Volume Eight - Pre-Victorian to the present day - more aspects - To dredge the River Ely - 1860's

A letter of response to Mr. Hardie was forthcoming from Booth Bacon dated 2nd September 1862 in which he states:

'I have to acknowledge receipt of your favour of 28th Ult. which I have placed before the my board and am instructed to refer you, in reply thereto, to my letter of July 29th 1862 and Mr. Mathew's letter to you of 22nd August. I am, Sir, Your Obedient. Servant, Booth Bacon, Secretary.'

On the same day Booth Bacon wrote to Mr. Mathews the Company Solicitor saying:

'I enclose a letter I have had from Hardie and my reply thereto. You will thus know the progress of the affair, Yours Truly, Booth Bacon.'

The letter referred too above dated 29th July and Mr Mathews correspondence to 'Hardie' is not with the file at the National Archives. I sense from the tone of the letters from Booth Bacon that 'Hardie' does not get his money and never worked for the Company again but I can find no confirmation of this - does anyone out there know differently please?

An interesting reference to Mr. Hardie, or rather his son William, dates from 1850, but it makes for good reading anyway:-

Gunpowder Accident - 'An accident occurred to William Hardie, eldest son of Mr. Thomas G. Hardie, engineer, &c., Newport, on Thursday week, about nine o'clock in the evening, whilst preparing ingredients for making fire-works. It appears he had been grinding some rock-powder in a mill, which, having finished, he put the powder on some paper before him, and, when in the act of reaching something off the shelf overhead, - knocked the candle into the powder, which instantly exploded, blowing out nine panes of glass, and shifting the doorway ; fortunately the door was open, or otherwise the damage must have been serious. Mr. Hardie's son was burnt about the face very badly, in several places. This ought to be a warning to persons allowing their children to have anything to do with such dangerous ingredients, especially as the 5th of November is drawing near.' The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian Glamorgan Monmouth and Brecon Gazette [156] 19th October 1850.