The faithfull surveyour discovering divers errours in land measuring, and showing how to measure all manner of ground, and to plot it, and to prove the shutting by the chain onely ... / by George Atwell.

CHAP. XXIX. Of cleansing a Pond six or seven pole broad being grown over with a coat of weeds, that it will near bear one, without abating the water. (Book 29)

YOu shall for this purpose get a boat and a haling-line, good store of drags, cutting-knives of both sorts, such as they cut mows or hay-stacks with, both like sithes, and stabs, also wheel-barrows, and half-inch boards of six or seven foot long a piece. If this coat of weeds be very soft, you were best to nayl two boards together, with ledges like a door: but if it be any thing hard, let them go single. Then begin with your crones or drags, and cleanse the out-sides with them first as far as you can reach, and let the barrows carry it away out of your way: then take your boat and spret, and for want of a boat take a Brewers cooler, and let two folk go into it, and row your selves to the crust, and laying

your boards on it, and you standing on them, cut with your sithe pieces as long and broad as the board, then take up that board as you stand on the other, and remove it beyond it, then take you the crones that stand on the bank, and having fastened your haling-line both to the crone and to the stale of it, by knitting a knot at the handle-end, let them on the bank draw out those pieces: which that they may do the more easily, they may level a place about an handful above the water, and pull them thither, and then cut them smaller with their stabs, and then draw them up.

Now then having thus gone round, and cleared it from the sides round about, pitch all your crones into one side of the core or crust, and trie if you can draw it to the bank-side (for these kind of cores never grow to the bottom, especially if the water be deep) which if you so draw it, then may you stand∣ing on the bank finish all with your crones. But if you cannot move it, then with your sithe-knife, and help of your dores and boards, you may slit it all along, either in the midst, or as much as you think you can move at once. But now because you must move your boards and dores end-long, (which is harder to do then side-ways) your best way is to have a hook at the end of your haling-line, and make a mortes at one end or both of each board, and thus put the hook in the mortes of the hinder door, and raising it a little at the end with a cou∣ple of chisils, or such like, draw it till it is entered upon the neather dore, then having a board lie by the side of it, stay your self on it, till the hinder be drawn along upon the other, and lie foremost, and thus may you divide and draw piece af∣ter piece till you have finished.