Page:Roman Manchester (1900) by Charles Roeder.djvu/30

 of its solidity and the stones being so tightly cemented together. Unfortunately, I was not present at the moment when taken up in situ to see whether the stones bore any rut-traces, and how the two sides terminated. Later on in 1898 this causeway was found again in the same position in the duplicate—trench No. 1 on the east side of Collier Street, close to the wall.

Being at the bottom, and so close to the wall, the natural conclusion seems to be that it was made for securing a firm grip, and giving greater stability, and for procuring a foothold to carry and facilitate the transport of the building-stones and material when building at the foundations. In trenches Nos. 2 and 3 we see the first hollow or fosse, 16 feet wide and 4 feet to 5 feet deep, carried into the river gravel, then follows a gravel-ridge, feet wide, which formed apparently a small rampart. Then comes a little hollow, 5 feet wide and 1 1/2 feet deep. From its banks, sliding down in an angle, we observe a promiscuous stratum of Roman mortar and broken pieces of rubble stone, and having the appearance of surplus building rubbish. It looks as if the material had been discharged from the top after the work was finished. The natural ground is disturbed at this part. Then follows another hollow, 16 feet wide; a gravel ridge, 6 feet wide; a hollow, 22 feet wide; ridge, 4 feet; then the visible part (for 14 feet) of another hollow, the slope of which is flanked with big angular and rounded blocks of white millstone grit, measuring from 11 inches by 8 inches to 21 inches by 24 inches—perhaps to strengthen the sides of the fosse. Reaching now Bridgewater Street (30 feet wide), which, of course, is inaccessible for underground examination, we are left to conjecture. The only partially-seen hollow probably runs on for another 14 feet. Close to the new police station begins another