Page:Walker (1888) The Severn Tunnel.djvu/191

118 the night before, and which had gone down into the bowels of the earth.

By arrangement with the Post-Office authorities, we had in the course of this year obtained the establishment of a post-office, money-order office, and savings bank upon the works, and in the end of October we also secured a telegraph-office, which was a great accommodation and was largely used. The number of messages which passed through this office rose to 1,900 in 1883, and 2,100 in 1884, and nearly 4,000 in 1886.

The Post-Office authorities, when this post-office was established, gave it the name of ‘Sudbrook,’ as they already had an office at Portskewett; and the settlement henceforth took the name of Sudbrook, and assumed quite the appearance of a small town.

Fourteen stone houses were built this year in the neighbourhood of the brickyard. Twenty were built, between the brickyard and Sudbrook Shaft, of concrete; and eighteen brick houses in further continuation of the same row. Four foremen’s houses, and the post-office, and ten more wooden houses were erected.

A plan is given showing the progress made with these buildings, and the year 1882 closed with the opening of the new mission-hall.