"P.S.--I should be glad to hear from you what is going forward respecting an arrangement of the shares."
"GENTLEMEN, "PENZANCE, _23rd December, 1815_.
"I have received the Herland castings, and am very seriously sorry to say, after we had fixed together the castings on the mine and made the joints, on attempting to put the plunger-pole into the case it would not go down; neither would either of the rings go to their places into the cylinder and on to the pole; therefore the whole engine must be again taken to pieces and sent to a turning and boring mill to be newly turned and bored. How to get this done I cannot tell, for the founders here will not do it because they had not the casting them. Already great expenses have been incurred by delays, and now to send them back to Bridgenorth at an immense loss of time and money will be a very serious business indeed. I think that either the cylinder is bored crooked or the plunger-pole turned crooked, or both, as it will sink farther down into the cylinder on turning it round on one side than it will on the other. The whole job is most shamefully fitted up, and was never tried together before sent off. Write to me by return of post and say what I am to do in this dilemma.
"HAZELDINE, RASTRICK, AND CO., "_Bridgenorth_."
The new engine-work from Bridgenorth on arrival was found to be so inaccurately made that the pole would not go into the pole-case. Henry Phillips,[34] who saw the engine make its first start, says:--
[Footnote 34: Still working in Harvey's foundry at Hayle, 1869.]
"I was a boy working in the mine, and several of us peeped in at the door to see what was doing. Captain Dick was in a great way, the engine would not start; after a bit Captain Dick threw himself down upon the floor of the engine-house, and there he lay upon his back; then up he jumped, and snatched a sledge-hammer out of the hands of a man who was driving in a wedge, and lashed it home in a minute. There never was a man could use a sledge like Captain Dick; he was as strong as a bull. Then, he picked up a spanner and unscrewed something, and off she went. Captain Vivian was near me, looking in at the doorway; Captain Dick saw him, and shaking his fist, said: 'If you come in here I'll throw you down the shaft.' I suppose Captain Vivian had something to do with making the boilers, and Captain Dick was angry because they leaked clouds of steam. You could hardly see, or hear anybody speak in the engine-house, it was so full of steam and noise; we could hear the steam-puffer roaring at St. Erth, more than three miles off."