Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

376 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. Fig. 15. chosen was about forty yards away from Smeaton’s famous structure, the upper portion of which now stands on Ply- mouth Hoe, and still serves a use- ful purpose to mariners as the Trinity sea-mark. While less fa- miliar to the gen- eral public than records of suc- cessive structures on the Eddy- stone, the story of the Bishop Rock Lighthouses is even more thrilling, and pre- sents a vivid pic- ture of the de- termination and Fig. 13.— SECTION OF THE CHICKEN ROCK LIGHTHOUSE, CALF OF MAN (D. and T. Stevenson, 1874). Fig. 14.—section of wolf rock lighthouse, off lizard . point (Walker, 1862). Fig. 15.—new eddystone lighthouse (Douglass,' 1883). breaking the shock of waves to such an extent that spray alone ascends to the lantern gallery, 122 feet 6 inches above high-water level. Smeaton’s tower was only about 60 feet high to the cornice, against which ascend- ing waves broke and fell in heavy spray on the lantern. So violent were the shocks in severe weather that the stones of the cornice were lifted from their beds, while the vibration of the tower itself caused much anxiety. Moreover, the foundations were found to be partly undermined, and taking all things into account, the Corporation of Trinity House had no alternative but to decide on the con- struction of a new lighthouse. The site undaunted cour- age displayed by British engineers in battling with the elements in their wildest mood. Lying seven miles to the south-west of the Fig. 16.—JOINTS IN MASONRY OF NEW EDDYSTONE LIGHTHOUSE.