The Stevensons' rise in lighthouse engineering began with Thomas Smith's appointment as engineer to the newly-formed Board of Northern Lighthouses in August 1786[1]. This occurred after Smith designed a system of oil lights to replace the primitive coal fires then in use[1]. This appointment not only bettered his fortunes but also introduced him to a new and wider field for the exercise of his abilities, and a new way of life highly agreeable to his active constitution[1]. He seems to have rejoiced in the long journeys and to have combined them with the practice of field sports[1].'A tall, stout man coming ashore with his gun over his arm' so he was described to my father—the only description that has come down to me by a light-keeper old in the service[1].
Robert Stevenson, Alan Stevenson's son and Thomas Smith's stepson, quickly became involved in the field[1]. Introduced by marriage under his roof was of a character to sympathise; the public usefulness of the service would appeal to his judgment, the perpetual need for fresh expedients stimulate his ingenuity[1]. Snared by these interests, the boy seems to have become almost at once the eager confidant and adviser of his new connection[1]. By the age of nineteen, Stevenson already held a position of authority, superintending the construction of the lighthouse on the isle of Little Cumbrae, in the Firth of Clyde[1].
Both Thomas Smith and Robert Stevenson felt the charm of this occupation strongly[1]. Thomas Smith was a reformer, and the superiority of his proposed lamp and reflectors over open fires of coal secured his appointment[1]. As for Robert Stevenson, the public usefulness of the service appealed to his judgment, and the perpetual need for fresh expedients stimulated his ingenuity[1]. Both men found the life of an engineer appealing: the seas into which his labors carried the new engineer were still scarce charted, the coasts still dark; his way on shore was often far beyond the convenience of any road; the isles in which he must sojourn were still partly savage[1]. He must toss much in boats; he must often adventure on horseback by the dubious bridle-track through unfrequented wildernesses; he must sometimes plan his lighthouse in the very camp of wreckers; and he was continually enforced to the vicissitudes of outdoor life[1].
Robert Stevenson continued to advance in his calling and gained familiarity with members of Parliament, judges ofthe Court of Session, and 'landed gentlemen'[1]. He acquired a ready address and a flow of interesting conversation, and when he was referred to as 'a highly respectable bourgeois,' resented the description[1]. Thomas Smith, having designed a system of oil lights to take the place of the primitive coal fires before in use, he was dubbed engineer to the newly-formed Board of Northern Lighthouses[1].
In 1807, the partnership between Thomas Smith and Robert Stevenson dissolved, with Robert Stevenson becoming the sole engineer to the Board of Northern Lights[1]. He threw himself into the work with ardency and thoroughness[1]. This involved dangerous and laborious travel; in 1802, Robert visited the coast of England, a distance of 2500 miles, and by 1834 seems to have been acquainted with the coast of France from Dieppe to Bordeaux[1].
Robert Stevenson's chief claim to the style of a mechanical inventor is on account of the Jib or Balance Crane of the Bell Rock, which are beautiful contrivances[1]. Smeaton had adopted in his floors the principle of the arch; each therefore exercised an outward thrust upon the walls, which must be met and combated by embedded chains[1]. My grandfather's flooring-stones, on the other hand, were flat, made part of the outer wall, and were keyed and dovetailed into a central stone, so as to bind the work together and be positive elements of strength[1].
Robert Stevenson faced many perils and escapes during his career[1]. His life was marked by hard winds, rough seas, and reliance on the try-sail and storm-jib'[1]. His work often required him to land on open beaches or among shelving rocks to bring supplies and equipment to the light stations[1]. At times, he was left in strange berths and with but rude provision[1].
From 1794 onward, Robert Stevenson’s mind had been exercised with the idea of a light upon the formidable Bell Rock danger[1]. To build a tower on a sea rock, eleven miles from shore, and barely uncovered at low water of neaps, appeared a fascinating enterprise[1]. He visited a piece of sea-board; and from the inclination and soil of the beach, from the weeds and shell-fish, from the configuration of the coast and the depth of soundings outside, he must deduce what magnitude of waves is to be looked for[1].
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