6o HIGHWAYS AND HORSES. 



It was in 1765, when an Act was passed to provide 

 a turnpike road between Harrogate and Borough- 

 bridge, that Metcalf then sold his carrier's waggon, 

 and started as a road-maker. When executing a 

 portion of this road, he sent in his tender for the 

 erection of a bridge at Boroughbridge ; it was 

 accepted, and he completed the work within the 

 stipulated time, and in a satisfactory manner. 



In another of his contracts he constructed a road 

 over a bog in almost the same manner as George 

 Stephenson made his railroad over Chatmoss. He was 

 always a great adept at making roads over marshes. 

 When his contract for making the road from H udders- 

 field to Manchester was accepted, he found, to his 

 dismay, that he was expected to traverse some marshy 

 ground ; and when he remonstrated, alleging the 

 additional expense, he was told that he should not 

 be a loser. Happily, owing to his great intelligence, 

 he managed to overcome the difficulties which he 

 encountered. 



He M-as advised that he had better dig the bog 

 out until he came to a solid bottom. Had he done 

 this he would have had to dig a trench 9 feet deep 

 by 42 feet wide, but this he naturally declined to do ; 

 he cut a deep trench on either side of the intended 

 road, and threw the excavated stuff inward on to the 

 basis of the road, so as to raise it to a convex form, 

 and he filled the trench on either side with heather, 

 and covered the road-track itself with bundles laid 

 transversely, and over this he laid gravel ; in fact, the 

 road, in a way, was made to float upon the surface 

 of the bog. 



It is evident that Stephenson did not originate the 

 idea of a floating road, since it is to Metcalf that we 



