THE SHALLOW AND DEEP WELL WATERS OF ESSEX. 29 



various Villages and Hamlets in the Chelmsford and Maldon 

 Rural Sanitary Districts," which contained the results of the 

 analyses of 400 samples of drinking water derived froiu the most 

 varied sources — rain-water tanks, ponds, ditches, streams, springs, 

 shallow wells in Boulder clay and in various kinds of gravel, and 

 deep or artesian wells, sunk through the London Clay to the sands 

 and chalk beneath. 



In the introduction it was affirmed that the waters yielded by 

 gravels of different origin differed much in character. A copy of 

 this report reached the hands of our esteemed member, Mr. W, 

 Whitaker, F.R.S., and he wrote me saying that he had noticed 

 this remark, and that " it would be interesting to study such 

 differences, if they existed." He adds, " There may possibly be 

 some difference between gravel-water and sand-water, of whatever 

 age the deposits may be, and you might be on the look out for 

 this." 



Tables of analyses of typical waters, or of waters which for some 

 other reason are interesting, have been prepared and are appended 

 to this paper.^ Out of the hundreds of analyses of shallow well- 

 waters I have made, there are few which are of any use for our 

 purpose. In many instances the subsoil water supplying the wells 

 has become so contaminated with the filth deposited on the surface 

 of the ground, or in defective cesspits, cesspools, and bumbies, that 

 the character of the water has become entirely altered. For examples 

 I would refer you to my Report on the Writtle Water Supply, a few 

 copies of which are upon the table for distribution. Writtle village 

 stands upon a patch of Glacial gravel. At the edge there are nume- 

 rous springs. The analyses of five of these are given as bein^ 

 typical of what the water from this gravel patch should be. We 

 may compare these with the analyses of the water from the village 

 wells. 



Total solids in grains per 

 gallon vary from 

 Temporary Hardness ,, 

 Total 



Chlorine ,, 



Nitric Nitrogen „ 



Out of the forty-eight shallow well waters only one or two bear 

 any close resemblance to the spring waters ; all the others are more 



T See appendix of Tables of Analyses, inserted in the present number. — Ed. 



