Thursday, March 2, 1837

1837

March

Thursday 2

7 35/..

2 25/..

No kiss.  Fine morning.  Ready in 50 minutes but had to undress to put the piece of flannel on my chest.  I have often forgot it, and after had the pother of undressing – Cold – Fahrenheit 33° at 8 50/.. a.m.

Had Mr. Husband and Charles Howarth and Booth and Robert Mann, and ordered about the clows for the meer –

Breakfast at 9 50/.. a.m. in 1/2 hour – Ann had Mr. Horner and after just seeing Holt, was off to Golcar and Huddersfield about 11 1/2 – I out about 10 1/2 –

Today, Edward and Abraham (who began yesterday afternoon and got a hole through to my study) at my study fireplace –

Holt and Mr. John Robinson came at the same time (11 20/..) had George Robinson first – He brought Samuel Washington’s new plan.  To remain as let by my uncle at £40 per annum – Samuel Washington had told me his measurement in 1833 was correct – No question either about the mill – on lease – to remain as it is for the present –

What did George Robinson bid me for Lower brea? – Answer, £20 a year more than the present rent – Does that, said I, mean £80 a year for Lower brea – No! £70 a year for Lower brea – I said I should not take that – I had made up my mind – I would not take less than £80 a year for Lower brea as it is, I not laying out a farthing upon Lower brea or the mill, and I keeping the little Croft adjoining the mill – George Robinson asked when he should come again – I said when it suited him , but he must have made up his mind – I said if he agreed, he would have the notices to quit as usual – No! He would have no more of those – Very well, then, said I, you will quit – You do not like being on lease and therefore you shall be under regular notice from year to year, or we shall not agree – What, said I, is to become of me if you should be a bankrupt – He scouted this idea – but grew reconciled when I said he might be worth £100,000 today and nothing tomorrow – I had him perhaps about 1/4 hour – He is to come again – Memento that the agreement passes through Mr. Parker – that George Robinson pays the insurance of the mill.  Rent of Lower brea £80.  Notice to quit every year served by Mr. Parker –

Then had Holt from about 11 35/.. to 12 1/4 – Read him Mr. Harper’s letter – Holt had seen Mr. Cole and his plan of an Engine – Did not understand anything about it – No particulars written or spoken – Could not learn how much room the Engine would require or anything – Said I did not like a high pressure Engine – Had thought of getting one the same as Ann’s (6 horsepower) made by the same people – They are now making one for Holt for £50 less than Ann’s because off the same moulds – Told Holt to talk to Joseph Mann and bring him back with him –To be back in an hour –

During this hour, siding things that came out of the hall cupboards and other things into the China Closet and sweeping and tidying –

Holt and Joseph Mann came about 1 1/2 and staid till 3 1/4 –  Read over again Mr. Harper’s letter as far as concerns the Incline and its appurtenances –

Holt satisfied with a single road 5 feet wide – Would do it this way if his own.  Joseph Mann, too, satisfied – To reconsider his estimate, lessen it and mend it if he could as to price

Incline to be 500 yards and dip 4 inches + 2 inches (the natural dip of the measures) per yard  and be 5 feet above the Godley road at the centre of the Incline

Platform 20 X 25 yards square with the centre of the Incline and then in consequence of the Incline not being at right angles to the road there will be the difference to excavate i.e. Δ [delta] of dimensions to be ascertained, a breadth of 7 yards all along the road for a cart-stand 1 foot above the road and the other 18 yards back to begin at 3 feet above the cartstand and rise 1 foot up to the incline = 1 + 3 + 1 = 5 feet

Engine windlass chain – to pull 15 corves at once = 60 cwt 

1 corve empty = 2 hundredweight

1 ditto full    = 4 hundredweight                                                                    

and get them up to the staith besides  

Holt’s Engine now in making like Ann’s 6 horse-power will pull over 12 to 15 to 20 colliers a day – Will consume 5 or 6 loads of coals per day and if no reservoir made,    will require regular or constant run of water = 1 inch bore pipe.  Staith what height above the Incline?

The upper bed coal would be brought into the Incline about 300 yards + from the opening into Godley Lane – I boy would hang on the corves at both places and 1 would hang them on to get up to the staith, and 1 man to take care of the Engine –

Holt to see the Engine-makers on his return and bring one of them tomorrow morning if possible to view the ground and give a plan of Engine and Incline and hanging on and everything –  Joseph Mann to stake out the platform tomorrow as mentioned above, shewing the contents of Δ to make up the Excavation up against the Godley road – Then a little talk about politics – Holt will  not give a yellow vote the next time –

From 3 1/4 to after 6, putting wine into the hall-cellar, ordering about my study fire place – Edward had splayed it unevenly – More on one side than the other – I see a splay will not look well – Will have it done square – No great deal to pull up – Only a course or 2 –

Then wrote all the above of today till 7 35/.. – Dinner at 7 35/.. – Coffee about 8 1/2 – Read tonight’s paper – 

From 10 to 12 had Oddy helping me to get from out of the library passage and put into the great  oak chest in the upper kitchen almost all the books of the 2 first (or history and biography) compartments counting from my study door to the stove – Catalogued about 2/3 of the 1st compartment, but this too tedious, and put the 2nd compartment apart in the chest to be catalogued by and by –

 Ann out of sorts.  Never right since just before getting into bed last night.  She gave me an impatient answer and I did not speak afterwards.  I fancied her right again this morning, but no.  Wrong at dinner, so I said very little.  Read aloud a little of the newspaper, but it would not do, and I took no notice.  What a temper!

Fine, frosty, cold morning – Hazy about noon, and rain more or less all the afternoon and evening from about 3 p.m.  Fahrenheit 36° now at 12 1/4 p.m. tonight –

Ann in bed by 10 1/2 –

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/20/0028 and SH:7/ML/E/20/0029