What happened
The lighthouse on the islet of Eilean Mòr, about 30 km west of the Isle of Lewis, had been in operation since December 1899. On the evening of December 15, 1900, the crew of a passing steamer noticed that the light was not lit, but a storm prevented a quick response. The supply ship “Hesperus” did not reach the island until December 26. The relief keeper found the gate and door closed, the beds unmade, and the clocks stopped, and on the peg a single set of oilskins – a sign that one of the men had gone out without them. James Ducat, Thomas Marshall, and Donald MacArthur had vanished. At the west landing, signs of massive storm damage were found. The bodies were never recovered, and the mystery inspired poems, an opera, and films.
Witnesses
The crew of the “Hesperus” and relief keeper Joseph Moore, who was the first to enter the abandoned lighthouse; the case was investigated by a representative of the Northern Lighthouse Board.
Explanations and hypotheses
The Northern Lighthouse Board investigator concluded that the keepers had been swept away by a huge wave at the west landing while trying to secure equipment during the storm. Later hypotheses suggest a rogue wave or a sudden surge of water into a narrow inlet ending in a cave. Popular stories of strange log entries and a half-eaten meal turned out to be later literary embellishments with no basis in the records.
Disputed A likely explanation exists, but some of the facts are still disputed.
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