Centuries had passed by, and numberless wrecks had occurred on the Smalls and neighbouring rocks, when, about a hundred years ago, a ship belonging to Liverpool was lost on them.  She was commanded by a Captain Phillips, who, with his crew, escaped; and from a feeling of gratitude for his providential deliverance he determined that he would do his utmost to get a lighthouse built on the rock.  He shortly afterwards became a shipowner and merchant in Liverpool; and, being successful in business, he forthwith put his intention into execution.  His first plan was to fit long cast-iron pillars deep into the rock, and to place upon them a circular room, as the habitation of the light-keepers, with a lantern at the top.  He had already raised the pillars to a considerable height, when a heavy gale came on, and they were overthrown.  Undaunted by his failure, Captain Phillips again set to work, and engaged a Mr Whiteside--an ingenious mechanic and a native of Liverpool.  Curiously enough, Mr Whiteside, who was about twenty-six years of age, had hitherto employed his talents in making musical instruments, though, having means of his own, he did not depend upon his labour for his subsistence.  He had never been to sea, and was ignorant of the power of the ocean.  Accompanied by half-a-dozen Cornish miners, he arrived in the harbour of Solva, a small town near Saint David's Head, on the north side of Saint Bride's Bay, about twenty-two miles from the Smalls rock. He began the work by again using iron pillars, the task of the miners being to bore holes in the rock in which to fix them.  Before they had been long at work a gale arose, which compelled their vessel to seek for safety in harbour, while they were left clinging to one of the iron pillars.  During that fearful night several of them were nearly carried away.  The gale abating on the third day, they were rescued in a very exhausted state by the crew of their vessel.  Still Mr Whiteside continued the work.  After the iron pillars were fixed, and already carried to some height, another gale so bent them as to convince him that another material must be used.  He accordingly obtained the longest and stoutest oak trees to be procured in the kingdom.  After undergoing many hardships, dangers, and disappointments, he ultimately erected five wooden and three iron pillars.  On the summit an octagonal room was formed, with a lamp above.  Afterwards the three iron pillars were removed, and oak placed in their stead, with another in the centre, the whole supported by diagonal stays, the lower ends of which were fixed in the rock.