Engineers recently discovered a 132-year-old message inside a bottle, which was hidden within the walls of a Corsewall Lighthouse in southern Scotland.
As per BBC, the 8 inch bottle was found by Ross Russell, a Northern Lighthouse Board mechanical engineer, while conducting an inspection.
The discovery of this bottle is referred to as “once in a lifetime” event and is believed to be the first-ever message in a bottle found inside a lighthouse in Scotland.
This letter was written with quill and ink and is believed to be dated 4 September 1892.
The letter revealed the names of three engineers who installed a new type of light in the 100-foot (30-meter) tower.
It also mentioned the names of three keepers who worked at the lighthouse at the time.
The bottle features a unique convex base, and is made up of rough glass with tiny air bubbles. It is believed to have originally contained oil.
It was sealed with a cork stopper, which had expanded over time and become so stuck to the glass that a man had to cut the top of the cork and gently drill it out.
The note inside the bottle appeared too large to pull through the neck of the bottle, so they created a tool using two pieces of cable to twist it through the narrow opening.
The letter reads, “Corsewall Light & Fog Signal Station, Sept 4th 1892. This lantern was erected by James Wells Engineer, John Westwood Millwright, James Brodie Engineer, David Scott Labourer, of the firm of James Milne & Son Engineers, Milton House Works, Edinburgh, during the months from May to September and relighted on Thursday night 15th Sept 1892.”
It added, “The following being keepers at the station at this time, John Wilson Principal, John B Henderson 1st assistant, John Lockhart 2nd assistant.”
"The lens and machine being supplied by James Dove &Co Engineers Greenside Edinburgh and erected by William Burness, John Harrower, James Dods. Engineers with the above firm,” the letter further added.
The bottle and note are currently being stored in the Northern Lighthouse Board’s headquarters in Edinburgh.
