for the bats or side
fixtures, which, as afterwards shewn in figure (No. 8, p. 88), spread
outwards from the axis of the beam, and thus formed a kind of dovetail.
In order to make the holes capable of receiving the bats and, at the
same time, embracing the timbers of the barrack, a quoin of wood (Nos.
6 and 7) _e_, was put down, with bevelled faces or grooves _g_, cut in
it for directing the motion of the jumper or boring iron _i_, thus:--
[Illustration: No. 6.]
[Illustration: No. 7.]
These holes were bored with jumpers, 3¹⁄₂ inches in diameter, and were
sunk 2 feet deep in the rock. The boring of each hole took upwards of
eight hours, in consequence of the hardness of the material, which
is gneiss, a stone considerably more difficult to bore than even
the granite of Aberdeenshire. The bats or stancheons, although very
accurately forged, were occasionally found not to fit truly, owing to
unavoidable twists in the holes, which arose from _dries_ or veins in
the Rock crossing the line of the hole, and thus disturbing the motion
of the jumper. This gave us much trouble, and shewed that, had we
determined, as I at first contemplated, to cut a lewis-hole, swelling
towards the base, the work would have been almost impracticable. The
mode which I had proposed for executing this operation was to bore a
number of very small holes, inclined at the proper angle, all round the
outside of this lewis chamber, and then to cut out between them; but
this, as our after experience in cutting the foundation of the Tower
proved, would have occupied an extent of time which we should have been
very unwilling to bestow upon a merely temporary erection like the
wooden barrack. Even as it was, and with all the retrenchments that
could be safely adopted, the preparation of the seats for the six outer
or main beams, and those for the six inner braces, employed twelve men
for four days.
[17] The accented letters _e′_, _c′_, _f′_, _g′_, _o′_, _s′_,
in the figure (No. 4), page 85, denote the various parts of the
gauging-rule, when applied to the beam, opposite that to which the
letters _e_, _c_, _f_, _g_, _o_, _s_, in the text, refer.
[Illustration: No. 8.]
After the seats for the timbers had been dressed in this manner, the
carpenters were employed cutting the beams to their respective lengths,
the piece to be cut off being measured, as already stated, by the
length through which the sliding-board _f f_ (No. 4, p. 85) had been
raised above its position on the level platform on which the pyramid
had been erected in the workyard at Greenock. At the same time, the
stancheons (_k k_) in the figure (No. 8, p. 88), and the glands or
collars _e_ _e_ (in figure No. 8), were let into grooves in the beam,
and the holes admitting the screwed bolts _a_ _a_, to pass through the
two stancheons and the beam between them, were bored with an auger,
and widened with a red hot iron. The tops of the beams _b_ _b_ (see
fig. No. 9), having been already fitted in the workyard at Greenock,
so as to meet a hexagonal quoin of hardwood _e_, round which they were
assembled as shewn in the figure (No. 9), straps of iron _d d_, were
made to pass over the top of the whole, and were secured to the beams
with bolts, and a spike at _a_ was driven into the centre to wedge the
timbers tightly up, so as to fill a ring which embraced the exterior
of the whole. It was obvious, that if the sliding-board (described on
p. 85) had indicated the true inclination of the seat on the Rock for
the end of the beam to rest on, as well as its radial distance from
the centre of the pyramid and the corresponding length of the beams,
the top of each beam must necessarily meet in its exact place around
the central hexagonal quoin. The operation of determining the positions
and lengths of such beams on a rugged rock, and placing them with the
accuracy requisite, to insure their _mitering_ truly at the top, was
attended with a good deal of trouble; and I have judged it advisable to
give these details, as they may prove useful to others who may have a
similar work in hand.
[Illustration: No. 9.]
After a good deal of trouble, owing to the lowness of the Rock and
the smallness of its surface, the six main beams, each nearly 50 feet
long, were raised on end by means of shear-poles, and the iron straps
which passed over the top of them, and the ring which embraced the
whole so as to secure them at the top, were fixed with much care. The
temporary guys were removed on the afternoon of the 18th August. A
plummet suspended from the centre of the quoin, after all the six beams
were in their places and the stancheons had been run up with lead, came
within half-an-inch of the centre bar, which was about 40 feet below
the point of suspension, thus indicating an angular deviation of less
than 4′. This is a very good approximation, under all the circumstances
with which we had to contend; and it is chiefly to be imputed to the
very accurate measures pursued in the workyard of the contractor at
Greenock, by Mr George Middlemiss, foreman of the carpenters (who then
acted as superintendent of the contract works), and whose intelligence
and zeal made him, at all times, able and ready to do full justice to
all my suggestions for incurring as little loss of time on the Rock
as possible. The operation of fixing these six beams, which formed,
by their union, a hexagonal pyramid of about 44 feet high, and about
34 feet in diameter at the base, occupied only six days, including
the cutting of the seats and the boring of the holes in the Rock.
Much labour and time were consumed in the mere moving of beams, each
weighing about 13 cwt., over the rugged surface of the Rock, for which
purpose we could only use a small set of shear-poles, with crabs and
blocks, and tackle purchase; and it sometimes happened, that merely
for the purpose of moving a beam, it was necessary to place a special
ring-bolt for holding a _snatch-block_ for a few minutes, in spite of
all the care and forethought which had been bestowed, in selecting
the most advantageous positions for placing them, before the work of
raising the beam was begun. Nor was the necessity for securing every
loose material by means of lashings to the Rock, before leaving for the
night, an insignificant source of delay; for we were sometimes forced
by the waves or the darkness, which drove us from our work, to lower a
beam which was just ready for being fixed and to replace it in a safe
situation.
~Pyramid completed.~
On Saturday the 18th August, the pyramid having been successfully
erected, the men were busied for two hours, before embarking for the
vessel, in collecting and lashing all the loose materials to the Rock,
for the sky gave some indications of a change. As we took to the boats,
I looked at the result of our labours with some satisfaction, not
unmingled with gratitude.
~Mode of living while erecting the Barrack.~
During the week, while we had been engaged in fitting up the main
timbers of the barrack, the weather had been very fine; and except the
long hours of toil and the sea-sickness on board the vessel, there was
nothing to complain of; but the economy of our life while moored for
days off the Rock, was somewhat singular. We landed at four o’clock
every morning to commence work, and generally breakfasted on the Rock
at eight, at which time the boat arrived with large pitchers of tea,
bags of biscuit, and _canteens_ of beef. Breakfast was despatched in
half an hour and work again resumed, till about two o’clock, which hour
brought the dinner, differing in its materials from breakfast only in
the addition of a thick pottage of vegetables, and the substitution
of beer for tea. Dinner occupied no longer time than breakfast, and
like it, was succeeded by another season of toil, which lasted until
eight and sometimes till nine o’clock, when it was so dark that we
could scarcely scramble to the boats, and were often glad to avail
ourselves of all the assistance we could obtain from an occasional
flash of a lantern and from following the voices. Once on the deck of
the little tender and the boats hoisted in, the materials of breakfast
were again produced under the name of supper; but the heaving of the
vessel damped the animation which attended the meals on the Rock, and
destroyed the appetite of the men, who, with few exceptions, were so
little _sea-worthy_ as to prefer messing on the Rock even during rain,
to facing the closeness of the forecastle. As I generally retired to
the cabin to write up my notes, when that was practicable, and to wait
the arrival of my own refection, I was sometimes considerably amused
by the regularity with which the men chose their mess-masters, and the
desire which some displayed for the important duties of carving and
distributing the rations. Even the short time that could be snatched
from the half-hour’s interval at dinner, was generally devoted to a
nap; and the amount of hard labour and long exposure to the sun, which
could hardly be reckoned at less than 16 hours a-day, prevented much
conversation over supper: yet, in many, the love of controversy is so
deeply rooted, that I have often, from my small cabin, overheard the
political topics of the day, with regard to Church and State, very
gravely discussed on deck, over a pipe of tobacco. Perhaps the great
heat below, where upwards of twenty people were confined, might in some
measure account for this wakefulness on board the Tender.
~Shoals of Medusæ seen.~
One beautiful morning, during our stay of six days at the Rock, we
had a visit from a shoal of small fish, whose novel appearance made
me take them for a fleet of some species of Nautilus. Those animals
came in such numbers, that the pale blue silky membranes or sails,
which wafted them before a gentle breeze over the glassy surface of
the ocean, literally covered the water as far as we could see. One of
those animals I sent in a small phial to my friend, Professor Fleming,
then of King’s College, Aberdeen, who assigns to it the Linnean name of
_Medusa velilla_, and says it is noticed by Dr Walker and Mr Pennant,
as a native of Scotland.
~Driven by a gale to Mull.~
~Return to Hynish, and are driven to Coll.~
~Return to the Rock.~
The threatening of the previous night was fully verified by the
succeeding Sunday morning, as a strong southerly wind with heavy
showers, forced us to part from our moorings at the Rock at break of
day, and make sail for Hynish Bay, where we anchored at seven. On
Monday I landed at Hynish; but as the wind, which had increased to a
strong gale, was still rising and inclining more to E., Mr Macurich
summoned me to the boat, when, with much difficulty, and at the expense
of shipping several seas, we reached the vessel which was pitching the
bowsprit under. This soon forced us to run for the Sound of Mull, where
we were detained until Saturday the 25th, on the morning of which day
we again made Hynish Bay; but the wind, which had been less violent
when we started from Tobermory the night before, again commencing to
blow strong from the same unpropitious quarter, we had only time to
land at Hynish, and take on board a salted sheep (which proved a rather
unpalatable addition to our provisions), when we were forced to seek
shelter in our old quarters at Loch Erin in Coll. As we entered Loch
Erin, we saw the _Regent_ (the General Lighthouse Tender) leave the
Sound of Mull, and again put back to Tobermory. Next day (the 26th
August) we left Loch Erin, and boarded the Regent; but the weather
proving boisterous, we were again forced into our old anchorage, while
the _Regent_ proceeded with the Engineer, who was then on his annual
voyage, to Barrahead Lighthouse, without attempting to go near the
Skerryvore. From this date the weather did not prove favourable for
a landing until the 30th, when the wind being N.W., we sailed from
Loch Erin at daybreak, and reached the Skerryvore at ten. We now
discharged all the remaining materials which had been shipped for the
Rock with a view to complete the pyramid of the barrack, which it was
intended should stand the test of a winter, deferring the fixing of the
habitable part till next spring.
~Driven to Tyree.~
~Return to the Rock.~
~Horizontal braces fixed.~
~Driven to Mull.~
~Heavy gale.~
~Timber cast on Tyree.~
~Return to Rock, and farther progress of barrack.~
_31st August._--The last day of August was one of considerable
discomfort. Our landing at four in the morning was attended with great
difficulty and some danger; and throughout the day we were a good
deal incommoded by a thick drizzling rain, which continued without
intermission. About mid-day the sea rose so much as to render it no
longer prudent to delay leaving the Rock, and we therefore embarked.
After lying at our moorings until half-past two, in what, to landsmen,
was a most distressing sea, we slipped and ran for Hynish Bay, which
we reached at 5¹⁄₂ P.M. The weather continued boisterous until next
evening (1st September), when the wind went round to the north, and
at eight all the men were summoned on board; but although we sailed
at daybreak, we could not reach the moorings with daylight; and it
was not till the morning of the 4th September, about four o’clock,
that we could again land on the Rock. We succeeded, in spite of a
very unfavourable day, in remaining till three o’clock, during which
time we fixed the whole of the horizontal braces, and got everything
which we had not been able to secure in its place firmly lashed to the
ring-bolts on the Rock, after which we were forced to leave it for
Mull. The gale continued to blow very hard, without any intermission,
for some days; and on the 6th, some wreck-timber, covered with
goose-barnacles, came ashore among the surf at the beach at Hynish, but
no trace of its history was ever found, nor did any rumour reach us
of a shipwreck having occurred on this coast. It was not till the 8th
that we could again attempt to reach the Skerryvore; when, sailing from
Mull with a fair wind, and taking on board at Hynish nine masons, and
Mr C. Barclay, foreman of the quarriers, we again landed on it at 2¹⁄₂
P.M. We succeeded in getting up the mortar gallery (see Plate V.), and
in fixing some of the diagonal braces, and left the Rock about eight.
A marrot perched on the vessel’s side this afternoon, much fatigued
and evidently desirous to get on board; but the sailors, from some
superstitious dread, would not admit the poor bird.
_10th September._--We landed at four o’clock, and had a long and good
day’s work until daylight left us. We were now within twenty-four
hours at most of completing all that could be expected to be done this
season; and it was with no small anxiety that I observed a change of
wind from N.E. to S.S.W., accompanied by a fall of the sympiesometer;
as in the event of a change of weather at that season, it seemed very
uncertain when we might again land, and still more uncertain whether
our work, in its incomplete state, could resist the winter’s seas.
~Last day’s work on Rock this season.~
~Precaution for the benefit of shipwrecked seamen.~
~View from top of pyramid.~
_11th September._--This was our last day’s work on the Rock this
season. We landed at four o’clock with very great difficulty, and some
danger of having our boats swamped; and we were forced, owing to the
heavy sea which broke upon it, to leave the Rock at high water; but,
about one o’clock, we were enabled to return, as the sea fell a little.
By dint of great exertions, we got the last of the diagonal braces
fixed, and the bats run up with lead and painted, for their protection
against corrosion. We also contrived to remove the greater part of
the tools from the Rock, but some we were forced to leave to their
fate. To the upper part of the pyramid we lashed a water-tight chest,
containing biscuits and a cask of water, to serve as a means of support
to any shipwrecked mariners who might chance to reach the Rock. I also
caused some spars to be lashed at various levels, by way of testing the
effects of the sea; but to how little purpose, the sequel will shew.
Before leaving the Rock, I climbed to the top of the pyramid, from
which I now, for the first time, got a bird’s eye view of the various
shoals which the stormy state of the sea so well disclosed; and my
elevation above the Rock itself decreased the apparent elevation of
the rugged ledge so much, that it seemed to me as if each successive
wave must sweep right over its surface, and carry us all before it
into the wide Atlantic. So loud was the roaring of the wind among the
timbers of the barrack, and so hoarse the clamour of the waves, that
I could not hear the voices of the men below; and I, with difficulty,
occasionally caught the sharp tinkle of the hammers on the Rock. When I
looked back upon the works of the season, upon our difficulties, and,
I must add, dangers, and the small result of our exertions--for we had
only been 165 hours at work on the Rock between the 7th August and
the 11th September--I could see that, in good truth, there were many
difficulties before us; but there was also much cause for thankfulness,
in the many escapes we had made.
After a somewhat precarious embarkation in the boats, and shipping
several seas in our way, we reached the vessel, and immediately set
sail with three cheers, rejoicing to have thus concluded our season’s
work.
~Destruction of the barrack during a gale.~
~Letter from Mr Hogben.~
After spending a few days at Hynish in making various arrangements
for the operations of the next season, which were to embrace the
extension of the pier, the completion of the barracks and the erection
of sheds and workshops for carrying on the dressing of the materials
for the Lighthouse Tower, I left Tyree with the pleasing belief that
the successful termination of our first season’s labours might be
taken as an omen of future success. But how uncertain are even the
most rational sources of satisfaction which Time can furnish! On the
12th November, I received from Mr Hogben, the clerk and store-keeper
at Tyree, the unwelcome intelligence that the Barrack-house had been
destroyed, as was supposed, by the heavy sea of the 3d November; and
as his letters contain all the facts of the case in so far as they
could be collected at the time, I cannot do better than quote them
at full length:--“_Skerryvore Lighthouse Works, Tyree, 5th November
1838._--Dear Sir,--I am extremely sorry to inform you, that the barrack
erected on Skerryvore Rock has totally disappeared. It was seen on
the 31st of October, when I observed no change in its appearance. On
the two following days the weather was showery, with haze, so that
the Rock was not seen; and on the 3d it rained almost all day, with
strong breezes. In the evening the wind increased to a gale, with a
great swell, and an extraordinary high tide. Yesterday (Sunday the
4th) the weather was moderate, but the swell prevented the Rock being
seen from the low ground. Mr Scott and Charles Barclay, however,
having gone to the top of Ben Hynish, got a momentary glimpse of the
Rock through the spray, and both were of opinion that the barrack was
gone. This was not credited by the workmen who had been employed at
it, but this morning we found it to be the case; the Rock was pretty
clearly seen, but no trace of the barrack. From the circumstance of
the yard of a large vessel, and also a piece of a boom, having come
ashore in the direction of the Rock, we think it is not improbable
that some wreck has happened, and that some part of it has been thrown
upon the barrack by the force of the sea. Should any opportunity
occur for going out to the Rock, we shall take advantage of it, in
order to give you farther information on the subject. I remain, &c.
(Signed) WM. S. HOGBEN.” A subsequent letter from Mr Hogben is of the
following tenor:--“_Skerryvore Lighthouse Works, Tyree, 10th November
1838._--Dear Sir,--This morning, Charles Barclay, with a boat and four
men, went out to the Rock to view the site of the barrack; and, the
weather being moderate, he got a good landing. The following is the
state in which he found everything:--The whole barrack timbers had been
carried away, excepting the long beam next the place where the crab
stood which drew up the beams, and about seven feet of the long beam
opposite the place where the other crab stood. The former of these
beams had fallen in the direction of the highest part of the Rock, and
had drawn one of the iron stancheons 16 inches. The latter was all
in splinters, with one of the iron stancheons broken, and the other
bent. The rest of the stancheons were broken at the point between the
round and the flat, and some of them were drawn about 9 inches. The
iron hoop which bound the top of the beams was lying at the distance
of about the length of the beams to the eastward of the centre of the
barrack, having one of its screws broken. Five large wooden knees were
remaining, a ladder partly broken, some moulds for taking the angle of
the beams, and most of the quarry and masons’ tools. The grindstone
was thrown from the top of the Rock into a deep hole on the side next
Tyree, a distance of about 12 yards, apparently whole. The smith’s
forge had disappeared, and the anvil had been thrown about 8 yards
to the N.E. of the place, where it was left; it was brought ashore,
along with the hoop which encircled the top of the barrack. The iron
posts which supported the bellows were standing. The crab on the S.W.
side was thrown from its place to the east side of the site of the
barrack, a distance of about 15 or 20 yards, and was dashed to pieces,
excepting the axle, handles, pinion, and the trunk of the barrel. The
other crab was thrown from its place to the N.E., over a part of the
rock 5 or 6 feet high, to a distance of about 6 yards, and was found
in a similar state to the former. A stone measuring three-fourths
of a ton was found near the seat of one of the beams; it had been
thrown up from the hole where it had been deposited while cutting the
seats for the barrack timbers. One of the ring-bolts near the top of
the Rock to which the chain binding the wood had been made fast, was
broken close by the surface of the Rock, and the wood was all gone. The
mooring buoy has also disappeared. The barrack was seen from the top
of Ben Keen-na-vara, by some men on Saturday, 3d November, so that the
succeeding night, which was truly awful, must have done the damage. I
may mention, that many of the islanders say that they have not seen
such a swell as on that evening for about sixteen years. I am happy to
say that no damage has been done to the works on shore here, as on that
evening the wind was about S.W., and we are pretty much sheltered from
the wind in that direction. The shore on the S.W. side of the island is
strewed with sea-weed, which has been carried up far beyond the usual
reach of the tide. Hoping that the above information will suffice, I
remain, &c.
(Signed) “WM. S. HOGBEN.”
~Proceed to Skerryvore.~
~State in which the Rock was found.~
On the day on which I received this discouraging intelligence, I
requested a special meeting of the Committee, for the purpose of
deliberating as to the best course to be pursued, when I received
instructions to proceed to the Rock, and for that purpose to hire
a steamer at Glasgow. I accordingly started that very evening for
Skerryvore, with the intention at the same time of removing such of
the men from Tyree as were not to be employed during the winter. I
left Greenock in the steamer _Tobermory_, accompanied by Mr Macurich
of the Lighthouse tender, at midnight of the 14th November, after some
delay in repairing a leak in the boiler, which was discovered in time
before starting, and reached Hynish at 11 on the forenoon of the 16th,
having got a good passage round the Mull of Kintyre. The weather was,
however, in every other respect most unfavourable for the purpose; and
having merely touched, in passing Tyree, at the workyard at Hynish, to
inquire whether any thing farther had transpired, and to take on board
Mr Charles Barclay, who had visited the Rock after the loss of the
barrack, we at once proceeded and reached Skerryvore about 4 o’clock
in the afternoon. The sea ran very high, and there was not the most
remote chance of landing, but, having got into the boat, I approached
near enough to the Rock to enable me to survey the melancholy remains
of our labours, which seemed to be in the same state in which they were
described by Mr Hogben. The beam which lay back on the inclined ledge
still kept its place, having been firmly lashed by Mr Charles Barclay
to a ring which was near it when he landed on the 10th November; and
I could see the remains of some of the stancheons and of the crabs
which the sea had left. After waiting, in the hope of a change in the
state of the sea, until it was nearly dark, we again turned towards
Tyree, in all the gloom of a stormy night, and depressed by mingled
disappointment and sad forebodings, occasioned by the fate of our
intended asylum from the waves. Owing to the heavy sea, and a strong
gale against us, we hung for a long time off Hynish Point, and did not
reach the Bay till midnight. Next morning about 7, we came off Hynish,
in order to take in the men who were to go home for the winter. The
ground was deeply covered with snow, which made the embarkation of so
many persons and so much baggage a tedious and uncomfortable operation;
and when we sailed, we experienced all the inconveniences of a strong
gale and a heavy sea, with the concomitant of a deck covered with
passengers, all very sick and much dispirited. Many of the men, indeed,
seemed to be as deeply concerned for the loss we had sustained as I
myself was. To add to our difficulties, the vessel, under the care of
a native pilot, had touched slightly on a rock off Hynish Point, and
gave some indications of leaking. We, however, reached Oban in safety.
[Illustration: No. 10.]
~Cause of the destruction of the barrack.~
Various conjectures were made as to the cause of the destruction of the
barrack. Those who saw it erected were so confident of its stability,
that they could not avoid connecting its failure with some injury
received from the wreck-timber, which had come ashore on the island
of Tyree, two days after the supposed date of the accident. In this
opinion they were strengthened by the total destruction of the cranes
and other objects on the rock, forgetting that the timber of the
barrack itself, when once let loose, must of necessity have proved even
a more powerful agent of destruction than the driftwood of the wreck.
But whatever doubt may exist as to the first cause of the injury, there
seems good reason to suppose that the dismemberment of the parts of
the structure had commenced with the removal of the horizontal braces,
and that the beams, having thus more liberty for play and tremor,
had gradually shaken loose the fixtures at the top, which consisted
of straps _c_ _c_, passing right over the tops _a_ _a_, of the beams
and _b b_, the hexagonal quoin of hardwood already noticed at p. 88,
which were secured by means of a central bolt _d_, and finally girt
outside by a ring, _e_ _e_, as shewn in the annexed woodcut (No.
10.) The moment this dismemberment occurred, the beams would be free
to work their own destruction; and the enormous leverage which they
exerted, when dashed to and fro by the breakers, would soon snap the
iron stancheons at the base, and throw all loose to the waves. The only
remaining beam was that which was supported against a ledge of rock,
and which had received the sea from the opposite direction to that in
which it was found lying. That beam, however, although firmly lashed
to the rock by the men who first visited it after the accident, along
with Mr Charles Barclay, also disappeared in the course of the winter.
As a proof how severely these beams had been dashed by the waves, I
may state, that the only remaining part of a beam which I saw attached
to the iron stancheons, when I landed in the following spring, was so
thoroughly riven and _shaken_ as to be quite like a bundle of lathwood.
~Preparations for a new barrack.~
[Illustration: No. 11.]
These circumstances by no means shook my belief in the suitableness
of the plan adopted for obtaining a temporary dwelling on the rock;
but they induced me, as soon as I received authority from the
Commissioners, whose confident expectation of final success was not
damped by the unhappy issue of our season’s labours, to examine very
carefully the whole details of the ties and fastenings. In preparing a
similar structure for next season, I resolved to strengthen the ties
at the top, where I imagined the former failure to have occurred, by
adding six strong stancheons _a_, _a_ (Plate V.), one to each beam,
with heads passing through a centre-plate (H), which united them in one
as a cap and to which they were secured by strong screws and keys. The
nature of those fixtures will be more easily understood by a reference
to the figures (1) and (2) in Plate VI., which shew an elevation and
plan of the upper part of the beams. In the elevation only the beams A,
B, C, are shewn; but in the plan, all the six beams appear _mitering_
at their heads _n_, _n_, to the central beam or tie _o_, _o_ (see
also Plate V.), which was introduced to counteract the tendency of
the heavy seas that might burst inside the pyramid, and by exerting a
powerful force in the vertical direction, might separate the beams at
the top. In the Plate (VI.), _a_, _a_, are strong stancheons of iron
attached to the outside of the beams by bolts, and also by collars _r_,
_r_, attached to ears _g_, _g_. These stancheons being bent into the
vertical direction and rounded at the top, passed through the malleable
iron plate H, which was held down, and, as already stated, bound the
beams together by nuts _c_, _c_, and wedges _b_, _b_. Through a hole in
the centre of this plate, a large spike _p_ was driven, which produced
an expansion of the central beam, and thus wedged up or tightened all
the joints formed by the _mitering_ of the seven timbers. On each of
those stancheons, _snugs_ were formed at _e_, capable of receiving and
retaining in its place against any tendency to move upwards, a strong
metallic ring _g_, which was tightly keyed by wedges at _k_. Additional
ties of iron D, E, F, were also provided, which connected the six beams
together in pairs. Each end of those ties was attached to the timbers
by three spikes; one tie, D, is shewn a little fore-shortened; another,
E, is seen only on the end; while the third F, is shewn as cut off at
the middle. Lastly, an important change was made, by the substitution
of malleable iron for wooden braces (see Plate V.) _b_, _b_, _b_, _b_,
in the horizontal direction. Fixtures of this kind held the whole more
firmly together; and their construction was such that they might firmly
embrace each beam, without requiring any means of attachment beyond
wedging tightly up; and thus the entire strength of the timbers was
unimpaired by the driving of spikes or bolts. Those braces (No. 11),
_a_, _a_, had, at each end, double knobs, and were pushed up along the
beams, until they squeezed the timbers _x_, _x_, _x_ between them;
plates _p_, _p_ (having holes in them through which the double knobs of
the braces were made to pass), were then put on and keyed and screwed,
as shewn in the figure, so that each beam was quite enclosed by
fixtures, which were thus independent of spikes or bolts. Thin hardwood
wedges were afterwards driven in, wherever they could be inserted
between the iron and the timber; and those wedges were “_stitched_” to
the beams with common nails, merely to prevent their dropping downward,
after any temporary contraction of the timber from the state of the
atmosphere. In all this, I have anticipated what more properly belongs
to the works of the season 1839; but I consider it best, for the sake
of clearness, to connect this account of the new with the destruction
of the old Barrack.
* * * * *
~Works at Hynish.~
While the operations already described were in progress at the Rock,
various works were going forward at the workyard in Tyree. About 16
masons, 12 quarriers, and 4 carpenters, were employed in building
the barracks for the workmen and in erecting smiths’ and carpenters’
shops. A large room, paved with a stone floor, for drawing out at
full size the courses of the Tower and making the moulds for dressing
the stones, was also provided; and a platform of squared masonry was
set in the workyard, on which the courses were to be laid, before
being shipped for the Rock. During the season, the pier had also been
carried out 256 feet, to a point 15 feet within the low-water mark. It
was also necessary to provide depositories for the security of tools
and other implements, as well as a large coal-shed for the supply of
the Steamer which was then in the course of being built. It had, as
already noticed, been determined that the stores were to be served
out at the cost prices of the Greenock market, to be paid for once
a month, at the same time that the wages of the men were paid. That
arrangement had been carried into effect on a small scale, from the
very beginning of the works; but this season it became necessary, owing
to the increased number of men, to conduct it on a more extended and
systematic plan; and, for that purpose, a person was required to act
as storekeeper and clerk. In order also to preserve the provisions
from injury by damp and to secure them from the inroads of the needy
Celts and from innumerable rats which overrun that part of Tyree, it
was found necessary to set apart, as a storehouse, a large room on the
second storey of one of the workshops. The chief articles served out in
the store were meal, molasses, sugar, coffee, tea, tobacco and butter.
The establishment of the store entailed a great deal of trouble, and
led to some expense for carriage and packages, as well as to occasional
trifling losses in serving out the allowances or from injury sustained
in the transport of the goods; but the inhospitable nature of the
country, and the remoteness of Tyree from the ordinary steam-boat
traffic, made the adoption of some such plan unavoidable. Amongst other
inconveniences which attended the store, not the least may be reckoned
the frequent importunities, on the part of the native labourers whom we
employed, to be permitted to purchase provisions at the workyard; but
that was never acceded to, except in cases where dearths (which are of
frequent occurrence in the island) rendered the call irresistible. Had
their entreaties easily prevailed, we should soon have had the whole
population of Tyree as our regular customers at the Store.
~Hynish Quarries.~
The quarries at Hynish, as already stated, were by no means productive.
The great proportion of the materials which had been quarried, was
found to be applicable only to the building of the pier and the
inclosing walls, and to the various erections in the workyard; and not
more than _one-tenth_ of the whole could be dressed as blocks for the
Tower.
During the numerous occasions on which I had been driven by stress of
weather to the neighbouring coasts, I had visited the quarries around
Oban and in various parts of Morven and Mull. When so forced to leave
what I might more especially call my _post_, I had an opportunity of
seeing the quarries at Ardentallen near Oban, which contain the old red
sandstone strongly impregnated with clay. That stone is by no means
suitable for the _face-work_ of a marine building, in such a situation
as the Skerryvore; while the comparatively small quantity of _hearting_
which could be admitted into such a work, made it inexpedient to seek
such materials at so great a distance. In this way, the Ardentallen
quarry seemed completely excluded from the field. At another time, in
passing through Inverary, I devoted a day to the examination of the
quarries which had lately been opened at that place and in which a
beautiful porphyry is wrought; but I saw no appearance of very large
blocks, or, at all events, nothing that could favour the expectation
of a considerable supply. But after carefully weighing the matter,
the great masses of granite at the Ross of Mull finally determined my
choice in favour of that locality; and the Duke of Argyll having, with
the greatest liberality, ratified his predecessor’s grant of liberty
to the Lighthouse Board to quarry stones from any part of the Argyll
estates, it was resolved to take measures early in the spring of 1839
for opening quarries at North Bay, in Mull, where an excellent station
for shipping had been discovered, close to the place where we saw
the most promising appearance of rock. This measure seemed the more
indispensable, as the last part of the quarry _terred_[18] or laid bare
at Hynish, had greatly disappointed our expectations. The unworkable
nature of gneiss rock also and its extreme uncertainty with regard to
quality, farther concurred to make a change most desirable. Granite,
indeed, is a material in many respects superior to sandstone, gneiss,
or porphyry. The first it greatly excels in durability and weight; and,
as a stone for the workyard, it is superior to the other two, from
its property of being _fissile_, or easily split in any direction. In
this respect it resembles certain parts of some sandstone strata which
are commonly called _liver rock_, of which Craigleith quarry, near
Edinburgh, furnishes an excellent example. Porphyry, and, I think,
all other igneous rocks (excepting granite), gneiss also, and most of
the other primary rocks, have not this property, being _fissile_ only
in one plane, so that quarries of those rocks generally turn out very
uncouth or irregular stones, which, though they may in some favourable
cases possess good natural _beds_, will always be found to have ragged
and irregular _joints_, which, for the most part, are incapable of
being properly dressed.
[18] This term in Scotland denotes the removal of the soil and
unsolid material, in order to lay bare the rock previous to working
the quarry, and seems obviously to be derived from the Latin “terra,”
perhaps through the medium of some old charter. The quantity of
terring very much affects the profitable working of a quarry.