SHIFTING SANDS NEARLY SWALLOWED LAING

It is almost forgotten now that a œ10,000 civils contract once brought Laing to the very brink of financial collapse. It was a bizarre episode that was to have

far-reaching repercussions for the future of the group.

For his second civils job, in 1906, Sir John Laing gamely accepted full responsibility for all accidents arising from bad weather, tides and floods, poor ground - even to the point of consequential loss to landowners, and indemnifying the Corporation of Barrow against legal fees. The grounds for his confidence were his ability, and the trial borings from the Corporation showing sound, dry clay. (Later - and crucially - there were strong suspicions this remarkably inaccurate information was given in bad faith by the Corporation's engineer.)

Sir John's biographer, Roy Coad, records that things went wrong from the start. The winter weather was bad, a freak tide flooded the site, and worst of all, running sand was discovered.

The project was completed a year late, and property owners suffering damage jointly sued the Corporation and Laing. The Corporation, already refusing Laing extra payments, passed the buck, paying only a token œ250 into court. Bankruptcy loomed. Coad writes that Sir John went to Furness Abbey and 'sought God and vowed if He would see him through his troubles, he would make him a participating partner in the business'.

Amazingly the litigation ended with the town clerk awarding the plaintiffs just œ250. Due to a shake-up at the Corporation, an extra œ2,000 was paid to Laing, bringing the company out exactly even. 'Sir John Laing was moved to the core.' Afterwards Sir John implemented his vow with his extraordinary charitable giving.