SMEATON'S WORK. 167 



driving for the Bay of Biscay. Wearing- ship, they stood once more for the coast, and 

 before night sighted the Land's End. Finally, after having been blown to sea for four 

 days, they came to anchor in Plymouth Sound, much to their own joy and that of their 

 friends. 



"Winter was very fully occupied in dressing stones at the yards ashore for next season's 

 work. Mr. Smeaton himself laid all the lines on the workshop floor in chalk, in order to 

 insure the greatest possible accuracy in fitting. Nearly 450 tons of stone were thus 

 dressed by the time the weather was sufficiently favourable to continue operations on the 

 rock. During one of his visits to the quarries, a severe storm of thunder and lightning 

 occurred, by which the spire of Lostwithiel Church was shattered, and this turned his 

 attention to the necessity of protecting his lighthouse in some way from the similar danger 

 to which it would be exposed. Franklin had just before published his mode of protecting 

 tall buildings by conductors, and Smeaton decided to adopt his plan. The work of building 

 fairly commenced in the summer of 1757, the first stone, of two and a quarter tons weight, 

 being in its place on the morning of Sunday, the 12th of June. By the evening of the 

 following day the first course of four stones was laid, these being all required from the 

 sloping nature of the Eddystone Rock. The actual diameter of the tower itself kept increasing 

 until it reached the upper level of the rock. Thus the second course consisted of thirteen 

 pieces, the third of twenty-five, and so on. The workmen were sometimes interrupted 

 by ground-swells and heavy seas, which kept them off the rock for days together, but, 

 at length, on the sixth course being laid, it was found that the building had been raised 

 above the average wash of the sea, and thenceforward the progress of the work was much 

 more rapid. The stones, when brought off from the vessels, were all landed in their 

 proper order, and everything was done to facilitate the rapid progress of the work. 

 Smeaton superintended the construction of nearly the whole building, and was ever 

 foremost in the post of danger. Whilst working at the rock on one occasion, an accident 

 occurred which might well have proved more serious in its results. " The men were about 

 to lay the centre stone of the seventh course, on the evening of the llth of August, when 

 Mr. Smeaton was enjoying the limited promenade afforded by the level platform of stone 

 which had, with so much difficulty, been raised; but, making a false step into one of the 

 cavities made for the joggles, and being unable to recover his balance, he fell from the brink 

 of the work clown among the rocks on the west side. The tide being low at the time, 

 he speedily got upon his feet, and at first supposed himself little hurt, but shortly after 

 he found that one of his thumbs had been put out of joint. He reflected that he was 

 fourteen miles from land, far from a surgeon, and that uncertain winds and waves lay 

 between. He therefore determined to reduce the dislocation at once ; and, laying fast 

 hold of the thumb with his other hand, and giving it a violent pull, it snapped into its 

 place again, after which he proceeded to fix the centre stone of the building." The work 

 now proceeded steadily, occasional damage being done by the heavy seas washing- over the 

 stones, tools, and materials. 



The following winter was very tempestuous, and the floating light-ship, stationed 

 about two miles from the rock, was driven from its moorings, though it eventually reached 

 harbour in safety. It was the 12th of May before Smeaton, anxious to see how his tower 



