358

LIGHT-HOUSES.

because the men could work only in the summer months.The first summer was occupied in making holes in the rock,and fastening irons to hold the future work. The secondyear was spent in erecting a solid pillar, of 14 feet diameterand 112 feet high, for the future support of the building.The third year this was augmented in diameter and increasedin height. This building was eventually finished, within thetime above mentioned, at an immense expense. It stoodthe opposition of the elements. The violence of the sea,■was so great, that Mr. Winstanley said it has been seen torise upwards of 100 feet above the vane, whilst the sides ofthe building were covered with surf as with a sheet, so thatthe wdiole house and lantern were occasionally underwater.This edifice withstood the conflict of elements till 1703,when the architect being at Plymouth, was desirous of visit-ing it, for the purpose of inspecting some repairs, went toit, but returned no more; for a storm arose, which left not arelic of it standing, except the iron-work which had beenfixed in the rock. The Corporation of the Trinity had thento erect another, for which purpose they employed a Mr.John lludyard, who was a silk-mercer on Ludgate-hill. Mr.Rudyard’s genius was said to have qualified him well for theundertaking. It appears, that he erected a house madechiefly of wood, which bore many traits of his genius. Itwas a conical frustrum, 15(i feet diameter at the base; itsaltitude G2 feet. At the top of the building was a balconyrailed round; in the centre of its area was the lantern.This building was made quite plain, excepting the well forthestairca.se which wmssolid for32f'eet. In the centre a strongmast was erected. The building was admirably fixed to therock, from the very peculiar manner of making the holes tohold iron cramps, they being made for the internal cavity todiverge on each side, by an extreme of one inch at thedepth of sixteen inches. The cavity was first filled withtallow; the hot iron then dipped in the same substance, putinto the rock, and eventually filled with pewter, w hicli dis-placed the tallow, being heavier, the grease serving to pro-tect the iron from the corrosive acidity of the salt water.In 1708 it was finished, so far as to receive a temporarylight. It stood for forty-four years, and showed that it wasonly liable to destruction from the very perishable nature ofits materials. However, on the 2d December, 1755, theupper part of it took fire, burnt downwards to its entireconsumption. The concern had been leased to a CaptainLovell; but at the late period his possessions had been dis-tributed among a number of people, when the care of re-building it was intrusted to Mr. Robert Weston, to whom