"On Thursday, the 16th, 1 again went off to the rock, and found the work in the following situation. The lowest new step (the most difficult to work upon, because the lowest) with its dovetails quite completed. The second step rough bedded, and all its dovetails scappelled out. The third step (being the lowest in Mr. lludyerd's work) smooth-bedded, and all the dovetails roughed out. The fourth in the like state. The fifth rough-bedded, and dovetails scappelled out : and the sixth smooth-bedded, and all the dovetails roughed out. Lastly, the top of the rock, the greatest part of the bulk %%hereof had been previously taken down by the key and-feather method, as low as it could be done with propriety, was now to be reduced to a level with the nipper surfitee of the sixth step ; the top of that step being necessarily to form a part of the bed for the seventh, or first regular course ; so that what now remained, was to bring the top of the rock to a regular floor by picks: and from what now appeared, (as all the upper parts, that had been damaged by the fire, were cut off;) the new building was likely to rest upon a basis even more solid than the former had done.
"On Thursday, the :30th, I traced the outlines upon the upper part of the rock for the border of the seventh course, all within which was to be sunk to the level of the top of the sixth, and all without to be left standing, as a border for defence of the ground-joint of the work with the rock ; and measuring the height of the top step above the bed of the first, I found it to be eight feet four inches: which would now be the difference of level between the west or lowest side of the new building, and the east or highest." The setting in of the equinoctial winds prevented much farther progress in the work for this season; but on the eith of November, the weather being somewhat moderate, Mr. Smeaton went off in the Eddystone boat, with battens, and the carpenter, to mould off the dovetails from the rock, when he found " four or five of the dovetails in the upper step wanting some amendment, that would employ as many men at each, for about four or five hours. The greatest part of the top of the rock was now brought to a regular floor, but some part of the north-east side wanted bringing down to a level." And here the operations for the year ended ; for, on the 15th of the month, the workmen left the rock, having been able to make only thirty-eight hours and a half since the 32nd or October.
Mr. Smeaton occupies the interval between this period and the next working season with describing the regulations ()I' his mason's yard, the size of the stones. &c., among which the following remarks may be useful to the reader.
" From the beginning I always laid it down as a funda mental maxim, that on account of the precariousness of weather to suit our purposes, (and without its being favour able, I think it has already sufficiently appeared, that nothing is to be done upon the Eddystone) if we could save one hour's work upon tile rock, by that of a week in our work yard, this would always prove a valuable purchase ; and that theret'ore everything ought to be done by way of prepara tion, which could tend to the putting our work together with expedition and certainty, in the ultimate fixing of it in its proper place ; and for this purpose, it was necessary to make use. of as large and heavy pieces of stone as, in such a situa
tion as the Eddystone, were likely to be capable of being managed without running too great a risk.
"The. common run of modern buildings, even of the largest size, are composed of pieces in general not exceeding five or six hundred-weight, except where columns, archi traves, cornices, and other parts are to be formed, that indis pensably require large single pieces ; because stones of this size and bulk are capable of being handled without the use of tackles, or purchases, unless where they are to be raised perpendicularly : yet it appeared. to me, that this choice of general magnitude resulted only from the workmen's not haying commonly attained all that expertness in the manage ment of the mechanic powers that they might have ; in con sequence of which, they avoid, wherever they can, the neces sity of employing them. This arises not from the real nature of the thing, %when properly understood ; a stone of a ton weight is, w when hoisted by a proper tackle, and power of labourers, as soon and as easily set in its place, as one of a quarter of that weight ; and, in reality, needs much less hew ing. than is necessary for the preparation of four stones to fill up the same space; nor need this reasoning stop at stones of a ton weight, but it proceed even to as large sizes as are said to be found in the ruins of Balbec, if there were not inconveniences of other kinds to set on the opposite side of the question, as well as the want of quarries in this king dom to produce stones of that magnitude.
The size of the stones that could be used in the Eddy stone lighthouse seemed limited by the practicability of land ing them upon the rock : for as nothing but small vessels, that were easily manageable, could possibly deliver their cargoes alongside of the rock, with any reasonable prospect of safety ; so no small vessels could deliver very large stones, because the sudden rising and filling of the vessels in the gut amounted frequently to the difference of three or four feet, even in moderate weather, when it was very practicable for a vessel to lie there; so that in case, after a stone was raised from the floor of the vessel, her gunnel should take a swing. so as to hitch under the stone, one of such a magnitude as we are now supposing, on the vessel's rising, must infallibly sink her ; and hence it appeared, that much of the safety in deli vering the cargoes would depend upon having the single pieces not to exceed such weight as could be expeditiously hoisted. and got out of the way of the vessel, by a moderate number of hands, and by such sort of tackles as could be removed from the rock to the store-vessel each tide : and on a full view of the whole matter, it appeared to me very prac ticable to land such pieces of stone upon the rock, as in general did not much exceed a ton-weight ; though occa sionally particular pieces might amount to two tons.