"About 1843, when we were building iron boats for the Rhine, the old engine was put to work to drive the tools or machinery in the yard. She was very useful to us and worked very well. She worked about ten years, and was then thrown out to make room for a new and larger engine for our saw-mills. The chain-wheel for driving was made here, it did not belong to it originally."[18]
"My father (then the foreman boiler-maker) about twenty-four years ago took the old engine from the scrap heap, where it had been for many years, and set it to work in the tool shop. My father said it had come from Tehidy as old iron."[19]
The use of the high-pressure steam agricultural engine was not confined to Cornwall. Mr. H. Pape, still carrying on business in Hazeldine and Rastrick's old engine manufactory at Bridgenorth, says:—
"My father worked as a smith under Mr. Rastrick. Mr. Hazeldine had the foundry when Trevithick's engines were made, and have heard my father speak of them. I have seen three of them at work in Bridgenorth; one of them at Mr. Jasper's flour-mill, it drove four stones, and continued in work up to 1837; one at Sing's tan-yard worked up to 1840; and one was on Mr. Jasper's farm at Stapleford for doing farm work. Mr. Smith, now on the farm, worked it up to about 1858.
"The engines that worked in Bridgenorth had cast-iron cylinders for the outer casing of the boiler, one cylinder for small engines, three or four cylinders bolted together for the larger ones. The fire-tube was wrought iron, the chimney stood up by the fire-door. The cylinder was let down into the boiler; it worked with a four-way cock. There was a piston-rod, cross-head, two guide-rods on the top of the cylinder, and two side rods to the crank and pin in 'the fly-wheel.'"[20]
"My first husband had to do with the foundry; his father, Mr. Hazeldine, was a partner with Mr. Davies and Co. in 1816. In 1817 the partnership was broken up, and the foundry carried on by Hazeldine. I used to have two or three drawers full of drawings and account-books that were brought from the works. I kept them for many years, but now the greater part of them have gone to light the fire; all the drawings are gone."[21]
The engines described by Mr. Pape are of the type made by Trevithick, in Wales, about 1804, having a fire-place in the boiler, and similar in form to the Welsh locomotive.
The drawings which served to light the fires certainly included Trevithick's plans for the steam-locomotive, ploughing engine, the screw-propeller, and many others of equal interest.
"Stableford, March 26th, 1870.
"Dear Sir,