AFTERMATH - The Lighthouse - page 64

A telegram was received yesterday morning from Callernish, Island of Lewis, by the
NorthernLighthouseCommissioners,statingthatdisasterhadovertakenthethreelight-
house keepers on the Flannan Islands. This group of rocky islets lies off the mouth of
Loch Roag. They are seven in number and are sometimes called 'The Seven Hunters.'
On the largest of them - Eilean Mor, as it is called - the Northern Lighthouse Com-
missioners erected a lighthouse, which was first lighted on the 7th December 1899.
Designed bytheMessrsD.&C.Stevenson, CE,Edinburgh,theCommissioners engin-
eers,ittookfourseasonstobuild,partlyonaccountofthestormywatersaroundit,and
also from the difficulty there was in landing stones and material.
This island, which is egg shaped, has cliffs all round of not less than 150 feet in
height. Above the cliff line there is a steep grassy band facing the south, which carries
the land of the island to a height of over 200 feet. On the north side the cliffs have a
straight descent to the sea. The lighthouse was erected on the highest land, and was a
stonestructurefittedtoresistthegaleswhichblowinwildlyfromtheAtlantic.Thereis
nolandbetween theFlannan Islands andAmerica. Thetower ofthelighthouse rises 75
feetabovetheisland,andthelight,whichisof140,000candlepower,couldbeseenfor
24 nautical miles. The chief purpose it served was to give a lead and direction to ves-
sels going from the Atlantic bythe Butt ofLewis to the Pentland Firth, orcoming from
the Firth to the Great Western Ocean. The Commissioners made two landing places,
one at the east side and the other at the west, to be used according to the way the wind
was blowing. From these they had to cut a zig-zag stair up the face of the cliffs to the
grassy slope already referred to. And they also constructed a trolley tramway, worked
from the lighthouse by an engine and rope, for the purpose of taking stores from the
landing stages to the lighthouse.
At each of the landing stages but higher up the cliff, is a crane for unloading stores
from the Commissioners' steamers. There are, it may be further explained, four light-
house men attached to this station. Three of them are always on the rock attending to
the light. Each of the four in turn is six weeks on the island, and a fortnight on the
mainland. During that fortnight they reside at the town of Breasclete, on the north side
of Loch Roag where the Commissioners have built substantial cottages for their staff,
their wives and families, or other relations. The Flannans are visited every fortnight by
the Commissioners' steamer Hesperus ; and it was on this vessel, which is under the
command of Captain Harvey, making her usual call at the lighthouse with stores on
Wednesday, that the unfortunate discovery was made that the whole of the lighthouse
staff were missing. But for the lighthouse men these rocky and lonely islands are unin-
habited. The Hesperus left Oban on Monday, and took on board the keeper, who after
hisfortnight onshore,was returning torelieve oneofhiscomrades. Onthe boat'screw