Letter from William George Armstrong, Elswick Engine Works, to R S Reid of Pelton, Chester-le-Street

To R. S. Reid, 20th November 1847

Elswick Engine Works.
Newcastle upon Tyne 20 Nov 1847
Dear Sir
The case you put is a very clear & simple one, & the advantages you would derive from the use of hydraulic pressure are very apparent. You would obtain your power with a much safer more manageable & less bulky apparatus than steam would require, & without [crossed out: fire] leaving fire & smoke & their attendant dangers & inconvenience to contend with = then would be no difficulty in making an Engine to work the 3 roads described in your sketch, provided that one only at a time be acted upon by the Engine, which .... would be the case, & I should say that a 10 or 12 horse power would be sufficient for your purpose. I think you said you wished me to give you some idea respecting coal. I could not .... myself precisely upon this point without having a detailed plan & estimate in the first place prepared, but I may state in .... terms for your guidance that the price of the Engine delivered at our works ready for .... would not exceed £40 W- horse power. This would .... exclusion of rope drums & .... this cost of which would be the same whether steam or water power should be used. In the .... of our contracting to supply an Engine of this description we would guarantee it to be capable of doing its work efficiently & in a perfectly unobjectionable manner, by means of the pressure which we can obtain from the pipe of the .... drum water .....
.... ....
Yours truly
W.G. Armstrong

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R S Reid Esq
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.... .... Street

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R S Reid Esq
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.... .... Street