474 



HISTORY OF CO II ASSET. 



visitors turned to go home, a sailor came to the side and claimed 

 the contrary, — and at the same moment a pair of sharp eyes dis- 

 covered several faint traces of red upon the dark side of the hull. 

 The evidence was weak, but undeniable ; and when the Empire 

 was dry-docked at Boston her hull was found pierced in several 

 places, and embedded among her cotton bales were some frag- 

 ments of the piling.* 



Again was the work taken up — this time to meet with unquali- 

 fied success. The rock was first cut to a succession of levels, 

 determined by its natural structure, that which is termed the zero 

 being one foot and nine inches above the mean low-water level. 

 Outside of a diameter of thirty feet the rock was found to be too 

 soft to be safely worked, and a circular base of that diameter 

 was therefore agreed upon. An eyewitness thus describes the 

 scene : — 



" Captain Alexander had constructed two large, stanch row- 

 boats, naming one Deucalion and the other Pyrrha, — for he was 

 a droll fellow, full of dry wit. The Deucalion was painted red, 

 and this was more especially for his own use, while the Pyrrha, a 

 green painted craft, was to carry the men. We would watch the 

 tide from the cove, and just as soon as the ebb had reached the 

 proper stage we would start out with it, and at the moment a 

 square yard of ledge was bare of water out would jump a stone- 

 cutter and begin work. Soon another would follow, and as fast 

 as they had elbow room others still, until the rock would resemble 

 a carcass covered with a flock of crows. The high-sounding 

 names for the boats piqued the curiosity of the men not a little, 

 until one finally inquired of Captain Alexander, ' What on airth it 

 meant.' ' Oh,' replied he, ' Deucalion was a giant who went 

 through Greece of old, picking up stones and throwing them out 

 of the way, and Pyrrha was his wife who ate them,' — with which 

 mixed definition the questioner was forced to be content." 



From the time when, on Sunday, the first day of July, 1855, 

 the stroke of a hammer first rang out upon the summer air, until 

 the rock was ready to receive the first cut stone, was nearly three 

 years — years wrenched from the sullen power of old ocean. 

 New dowels were inserted in the rock and successfully carried to 



* These facts seem to prove that the wrecked New Empire drove against the 

 iron framework, which the waves alone had not broken down. 



