the principal builder, for
example, had every stone to lay in its place. David Cumming, a mason,
had the charge of working the tackle of the balance-weight, and James
Scott, also a mason, took charge of the purchase with which the stones
were laid; while the pointing the joints of the walls with cement was
intrusted to William Reid and William Kennedy, who stood upon a scaffold
suspended over the walls in rather a frightful manner. The least act of
carelessness or inattention on the part of any of these men might have
been fatal, not only to themselves, but also to the surrounding workmen,
especially if any accident had happened to the crane itself, while the
material damage or loss of a single stone would have put an entire stop
to the operations until another could have been brought from Arbroath.
The artificers, having wrought seven and a half hours of extra time
to-day, had 3s. 9d. of extra pay, while the foremen had 7s. 6d. over and
above their stated pay and board. Although, therefore, the work was both
hazardous and fatiguing, yet, the encouragement being considerable, they
were always very cheerful, and perfectly reconciled to the confinement
and other disadvantages of the place.

During fine weather, and while the nights were short, the duty on board
of the floating light was literally nothing but a waiting on, and
therefore one of her boats, with a crew of five men, daily attended the
rock, but always returned to the vessel at night. The carpenter,
however, was one of those who was left on board of the ship, as he also
acted in the capacity of assistant lightkeeper, being, besides, a person
who was apt to feel discontent and to be averse to changing his
quarters, especially to work with the millwrights and joiners at the
rock, who often, for hours together, wrought knee-deep, and not
unfrequently up to the middle, in water. Mr. Watt having about this time
made a requisition for another hand, the carpenter was ordered to attend
the rock in the floating light's boat. This he did with great
reluctance, and found so much fault that he soon got into discredit with
his messmates. On this occasion he left the Lighthouse service, and went
as a sailor in a vessel bound for America--a step which, it is believed,
he soon regretted, as, in the course of things, he would, in all
probability, have accompanied Mr John Reid, the principal lightkeeper of
the floating light, to the Bell Rock Lighthouse as his principal
assista