intendant. Pressed by the authorities, Vézin finished the construction quickly, thereby making a low quality building. Many skilled workers from France kept arriving to assist at the Forges du Saint Maurice, but due to the rushed timeline and poor craftsmanship, certain parts of the forges were not producing any output and the skilled workers could not ply their trade. The poor construction led to sections of the forges requiring reconstruction, which raised the operating costs and limited the profits. All these setbacks continued weighing upon the production of the forges, slowing it quite dramatically, even halving it during certain periods. The constant setbacks drove the ironworks deeper into debt to the French Crown, which continuously gave loans in the thousands of livres at the request of various colonial ministers, most notably the intendant Hocquart. Vézin’s estimates of the cost of the forges were low, and production predictions were drastically higher than what could actually be produced. In 1741, the Vézin era of the Forges du Saint Maurice came to an end. The forges had been struggling financially for many years when the company finally declared bankruptcy. From private to public property State rule In 1741, the associates of the Compagnie des Forges announced their intention to resign. The Intendant Hocquart described two possible solutions to save the forges: either a new company would keep the private corporation running, or the State would have to take over. As everyone waited for the Crown to make a decision, Hocquart named Guillaume Estèbe director of the forges on behalf of the State. This storekeeper from Quebec was asked to make up an inventory of the enterprise and to temporarily direct it. Hocquart could not think of abandoning the forges, especially since the King had advanced a lot of money for the project. The intendant was still convinced that iron-exploitation would benefit the colony and that previous failures were entirely due to bad management and lack of money. If a new company with sufficient resources were to take over, Hocquart believed that minor repairs would be enough to ensure a great success. Despite this optimistic view, the estimated profit was not high enough to attract French investors. Furthermore, the required investment was too heavy for anyone in the colony to afford it. On May 1, 1743, the forges officially became Crown property as compensation for unrepaid loans on Vézin’s company. The former associates were