Mr. Roman' s Estimates of the Expense of Erecting the Fortifications

v3:733

Copy of B˙ ROMANS' S Estimates and Expenses of erecting the Fortifications of HUDSON' S River, in the Highlands, in the Colony of NEW-YORK.

New-York, September 18, 1775.

These works require:

2,400 perches of stone wall, each perch containing 16 1/2 feet in length, 18 inches high, by 12 wide, at 5s˙ 6d˙ per perch, £660. 2 1/2 bushels of lime are taken up by each perch, 4,000 bushels, at 6d˙ per bushel, £100.

1,000 pieces ranging timber, 18 feet long, 12 inches square, for five block-houses, and for the morlins of the battery, &c. These contain 216,000 superficial feet, at 6s˙ per hundred, (price at Windsor Landing,) £648.

1,500 two-inch plank, for platforms of the battery and floors of the block-houses — 400 of 24 feet long, 10 inches wide; 1,200 of 20 feet long, 10 inches wide — 49,600 feet, say 50,000 feet, (at Windsor Landing,) at 6s˙ per hundred, £150.

1,200 beams and sleepers, for block-houses and platforms, of different lengths, from 8 to 24 feet long, 9 inches by 3, supposed to contain 50,000 feet, (at Windsor Landing,) at 6s˙ per hundred, £150.

3,200 for each, make 16,000 shingles for five blockhouses, at £5 per thousand, £80.

40 lathes, of 14 feet long, for each, make 700 lathes, of 2 1/2 inches by 1 1/4, for the roofs of five block-houses, at £15.

8 rafters of 16 feet long, 8 rafters of 10 feet long, make 160 rafters for the block-houses, their mean measure being 6 inches by 3, 3,120 feet, at 6s˙ per hundred, (at Windsor Landing,) £9 7s˙, say £10.

2,000 fascines, for levelling, &c˙, will cost about £25.

4,000 pickets, to picket them, out of about 1,000 lathes, £20.

500 tompions, for loopholes, about £2.

40 ports, 5 windows, and 6 doors, for block-houses and magazines, and a gate, &c˙, for the citadel, about £30.

6,400 broad-headed spikes, for the gate and wicket, and block-house doors and windows, 10 to all, of iron, make 640 pounds; 14 bolts of 10 pounds each, 140 pounds; 5 bolts of 4 pounds each, 20 pounds; 26 hinges, on an average, 250 pounds; 50 iron hoops, for swivels, about 200 pounds; small iron work, about 200 pounds — in all, 1,450 pounds, say 15 cwt˙ wrought iron, at 1s˙ per pound, £75.

Broad-headed copper nails for magazine door, 360, 10 to a pound, 36 pounds; copper hinges and bolts, 30 pounds; two copper circles, or busses, for vessels, 20 pounds — about 80 pounds wrought copper, at 3s˙ 6d˙ per pound, £14.

5 ordinary locks, £2; 1 large lock, £1; 1 copper lock, £1; about 1,000 pounds nails, £40; 5,000 trundles, £25.

Necessary tools — 6 stone mauls, 20 pick hammers, 20 pick axes, 50 hand bill hooks, 50 axes and hatchets, 50 spades, 40 mallets, 300 sand bags of crocus, 50 hand barrows — about £150.

For the barracks, 80 by 20 feet: 2 sills, 4 by 5 inches, 80 feet long, 270 feet; 2 plates, 4 by 6 inches, 80 feet long, 320 feet; 25 beams, 4 by 6 inches, 20 feet long, 1,000 feet; 50 posts, 4 by 6 inches, 8 feet long, 800 feet; 50 rafters, 4 by 4 inches, 13 feet long, 870 feet; 20 joists,

v3:734

5,000 shingles, at £5 per thousand, £25.

250 lathes, 14 feet, about £5.

500 inch boards, 14 feet, at 10d˙ per hundred, £20.

200 inch and a half boards, 14 feet, 1s˙ 3d˙ per hundred, £21 10s.

400 pounds nails, at 10d˙ per pound, £16 13s˙ 4d˙

2 double stacks chimneys, of brick, £20.

Store-houses and guard-room, 60 by 20 feet: 2 sills, 4 by 6 inches, 60 feet long, 240 feet; 2 plates, 4 by 8 inches, 60 feet long, 320 feet; 20 beams, 4 by 6 inches, 20 feet long, 800 feet; 40 posts, 4 by 6 inches, 9 feet long, 720 feet; 40 rafters, 4 by 4 inches, 15 feet long, 800 feet; 15 joists, 4 by 4 inches, 14 feet long, 280 feet; 20 sleepers, 8 by 3 inches, 20 feet long, 280 feet — in all, 3,440 feet, at 6s˙ per hundred, £10 16s.

4,000 shingles, at £5 per thousand, £20; 200 lathes, £4 10s˙; 375 inch boards, £15; 300 pounds nails, £11 5s˙; a stack of chimneys, £10 — in all, £84 1s.

Labour of and provisions for 150 men four months, 26 days to the month, at an average of 3s˙ per day, £2,250.

Entire cost, £4,645 4s˙ 4d.

Five iron stoves, for the block-houses.

The above is exclusive of ropes, &c˙, to raise the guns, transport of stoves, and such tools as may be made by the blacksmiths on the spot, besides other small incidental charges.

B˙ ROMANS.

N˙ B. It is most probable that swivel guns cannot be procured otherwise than by purchase.