I immediately set to work to supply this deficiency by means of two sets of strong sheer-poles, capable of bearing 10 to 15 tons each. The vessel engaged was accordingly brought alongside the quay where the 4-ton crane was fixed, so that it should nearly plumb the centre of the hatchway of the vessel, which it was necessary to enlarge and strengthen considerably before it could receive the stone. I then secured the sheer-poles well at the top, and placed one set on each side of the crane, a short distance from the extremity of each end of the hatchway. The legs of the sheer-poles were firmly fixed in the bed of the harbour, striding over the vessel, so that they were perfectly independent of the vessel, and the top of each pole was directly over the centre of the hatchway. To the top of the sheer-poles I applied a pair of strong treble sheave-blocks, capable of receiving a thick rope; each block was worked by a double purchase crab or windlass manned by eight men each, besides four to work the crane, so that the block would be suspended at three points, the sheers taking the greatest weight. After a good deal of trouble I got the whole of this apparatus as complete as circumstances would permit, which were not the most favourable. From the quay a strong timber gangway was constructed over the hatchway, the outer end being supported, clear of the vessel, by piles driven into the bed of the harbour on each side, in order that the ship might be kept perfectly steady until the stone was placed within the hold, because otherwise the stone resting upon any part of the deck might have upset it. Everything being ready, the stone was brought alongside the vessel and the tackle of the crane and of the two pairs of sheer-poles was made fast to three sets of strong chains fastened round the stone, which was transferred upon rollers over the centre of the hatchway of the vessel, the purchases of the crane and sheer-poles being kept sufficiently tight so as to prevent any undue pressure upon the platform. The stone was then raised clear of the platform, when I heard a crack; in fact, one of the sheer-poles had bent and partially yielded; it was then blocked, and, the sheers having been first spliced with strong rope, the stone was again hoisted and swung clear of the platform, which was removed, and the stone was lowered into the hold of the vessel and properly secured without any further delay or accident. The whole of these operations were witnessed with intense interest by many of the inhabitants of Peterhead, and when so successfully completed the quays resounded with cheers. The gallant workmen who laboured so arduously and with such goodwill, and to whose exertions the success may be mainly attributed, were plenteously regaled, together with their friends, with all the good things which Peterhead afforded, in which the worthy inhabitants joined, and the remainder of the day was passed in mutual goodwill and festivity.
My readers will, I trust, excuse the detailed manner in which I have described these operations, which at the present day would be considered trifling to a degree, but, at the time above mentioned, more than half a century since, operations of this kind had not been attempted, and were entirely novel, and were considered extraordinary; they must, therefore, be viewed as the pioneer to the far greater operations of the kind which have followed. For now such stones are considered mere trifles, and blocks of almost any reasonable size can be quarried, polished, and transported to their destination, however distant, at comparatively much less cost and with greater facility. The cutting and polishing of granite at that time was accomplished at great expense, as it was done entirely by manual labour; now it is performed by means of machinery at greatly reduced cost, and polished granite of every kind is introduced into buildings, which was formerly considered impracticable; and thus the architect is provided with additional means of ornamenting his structures. It is true that many centuries before the Egyptians had shown the way; but then the whole power and resources of the nation had been devoted to this object, and incredible sums of money and great labour had been expended, regardless of the misery and oppression of the people. But in Great Britain it has been considered a true maxim of political economy, that every article should be produced at the least possible cost, and no work should be undertaken unless it would yield a fair profit for the capital expended; and whenever there is a reasonable prospect of obtaining this satisfactory result, any amount of capital which may be required is always forthcoming. Witness the vast sums which have been expended on railways alone, besides steam-vessels, manufactures, machinery, and other similar undertakings.
Whilst at Aberdeen and Peterhead, my father gave me an introduction to his old and intimate friend, the well-known James Ferguson, of Pitfour, the member for the county, and the intimate friend of Mr. Pitt. Mr. Ferguson possessed a large fortune; he was an old bachelor of the most amiable and charitable disposition, beloved by everybody and universally popular throughout the county. As illustrative of the manners of those days, I will simply mention that when I presented my father’s letter of introduction he received me most kindly, and invited me to spend a few days under his most hospitable roof, which I accepted, and on the first day there was assembled a large party of the most influential gentlemen of the county; as was usual wines of all kinds flowed in abundance, and universal hilarity prevailed. The consequence was that not long after dinner several of the guests fell off their chairs and took their nap under the table, from which after a short time they recovered and resumed their seats, and again set to work at their potations, which continued until long past midnight; by this time another considerable batch of guests were under the table, leaving their glasses full. I was so much amused at this unaccustomed scene, that, by way of frolic, I took the full glasses of some of the guests on the floor and poured them down their throats, which had no other effect than to make them sleep sounder. In this manner the evening passed merrily away, and it was late in the morning before the whole of the company found their way to their beds. The amiable host allowed everyone to do as he liked, and when he had had enough, which was not very soon, he retired to bed, leaving his guests to take care of themselves; in fact, Pitfour was “Liberty Hall,” and was open to all comers, the only limit being the amount of sleeping accommodation.
To give some idea of his hospitality, Mr. Ferguson seldom had less than thirty-six pipes of fine port wine in his cellars, besides claret, burgundy, sherry, champagne, brandy, and whisky, in proportion. He was so fond of Mr. Pitt, that it is believed that if Mr. Pitt had survived him, he intended to have made him heir to his estates, which were said to have been worth above 20,000l. a year.
When attending his duties in the House of Commons, he lodged in apartments in St. James’s Street, and after the parliamentary labours of the week were over, Mr. Pitt, the late Harry Dundas, First Lord Melville, and Mr. Ferguson used to retire to a country house at Wimbledon, and spend the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in the greatest conviviality, until it was time to return to their parliamentary labours. Mr. Ferguson rarely, if ever, spoke in the House of Commons, but when he did, it was always to the purpose: his speeches, although exceedingly short, were replete with much common sense, accompanied by a terseness of wit, humour, and drollery, which convulsed his hearers with laughter, so that he was a general favourite. He used always to say that he had heard “mony a gude speech, but that he never changed his vote, he aye voted with Mr. Pitt.”
Having shown the good people of Peterhead how to get and ship the large blocks of red granite for the Southwark Bridge, and feeling that there would be no further difficulty about the matter, I returned to London, after an absence of two weeks, and resumed my duties at the Southwark Bridge. In the spring of 1814 my father, being desirous that I should be initiated into the practice of marine and trigonometrical surveying upon a large scale, sent me, under the direction of the late Mr. Francis Giles, who had then been appointed by Mr. Rennie to make an extensive survey of the different places where it was practicable to construct proper artificial harbours on the south-west coast of Scotland, such as Port Nessock, Ardwell, and Port Patrick bays, on the Scotch side of the channel, and Ballantrae, Donaghadee, Ballyhone, and Bangor bays, on the opposite coast of the Irish Channel, in order to decide which were the best places on either side of the channel to make permanent good artificial harbours for packets, for the purpose of establishing the best and most direct communication between the south-west coast of Scotland and the opposite coast of Ireland. In addition to making the surveys of the different ports above mentioned, it was absolutely necessary to make a correct chart of the channel within the above limits, comprehending a coast-line of about 30 miles on each side, including the Copeland Islands. It was also necessary to determine the exact distances between the different ports, together with the soundings, currents, rises of tide, prevailing winds, and all the other attendant hydraulic phenomena. This was a very extensive survey, and required great skill, judgment, and experience, and Mr. Giles was fully competent to undertake it.
As the shore, particularly on the Scotch side of the channel, was very precipitous, rugged, and mountainous, it was impossible to measure with anything like accuracy a base line from which a series of triangular observations could be made so as to connect the two coasts together; Mr. Griles was therefore obliged to resort to the Bay of Luce, situated about 10 miles to the east of Port Patrick; it had this disadvantage, however, that in consequence of the intervening mountains neither the Scotch nor Irish coast could be seen. But there was no alternative, for no other convenient place could be found to measure a base line. The head of the Bay of Luce, however, at low water consists of an extensive district of flat sand 6 miles long, admirably adapted for the purpose of measuring a correct base line. This plan was accordingly adopted, and a base was measured 6 miles in length, first by the common chain, then by another chain consisting of steel links each 5 feet long, and lastly by well-seasoned deal rods each 10 feet long; these measurements were repeated with great accuracy several times, and a mean was then struck by which the variation was reduced to a fraction of an inch. It should also be observed that the measurements were taken when the atmosphere was about the same temperature, so that the final measurement was reduced to as near accuracy as practicable. Having established the base, strong vertical staffs with flags at their summits were then accurately fixed upon the summits of the neighbouring mountains which overlooked the Irish Channel, and from which on a clear day the opposite coast of Ireland could be distinctly seen. From each end of the base the above-mentioned angles were taken with one of Troughton’s best 7-inch theodolites, between the different mountain stations, and the distance between the extreme points of these stations was accurately calculated, so that it gave a base line of about 30 miles along the Scotch coast, from whence correct sights were taken on flagstaffs fixed on the high land above Bangor, Donaghadee, and Ballantrae, including the Copeland Islands on the opposite coast of Ireland. These observations being taken on different levels, were subsequently reduced to the same plane, so that the exact distance was obtained between the different stations on each side of the channel, and a correct chart was made. In addition to the general survey, detailed hydraulic charts were made of the places on each coast which were best adapted for making harbours of the size required, viz. Port Nessock, Ardwell, and Port Patrick, on the Scotch side, and Bangor, Ballyhone, Donaghadee, and Ballantrae, on the Irish side of the channel; and as there was a great variety of interests concerned, each proprietor being desirous of having the permanent ports established on his own property, it was finally decided by the Government, at the recommendation of my father, that the whole of the surveys should be submitted to the arbitration of the Trinity Board, to select one port on each side of the channel which was best adapted for establishing a communication by packets between the two countries for letters and passengers in the most expeditious, convenient, and effective manner. The Trinity Board, after having given the subject their most mature consideration, ultimately decided on Port Patrick on the Scotch, and Donaghadee on the Irish side. This decision was approved of by the Government, and Mr. Rennie was desired by them to prepare designs for harbours in both of the above places; he did so, and the Government ordered them to be carried into effect under his direction: for a more particular description the reader is referred to my work on British and Foreign Harbours. During the progress of these surveys I learned a great deal in this important department of civil engineering, and personally surveyed the bay of Port Nessock and the Copeland Islands, which gave me an excellent lesson, as, on account of the rugged nature of the coasts, they were attended with considerable difficulties.
As already observed, in the following year, 1815, I was placed under Mr. Giles’ direction during the whole period of the survey of the river Tyne, which had been entrusted to him by my father also. In the same year I was under Mr. Giles during the surveys for the Barnard Castle, and Stockton and Darlington railways and canal; and I subsequently made a hydraulic survey of the port of Blythe for my father, and for which he afterwards made a design for its improvement. I had been previously employed under Mr. Giles in the surveys for the eastern extension of the Kennet and Avon Canal. During a part of this time our head quarters were at Windsor; and one Sunday afternoon I recollect very well attending the promenade on the terrace at Windsor Castle when His Majesty King George the Third, accompanied by the Queen and Royal Family, made their appearance with their attendants and joined the promenade, and were received in the most loyal and affectionate yet respectful manner. I also about the same time assisted Mr. Giles in the survey of the Thames in the vicinity of Woolwich Dockyard, the accumulation of the mud in front of which was so great at that time that it threatened to render that dockyard useless. The evil to a certain extent has since been remedied by removing a number of the projections which interfered with the currents of the ebb and flood tide, according to the plan laid down by the late Mr. Rennie, although, as he clearly pointed out, it would be impossible to improve the river to such an extent in front of Woolwich and Deptford dockyards as to render them fit for the construction and accommodation of large vessels of war; and therefore he recommended that they should be abandoned and sold, and that a proper establishment should be made at Northfleet capable of accommodating at all times of tide any number of the largest vessels of war at that time in the navy, or that might be built hereafter. This dockyard was intended to be so arranged that all classes of vessels of war could be built there; and it would contain establishments for manufacturing cordage, sails, anchors, guns, smith work of every kind, together with depôts of provisions, and stores of all sorts, all of which were to be arranged in such a manner that each operation of building, repairing, storing, and fitting out for sea should be completed in the order required; so that a vessel, after having been built, might be transferred at once into a dry dock to be coppered, then take in her masts, ballast, rigging, sails, stores, provisions, guns, boats, and seamen, and sail at once complete to her station from the centre dock-gates; in the same manner, when returning from her station, she might be repaired and fitted out again ready for sea. The saving effected by such an establishment would have been immense, and the service would have been performed in a far more expeditious and effective manner. Mr. Pitt was then Prime Minister, and his master mind at once acknowledged the advantages of such an establishment; it was accordingly approved of by the Government, the land was bought, and it was ordered to be carried into effect, but the unfortunate death of that great minister and the change of Government effectually put a stop to all further proceedings in this direction. Since that time the old dockyards of Woolwich and Deptford, Sheerness and Chatham, have been improved and enlarged, at an expenditure as great as would have completed Mr. Rennie’s establishment at Northfleet, without half the efficiency or accommodation. The old useless dockyards of Woolwich and Deptford, which the late Lord Melville, when First Lord of the Admiralty, condemned and ordered to be sold, have been retained, and the increase of unnecessary expense has been enormous, whilst the evils complained of have not been remedied till quite lately.
Having by this time a considerable knowledge of surveying, practical and theoretical, in all its departments either on land or water, so that I could undertake either, my father deemed that I had learned sufficient, and directed me to return to my practical duties in the construction of the Southwark Bridge. As this was considered a work of great importance and difficulty I felt highly honoured by my father’s confidence, and devoted my energies to it with the greatest anxiety and with a determination to do everything in my power to make it successful. The difficulty of obtaining the large blocks of granite and other stone had been successfully overcome, and they arrived with great punctuality, and the masonry of the abutments and piers was successfully carried into effect as previously described. Then came the important question of erecting the cast-iron arches; each arch consisted of eight main ribs, and each rib consisted of thirteen pieces, the lower or main part of which formed the chord or arch upon which the whole of the superstructure was to be supported. These thirteen pieces were solid, 2½ inches thick in the mass and 3 inches thick at the bottom, and 2½ thick at the top, and formed so many radiating blocks, like arch-stones. At the end of every block there was a transverse frame extending from one side to the other through the whole width of the bridge; against each side of these frames the main ribs abutted and were nicely fitted to them, and in order to prevent them from moving laterally there were projecting dovetailed cheeks cast on the frame, and between these cheeks and the ends of the main ribs solid cast-iron wedges the whole depth of the main rib were fitted, then drawn home against the ends of the rib; by this means the ribs were kept firmly within their places, and as an additional precaution strong diagonal braces, having a strong feathering rib on each side, were inserted diagonally between the ribs from one end of the arch to the other, and secured to the ribs by projecting dovetailed cheeks on them, and wedges and bolts, so that these cast-iron arches were constructed in the same manner as a stone arch, being almost as it were a solid mass depending upon the equilibrium of the different pieces for its stability. The depth of the main rib of the centre arch at the crown is 6 feet and 8 feet at the piers, whilst the depth of the ribs of the side arches at the crown is 6 feet and 8 feet at the abutments. As these ribs with their attendant transverse frames and diagonal braces formed the main part of the arches upon which the whole of the superstructure depended, it was necessary that they should be extremely well put together and properly united to the piers and abutments. Contrary to the usual mode of constructing stone arches, they were commenced at the centre instead of the sides, a strong wooden centring supported upon tiers of piles having been previously constructed between the piers and abutments to support them whilst being put in their places. Each piece of each rib was carefully placed upon the centre, resting upon nicely-adjusted strong wooden double wedges, and connected together as they proceeded by the transverse frames and diagonal braces before mentioned. By this means the whole of the arches were constructed at the same time from the centre to the skewbacks or bearing parts of the piers and abutments; but in order to connect them properly with them it was necessary to devise a particular arrangement. For this purpose a transverse frame, similar to those already described for connecting the rib pieces together, was accurately imbedded and fitted to the skewbacks or bearing places on piers and abutments, resting on a bed of sheet lead, and the joints were filled in with melted lead also; this formed a solid and to a certain extent elastic bearing, upon which the main ribs were ultimately to rest.
At the ends of the arched rib-plates next to the piers and abutments there was another transverse frame plate of the same kind as those previously described, and fixed there in a similar manner; this brought the ends of the arches within 6 inches of the abutting or bearing plates fixed in the skewbacks or springing places of the piers and abutments.