Smeaton and Lighthouses: A Popular Biography, with an Historical Introduction and SequelAnonymous
History
Smeaton and Lighthouses: A Popular Biography, with an Historical Introduction and Sequel
Anonymous
Lighthouses; Smeaton, John, 1724-1792
The main column of the lighthouse was completed on Friday, August
17th. It contained in all forty-six courses of stone, and reached the
height of seventy feet. The beds for the light-keepers were fixed in
the uppermost room, and the kitchen with its fire-place in the room
below it, whereas in the former house, the kitchen had been the upper
room, doubtless, because the funnel for the smoke would be shorter.
But Smeaton having been informed that with the former arrangement the
beds and bedding were in a very damp and disagreeable state, proposed
to remedy the evil by allowing the copper funnel to pass through the
bed-room, and thus to dry the air. This plan completely answered the
desired end; though it must be observed, that the whole edifice, even
those portions of it which were continually subject to the action of
the waves, were much more impervious to moisture than Rudyerd’s
edifice; as may naturally be imagined from the difference of material
used in the building of the lighthouse, and the well-known quality of
granite to resist humidity. In the upper room, therefore, were fixed
three cabin-beds to hold one man each, with three drawers and two
lockers in each to hold his separate property. In the kitchen, besides
the fire-place and sink, were two settles with lockers, a dresser with
drawers, two cupboards and one platter-case. In the lantern a seat was
fixed to encompass it all round, except at the doorway, and this
served equally to sit upon, or to stand and snuff the candles; also to
enable a person to look through the lowest tier of glass-panes at
distant objects, without having occasion to go on the outside of the
lantern into the balcony.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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