NOVEMBER 1902. 



EXCEEDINGLY stormy weather, with a prevalence of sou'- 

 easterly winds and heavy seas, has been our portion here this 

 month, restricting our movements out of doors, till with 

 circling round our promenade on the balcony one almost 

 doubts the possibility of ever again being able to hold a straight 

 course when opportunity offers. Workmen have been en- 

 gaged this month fitting up a service of copper piping from 

 the grating at the base of the tower to the cisterns in the oil 

 store on the third flat, whereby the operation of storing oil 

 will in future be rendered much easier. The oil will now be 

 landed in forty-gallon casks, instead of the small six-gallon 

 ankers as formerly, emptied into a sifting tank on the 

 grating, and by means of a rotary pump forced upwards to 

 the oil cisterns a vast improvement on the old system, when 

 each anker had to be hoisted indoors, and then shouldered 

 upstairs to the cisterns. 



A pleasing incident of the month was the arrival of a 

 handsome present for each of the keepers, consisting of a 

 silver mounted briar pipe, a pound of golden bar tobacco, 

 and a liberal supply of first class reading matter. All 

 keepers throughout the service over 200 were similarly 

 supplied, so that the gift will be seen to be a pretty extensive 

 one, and the donor, James Coats, junr., Paisley, has without 

 doubt earned the gratitude of the service by this generous act 

 of kindness. 



About the beginning of the month we had a few feathered 

 visitors, chiefly blackbirds, fieldfares, and starlings. On the 

 morning of the 5th several struck heavily on the lantern, but 

 were swept away by the strong sou'-east wind then blowing. 

 The gannets have now all disappeared, none having been seen 



