Journal entry – John Grey – 10 Aug 1833

Saturday 10th August 1833



I this morning sent Mr Hunt to look after some draining at Shawhouse and the building at Newtonhall & Whittle, wishing myself to attend to the operations on the Tyne, when I spent most of the day among the Workmen.  Besides the work of repairing the Stone breast against the west end of Widehaugh, I am anxious to take advantage of the present low state of the river, to secure from further encroachment, the shores above & below the mouth of the Devils Water, where the Soil is of so soft & sandy a quality, being the deposit of former floods, that wherever a breach is made, it yields to the action of the water and wastes away, to the destruction of the Trees as well as the Soil.  The Shore for a considerable distance is now presenting a broken and steep front of this soft soil to the water & therefore in a most dangerous condition.   Instead of attempting to secure it with a breast work of stone, as was proposed, which is found, notwithstanding the immense expense, not long to answer the purpose, I began with some Workmen this morning to make some Wears, to turn the pressure of the river more off this bank, into which it has worked a deep channel - which wears are made simply by laying down the Scotch Firs from the thinning of the plantation close by, & which are of no value to carry to a distance, with their tops & branches projecting into the river & their trunks secured by a heavy coat of Stones taken from the gravel in the stream, now laid bare.  Among these are placed small willows & I reckon upon their soon collecting a deposit of sand & mud so as to become firm & substantial & to allow of the willows taking root, & by degrees, filling up, by collections from the floods, the intervals between, so that a part of the land that has been taken away may be restored.  This done, the next operation will be to slope the banks as gradually as possible, covering them with green turf, so as to present a thin edge to the river, & defending them from the action of the water by laying in some Scotch Firs, as in the case of the Wears collecting mud etc & to promote the growth of Grass & small willows to hold the soil together.  I have great hopes that this plan may prove successful, & at all events, it will be attended with so little cost, compared with the other, that I consider it worth a fair trial.