274 ON THE MOORE PARK BORINGS, 



Botany borings, situated between Botany Bay and Port Hacking 

 at a deptli of 900 feet, and was 260 feet thick, showing that it 

 has a dip of only three feet in a northerly direction in a distance 

 of about seven miles. The same band is about 750 feet above 

 the coal at Coal Cliff ; and the coal crops out on a level with the 

 sea. Taking 750 feet as the lower edge of this iron band above 

 the sea at Coal Cliff, and 1306 feet as its termination at Moore 

 Park, it is evident that it takes a considerable dip northwards. 

 The same iron band was tapped at the Newington borings at 

 1100 feet ; but the working of the boring was interrupted before 

 its perforation was completed. 



It is an important fact that, not only the character of the rock, 

 but the dip which the rock takes can also be ascertained by means 

 of these drills. The rod when gripped to be raised cannot, and 

 is not permitted to revolve in the slightest degree, or it would 

 become unscrewed. It is kept in one position by passing it 

 through the jaws of the clamp, and in addition is guarded by 

 two men to prevent its rotating. While the drill was passing 

 from the first upper bed of white sandstone into the red ferruginous 

 bed, a stream of extremely black water came up the shaft, having 

 very much the appearance of coal water ; and it is very much to 

 be regretted that this dark coal-like water was not more minutely 

 examined. The core which came from this part of the bore 

 showed some very strong evidences of coal (see specimen), and 

 strange to say, the length of the core was considerably less than 

 the depth which the driU had penetrated at one or two drawings.^' 



Having perforated the red ferruginous band at a depth of 

 1306 feet, a white sandstone was tapped of a very fine grain and 

 dense texture, which continued for a depth of 110 feet, taking us 

 to a depth of 1416 feet. Below this, again, there were 20 feet 



*It is quite possible that a core such as Coal would not stand the great friction 

 produced by the rotation of the shaft, and would be broken up before the 

 shaft was drawn up, thus accounting for the core often not being so long 

 as the distance penetrated by the drill. 



