390 



BHIXDLEY CONSTRUCTS THE 



PART V. 



stitions, says our informant, made them thinkers and 

 calculators. The foreman bricklayer, for instance, as his 

 son used afterwards to relate, always " ruled the planets 

 to find out the lucky days on which to commence any 

 important work," and he added, " none of our work ever 

 gave way." The skilled men had their trade-secrets, in 

 which the unskilled were duly initiated, and the following 

 were amongst them, simple matters in themselves, but 

 not without use : 



A wet embankment can be prevented from slipping 

 by dredging or dusting powdered lime in layers over 

 the wet clay or earth. 



Sand or gravel can be made water-tight by shaking 

 it together with flat bars of iron run in some depth, say 

 two feet, and washing down loam or soil as the bars are 

 moved about, thus obviating the necessity for clay- 

 puddle. 



.Dry-rot can be prevented in warehouses by setting 

 the bricks opposite the ends of the main beams of the 

 warehouse in dry sand. 



As to the details of the canal works, Mr. l?awlmson 

 observes, " All the bridges and culverts ;nv set in the 

 best hydraulic mortar. The plans are simple, and 1m vc 

 special contrivances to suit peculiarities of situation, &c. 

 As a rule, there is a vertical joint betwixt the spandrils 

 and wing walls of bridges, to prevent injury by unequal 

 settlements or bearings." 



a wicker-basket ! Indeed, trying to be 

 a universal genius was his ruin. He 

 did, or attempted to do, so much, 

 that he never stood still and estab- 

 lished himself in any one thing ; and, 

 notwithstanding his great ability, he 

 died " not worth a groat." Amongst 

 Earnshaw's various contrivances was 

 a piece of machinery to raise water 

 from a coal-mine at Hague, near Mot- 

 tram, and (about 1753) a machine to 

 spin and reel cotton at one operation 

 in fact, a spinning-jenny which 

 lie showed to some of his neighljours 



as a curiosity, but, after having con- 

 vinced them of what might be done by 

 its means, lie immediately destroyed 

 it, saying that " he would not be the 

 means of taking bread out of the 

 mouths of the poor." He was a total 

 abstainer from strong drink, long be- 

 fore the days of Teetotal Societies. 

 Towards the end of his life he con- 

 tinued on intimate terms with Brind- 

 ley, holding frequent meetings with 

 him; and when they met they did 

 nt. I easily separate. Karnshaw died 

 in 17'il, at sixty year* ot'aur. 



