A MONTH ON THE EDDYSTONE 283 



Communication with the hghthouse is then estabhshed 

 by means of a rope. To this rope the person about to 

 land clings with his hands, and places one of his feet 

 in a loop formed for that purpose. In this dangling 

 fashion the intervening waters are crossed, the rope 

 being payed out from the boat, and hauled in by the 

 winch placed midway up the tower. The only real 

 difficulty about this unusual method of landing is to get 

 nicely clear of the bow of the boat, and to avoid 

 dropping into the water when the order "heave away" 

 is given to the men at the winch. 



Life on a rock-station has, of course, its little trials. 

 He who would dwell there must, among other things, 

 be prepared to share in all respects the lot of the 

 keepers, their rations, and their dormitory. He must 

 also be content to be shut off from communication with 

 the outer world until the monthly "relief" comes round, 

 when, weather permitting, his incarceration ends and he 

 returns to the ordinary comforts of everyday life. There 

 was one feature in the life on the Eddystone which was 

 decidedly trying to an amateur, namely, the firing, every 

 three minutes during fog or haze, of a charge of tonite, 

 an explosive producing a terrific report which can be 

 heard some 15 miles or more. The keepers were 

 able to sleep peacefully during these operations — an 

 accomplishment I did not succeed in acquiring. I may 

 say at once, however, that the novelty of the situation, 

 the interesting nature of my self-imposed work, and last, 

 but not least, the great kindness of the keepers, far 

 outbalanced those trivial discomforts which are insepar- 

 able from such a life ; and I shall ever look back upon 

 my sojourn in that lonely observatory with extreme 

 pleasure and satisfaction. 



