THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



19 



In yn'ii' recent!)- published and most valuable work, " Observa- 

 tions on Limes," you have honoured me by referring to an essay on 

 concrete, for which the Institute of British Architects awarded their 

 first medal in 1836 : and in the course of your remarks have taken 

 occasion to contradict a statement showing (if true) that concrete 

 was used by the late Ralph Walker, Esq., at the East India Docks, 

 in the year 1800, and to complain of the omission of the name of Sir 

 Robert Smirke, to whom you, perhaps justly, ascribe the credit of 

 having introduced the use of concrete in its present shape to this 

 country. 



When I commenced the essay in question, which was in 1835, I 

 found materials for the attempt exceedingly scant and meagre. I was 

 unacquainted with any modern work containing useful reference to 

 the subject (at that time I had not met with your lithographed 

 " Course of Practical Architecture"), and found few persons able to 

 give me authentic information. Two or three distinguished archi- 

 tects, to whom I applied, and who since then have extended to me 

 the favour of their acquaintance, declined affording me any particu- 

 lars; and Mr. Ranger, known to have knowledge on the matter, re- 

 fused positively, although with great politeness and some show of 

 reason, to give me the slightest explanation of his own system, or 

 the least item of information generally, so that I was compelled to 

 trust for the most part to my own resources and observations. Under 

 these circumstances T did not attempt to give to any one individual 

 merit for its introduction, but, recording briefly such points in con- 

 nection with this qiiestion as fell under my notice, passed on at once 

 to treat of its composition and its uses, with an impression that what 

 was said, would elicit such other information as might enable us here- 

 after to arrive at truth and fill the hiatus. 



The assertion that concrete was used by Mr. R. Walker in 

 1800, was made, as you have seen in the essay, on the au- 

 thority of Mr. Macintosh, the contractor, who, at the time I 

 applied to him, was engaged in the construction of the Greenwich 

 Railway. On the day that he related the circumstance (Oct. 5th, 

 1835), we were together directing the composition of concrete for the 

 foundation of the archway over the Grange-road, Bermondsey, and the 

 matter was so fresh in his recollection — was so far from a thing of 

 doubt — that he allowed me to make notes as he proceeded with the 

 conversation. These notes, Sir, I have sought for and foimd, and 

 from them I see that Mr. M. said more upon the subject than I have 

 printed — quite sufficient, indeed, to show that there was no mis- 

 understanding on my part ; and I beg leave, therefore, to copy for 

 you one or two of his sentences, in order that you may judge for 

 yourself. " I executed concrete," said he, " thirty-six years 

 ago at the East India Docks. The ground was a mud bank, with here 

 and there gravel and sand, affording, therefore, most unequal bearing ; 

 butthe concrete has, nevertheless, answered admirably. I think this was 

 ihe Jirst time concrete was used in England, indeed I know it was. 

 Trenches for outer walls were merely filed in with gravel, sand, and 

 water, no lime, and this has stood well ;" and he then went on to 

 speak of the quantity of lime which he considered best. Sec, &c. 

 Upon this, then. Sir, my statement rests. I had no wish, nor the 

 slightest motive to add to the reputation of Mr. Walker, still less, if 

 possible, to withhold credit from Sir Robert Smirke, for whose talents 

 (in common, I believe, with the profession generally) I entertain the 

 highest respect and admiration. The information which has been 

 furnished you, and which is set forth in your book, seems to show 

 that Mr. Macintosh was mistaken, imless, mdced, the measure was 

 detej'mined on after the specifications were issued, and was adopted 

 merely in some particular places by way of experiment ; but as I 

 have nothing farther to add on this head, t must content myself with 

 affording the above explanation, and leave time to reconcile the 

 apparently conflicting evidence. 



In regard to the omission altogether of Sir Robert Smirke's name, 

 of which you justly complain, I am bound to confess that I was not 

 aware, at the time of writing the essay, that Sir Robert Smirke was 

 more intimately connected with the subject than were several other 

 architects also not referred to, although I knew well that he 

 had used concrete in several places; in excuse for which 

 want of information, I can only offer the circumstances men- 

 tioned at the commencement of this letter. Immediately after 

 the publication of the " Transactions of the Institute," wherein 

 the essay appeared, I learnt that Sir Robert Smirke had paid par- 

 ticular attention to concrete : and in a second edition, which 

 closely followed the first, I introduced his name in a paragraph 

 concerning the foundation of the Custom House; and later still — 

 namely, in the second of a series of papers published in Ihe " Archi- 

 tectural Magazine," and headed " Hints on ConBtnirticn," I appended 

 the following note to a remark, that " Ralph Walker, Esq., and Sir 

 Robert Smirke, were among the first, if they were not the first, who 

 employed concrete, and adyoeatedits tise in England," serving, I 



trust, to show my desire to correct the omission so soon as it was dis- 

 covered. This is the i.ote :— " The name of this distinguished 

 architect (Sir Robert Smirke), in connection with the re-introduction 

 of concrete, was omitted, through want of positive information in 

 the essay on that subject, printed in the ' Transactions of the Insti- 

 tute of British Architects,' and the author of it seizes the oppor- 

 tunity here offered to rectify the error." 



Here, Sir, I should have left the subject, as I felt it woidd be 

 impertinent to thrust myself forward to state that on which, perhaps, 

 no^one might care to have my opinion, and knew that nothing which 

 I could say, or omit to say, would increase or lessen the high reputa- 

 tion of Sir Robert Smirke. As, however, you have been pleased to 

 draw attention to the circumstance in a book, w4iich probably will be 

 read universally, I feel called upon not only to render you this expla- 

 nation, but to make it as public as circumstances may pei-mit, lest 

 any should imagine, were I silent, that I still saw no reason for con- 

 necting Sir Robert Smirke's name with the first use of concrete in its 

 present shape in England. 



I trust, Sir, that imder these circumstances you will not deem me 

 wrongor rude, for intruding at this length on your valuable time, but 

 that vou will accept my profound respect, and believe me. Sir, your 

 faithful humble servant, GEORGE GODWIN, Jun. 



Brompton, Nov. 20, 1838. 



THE LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY. 



The following account of the construction of the works in the 

 neishbouihood of Blisworth, we have extracted from the fourth part of 

 " RoscoeandLecount's History and Description of the Railway," which 

 we have before favourably noticed. Besides the usual illustrations, the 

 present part contains a very useful map of the line of the country 

 through which the railway passes, reduced from " ChefBn's Official 

 Map." 



Tliis cutting is one of the largest on the line, and according to the original 

 estimate, would have contained 800,000 cubic yards ; in consequence, however, 

 of the necessity which was found of adding to the length of the wide part of 

 it, which was considered to bo essentially requisite during the execution of the 

 work, together with the materials arising from numerous slips in the upper 

 part, the total quantity removed approximated to 1,000,000 cubic yards. 



The greatest depth is about 5a feet, and the lengtli a mile and a half. The 

 materials excavated consisted of clay and limestone. The clay and rock may 

 be described generally as running into strata nearly on a parallel with the hne 

 of rails, which rise from each end of the cutting towards its centre, at an 

 inclination of 16 feet in a mile. . , , 



The different beds of rock in the excavation abound with fossil shells, in a 

 good state of preservation, consisting of nautilus, terebratula, oysters, &c. 

 There were also two or three fossils of very considerable magnitude disco- 

 vered which were of the Saurian tribe, and were found embedded in a stra- 

 tum immediately on the top of the rock. This rock is a species of half-formed 

 stone, of considerable hardness when dry, but becoming soon softened when 

 exposed to the air and damp. 



The quantity of stone excavated was about one-third of the contents of the 

 cutting, and considerable difficulties occurred at this point of the line. The 

 rock was found not to reach to the depth of the excavation, and underneath it 

 lay a deep bed of clay, in some parts to the thickness of 20 feet, through which 

 the rails had to be carried. To secure this from bulging out, it was necessary 

 to build retaining walls of considerable thickness along the sides of the_ ex- 

 cavation, which arc inclined at two slopes ; that portion which reaches from 

 the railway to the top of the rock is at one quarter to one, and for that above 

 the rock the inclination is at two to one, a ledge or benching, of nine feet in 

 width, being formed where the two slopes meet. The object of the benching 

 is to catch any loose portions of the clay which might be detached from above ; 

 they have also been found very useful in affording foundations for walls of 

 pebblc-stonc, which it has been found necessary to erect upon them m many 

 places, to retain the numerous slips of the clay above. _ . ■. . 



Immediately below the solid rock, in some parts of the excavation, is a bed 

 of loose shale, mixed with a considerable quantity of water, and to such an 

 extent, that pumps had to be constantly employed to allow the work to pro- 

 gress. The shale has been taken out, and the rock underset several feet, to 

 allow retaining walls of stone to be built in its place ; these walls in fact, 

 support the rock above, and as a further security, an inverted arch has been 

 built beneath the railway to the opposite side, in a similar manner to the in- 

 verts of tunnels. As soon as the retaining walls were built, a drift was formed 

 behind them three feet six inches high by three feet wide, forming a culvert 

 to receive the water which still keeps abundantly flowing out of this strata ; 

 and at intervals there arc openings left in the retaining walls to conduct the 

 water to the side drains of the railway, where it is carried off. 



During the first year and a half, the progress of this excavation was ex- 

 tremely slow, owing to the want of proper energy on the part of the contractor, 

 combined with general bad man.igement. The time was frittered away with- 

 out anything like a proper quantity of work being done ; and if this was 

 evident at the commencement, when there were no particular difliculties to 

 grapple with, what mi;;ht be expected towards the end, when nothing but the 

 most energetic measures could insure success? At last the Company were 

 obliged to get rid of the contractor of the Blisworth excaTRtion. 



