Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

I must observe, that a couple of reservoirs capable of holding between 12 and 13 tons of water, which will be filled many times in the year by rains, will not only be a safety to the hospital, but an acquisition well worth the expense. Rain water is undeniably the best for washing, and though river water is more esteemed for brewing, yet it differs from rain water only in being mixed with a small proportion of hard spring water, of which kind the infirmary having the command by their well, a proper mixture of the two will answer the same as river water for brewing, so that (in very long droughts excepted) the infirmary will always have a command of water within themselves; and, as I apprehend, what water will be wanted during such dry seasons to be brought will be reduced to so small a quantity, that the carriage had better be paid for than go to the expense of any further pump work, reservoirs, or machinery.

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Original

LEEDS INFIRMARY.

TO the Committee of Leeds Infirmary.

Gentlemen,

I HAVE inspected the stone cisterns made at this hospital by the late ______ Craven; I find them nearly of the capacity proposed; but as I understand they never held water from the first, nor do they seem in a capacity of doing so now, or of being made to do so, without taking them all to pieces, and putting them together with the greatest care and firmness, which would of itself be a considerable expense. Each double cistern, when full, is charged with above six tons of water, and relative to this weight they have not only been much too slightly bonded together in their joints with iron, but I apprehend the foundation upon which they have been built has settled under the weight of the whole; for the least settlement or giving in the joints must and will necessarily disunite the cement of whatever kind, and thereby render them leaky. What the nature of the agreement was you best know; if to make them complete to hold water, it was then the undertaker’s business to look to the foundation and strength of his bondages: but yet, Gentlemen, if these cisterns can be rendered useful to you, it would seem more eligible so to do, than to return the materials upon the hands of the widow, which, when taken to pieces, will be of little value. I take it for granted you wanted, and still want these cisterns; and had they not been so undertaken to be made of stone, you had ordered them of lead, in which case strong wooden frames of timber would have been wanted to have supported the leaden lining, which frames of timber, though oak, would have been liable to need rebuilding in 20 years, in which case the workmanship upon the lead would have been to renew likewise: had therefore the proposition been how to render these cisterns durable, like the rest of the buildings, and which every public building ought to be rendered as much as possible, then you could not have been better advised than to have put together a casing of large stone flags, which the country affords, in order to support the leaden lining, and in this respect these cisterns as they now stand, will completely answer that end; and though in putting them together so as to hold water without such lining, there is work upon them that would have been unnecessary; yet if a reasonable allowance be abated from the first stipulated price for this superfluous work, it will be much less loss to the widow, and much less disadvantageous to the trust than either the removal of the materials, or an attempt to render them watertight in the manner they are. According to my estimate they may be completely lined, as they now stand, with lead of 7lb. to the foot, for about or somewhat under 30l.; of which about 8l. will be workmanship, the other will be the neat value of the lead and folder.

According as it has been given in to me, Craven’s estimate was:

	£.	s.	d.
Stones	14	14	0
Cramps and cement	2	5	3
Work	13	2	6
	30	1	9

How far the stones were properly valued at 14l. 14s. (carriage, I suppose, included) I know not, having never had occasion to purchase any of that magnitude. There are in the whole 20 stones, so that they will come to 14s. 8d. nearly per stone, which on an average contains about 24 feet superficial each; but as the Committee have agreed to take them at that price, on supposition they were rendered effectual to the purpose, suppose

	£.	s.	d.	£.	s.	d.
Widow Craven paid for the stones				14	14	0
Cement and cramps	2	5	3
Work	13	2	6
	15	7	9
Half of which is	7	13	10½

which deducted on account of what would have been superfluous, on supposition of the stone frame being made purposely to be lined with lead, then there will remain for cramps, mortar, and work

				7	13	10½
And there will be payable to widow Craven				22	7	10½

which, in my opinion, is a high valuation of the work for the purpose above mentioned; and there will be 7l. 13s. 10½d. retained in the hands of the Committee toward the workmanship of the lead lining, computed at 8l.; so that the trust will have very little more than the value of the lead and folder to pay for, to make the work effectual in the same manner as if originally intended for lead cisterns in stone casings, which, in my opinion, would have been the complete way of doing it; and, at the same time, the wooden covers, the conveyances for bringing in the water, and conduits for carrying it away will be preserved, which would be lost in case the work were totally demolished. That this is an equitable way of considering the matter appears hence that if the Widow Craven were to line the cistern with lead, she would then undeniably complete the work; and as she would add so much real property to the hospital as the value of the lead, for this she ought to be allowed in addition to the 30l. 1s. 9d., and she would have to pay 8l. for the work instead of allowing 7l. 13s. 9d.

I must observe, that a couple of reservoirs capable of holding between 12 and 13 tons of water, which will be filled many times in the year by rains, will not only be a safety to the hospital, but an acquisition well worth the expense. Rain water is undeniably the best for washing, and though river water is more esteemed for brewing, yet it differs from rain water only in being mixed with a small proportion of hard spring water, of which kind the infirmary having the command by their well, a proper mixture of the two will answer the same as river water for brewing, so that (in very long droughts excepted) the infirmary will always have a command of water within themselves; and, as I apprehend, what water will be wanted during such dry seasons to be brought will be reduced to so small a quantity, that the carriage had better be paid for than go to the expense of any further pump work, reservoirs, or machinery.

Austhorpe,

11th Oct. 1776.

J. SMEATON.

P.S. As I have mentioned the want of strength of bondages and foundation as the cause of the failure of the cistern’s holding water, it may perhaps be doubted whether they will be sufficiënt when lined with lead. But, I must observe, that if the amount was the thickness of a piece of post paper, by which the joint was broken, it would be sufficient to destroy the use of holding in the water; but if lined with lead, the lead will comply without breaking; so that considered merely as a casing to support they are sufficiently strong.

1428 words.

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