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Document 65, p 2

for that the Timber platform of the Base of one of the principal Piers was so pressed down on
one side that the sm being lifted obliquely upwd appeared at this time & for some years aftewds above
the Surface of the Water in the ordinary state or Course of the River from which Circumste this Dept
bels that had either of the artificers of Sr W. Blackett or Mr Wooler founded their structures upon the
Surface of the Stratum of Gravel which as Dept was informed was [???] with large Stones & togr formed
the natural Bed of the River wtht breaking it by diggin or disturbing it by driving of Piles & had
defended the sides of the Piers from the action of the passing Current of Water by or proper means that the
Bridge of Sr W. Blackett might then have been standg or Woolers Bridge have remained permanent
useful and this Dept furr saith that he did signify his Consent to the sd John Donkin that he shod be ready
to examine the Grd pointed out by the Complt and in case he found it of such a nature that he could
hazard his Credit upon it & the complt wd take the risk of it in point of value that then this Dept wd
proceed to form a Scheme & estimate for the complt to proceed upon with the Magists & this Dept saith
that he accordg proceeded in the sd Examn in wch he was attendd by the sd Jonan Pickernell who some
of the acting Magists had recomendd to assist him & give him information in the Business & in the
course of such Examn this Dept found that the Crust of Gravel forming the Bed of the River in this
place was at least double the thickness (viz 8 Feet) that the sd Jonan Pickernell had reported it was
at the said Situation (viz 4 Feet) but that the Crust there appearg to be far the most firm at Top and
growing gradually less compact underneath tho he judged this Crust Sufft to bear the weight
of a Bridge designed with proper care and caution to the situation yet he judged it quite
unadvisable to break the upper surface by piling or otherwise He this Dept thereby reported
verbally to the sd John Donkin that he found the foundation Sufft to risk his Credit upon as an
Artist and was accordgy desired by the sd John Donkin to proceed to an Estimate and saith that it
appeared to this dept that there was not the least likelihood of Buildg a secure Bridge upon
piles in the usual way in Gravel soils on accot of the apprehendd softness of matter below which
the sd Jonan Pickernell havg examd in sevl or places in & near the River in the Neighbourhood
to be pretty much the same (viz hard Gravel above a Quicksand or matter but little compact below
as therefore the upper Crust of Gravel appd to this Dept very Sufft to bear the weight of a Bridge
provided it was kept un broke & uninjured by piling the prcess wd naturally be to lay
the Bases of the Piers upon platforms upon the natural Bed of the River unbroke & defend
these Bases from being undermined by Means, the Efficacy of wch this Dept had Experienced in the
most trying and alarming cases that had occurred to him in the course of 20 yrs & upwds in wch time
he had been in an Extensive practice of Water Works & wch Dept had never found to fail
& that was to defend such regular Works of Art as of themselves were indefensible from the repeated
Shocks of Tides Currents and Seas by throwing in at Random and Depositing enough Stones from the
Quarry so as to form a Sloping Bank agt the Bases of such regular Works and this Dept Saith that
upon the principal he formed his design which to lay the Bases of the piers upon the natural
Bed of the River be it Deeper or Shallower except the two piers which were contiguous to the
abutmt which being in Shallow water those togr with the abutmt themselves were to be founded
upon Piles of such Depth as shd appear Eligible and necessary on opening of the Grod which was
not done in in Course could not be done till the agreemt betwn the Complt & the Magists was ratified
and this Dept furr Saith that in consequence of proposals made by the sd Complt to the sd Magists the
sd Complt did as this Dept hath been infd & verily bels enter into articles of agreemt. But
this dept was never consulted on the partlar form or Stipulations to be contained in the
sd Agreemt. And this Dept furr saith that the Road to the sd Bridge tho it might be a necessary
appurtenant to the Bridge yet as it was no pt of this Depts plan he knows nothing concerning it
further that as is set forth in the agreemt itself & furr saith that in all works wherein he has been
concerned & he bels it has been the usual practice of or Artists in the same Line that where the Artist
himself is to direct the Execution of his own design & when this design necessarily comprehends the
laying of Foundns undergrd or under water as in such Circumsts that may attend the Execon cannot
be know beforehand that is before the execon is itself proceeded with, this dept apprehends
from the natural necessaity of the cause the artist must be at Liberty to alter his own design
so as to adapt it in the most effectual manner to the circumsts that turn out and appear &
if in doing this he does not take an Evidently worse method than his first proposition & with
a Sinister View the artist canot be blamed that something was to misgive or fail
that was the Subject of such alteration & furr saith that the plan to [??] the Artes of Agreemt in
the pleadgs mentd [refer?] was made by this Dept previous to the Complts entering into the same & as
Ideas of such a subject could not be communicated witht drawing Lines, those Lines must be
drawn some where what is apparent above the water Line or surface of the water accordg
to the Best of this Depts Knowdg & belf was strictly made according to the sd design & what is
below it was done as nearly conformable thereto as the nature of the Subject wd admit & saith
that in the before mentd design* the foundation of the two abutmts & of the adjoining pier at each end
are shown as Indeterminate by Dotted Lines & that the nature & intention of those shod not
be mistaken a Nota Bene is inserted upon the face of the Draft as follows "NB the two
"abutmts & the Two piers next the abutmts are proposed to be piled in such Manner as
"shall appear necessary on opening the Grd." The second pier from the North or left hand End
of the Drawing is shown to be a little Sunk into the Bed of the River as judging from the shallowness
of the water there that its Base wd be too near the Surface of the Water, but as this pier was
founded upon piles the depth of the Gravel being here sufft for the purpose this alteration
cannot in the opinion & bel of this Dept be considered an alteration for the worse, but in
fact for the Better & Saith that all the other 5 piers are expressly shewn to be founded upon
the upper surface of the Bed of the River, & were so intended to be wher the Rivers depth
might happen to be in the very place where each pier was to be sunk a few inches
Deeper or Shallower than the measure of the Depth of the water accordg to the scale of the plan those
were therefore founded accordg to the [Dirccons?] & instructions of this dept tho as to the depth they might
differ from the Grd Lines of the sd plan & this Dept furr Saith that the whole of the Erection was
performed so near to his intentions & directions (& to the best of his Knowdg & belf) that the cause of
the failure thereof cannot in any degree be imputed to either his directions not being [processed?] or to
any want or deficiency in proper materials workmanship or otherwise on the pt of the Complt or his
agents & that the whole was performed accordg to the Knowdg & belf of this Dept as nearly conformable to
the agreemt as the nature of the work wd admit of & this Dept belv that the Defend Gawen Aynsley was fully satisfied
C33

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Note: Mr Smeaton's deposition, 28 October 1786, p 2

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Transcribed by CTW and KS