DRAINING OF LAND. J^ 



VI. 



Experiments on draining Land, by John Christian Curwen, 

 Ejlj. M. P. of Workington-Hall, in Cumberland, with an 

 Engraving *, 



Dear Sir, 



IViuCH having been faid, in the public Papers, relative Mr. Elkington'a 

 to draining, on the improved method of Mr. Elkington, I beg^^ ^"- 



& r ... ing is apphcaWc 



leave to offer you feme obfervations refpe£ting it, which have only where the 



fallen under my notice, and which tend lo prove it can be ap- ftrata are * ,ttle 



. interrupted* 



plied, with fuccefs only, in fuch parts of the kingdom, as have 



tew, if any, interruption of the urata. In order to make my- 

 feif intelligible, it may not be improper to explain what is meant 

 by interruptions of the ftrata, or dykes and fitlures, as they Dykes and fif- 

 are denominated in mining countries. They are produced fures * 

 by the fraclureor difunion of the ftrala, and confift moft com- 

 monly of the broken fragments of each fuperior ftrata ; and 

 towards the furface are of (and, gravel, and (tones, which 

 feidom or never fail of affording confiderable quantities of 

 water. Thefe dykes may be approached within a few feet, Thefe Intermp- 



and afford no water, as will be Teen in two inftances in the t . 10 " s -. preve £ tt £ e 



. r xt • r draining off or 



plan lent you. No. 3 is a main drain, four feet deep, which the water. 



patted within a few yards of A, an extreme wet place, and 

 did not affect it. The perfon employed, fuppofed the water 

 to be below him, and brought in a lower level No. 1, which 

 likewife failed. No. 2 was then made ftill lower, but with 

 no belter fuccefs than No. 3, though with more advantage of 

 level. As foon as it croffed the dyke, I C, but before the 

 level was brought up, not being deeper than the main drain, 

 it got a confiderable feeder. This proved that an interrup- 

 tion in the ftrata prevented the water flowing, into a drain, 

 which was of a depth otherwife to have drawn it. Another 

 example occurs in the fame field, at letter B ; which is a 

 funk fence, four feet below the furface of the adjoining field, 

 which was extremely wet within a few yards of the funk 



* From the twenty-fecond rolume of the Tranfaclions of the 

 Society of Aits j who awarded the gold medal to the author. 

 The plan he refers to is at their houfe. 



Vol. XII.— November, 1805. N fence. 



