Welsh Journals

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engineer named John Upton wrote as follows of those early hectic days: The ground being alluvial, of a very swampy nature. and much covered with trees and brushwood, the stone, iron. limber, and other materials wanted for making the drains, soughs. culverts, roads for arching the levels, and laying down the tram-roads in them. were obliged to be conveyed on the backs of mules and horses: numbers of which. I have been informed by credible persons on the spot, were frequently so emheded sic in the mire. as to be unable to extricate themselves without unloading, and assistance besides from the Company's workmen. James Morrison and Richard Cort The erection of Abersychan Ironworks was an economic disaster, with more than £ 74,000 being expended before the foundations were completed or a single blast furnace finished. Where the ultimate blame lay is difficult to say, but a combination of appalling ground conditions and poor 'on site' management must surely have contributed greatly to the overall capital loss. A number of investigations were carried out by the British Iron Company, and two persons to come under scrutiny were mineral agent James Morrison and cashier Richard Cort. The former was criticised in some quarters and praised in others, while the latter was summarily dismissed from his post. Mineral surveyor James Morrison had been engaged by the British Iron Company as their first mineral agent, and his duties should have been confined to opening out the pits and levels necessary for the provision of coal and ironstone for the new works. However, in the absence of a resident engineer, and there being no more competent person to fill the post, he took upon himself many other duties, which properly belonged to the engineering department. These included getting out foundations for the blast furnaces and the rest of the ironworks; erecting a clay mill and drying houses; cutting out three miles of surface tramroads; making soughs, drains, culverts and watercourses for conducting water as and where required; opening stone quarries for building purposes; forming and laying inclined planes and tramroads to the stone and limestone quarries; and erecting lime-kilns. Abergavenny engineer John Upton described him as 'honourable, scientific and judicious' while Varteg mineral agent Thomas Cadman considered him 'unskilful'. Accountant Richard Cort had been engaged as the cashier for the new works, and his dismissal was possibly unfair. During 1825 and 1826 he sent several reports to the London meetings of shareholders of the British Iron Company, complaining of poor management and a managerial 'cover up' at the Abersychan site. He subsequently lost not only his post as cashier, but also had great difficulty recovering the lodging, travelling and other expenses incurred during his term of employment. The Opening of the Company 'Truck' Shops In 1825, just as construction work was getting started at the British, another ironworks commenced production at a spot about a mile away which is now