Excerpt from Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Vol. 46: With Other Selected and Abstracted Papers; Session 1875-76

The attending steamer arrived at Earraid on the 14th of April, to take advantage, as was anticipated, of the easterly winds, which generally prevail during the spring months. But strong westerly winds continued almost without intermission till the end of June, during which period of two and a half months no work was done upon the rock. Various attempts were from time to time made to land, but without success, except on the 4th of May, and even then the men could only remain one hour and a half but time was afforded to ascertain that the work of the last season had stood on the whole well, considering its unfinished state. One section of the iron ring connecting the heads of the uprights of the first tier of the barrack, at a height of 30 feet above high-water level of spring tides, had, however, been carried away. Again on the 1 8th of May six men landed, it being unsafe to land a greater number, but the sea continuing to rise, they were taken ofi' after being about one hour and a half on the rock. The weather then became more unfavourable, and no landing was made till the 29th of June. The wind, indeed, never fairly settled into the east, so that more or less of a westerly swell continued throughout the whole season, being the most unfavourable weather for the progress of the work. The following is the number of days in each month that a landing on the rock was practicable z - May, two days; June, two days; July, thirteen days; August, ten days; and September, eleven days; together thirty - eight days.

The progress, however, was encouraging; the barrack for the wormen was completed on the 28th of September, and about three-fourths of the foundation of the tower was excavated.

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