 The adverse conditions faced by the keepers resulted in them receiving additional payments in kind , but the remote location suited some veterans . Archibald McEachern was assistant keeper for 14 years from 1870 – 84 and John Nicol was principal from 1890 – 1903 . The latter was involved in a dramatic rescue when the liner Labrador en route from Halifax , Nova Scotia to Liverpool ran aground on the nearby Mackenzie 's Rock in 1899 . The lifeboats were manned and two made it to Mull , but one with eighteen passengers reached the lighthouse where they were looked after for two and a half days before they could be taken to the mainland . No lives were lost and Nicol and his two assistants were commended by the NLB for their efforts . 
