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Disappearance
of three Lightkeepers on 15 December 1900
 1.
The keepers were:-
James Ducat, Principal
Thomas Marshall, 2nd Assistant
Donald McArthur, Occasional Keeper - doing duty for William Ross, 1st Assistant,
on sick leave.
2. Their disappearance was discovered only as a result of the routine visit
of the Lighthouse Tender HESPERUS on 26 December 1900.
3. It is the case that a vessel passed the Flannan Islands about midnight on
15 December and on arrival in port reported that the light was not seen, but
this fact was not communicated to the Commissioners until the disappearance
of the keepers had been discovered on the visit of the Lighthouse Tender.
4. Captain Harvey was in command of the HESPERUS. We reported that on arrival
at the Flannans during the afternoon of 26 December there was no sign of life
to be seen on the Island and no response was made to a rocket fired from the
ship. The relieving keeper, Joseph Moore, who was landed on the Island, went
up to the lighthouse, but found no one there. Moore reported the facts to the
Master and then returned to the Island, along with Mr MacDonald, Buoymaster
(who was on board the vessel at the time) and Seaman Lamont and Campbell, all
three having volunteered to remain on the Island with Moore for the time being
to keep the light in operation.
5. The Master of the HESPERUS was not an eye witness of the condition of the
lighthouse when found deserted. Moore was the first person to be landed, and
when he went back to the Island for the second time he was accompanied by the
three men referred to in 4.
6. The disappearance was immediately investigated, and from the traces which
were evident of the very bad weather which had been experienced on the Island
it was concluded that the men must have left the lighthouse for some purpose
or other, probably to secure some gear or to ascertain what damage had been
done at one of the landing places, and been caught by an unexpected large roller
and swept into the sea.
7. The last written entries in the log were for 13 December, but particulars
for 14 December and of the time of extinguishing the light on 15 December,
along with barometer and thermometer readings and state of the wind taken at
9am on 15 December, were noted on the slate for transference later to the log.
Everything was in order, the lamp ready to be lit, and it was evident that
the work of the forenoon of the 15th had been completed, indicating that the
men disappeared on the afternoon of Saturday 15 December.
8. The contractor for the work of building the lighthouse on the Flannan Islands
was Mr George Lawson. The lighthouse stands on Eileen Mor, one of the Flannan
Islands about 18 miles from Gallan Head, West Coast of Lewis, and the light
was first exhibited on 7 December 1899.
A
vessel passed the Flannan Islands about midnight
on 15 December 1900 and on arrival in port reported
that the light had not been seen. This fact, however,
was not communicated to the Commissioners of Northern
Lighthouses until after the disappearance of the
lightkeepers had been discovered as a result of the
routine visit of the Lighthouse Tender, HESPERUS,
on 26 December 1900.
The
Master of the HESPERUS in his report stated that
on arrival at the Flannan Islands on the afternoon
of 26 December there was no sign of life to be seen
on Eilean Mor, the island on which the lighthouse
was built, and no response was made to a rocket fired
from the Tender. The relieving lightkeeper was landing
and proceeded to the Lighthouse Station but, finding
no-one there, he immediately returned to the ship
and reported the position to the Master. He then
returned to the island accompanied by three men who
had volunteered to remain ashore to assist the ligthkeeper
in keeping the navigation light in operation.
Investigations
into the disappearance of the three lightkeepers
showed evidence of very bad weather having been experienced
and it could only be concluded that the lightkeepers
must have left the Station buildings for some purpose
or another, probably to secure some gear or to ascertain
what damage had been done at one of the landing places,
and had been caught up by some exceptionally large
and unexpected wave and swept into the sea.
The last written entries
in the log were for 13 December, but particulars for 14 December,
and of the time of extinguishing the light on 15 December, along
with barometer and thermometer readings and state of the wind taken
at 9am on 15 December, were noted on the slate for transference
later to the log.
Everything
was in order, the lamp was ready to be lit, and it
was evident that the work of the forenoon of the
15th had completed, indicating that the men disappeared
on the afternoon of Saturday, 15 December.
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