Information from Malcolm Nunn, Bradfield Archives: This is an image used in slide lectures/ magic lantern shows by photographer Mr. Peacock. His notes to accompany the lectures also included some of his experiences while taking the photograph: Turner's Grinding Wheel was levelled to the ground, a few wheels only being left. No one was working there that night so there were no deaths to record. This wheel was facing a row of houses that were entirely swept away. Before we change this view I will again draw your attention to my dark room as I have previously explained it ran on 4 wheels but when I had a long journey to go I engaged a donkey and cart and lifted the dark room onto the cart which made it much easier travelling. You will percieve the turnout on the road behind the ruins. My carriage and pair- I mean dark room with donkey and cart, you must remember the roads were very bad to traverse being full of large stones and bricks and having deep holes washed in them by the force of the water. All the bridges being washed away and the rivers had to be forded, now it is well known that donkeys as a rule have a way of their own and if they think won't- they won't, now our donkey was no exception to this rule and when he came to the water at Bradfield he thought he wouldn't cross - and he wouldn't. The water was three feet or three feet six inches deep and about 50 navvies were at work round about, some getting the foundations for the new bridge and others were building boundary walls. After having a good laugh at our predicament one of them came to me and offered along with his mates to carry the whole lot across for half a crown, donkey, cart, dark room and three passengers, they got some poles and putting one through both wheels and 2 under the donkey, a man on either end of each pole, that is 10 men carrieed the whole lot across then 3 of them returned for my boy, the driver and myself, we mounted their backs and were taken across the water (I think they carried 3 each for that job) and so we proceeded on our journey to the broken reservoir, this carrying procedure had to be repeated on the return home. The donkey had crossed the water at Damflask on returning without much trouble and strange to say he recrossed at Damflask on returning without much trouble but he would not cross at Bradfield, he would not even face the river. As I could take all my views in one day I had more than one journey across these fords but only one at Bradfield. I will now tell you another days adventure and the trick the donkey played, in going he crossed the river at Damflask without trouble but on returning he would not face the water, however with a lot of pushing and pulling we got him as far as we could reach to push the back of the cart, he then calmly sat down in the middle of the river (as a dog generally sits) with nothing but his head out of the water and there he stayed for over 2 hours for we could not get him either back or front. Now as both above and below this ford was deep water and this was the only place for conveyances to cross and he had blocked the passage there were soon a collection of carriages and cabs with visitors, carts and wagons at either side waiting to cross. At first the people tried to chaff me and asked me to go in and carry my baby out but as I was not to be annoyed by their jokes they soon gave over. Then they lost their temper and if you could have only heard the grumbling and suggestions addressed to me the innocent cause of the stoppage you would have laughed as I did until my sides ached. At last I had to pay a carter who unyoked his horse and waded into the river, he fastened a chain to our cart shafts and his horse dragged the donkey and cart out of the way. The poor thing had taken cramp with being so long in the water and we had to spend another hour rubbing its legs before it could stand, so you going out photographing is not always a very pleasant job- but to return to the ruins at Malin Bridge. For more information see: The Great Sheffield 1864 Harrison (Local Studies Library ref. no. 942.74 S) and The Collapse of the Dale Dyke Dam 1864, Geoffrey Amey (Ref. no. 942.74 SST).