BN AY VAN XONNIYD

(one day during the progress of the alterations) that the lighthouse would certainly he over- set, he (fu]m so well assured of its stability) re d that he should only wish to be there in the greatest storm that ever blew, in order to see its effect upon the structure, His wish was gratified, for a dreadful tempest raged in 1703, while he and his workmen and light- ku_'[u,:r.s were - the building, which carried away the lizhthouse and its mmates, and all perished e the sea, the only sign vemaine

iz being the ]lngu‘ wons wherchy the work was fixed to the rock. Tt is very remarkable that at the same time this

catastrophe happened the model of the light house al Wimstanley's residence in Essex el down and was broken to picees.

It being absolutely necessary, as navigation mcereased, that a guiding light should he mamtaned upon this reef so fraught with danger to marmers, it was decided to con- struct a sceond highthouse, and 1 15006 John Rudyerd (2 common labourer’s son, wino rose to the position of a silk mercer on Ludgate Hill) commenced to build once of wood upon a stone and timber foundation, the general desien

a coneshaped column —being much more appropriate. Fouws NIV. was then at war wiih

Iingland, and n addition to the natural difficultics with which the workmen cngaged upon the building had to con- tend, was the constant apprehension of being taken prisoners by French priva- teers who infested the coast: idecd, some of the men cmployed by Win- stanley were thus carrted off to France, but imme- diately released by order of the I'rench

King, because the work they were cxecuting was one

for universal good, his Majesty explin- iy that “ he was at

war with Iingland, o and not with e e humanity.” Rud- SMEATON'S LIGHTHOUSE verd's hehthouse

successfully resisted the clements for more than forty years; but in 1755 it was burned down, the fire originating in the lantern. In connection with this unfortunate disaster a strange meident 1s recorded and duly authenti- cated. During the conflagration one of tlic

LDDYSTONE 11GHTITOUSE. 31

e, on looking upward to wateh the effeet of the water thrown upon the tlames, recctved upon his person a copious shower of lead, somi: of which entered his throat: but, curious (o relate, he survived the painful - experienee many vears, and when he dicd a solid picee of lead w OVCT SCVCN OUNCes was found m his body

With the (hird Iiddystone hehthouse s assoctated the more familiar name of John Smeaton, who, 1759, completed a tower entirely of stone, which was considered at the time as one of the wonders of the world, This famous engineer’s dese ription of - the butldimg of his ]whth()u se (contamed in a large folio volume pul)hshul m 791, and dedicated to the l\m(f) 15 most circumstantial, and with the aid of the illustrations the reader may

castly comprehend the enormous diffie ulty of the undert: aking. The form he adopted was that }ncscntcd by the natural figure of the waist or bole of a large spreading oak, which suggested (o his mmd the S]Llp(, a colummn of the greatest stability ought to assume i order to sue- cessfully resist the action of external violenee, The tower was built of moor- stone (the true granite), found in the neighhour- hood of P Iymouth, and the first block was laid on a Sunday in June, 1757, the eact date hei mg deeply in- cised in the stone isclf; and alter four vears’ labour upon the rock, hindered by innumerable ol)- stacles and dangers, the lighthouse was sausfactorily com- pleted, without any loss of life or linb, or accident by which the work could be said to he materially retarded.

N

“‘\‘z‘(” o N . .

%

e : W

Fovery stone was ON PLYMOUTIL HOLE. : o T

mgenously dove-

tatled to 1ts neigh- bour, and so substantial was the whole

structure that the most violent storms had no - cifeet upon ity although the waves would frequently enwrap the tower like a sheet, rising at thnes to double its height, and totally hldm t from view., In 1/62 thcru raged a