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Document 65, p 3

with the proceedings of the works of the Bridge from first to last as well as the other defendts
because as Chairman of the Quarter Sessns he had an opportunity of [???] Conversing with the sd
Jonan Pickernell on the Subject & as the sd Magists after his appointmt as Deputy Surveyor under the
sd Mr Wooler had appointed him the sd Jonan Pickernell to be Surveyor of the Bridges under them
for the County of Northd & the sd Jonan Pickernell had also been recommended by two of the sd Magists
of sd Co to act under him as Deputy Surveyor in this work He for these reasons concluded
that the Defts as well as the sd Magists were well satisfied with all the proceedings especially
as he never reced any objection thereto from the sd Defts by the sd Jonan Pickernell or otherwise
& this Dept furr saith that exclusive of findg the sd Jonan Pickernell to be a pson likely to ansr
the purpose in point of Experience & Capasity as Deputy Surveyor in this work it was a considble
inducemt to Dept to consent to his being so Employed because being previously employed &
recommended by the Magists as afsd he trusted that the confidence the Magists reposed in him
wd obviate all objections in leaving any thing short or Insufficiently done in the afsd Work
3rd To the third Interry this Dept saith that not havg any concern in the Expenditure of the money or in
keeping the Accot relating to the sd Bridge He cannot say wt the sums Expended really were but he
has reason to believe that a Stone Bridge upon a Gravel Bottom Extendg 518 feet betn its
130 abutmts over one of the most rapid Rivers in this Kingdom that Dept is acquainted with must in
its nature Cost more than the sum of 5,700£ & he has still greater reason to think so because this
Depts estimate upon the Plan origly Exhibited was for a greater sum & it is not frequent that
works of that kind are performable for less money than their Estimation & furr saith that a Considble
sum of money must necessarily be expended in additional works that this Dept could not forsee
in consequence of Misfortunes that really happd in the course of the Execution & agst Wch attacks
he this Dept thought it necessary to make aditional defences to the works.
4th To the fourth Interry this Dept saith that in the Beging of the Mo of Jany 1781 He surveyed the Bridge
in Question in presence of Two of the Magists who as this Dept was infd & verily bels were appointd
30 by the Bench of Magists to view the same one of whome to the best of this Depts remembrance & belf was
the Defendt Wastell & found every thing done to his this Depts great Satisfaction as well as to
the satisfaction of the Magists then attendg & this Dept gave a Certificate to the [Complt?] that the
Bridge was completed accordg to the complts agreemt. And this Dept further Saith he hath been infd
& bels that the sd Bridge stood safe & unhurt & witht the least appearance of Injury notwithstanding
that sevl grt floods happd during the Intermediate time but that upon the 11th March 1782 a more
sudden & violent flood happd than had happd since the grt Inundation of 1771 & which flood
of 1782 being at the highest in the Middle of the day the circumst attendg it were more capable
of being observed than that which in the nigh night destroyed the Bridge in ?? 1771 and
and saith that this Dept having been infd by the sd John Donkin & which he bels to be true that he the sd
John Donkin parlarly observed the hight of the Water acting agt the Bridge upon the west or up stream
Side of the Bridge & that it rose on that side to the top of the Caps of the Salient points of
the piers but that on the down stream or East Side the Surface of the Water scarcely arose so
high as the Bottoms of the Imposts & therefore from the Diffce of perpendicular hight of those two
fixed Marks this Dept calculates that the velocity of the River’s Water must have been at least
at the rate of 1000 Cubical feet in a minute but that the sd Donkin was so far from apprehendg
any danger to the Bridge itself that he had just sent his Son with some Masons over it from the
North to the South End to examine the state of the Detach’d Land Arches which had also been erected More
for the Safety of the Bridge in time of violent Floods which they reported (& still remain) safe
but that very soon after the Main Body of the Bridge began to show symptoms of failure & in
Half an Hour the greater pt of it was bron into that state of Ruin in which it now nealy nearly remains
and this Dept furr saith he bels the failure of the Bridge was not caused by any Defects [??] in
or in the construction thereof but that he same was entirely due to the unusual suddenness
& violence of the flood at the time mentd & the Dept is the more confirmed in his belf therein because
in the yr 1779 when all the piers of the sd Bridge were laid in the River but the upper works
not compleated there then happd a flood so remarkably violent that accordg to the observn
of the sd Jonan Pickernell which he soon aftr reported to this Dept the Diffce of the Level of the
Water betwn the upper & lower or down stream side of the Bridge was three feet nine Inches
& wch accordg to the computation of this Dept wld necessarily produce a velocity of the Currt
Water at the Rate of above 900 feet in a minute & wch as the sd Jonan Pickernell then reportd
to this Dept was so far from producing any derangmt in the Bridge that on the contrary
such changes as had been made thereby in the Bed of the River were for the better as
it had acquired a more equal depth from side to side and saith that aftrwds the sd Jonan
was for his good services in the undertaking recommended by this Dept to the Commrs
of the [piers?] of Whitby Harbour and that Robt Thompson who through this Business had acted
=4 as foreman Mason under the sd Jonan Pickernell & been chosen by the Magistrates to the
surveyor of County Bridges, the report of the sd Robt Thompson as was Communicated by the sd
John Donkin to this Dept & which he verily Bels to be true was that every great flood wch
happd from the time of his appointmt to the day of the Destruction of the Bridge had in their sevl
Effts rendered the Bridge more unsafe because thereby the shallow pts of the Bed of the River
were made deeper & the deep pts by the desposing of Gravel brought down had become Shallower
5 & 6 To the fifth & sixth Interries this Dept saith that in case another Bridge is to be built or
attempted to be built over the River Tyne in the place of or near to the last that in order to make
or render the same safe & secure from the like Accident as afsd that the same shd be erected
or attempted to be built after some or plan that is upon some or principal of Construction
as to its foundn than that whereon the former Bridge was made by the Complt but as this
Dept Cannot Suggest any principal of construction he can esteem to be secure notwithstg
the experience he has gained since he began the former Bridge it is not of His power to form
any estimate of the Cost that may attend it & this Dept furr saith that he does not see any
reason to Expect a better Success in a future than with the former Bridge while the plan
& place remains the same nor hath he yet been infd of any or Situation in the Neighbourhood
of Hexham that he now has any reason to think preferable to the situation of the Last Bridge
Last to the Last Interry this Dept saith that had he been acquainted with certain facts in the year 1776
he is now in posson of he certainly shd have judged the prospect of Building the sd Bridge as

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Note: Mr Smeaton's deposition, 28 October 1786, p 3

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Transcribed by CTW and KS