 Archibald William, the enterprising 13th Earl of Eglinton purchased all the lands concerned in 1852 and through the simple expedient of cutting a short canal at Bogend, across the loop of the river involved, he bypassed the breach and once the river course had been drained and sealed off he was able to have the flooded mineworkings pumped out.The breach lay on the sea side of the loop close to Bogend on the Snodgrass Holm side.The Earl leased the mines to Bairds of Gartsherrie and the "Eglinton Iron Works" were born.