Document 66 p21
| 151 (21) | ||||
| from 900 to 1000 feet in a Minute not only deranged them; but | ||||
| totally dispersed the whole Body in the Compass of a few Hours; thereby | ||||
| leaving the immediate Foundations to the Actions of a rapid Current; | ||||
| and in Consequence, the whole Structure was brought to destruction; | ||||
| and so equable |
||||
| a Manner failed together. | ||||
| Had the Bridge shewn any previous Symptoms of failure, | ||||
| of any of its parts; had not even the Parapet remained entire, which | ||||
| is a part liable to fissures in Bridges of the very best Workmanship, | ||||
| something might have foreboded the Possibility of such an Event: | ||||
| Had not the intended defences been compleated, and remained compleat: | ||||
| Had not a very large Body of Rubble Stone been deposited below the | ||||
| immediate Scite of the Bridge, by the Order and Directions of this | ||||
| occasionaly | ||||
| Deponent, in order ⁁ to support and strengthen the Body of Rubble | ||||
| deposited immediately around the Foundations; In short, had not | ||||
| so far as has come to the knowledge & belief of this Dept | ||||
| every thing been done ⁁ in Conformity with the Suggestions of | ||||
| this Deponent for the permanent Security of the Bridge, that his | ||||
| Mind or Experience could devise; then he might have shifted the | ||||
| Blame upon others, and gone to work a second time, with greater | ||||
| prospect of Success than he did at first; and have thought that to | ||||
| be a practicable Scheme now; that he so thought then. But the | ||||
| State of his Experience of the Powers of this River now is so exceedingly | ||||
| different from what they originally appeared; or indeed appeared | ||||
| at any time preceding the last fatal Catastrophe; that had an | ||||
| Intimation been suggested of the possibility of such an Accident the | ||||
| 21 day | ||||
Note: Mr Smeaton's Replies to Interrogatories p21
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Transcribed by CTW and RMS