Document 73, p 3
| 163 | ||||
| from time to time from the finishing thereof freqtly examd ye state & condon yreof very carefully | ||||
| (having had Mr Smeaton’s dircens so to do) and had not perceived that any Accident had happened thereto altho | ||||
| two or three consdble Floods had happened after the finishg yreof & this Depont furr saith that to the best of | ||||
| his judgmt & belief ye sd Bridge was compleated & finished in an able masterly manner & accordg to ye Arles | ||||
| of Agreent entered into by ye sd Complt wth ye Justices of ye peace for ye sd Co of Northland & he is rather inclined | ||||
| x to judge & believe in as much as he this Depont was present on ye 9 Jany 1781 when ye same was carefully | ||||
| viewed by two of the Defts in this Cause to wit John Tweddle & Bacon William Westell Esqrs andor Justices of | ||||
| ye peace for ye sd Co who after viewing ye same Certified to ye Justices for ye sd Co Generally by writing under | ||||
| their names that ye sd Bridge Appeared to them to be compleated Accordg to ye sd Arles | ||||
| Sixth To the sixth Interry this Depont saith that in case anor bridge shod be built upon ye same plan & | ||||
| Principles on wch the late Bridge was built he verily bels it wd not be more secure agst the like | ||||
| attack because this Depont appreehds & bels that it is impossible to exercise more care & Attention | ||||
| in the Building any such new Bridge than was Appld in constructg the last | ||||
| Last To the Last Interry saith he hath frequently heard & verily bels it to be true that the Complt ever | ||||
| since ye sd Bridge was Demolished has been wishing to have ye sd Bridge rebuilt if Mr Smeaton | ||||
| wd give him the Complt any Assurance that the same cod have been done in a permanent | ||||
| manner And saith that he hath often heard the sd |
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| it to have been the invariable Sentimt of ye sd Mr Smeaton that he did not know of any method within the | ||||
| expenses & bounds of ye Complts Contract to rebuild or reinstate ye sd Bridge so as to be permanent & | ||||
| that the Complt under these Circumstances freqtly informed or caused the Justices to be informed of | ||||
| these his reasons for not taking any steps or measures towards the rebuilding of ye sd Bridge | ||||
| but at the same time expressed or caused to be expressed to some of ye sd Justices his ye sd Complts desire | ||||
| to enter into any reasonable compromise in order to be released from an Undertaking that he was Assured | ||||
| was fruitless but that the same was not regarded or attended to by the sd Justices And saith that ye Complt | ||||
| havg been informed that a proposal from him to ye Justices of the peace who were to be at the Assizes | ||||
| held for the Co of Northland for ye yr 1783 wd be listned to & that upon his proposing to pay wt shod | ||||
| appear upon a fair Estimate to be ye Expces of putting ye Bridge into ye like or as good a state as it was | ||||
| immedly before it fell that ye Co wd Rels him from his oblign did give Directions to this Depont to employ | ||||
| proper people to make such estimate & to have it ready before the Assizes And that this Depont | ||||
| saith that in pursce of such Direcions he employed Wm. Johnson a mason eminently Skilled | ||||
| in Bridge Buildg very well known to ye Justices of the Co of Northland havg been engaged by | ||||
| them in Building various Bridges in the Co and as this Depont hath been informed and verily | ||||
| bels havg Pformed sevl contracts much to their Satisfaction & his own Credit & joined to the sd Wm. | ||||
| Johnson Robt. Thompson a mason who had been employed during the Buildg ye late Bridge as a foreman | ||||
| of the masons & who was then ye Surveyer appted by ye sd Justices of ye Bridges in ye Co of Northland & one | ||||
| Thos. Richley(since died) who was a Carpenter at Corbridge in ye Neighbourhood of Note as a master builder | ||||
| & undertaker & saith that ye sd Wm. Johnson Robt. Thompson & Thos. Richley after having carefully viewed | ||||
| & examined the state of ye sd Bridge did on or about the 16th july 1783 make their Report or Estimate | ||||
| Signed with their respive Hands dated ye sd 16th July 1783 wch is now produced by this Depont | ||||
| on the back with ye Lre A And saith that the sd Wm. Johnson Robt. Thompson & Thos. Richley did respivly | ||||
| Sign the sd proded Rept or Estimate in ye presence of this Depont And this Depont furr saith that he by | ||||
| the like Direcons of ye sd Complt at ye Michs Quar Sessions of ye peace held for ye co of Northland at | ||||
| Alnwick in ye year 1783 did deliver the sd Rept or Estimate marked A to ye Justices in Sessions | ||||
| & were asked by the Bench if ye sd Complt intended to give ye sum mentd in such Rept or Estimate to | ||||
| be released from his Obligon to the Co And that he this Depont Answered that he was warranted by | ||||
| the Complt to say he wd give that same or used words to the like Effects & this Depont furr saith that | ||||
| it was thereupon observed by one of ye Justices that the people who had made the sd Rept or Estimate | ||||
| were incompetant to ye undersg & this Depont saith that Gawen Aynsley Esqr one of ye Defts in this | ||||
| 3 | ||||
Note: Donkin's Replies to Interrogatories, p 3
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 KS and CTW