124 Years Ago, These Lighthouse Keepers Vanished From Their Post, And What Happened To Them Is Still A Mystery
If you love old stories about mysterious cases of vanishing people or villages, you’ll probably find the story of the Flannan Isle lighthouse keepers fascinating.
The Eilean Mòr lighthouse was built on the Flannan Isles of Scotland and first lit in 1899. James Ducat, Thomas Marshall, and Donald McArthur were all lighthouse keepers who worked there simultaneously throughout long shifts.
When a relief vessel that made routine checks at the lighthouse called the Hesperus reached Flannan Isles after facing bad weather and getting reports that the lighthouse light wasn’t on in December of 1900, the crew immediately noticed something was wrong. No one was there to welcome them ashore.
The ship’s captain tried signaling for a response from the three lighthouse keepers, but there was nothing. There also wasn’t a flag on the flag pole, which was quite unusual.
Joseph Moore, one of the relief lighthouse keepers, went to shore to see if he could find the other keepers.
What he found was quite odd. The beds were left unmade, the main entrance door was closed, their clocks were stopped, their dining table was set, and the fireplace hadn’t been used in days. There was no sign of the other men.
Upon further investigation, the crew of the Hesperus found that everything with the lighthouse was running functionally, yet the keepers had vanished. The crew notified the Northern Lighthouse Board that something was terribly wrong.
Then, the crew noticed some interesting evidence at the west end landing of the lighthouse. A box that held tackle and other supplies had been broken, and its contents were strewn out all over the place.
Iron railings around the area had been broken, and some were missing. An emergency life buoy that had been attached to the railings was also missing.
jarcosa – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
In this area, there was also a massive rock that had been displaced. The superintendent of the lighthouse board, Robert Muirhead, led an investigation into the keeper’s disappearance and made an official statement.
He believed that around dinnertime on December 15th, 1900, James and Thomas went down to the western landing stage to secure ropes and the supply box.
He also believed that Donald must have breached Northern Lighthouse Board conduct and joined them in heavy rain without proper gear.
Then, Robert assumed that while the three men were on the western landing stage, the displaced rock must have been forcefully knocked over by the sea and taken them, sweeping them away.
However, because no bodies were ever discovered near the lighthouse, speculation grew, and people began coming up with their own theories about what may have happened to these men.
Some believe a fight may have broken out, and one of the keepers killed another. Then, while covering up the crime seen near the water, all of them were swept away by the water. Other people say a large sea creature may have gotten to them.
Regardless, it’s been over 124 years since the three keepers went missing, and despite researchers constantly revisiting this case, there still isn’t a clear answer as to what may have happened to them.
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