380 



BRINDLEY L'ONSTIMTTS TIFK 



PART V. 



to fall back upon, and possessed no knowledge of the 

 means which foreign engineers might have adopted to 

 meet similar emergencies. All had been the result of 

 his own original thinking and contrivance ; and, indeed, 

 many of these devices were altogether new and original, 

 and had never before been tried by any eiigim-rr. 



It is curious to trace the progress of the works by 

 Brindley's own memoranda, which, though brief, clearly 

 exhibit his marvellous industry and close a] (plication to 

 every detail of the business. He seems to have settled 

 with the farmers for their tenant-right, sold and ac- 

 counted for the wood cut down and the gravel dug out 

 along the line of the canal, paid the workmen employed, 1 

 laid out the work, measured off the quantities done from 

 time to time, planned and erected. the bridges, designed 

 the canal-boats required for conveying the earth to form 

 the embankments, and united in himself the varied func- 

 tions of land-surveyor, carpenter, mason, brickmaker, 

 boat-builder, paymaster, and engineer. We even find him 

 descending to count bricks and sell grass. No thing was 

 too small for him to attend to, or too bold for him to 

 attempt when the necessity arose. At the same time we 

 find him contriving a water-plane for the Duke's collieries 

 at Worsley, and occasionally visiting Newchapel, Leek, 

 arid Congleton, in Staffordshire, for the purpose of 

 attending to the business on which he still continued to 

 be employed at those places. 



1 The following bill is preserved 

 amongst the Bridgewater Canal papers. 



Simcox was a skilled mechanic, and 

 acted as foreman of the caqx'ntrrs : 



" His Grace the Duke of Bridgewater to Sam 1 Simcox. D r 



. s. d. 



23 Mar 1 ' 1760 To 12 days work at 21< per 1 1 



23 Aug* To 6 days more d at d 010 6 



6 Sep r To 8 days more d at d 014 



2 5 <i 



1 Nov r 1760. Rec d the Contents above by the Hands of John 

 Gilbert for the Use of Sam 1 Simcox. P' 1 



JAMKS BUINPLKY." 



The wages of what was called a " right 

 hand man" at thai time were from 



I \,l. In Hi,/. ;, 



hand man " I 'mi 



