They likely ran a strict shift system. Each day was split into set intervals—watch, patrol, maintenance, rest. Every crew member knew exactly what they had to do in each slot, so there was no confusion. Supplies were kept in a ledger and checked at the start of each shift; if a resource ran low, the crew would reallocate tasks or ration. By sticking to a predictable timetable and keeping a simple tally, they avoided waste and kept the tower running smoothly.

They added a contingency buffer to the ledger. For every day’s supplies they kept a one‑day reserve that was only opened when a storm was forecast or when wind‑damage was observed. The watchmen were trained to recognize the signs of an impending gale—darkening sky, sudden wind shift, sea spray—and to reduce non‑essential activities before the storm hit. If supplies were ruined, the crew would switch to a pre‑arranged emergency protocol: use the reserve, ration the rest, and report the loss the next day so the ledger could be updated. This combination of scheduled buffers and simple weather‑reading routines kept the tower from collapsing under unpredictable wind.

They would mark the day as “storm‑ready” in the ledger once the crew noticed those early wind cues, then shift to the reserve and adjust the schedule accordingly. This way every action had an audit trail—either normal or emergency—keeping operations smooth and predictable.

Yes, a few crews did misread the wind and waited until the spray was already on the walls before opening the reserve. When that happened the tower would lose critical supplies, and the crew had to ration for a day or rely on nearby help. Those incidents pushed the leadership to tighten the protocol—making the “storm‑ready” flag a mandatory part of the shift handover and giving a quick training cue on wind cues. Over time the error rate dropped, but the lesson remains that a good ledger is only as strong as the crew’s eye for the weather.