Monday 16 October 1837
Fine frosty-aired sunny morning Fahrenheit 57 at 8 50/60 - then out till came in to breakfast at 9 1/2 - Ann had breakfasted but came and sat with me
Her tenant Joseph Taylor from Hard Platts here - came to be paid for carting pit wood for me - (92 feet at 5 1/2d) some weeks ago - sat talking to Ann till after 10 - then out about till 12 then came in and sat 1/2 hour with Ann then out again
With Robert Mann to set all the five platform casts to bring soil to the garden and as they came at last to bring one load of scale from the platform, so that they might not come empty even as far as to the top of the wheat field where the soil was to be carted from, - the road so terrible along the Laundry court wall, the poor weak horses could not get along their one horse carts without a chain horse - Robert would rather they went back to their own job and so would I - therefore they did return to it after emptying in the garden their load a piece of scale
Then with Robert + 2 and my own 2 carts as in the morning carting away the 'sludge' from the laundry court road to the bottom of the coal pit field
Mr. Gray not about to get off early yesterday morning had remained at Halifax till noon - had seen Robert Mann and gone at his request to see the puddling! against the barn to keep out the damp! Clay against a house wall to keep out damp! Gray agreed with Robert as to the badness of the plan
I went (off about 2 20/60 by the Lodge) to Northgate - 2 feet deep of clay pounded all round against the walls of the room Hinton thinking an 8 inch drain below the clay sufficient - explained - Hinton would blame nobody - it was his own plan - he had done his best, but saw that I was right - either he should have thrown rubble against the walls, or left the drain open (a better plan than the other) to the surface - but Mr. Harper coming next week - it might be left till then - no! Harper would rather do it right - called Blythe who foolishly took the puddling plan as his own - maintained its superiority and I came off saying be that as it might I would have the puddle taken away and the drain brought up to above the level of the floor, and an 18 inch flagged way laid over it
Mr. Barber junior I suppose of Southowram and another gentleman I did not know came to me at Northgate with a paper to be signed by those who wished to oppose some road being thrown on the town by Mr. Waddington - I declined signing because I did not understand the matter sufficiently.
Engine Holt had waited for me some time at Northgate - he had brought 2 plans of worsted mills - would have the building within 26 x 12 yards - 12, 11, and 10 feet high rooms 20 frames on the ground floor, and 2 storeys above for wool-sorting, reeling &c. &c. including warehouse room - but (said I) with this additional accommodation should not I have £20 per frame? at this rate Matthew Naylor was right?, - vide 26th ultima line 5 from bottom opposite 355, and I should estimate the mill complete at 20/- per square yard of floor therefore 26 x 12 x 3 = 936 yards of floor = £936 and the mill will cost every farthing of £900 - Holt will do the shafting and gearing for £150.
Mentioned my present plan of pumping the water - only 12 yards to lift - and thought of a 2 or 3 horse power high pressure engine - Holt knows of one to sell for about £60 by Mr. Bold but Holt would make a new one for £100 - no masonry required - would make a 7 inch cylinder and then there would be only a pressure of about 20 lbs per square inch and there would be neither danger nor trouble - 2 1/2 loads of coal per day of 11 hours, and 200 gallons of water and engine boy 4/- or 5/- a week but Holt would recommend a 6 horse power condenser, had one nearly ready by him which he could have up in a month, to pump the water and pull the coal - would pull up 8 corves in 10 minutes - would burn not more than 7 loads of coal per day - & engine boy 8/- per week - the engine to be moved to the Platform when wanted there - Engine house and fixing = £30
Note from Northgate about 4 1/2 - out about till came in at 6 40/60 - had had Joseph Mann out of doors - Listerwick pit 5 yards deep in water - Holt to come tomorrow - Joseph Mann sure we should sell 2 acres a year at Listerwick
Dressed - dinner at 7 5/60 to 8 - coffee Ann read French the 1st. time these 17 weeks ever since near Mr. Gray returned
I came upstairs at 9 3/4, Ann followed at 10, and from 9 3/4 to 11 wrote all the above of today - very fine day -
Comments
Post a Comment