THE NLB AND THE LIFE OF A LIGHTHOUSEMAN - The Lighthouse - page 11

sisted upon.These included the right to quarry stone from any part ofthe island and the
right to use any part of the island (Eilean Mor) for temporary buildings, stores, etc.
In 1900, only nine days prior to the disappearance of the three lightkeepers, Steven-
son had made notes 14 on 6 December regarding discussions he had held with Lloyds
and a proposed agreement forthe installation ofa wireless telegraph. The intention was
for Lloyds to supply and erect the whole plant including instrument poles, a flag staff,
flags and everything necessary for signalling purposes.
Ofvariousothermattersrelatingtotheworkonthelighthouse,twoofnotestandout.
The first was the sudden death of the Clerk of Works, Mr Deas, who died at the end of
the third season's work and the second was that principal contractor, Mr Lawson 15 was
deeply unhappy at the cost overruns on the work, which he felt were through no fault
of his own. Although the lighthouse was first to be officially lit in December 1899 and
operated thereafter, the actual work carried out by Mr Lawson and his men did not offi-
cially finish until October 1900.
The lighthouse on Eilean Mor became operational on 7 December 1899 with a per-
manent roster of four keepers. The life of a lightkeeper was certainly different to any
other profession, with its overtones of ranks, maritime associations and elements of
civil service governance. It was also a job that was a way of life, as the lightkeepers
were tied very closely to their place of work.
A grasp of the NLB rank structure is useful in understanding how the keepers related
toeachother.Eachlighthousewastheresponsibilityoftheprincipallightkeeper(PLK).
Under him, at lighthouses with a foghorn, he would have had two assistant lightkeep-
ers (ALK). The general adoption of the forty-hour week in the UK by the early 1970s
ledtheNLBtointroducelocalassistantlightkeepers(LALK).Formanyyearsmoststa-
tions had already had occasional lightkeepers (OLK), normally at least one. They ten-
ded to be mainly local residents trained in lightroom duties and capable of standing a
watch in an emergency or covering for holidays. It was by no means regular work, just
as and when needed. It was decided to carry the concept of OLKs further, but a number
of problems soon became apparent.
Whentheywerebuilt,mainlandandislandlighthousesweresetupforthreefull-time
career lightkeepers and their families, all living in cottages at the station which were
provided free as part of their wages by the NLB. Two-man stations, and there were a
few, were basically lighthouses without a foghorn or the impedimenta needed to oper-
ate one . At one point in the 1970s, there were a few one-man stations as well. These
included Barns Ness, Buchan Ness, Cromarty and Chanory. These were manned by a
PLK only, who would put the light on and then quite legitimately go to his bed. Their
intended use by the 1970s was for the worthy notion of them being a final posting for
PLKs approaching their retirement. Some said, perhaps unkindly, that in practice they