.>92 



UBPOUT — 1884. 



light of its twenty-four tallow candles was about sixty-scvcn candle units, 

 and its cost per hour at the current price of tallow candles would bo nourly 

 identical with the average cost per hour of the present light, which is 

 about 2,380 times its intensity. 



The hrst landing at the rock was made in July lH7i^. Around tlio 

 foundation of the tower a strong cotfer-dain of brick and quick-sett iii<f 

 Roraan cement was built, as favourable opportunities of smooth wain- 

 and low tides occurred. Tlio water was removed from this dam at each 

 tide by steam pumps worked on board the twin screw tender. 



The work ot cutting out the foundations was much facilitated by the 

 use of rock drills driven by compressed air supplied from the tender. 

 For landing stone the tender was moored at about 30 fathoms from the 

 I'ock, and the stones, averaging 2.', tons each, wei'e landed by her 

 machinery. Thus every stone in the building, together with the required 

 cement, sand, water, &c., was landed and hoisted to the summit of the 

 work at single hoists. This is probably the tirst application of floating 

 machinery to the actual erection of an exposed structure at sea. On 

 August I'J, 1879, the foundation stone was laid by His lloyal Highness 

 the Duke of f]dinburgh. Master of the Trinity Honse, who was accom- 

 panied by His Royal Highness the I'lince of "NVales, an I'lldcr Brother of 

 the Trinity House. On June 1, 1881, the last stone of the tower was 

 laid by His Royal Highness the blaster, and on ^lay 18, 1882, His Royal 

 Highness completed the undertaking by lighting the lamps and formally 

 opening the lighthouse. The work was thus acconipli.shed within four 

 years of its commencement and one year under the time estimated. The 

 author's estimate for the lighthouse was 78,000/. Tenders for executing 

 the work were obtained by the Trinity Honse froni six eminent contract- 

 ing firms experienced in the construction of sea structures ; but, as the 

 lowest offer was considerably in excess of the approved estimate, the 

 Trinity House determined on carrying out the work, as in previous 

 similar cases, by their own engineering statf. The lighthouse was thus 

 completed at a cost of 59,255/., being 23}, per cent, below the estimate. 

 The low cost was mainly due to the successful operation of the various 

 special mechanical appliances introduced for saving manual labour and 

 facilitating the progiess of the work. On the completion of the new 

 lighthouse, the lantern and upper part of Smeaton's tower, corajn-ising 

 the four rooms, were carefully taken down and removed to Plymouth, 

 where, by the public-spirited community of that town, the hope I vcn- 

 tured. to express at the Plymouth meeting of the British Association is 

 being realised. The lighthouse is being re-erected on a suitable site on 

 Plymouth Hoe as a beacon for the further benefit of the mariner ; and 

 there, it is to be hoped, it will ever remain as a monument to the genius of 

 Smeaton. 



[The diagrams illustratlvL' of the lightliouso have nol been engraved.] 



I' 



