The Lighthouse: The Mystery of the Eliean Mor Lighthouse Keepers by Keith McCloskey

Author:Keith McCloskey
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Mystery, Non-Fiction, Survival
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2014-09-30T22:00:00+00:00

6

GIANT WAVE1

Before considering the giant wave theory, one possibility considered by NLB Superintendent Robert Muirhead is that the three men were possibly on the cliff edge at the top of the West landing and all three were blown off the cliffs and down into the sea by the strong wind. He stated in his report:

I have considered and discussed the possibility of the men being blown away by the wind, but, as the wind was westerly, I am of opinion, notwithstanding its great force, that the more probable explanation is that they have been washed away, as, had the wind caught them, it would, from its direction, have blown them up the island, and I feel certain that they would have managed to throw themselves down before they reached the summit or brow of the island.2

This supposition, of course, assumes that the men were only at the west landing and ignoring the ruling that at least one of them should have been inside the light station at all times and, again, it also assumes that Macarthur was with Ducat and Marshall in his shirtsleeves. Would there have been any reason for them to have gone to the west landing considering there appears little point in them doing so? Would it also have been a possibility that the three may have been on another cliff edge on Eilean Mor exposed to the wind with the danger of being blown off and into the sea? As it was daylight, is it possible that one of them had seen what he thought to be a boat in trouble close to the island, and that the three of them had rushed to a cliff edge for a better look? This again is unlikely, as there were no reported ships or smaller boats in the area, notwithstanding the violent gale that was blowing. Even allowing for the fact that the three men had been cooped up in the light station itself for several days on account of the weather, it seems again to be a highly unlikely scenario that they would have gone outside for a break from the monotony of being cooped up inside the tiny station, given the conditions. By the nature of their job, lighthousemen were used to being cooped up in tower lighthouses for days and weeks on end. It was the very essence of the job. Barring any other possibility that the three of them had cause to go out to another location on Eilean Mor (with Macarthur in his shirtsleeves) for some reason, being blown into the sea by the wind can probably be ruled out.

To the casual observer skimming over the facts, the three men went down to the west landing where a giant wave came and before the men had time to scramble to safety, the wave hit the west landing and the force of water which went above them then swept down and washed them all into the sea and they drowned there.

Bearing in mind the

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