Document 48, Letter from John Smeaton to Henry Errington, 10 December 1783 p 1
| Sandoe 10 Decr 1783 | ||||
| Sir | ||||
| In Conformity to your Request and as soon as the bad | ||||
| State of my Health would possibly permit, I have | ||||
| Spent a Week here, in viewing considering and computing | ||||
| the requisite Materials for forming the Estimate for Hexham | ||||
| Bridge, which I now inclose; And which I am hopeful | ||||
| will take in the full Scope of the Object you had in | ||||
| View, in your Requisition, to have an Estimate made out | ||||
| of the value of the standing, and fallen parts of the | ||||
| Bridge; noting the Value of the standing Works and which | ||||
| I am sorry I could not acquit myself of sooner | ||||
| without Risque of my Life. | ||||
| I can only say, I have spent much Time and | ||||
| Labour in particularly computing the distinct parts so far | ||||
| as they are capable of Computation; and as I esteem it far | ||||
| the most difficult part of my Profession, to make [??] | ||||
| Estimate for a Subject of this Kind and Magnitude; [??] | ||||
| make an estimate of one so broken, and falling [??] | ||||
| Such a Variety of Considerations as the present must [??] | ||||
| allowed to be doubly difficult. | ||||
| I shall therefore content myself with saying that | ||||
| I have endeavoured to acquit myself to my own Satisfaction | ||||
| in doing equal Justice betwixt you and the County | ||||
| I must however observe that was you to rebuild; or | ||||
| was the County to rebuild; it will probably be done for | ||||
| considerably less than my Estimate; because after taking | ||||
| down the damaged Works to the Water Surface I | ||||
| apprehend it may not be judged advisable to eradicate | ||||
Note: Page torn on right hand side
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Transcribed by CTW and TB