Account of the Skerryvore lighthouse : $b with notes on the illumination of lighthousesStevenson, Alan
History
Account of the Skerryvore lighthouse : $b with notes on the illumination of lighthouses
Stevenson, Alan
Skerryvore Lighthouse (Hebrides, Scotland)
During the progress of the survey, a register of the rise and fall of
the tides was regularly kept at Hynish on the neighbouring Island of
Tyree; and from those observations it was determined, that the rise at
that place is between twelve and thirteen feet at high spring tides,
and three feet at dead low neap tides; and observations subsequently
made while the works were in progress, gave the same results at the
Rock of Skerryvore. It is high water at the Rock at full and change of
the moon, at five hours and twenty-five minutes. The tides round the
Skerryvore are not remarkable for their rapidity. In spring-tides the
velocity is between four and five miles, and in neap-tides between two
and three miles an hour. The flood sets to the N.N.E., and the ebb to
the S.S.W.
CHAPTER II.
PRELIMINARY ARRANGEMENTS AND WORKS, INCLUDING SURVEY OF THE ROCKS, AND
OPENING OF QUARRIES, FROM 1834 to 1837.
~Survey of the Skerryvore Rocks.~
In this chapter I shall very briefly notice those preliminary
arrangements which may be said to have been in a great measure
preparatory to the commencement of the work itself. It has been already
stated, that the erection of the Lighthouse was provided for in the Act
of 1814; but so formidable did this work appear, that although it was
repeatedly under consideration, it was not until the General Meeting
of the Board, on the 8th July 1834, that any measures were taken to
carry into effect the provisions of the Act. On that occasion it was
moved by the late Mr MACONOCHIE, Sheriff of Orkney and Zetland, that
the Engineer should be instructed to make the necessary survey, and to
report as to the expense of erecting the Lighthouse. In terms of this
remit, the survey of the Rocks was commenced in the autumn of 1834; but
from the broken state of the weather, little was effected at that time
beyond making the triangulation; and it was not until the summer of
1835 that the survey was completed from which the Chart, Plate No. II.
was constructed. This survey was attended with much more labour than
its extent would lead one to suppose, in consequence of its embracing
the entire range of operations required in a more extensive nautical
survey, and combining with the ordinary details required for a Chart,
the minute accuracy in regard to surface and levels, which are always
necessary for the purposes of the Engineer.
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