Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
on the actual location itself. Unfortunately there is no trace of Aldebert's rolls of film
and report, either at 84 George Street or the National Archives of Scotland, who have
clearly stated that they do not have them. Should the report and rolls of film ever sur-
face, it would be of great interest to researchers.
There is also an interesting incident which helps to back-up the possibility of the
wave or waves sweeping Ducat, Marshall and Macarthur to their deaths from the west
landing on Eilean Mor. An NLB lightkeeper, Jack Ross, was actually stationed on the
he was walking down by the west landing on Eilean Mor when a giant wave appeared
from'nowhere',ashelaterputit,andhitthethreeofthem(heandhistwofellowkeep-
ers). They were fortunate that they had seen the approach of the wave, but despite this
they did not have enough time to gain height and get out of its way, so they grabbed
whateversupportstheycouldtogainsomekindofapurchase.Rossstatedthatthewave
hit them like the proverbial brick wall and had they not been prepared for its approach
by grabbing hold of something, all three of them would have been swept into the sea
and probably drowned.
The experience of Ross and his companions confirms what Muirhead concluded in
his written report shortly afterwards. It was Jack Ross's firm belief until his dying day
that had the three of them not managed to grab hold of various supports, there would
have been another Flannan Islands Lighthouse mystery. The disappearance and loss of
anotherthreelightkeepersonEileanMorseventyyearsafterthefirstdisappearancecer-
tainly would have made for some interesting reading in the news.
Finally,thereisthepossibilityofalocalwavephenomenon.AlocalmannamedNiall
Beag had worked on the Eilean Mor Lighthouse during its construction phase and fea-
tures in a photograph taken on the island when the construction was being carried out.
He referred to a phenomenon known as the
Muir Cul
, which was a giant wave created
byasuccessionofdayswithaneasttowestmomentumofthesea,followedbyachange
inwindtotheoppositedirection(i.e.westtoeast,whicharetheprevailingwindsinthis
area). The fairly abrupt change in its early stages has the wind blowing one way with
the sea going in the opposite direction, leading to the state known as a
Muir Cul
(sea
from the back) when waves of above average size are created but are totally unexpec-
ted. A further elaboration of the
Muir Cul
comes from Iain Angus, who has worked all
his life on the sea in this area. He describes it as when the sea comes from behind you
when on a point or rock. This can be when fishing from the rock and watching the sea
in front of you, but a large swell approaching unseen from behind comes right over the
rock or point and will wash you into the sea. He stated that this did not happen at the
Flannans as no sea of that magnitude from the north-east could come over the island
without being felt elsewhere in the Hebrides. He states that there is one place on the
