1870.] CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. 237 



CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. 



Underground Temperature. — Shortly after the meetinp; 

 of the British Association, the sccetary of the Underground 

 Temperature Committee addressed a letter to Prof. Henry, 

 secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, United States, re- 

 questing his co-operation in furthering the object which the 

 committee have in view, at the same time forwarding one' 

 of their protected thermometers. In June ot the present 

 year an answer was received from Prof. Baird, assistant 

 secretary in charge, to the effect that Prof. Henry's ill-health 

 during the present seoson had prevented his communicating to us 

 the results of his labours in response to request. The letter 

 addressed to Prof. Henry made special reference to an artesian 

 well of extraordinary depth which was understood to be in course 

 of sinking at St. Louis, and at the same time a letter was ad- 

 dressed, and a special thermometer sent, to Mr. C. W. Atkeson, 

 the superintendent of the work of boring at St. Louis. No reply 

 has been received from Mr. Atkeson, who appears to have left St. 

 Louis before the letter arrived; but letters have been received 

 through the Smithsonian Institution from Br. Chas. W. Stevens, 

 superintendent of the County Insane Asylum at St. Louis, this 

 being the institution for whose uses the well was sunk, together 

 with a very interesting newspaper cutting, consisting of Mr. 

 Atkeson's report on the works. The boring of the well was 

 commenced (at the bottom of a dug well 71 J feet deep) on the 

 31st of March, 1866, and was continued till the 9th of August, 

 1869, when the work was stopped at the enormous depth of 

 3,843J- feet, exceeding by more than one-half the depth of Bu- 

 kinfield Colliery. The strata penetrated consisted in the aggregate 

 of 63 teet of clay, 6 feet of coal, 380 feet of shales, 2,725 feet of 

 limestone, and 620 feet of sandstone. A cast-iron tube of 11 J 

 inches bore was first put down, reaching from the top and secured 

 in the limestone at the bottom. This tube was then lined inside 

 with a wooden tube, reducing the bore to 4J inches. A 4J-inch 

 drill was put down through this tube on the above-mentioned 

 date. The bore was afterwards enlarged to 6 inches, and sub- 

 sequently to 11 J inches to a depth of ISlJfeet. A sheet-iron 

 tube was then put down, extending from the top to this depth, 

 and the bore below was enlarged, first to 6 and afterwards to 10 

 inches diameter, to the depth of 953 feet. A sheet-iron tube, 79 



