| Description | Dear Father,
I have defered writing, hoping to have the satisfaction of sending you, as desired, the specimens of the new guinea and East India money, but in spite of my utmost endeavours to hasten Mr. Lawson, he has day after day promised and so often broken his word that my patience is really exhausted; and, moreover, some important circumstances that have lately happened render it necessary for me to send this without the specimens.
They have met with a terrible accident at the rolling mill this morning. In breaking down the large tile copper the gudgeon of the right hand cogwhell, which immediatly turns the rolls, broke. [Here there is a diagram of the machinery, the cogwheel in question being marked with the words This one.] It has, you must naturally suppose, entirely stopt the mill. They had no sheet copper ready. (By the by, I think it probable you will find much difficulty to supply the cutters out with metal, when obliged to roll it down the large tile.) We immediately set all hands to work to repair the wheel, and luckily have found an old cast iron shaft in the engine yard which, when turned, will serve untill a new one be made. I suppose we shall get to work on Tuesday. Mr. Ewert is here and has been very active in forwarding the business; he and Mr. Southern both agree, and it sems to be the general opinion, that the new gudgeon should rather be a cast iron one in preference to wrought iron. You will be so kind as to decide as soon as possible. They also seem to think that it would be an improvement to take away the great fly, and the only means of preventing such accidents than in the present instance the mischief was done after the water was shut off, merely by the velocity of the fly.
I have taken advantage of this fine weather to get the great pool mudded. By means of a dam thrown across the canal at the bottom of the garden, we are enabled to keep the rolling mill at work. It will be an expensive job, and which is the most desirable way of proceeding I have not determined. George Withers was willing to agree to do whole for a certain sum, but his demand is too exhorbitant, 25£. I have consulted Mr. Foreman, Scale, and others, and they agree in the opinion that 15£ is a proper price. It contains 14,000 square yards, and supposing upon an average that there is 18 inches depth of mud to be cleared, and allowing 2000 yards for the deep places, which it will not be necessary to clear, you may compute it at 4000 cubic yards. The price per yard in making the Navigation and in the generality of clearing ground varies from 1½ to 3 pence; at a medium, therefore, we will reckon it at 2d. per cubic yard; it amounts to £33. 6. It is therefore, you see, not prudent to agree per yard. Another method is per day’s wages. Suppose twelve men to be employed, it will require three weeks; and, at 10s. per week each labourer, it amounts to 18£. I mean, therefore, to make a trial for a few days by the latter method, but hope by return of post you will give me your ideas upon the subject.
I remain, dear father, your dutiful son,
Mattw. R. Boulton
Mr. Ewert suggested to me whether in such cases of emergency as the present, when your works are at a stand for want of copper, you could not get a quantity rolled at Mr. Wilkinson’s mill at Bradly.
[Edited transcript.] |