After many negotiations, Boulton at length succeeded in raising a sum of 7000_l._ by granting a Mr. Wiss security for the payment of an annuity, while the London bankers, Lowe, Vere, and Williams, allowed an advance of 14,000_l._ on security of a mortgage granted by Boulton and Watt on the royalties derived from the engine patent, and of all their rights and privileges therein. Though the credit of the house was thus saved, the liabilities of Boulton and his partners continued to press heavily upon them for a long time to come. Meanwhile, however, a gleam of light came from Cornwall. Watt sent the good news to Soho that “both Chacewater and Tingtang engines go on exceedingly well, and give great satisfaction. Chacewater goes 14 strokes of 9 foot long per minute, and burns about 128 bushels per 24 hours. The water has sunk 12 fathoms in the mine, and the engine will fork [_i. e._ pump out] the first lift this night. No cross nor accident of any note has happened, except the bursting of a pump at Tingtang, which was soon repaired.” Four days later Watt wrote, “The engines are both going very well, and Chacewater has got the water down 18½ fathoms; but after this depth it must make slower progress, as a very large house of water begins there, and the feeders grow stronger as we go deeper.”[167] [167] Watt to Boulton, 8th August, 1778. Boulton MSS. Watt looked upon the Chacewater trial as the _experimentum crucis_, and continued to keep his partner duly informed of every circumstance connected with it. “They say,” he wrote, “that if the new engine can fork the water from Chacewater, it can fork anything, as that is the heaviest to fork in the whole county.” On the 15th of August he wrote, “Chacewater is now down to 10 fathoms of the second lift, and works steady and well; it sinks 9 feet per day. Chacewater people in high spirits: Captain Mayor furiously in love with the engine.” On the 29th he wrote again, “Chacewater engine is our capital card, for should it succeed in forking this mine all doubts will then be removed.” The adventurers of the great Poldice mine watched the operations at Chacewater with much interest. Two common engines, pumping night and day for months, had failed to clear their mine of water; and now they thought of ordering one of the new engines to take their place; “but all this,” said Watt, “depends on the success of Chacewater, which God protect: it is now down 31½ fathoms, and will be in fork of this lift to-morrow, when it is to be put down three fathoms lower, and fixed there.” On the 17th he wrote, “I have been at Chacewater to-day, where they are in fork of the second lift 34½ fathoms. The great connexion-rod still unbalanced. The engine went yesterday 14 strokes per minute. To-morrow I go to Wheal Union, and on Saturday to Truro, to meet Poldice adventurers.... By attending to the business of this county alone,” said he, “we may at least live comfortably; for I