Document 35, P 20
| thereto when he observed the water was up to the Top of the dooming | ||||
| (as then called) that is the top of the Capps of the Salient points upon the | ||||
| Piers of the upstream side of the Bridge when it scarce touched the impost | ||||
| of the down stream side which occasions a difference in level in passing | ||||
| the Bridge of no less – than between four and five feet (and which according) | ||||
| to the known Rules of Hydraulics will occasion a Velocity of One thousand | ||||
| feet in a Minute but yet he was so far from apprehending any danger to | ||||
| the Bridge that he had just sent his Son over to the South end with two | ||||
| or three Masons to Examine the state of the Land Arches there and who | ||||
| reported all safe but they had not returned above five Minutes before he | ||||
| began to perceive symptoms of failure when to his Great Surprize "he | ||||
| "perceived some particles of Lime fall from the fourth Arch about the size of | ||||
| "Chaff that the Lime coming from thence and no where else he pointed his | ||||
| "observations to that part only that the falling of the Lime continued to | ||||
| "increase in Size and Quantity for about the space of a Minute that soon | ||||
| "after he observed a Crack across the Bend of the Arch towards the upper side | ||||
| "of the Bridge which crack gradually widened and in about a Minute more | ||||
| "the splinters from the Stones in the plain part of the Spandrell between the | ||||
| "third and fourth Arch which he could perceive shake, gave way, & the | ||||
| "two Arches and a Pier fell together. That the whole Bridge was destroyed | ||||
| "in half an hour" only two Arches remaining whole and one fell in part | ||||
| in the Evening. Such was the sudden Catastrophe of this much | ||||
| Commended unfortunate Bridge. | ||||
| The second question is whether Mr Errington was sparing of any | ||||
| thing necessary, to give Success to that mode of Building which Mr | ||||
| Smeaton had adopted. | ||||
| In this Mr Smeaton can only bear his Testimony that he was not; | ||||
| nor did he ever hear him find fault with any Expence, thought necessary | ||||
| by Mr Smeaton; on the contrary he always expressed his Wishes, to have | ||||
| the Bridge completed in the most substantial and effectual manner. | ||||
| 20 Nor | ||||
Note: Mr Smeaton's Memorial P 20
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| An entry outlined like this has a note which may be seen by hovering over it. |
Transcribed by CTW and KS