CHAP. V. 



BANFF BRIDGE. 



61 



iron works at Carron and working coal mines at Borrow- 

 stonness. Dr. Roebuck was a man full of expedients, and 

 possessed an uncommon knowledge of mechanics for his 

 time. Smeaton was a kindred spirit, whom he very 

 early sought out and invited to his house at Kinneil, 

 near Borrowstonness, for the purpose of consulting him 

 as to the pumping machinery of his mines, and the vari- 

 ous arrangements of his iron manufactory at Carron. 

 Dr. Roebuck was one of the first to employ coal in 

 iron-smelting on a large scale, and for that purpose he 

 required the aid of the most powerful blowing apparatus 

 that could be procured. Mr. Smeaton succeeded in con- 

 triving and fixing for him, about the year 1768, a highly 

 effective machine of this kind, driven by a water-wheel. 1 

 He also supplied the same Company with a design for a 

 double-boring mill for cylinders and guns, the manu- 

 facture of carronades, or " smashers," having been a very 

 early branch of the business at the Carron Works. At 

 the same time he pointed out how the water power of 

 the little river Carron might be so concentrated and 

 increased by damming, as to work the apparatus he 

 contrived with the greatest possible effect. Smeaton 

 was afterwards repeatedly consulted by the Carron Com- 

 pany as to the several manufactures carried on at the 

 works such as the making of shot-moulds, the best form 

 of slide-carriages for guns, the construction of furnaces, 

 and such like matters, of which the plans and descriptive 

 details are to be found in his published reports. 2 



Another fine bridge, of which Smeaton furnished the 

 design in the year 1772, was that subsequently erected 

 over the river Deveron, near the town of Banff in Scot- 

 land. It is of seven arches, segments of circles, and is of 

 the total length of 410 feet between the abutments, with 



1 The author endeavoured to ob- 

 tain an inspection of this long-disused 

 apparatus, for the purposes of this 

 work, in the autumn of 1858 ; but 

 the reply of the manager was, " Na, 



na, it canna be allooed we canna be 

 fashed wi' straingers here." 



2 ' Eeports of the late John Smea- 

 ton, F.R.S.' In 3 vols. London, 

 1812. Vol. i., pp. 359-412. 



