Letter – John Armstrong to Joseph Richmond – 14 Aug 1734

Mr Richmond								Augt:14:1734

	Inclosed I have sent you a draught of a part of Fallowfield Groves vizt. how much deeper that water Level is, than the drift wch. goes through Acomb fell wch. you’l find by the draught to be 25 fathm., to give you a draught of all the Sumps, drifts, & workings &c under this Level, is of no use because wrought out where any ore could be got, Some of the under drifts Run together others Drown’d wth. water, and therefore wd only perplex your notion, as to the carrying a drift through Acomb Comon 25 fathm. Deeper than the Drift alridey put through that Comon wch. is 360 yards in length it wd give Mr Blacket a fair prospect of a promising Grove on wall fell, when we Sunk a shaft 12 fathom and got in the Sinking 4 or 5 bing of ore, Aftter we put away a drift, and at the End of that drift Sunk a Sump Came to a Sunside i.e. Cheak’d a strong plain Stone and the vein went fairly down by the Side of this Sill, and we were in the greatest hopes that could be, for in Sinking we got Severall pieces of ore, but as soon as we Came under the Level of that drift brought up Acomb fell, we were Drown’d out, and So She Stands, we thought of taking the advantage of a Coal [wast] to the Sun which takes all the water, but aftter found we were Allridy under that Level

	I shall now compair my hopes & doubts in Relation to all the three Libertys – wall fell has (as I said above) a promising vein & A fair Streak of ground for a mile in Length in Mr Blackets Liberty, And if a drift were brought throught Acomb Liberty at the deepness Above mention’d we Should have a whole field water free for 52 fathm. Deep

	But then Acomb Drift may Cost 630 pounds as youl find by the perticulars in the mapp, whether undertakers wd be at that dead Charge (if it prove dead) is a question to be consider’d

	Again here is Some danger undertakers may be Incident to from Fallowfield Old Level, for if the water Should Stop in the Lowest Drift which is about 1300 yards in Length, and has not been Repaird nor not passable this 16 or 18 years, I say if the water Should Stop Since the Ginn is taken away, who could Loose it, to come in before, if it be posable to get to the Stop,  whoever attemps to Loose it that way; would be Swept away if a hund[.. missing] they wd. be drownd, and Come behind it all wd. be Choak’d wth water all the hopes is that the weight of water may Press it Self away through those deep and unseen Caverns

			I am Sir your Humble Servt

				John Armstrong

P:S

 Quere   if Acomb Comon doth not belong to Mr Blacket as well as wall Comon