Document 35, p 9
| for Sir Walter and others, and some in the Bridges way, and was also at that | ||||
| time Surveyor for the Bridges of the County of Northumberland and still | ||||
| the further to secure their care and Industry in this undertaking he had | ||||
| them bound to him as undertakers for the sum for which they contracted | ||||
| with him, to uphold their work for the Term in which he stood engaged to | ||||
| the County: But as a demonstration, that shows how well he was satisfied | ||||
| that the care and skill of the undertakers was fully and properly executed | ||||
| he after the accident and after a full examination gave them up the Bond they | ||||
| they just had entered into with him, contenting himself to pay the penalty in which | ||||
| he stood engaged to the County. | ||||
| And now as it will throw considerable light upon what I have to say | ||||
| further upon the subject, it will not be lost time to explain the mode of found- | ||||
| -ing adopted and put in practice by Mr Gott; as it appeared to Mr Smeaton | ||||
| by ocular inspection and who at the time was acquainted with the under- | ||||
| -takers, but more particularly and previously with Mr Gott. | ||||
| Having constructed large and broad Coffer Dams of Earth to fence of the water | ||||
| by help of chain pumps; they sunk the foundation pitt about 3 feet into the | ||||
| Gravel, then they drove Piles over the whole Area of the intended foundation | ||||
| of each pillar from 10 to 12 feet long and from 10 to 12 inches diameter in the | ||||
| heads, and tapering according to the natural Taper of the Timber proper for | ||||
| driving into Gravel of considerable resistance. The Heads being cut to a | ||||
| Levell, the whole was covered by a platform made of whole (that is 12 inches) | ||||
| Riga Balks, rabbetted or halved into each other, so that each could not | ||||
| subside without its neighbour going with it, and upon this Platform the | ||||
| Pillars were respectively built. | ||||
| Mr Smeaton has reason to believe (tho’ he never happened to be there | ||||
| when any Piles were driving) that the undertakers finding their Piles go | ||||
| into the ground, more easily than they expected, and that the upper part the | ||||
| hardest, did not, in all the Pillars, make the excavation of the foundation | ||||
| Pitt quite so deep as above mentioned; but yet all founded below the Bed | ||||
| 9 of | ||||
Note: Mr Smeaton's Memorial concerning Hexham Bridge, p 9
Abbreviations are underlined like this Wm. and the expansion may be seen by moving the cursor over it.
| An entry outlined like this has a note which may be seen by hovering over it. |
Transcribed by CTW and KS