The French Government was sorely puzzled as to how to overcome this danger. The engineers fought the elements valiantly for forty years in an effort to crown Horaine with a beacon, but time after time they were defeated. Landing on the reef is highly dangerous. The rocks are surrounded by surging, eddying currents, running at anything from six miles upwards per hour, while the slightest ruffle of wind is quite sufficient to stir up the water so as to fling it swirling over the rocks even at lowest tide. Once or twice, when a period of abnormal calm prevailed, the engineers struggled on to the rock and hurriedly built a substantial masonry beacon, but its life was always brief. The first two or three gales which pounded and roared over the chain invariably scattered the handiwork of man in all directions.
Then another expedient was attempted. A party landed upon the ridge, drove a hole into the solid rock, and there set a vertical iron girder 4 inches in thickness, trusting that it would hold fast and indicate the reef sufficiently during the day. But its life was short. A gale came along and snapped the post in twain, leaving a twisted, bent stump, some 36 inches long, remaining on the rock.
[Illustration: PREPARING THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE JUMENT LIGHT.
This illustration conveys an idea of the difficulties encountered in connection with this work.]
In 1890 another bold effort to subjugate the ridge was made. An hexagonal structure was designed, and it was determined to plant this on the rock by hook or by crook, and so firmly as to resist the most powerful hammerings to which it could be subjected by the waves. Six holes were bored into the rock surface to form the corners of the hexagon. But before commencing the work proper it was decided to insert an iron post, 6½ inches thick, into one of the holes, and to leave it to see what would happen. Time after time it was inspected, and was found to be safe and sound. Two years had slipped by, practically, since the post was planted, and it was still intact. The engineers thought they had triumphed, and were preparing their plans, when the news came that a heavy storm, which had swept the coast, had broken the pillar off flush with the rock.