letter – Isaac Hunter to John Erasmus Blackett – 2 Oct 1792

J.E. Blackett Esqr N. Castle 				Dukesfield 2d Octob'r 1792



      Last Saturday we finished the Temporary Dam & got the Water down the Old Race, but the Flood on Sunday night has swept the whole of the New work and part of the Old quite away and teared up the Sand and Gravel Bed above the Old Dam for 20 or 30 yds to a great depth so that the Expence will be dubble now to make a Dam to secure the Gravel Bed & the Temporary Dam to the new Race. The Water was so high Yesterday that we could not ascertain the damage done to the uper dam, but I suppose that the Smelting &c will not be stoped on that Account longer than a Week. The Continual Wet Weather has made the Lead ways f'm this Mill almost unpassable w[i]thout some of the worst places be mended it will not be possible to get any more Lead to Market f'm the Mill this Yr except there should be a Frost. Our best Carriagemen have wrought their Horses so low f'm the harshness of the Season that I fear that if we wear to Repair the bad places of the Road & give a greater price for 4 Horses cannot doe ye Work that 3 did in Sum[me]r that the quantity that would be got moved woud be small, as the Harves[t] is so late in the Neighbourhood of our best Carriagemen for when I roed the Lead way Last Thursday 3/4 of the Corn between Hedly and hear was in the Fields. I am Yrs &c 

      IH