Engineers made an extraordinary discovery when they found a 132-year-old message in a bottle hidden within the walls of the Corsewall Lighthouse in southern Scotland. This is the first of its kind to be found in any Scottish lighthouse and will give a rare insight into the history of lighthouse construction from the late 19th century.
The message, dated 4 September 1892, was discovered in a coarse glass bottle 8 inches (20 cm) long, containing minute air-bubbles. It had been pushed behind panels in a cupboard, out of the immediate view, until mechanical engineer Ross Russell, who was inspecting the lighthouse for the Northern Lighthouse Board, found it.
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The bottle was shoved into a rather inaccessible compartment, so it was eventually retrieved with the use of a makeshift retrieval tool–a rope tied to a broom handle. They also waited for Barry Miller to arrive before they opened and revealed the contents of this bottle.
The Historic Message
Inside the bottle, written with quill and ink, was a message that listed the names of the engineers who had installed a new type of light in the 100-foot (30-meter) tower, as well as the three lighthouse keepers stationed at Corsewall at the time. The note was signed by James Wells, John Westwood, and James Brodie, engineers of the lighthouse project, along with other crew members who helped with the installation.
The message also mentioned the exact date the lighthouse lantern was relighted, September 15, 1892. This historical artifact not only shed light on the engineers who contributed to the lighthouse’s success but also provided insight into the challenges faced during the construction of the tower.
The glass bottle, with its distinctive convex base, was believed to have originally contained oil. Over the years, the cork stopper had expanded and adhered to the glass, while the securing wire rusted away, sealing the contents inside. Despite these challenges, the engineers carefully drilled and cut through the cork to access the message, which was surprisingly larger than expected and initially appeared too large to fit through the bottle’s narrow neck.
Using custom-made tools crafted from cable, the team successfully extracted the note. For Dr. Barry Miller, the excitement of unveiling the long-forgotten message was overwhelming. “My hands were trembling with excitement,” he admitted in an interview with BBC Scotland News.
As the first person to touch the bottle in over 130 years, Ross Russell described the discovery as “mind-blowing” and “a once-in-a-lifetime find.” He marveled at the idea of being the first to lay hands on something that had been sealed away in time, untouched for over a century.
The message’s revelation has sparked awe and fascination, not only for its historical significance but also for the remarkable story of how it had remained hidden for over 130 years.
This rare discovery has given a new layer of appreciation to the history of lighthouses and the engineers and keepers who worked tirelessly to maintain their operations. The discovery of the 1892 message will undoubtedly be remembered as a rare and thrilling chapter in the story of Scotland’s lighthouse heritage.
