An Account of the Bell Rock Light-House: Including the Details of the Erection and Peculiar Structure of That Edifice; to Which Is Prefixed a Historical View of the Institution and Progress of the Northern Light-HousesStevenson, Robert
History
An Account of the Bell Rock Light-House: Including the Details of the Erection and Peculiar Structure of That Edifice; to Which Is Prefixed a Historical View of the Institution and Progress of the Northern Light-Houses
Stevenson, Robert
Bell Rock Lighthouse (Scotland); Lighthouses -- Scotland
“By order of the Commissioners appointed by Act of Parliament for
erecting four Light-houses in the northern parts of Great Britain, a
Light-house is now erected on Kinnaird Castle, at Kinnaird-Head, near
Fraserburgh, in the county of Aberdeen, Lat. 57° 42´, and Long. 2° 19´
West of London, Cairnbulg from the Light-house bearing, by compass,
S.E., distant 2 miles; and Trauphead W.NW., distant 9 miles. The
lantern is 120 feet above the level of the sea at high-water, and will
be seen from SE. to W.NW. and intermediate points of the compass on the
north of these points. The lantern will be lighted on the night of the
first day of December 1787, and every night thereafter, from the going
away of day-light in the evening till the return of day-light in the
morning.”
_Mull of Kintyre._
[Sidenote: Mull of Kintyre Light-house.]
At the Mull of Kintyre, one of the most inaccessible and difficult of
the Northern Light-house stations, the buildings were nearly prepared
for the light-room by the month of November; but the season being too
far advanced, and it appearing from Mr Smith’s report, that there
would be some risk in conveying the apparatus to the light-house at
this inclement season, the Commissioners resolved to delay the further
progress of the work at Kintyre till the following spring.
[Sidenote: ~1788.~]
The operations at the Mull of Kintyre were recommenced in the month of
April, but, owing chiefly to the inaccessible great difficulty that
was experienced in transporting the building materials connected with
the lantern or light-room, over the mountainous district of Kintyre,
it was the month of October before the light could be announced for
exhibition, when public advertisement was made of the lighting of the
house to the following effect.
“The Mull of Kintyre Light-house is situated immediately above the
rocks known to mariners by the name of The Merchants, in North Lat. 55°
17´, and Long. 5° 42´ west of London; the eastern entrance of the Sound
of Isla, bearing from the Light-house by compass, N. by E., distant
33 miles; the Mull of Kinho in the Island of Isla N. NW., distant 25
miles; and the northern extremity of Rathlin Island, on the coast of
Ireland, NW. ½ W. distant 13 miles; the Maiden Rocks S. by W. ½ W.,
distant 21 miles; and Copland Light-house S. by W. ½ W., distant 40
miles. The light-room is elevated 240 feet above the medium level of
the sea, and will be seen from N. NE. to S. by W., and all intermediate
points of the compass north of these points. The light will be
exhibited on the 1st day of December 1788, and every night thereafter,
from the going away of day-light in the evening till the return of
day-light in the morning.”
[Sidenote: Light-house duty too small.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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