TRANSACTIONS 
OF THE 
hull Scientific 
AND 
Ficlo Waturalists’ Club. 
THE NATURAL HISTORY OF GOOLE MOOR AND 
THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY. 
By THomas BUNKER. 
(Read March 2nd, 1898.) 
HE district of Goole and Thorne Moor is a low lying one, 
many parts being below high water mark, and it includes 
large tracts of rich alluvial soil, and some very large bogs. The 
name of Marshland applied to the area between Goole and the 
Trent exactly describes a great portion of it. In places sand and 
gravel crop out, as at Thorne and Snaith, and from the latter 
place a slight elevation enables the outcrop to be traced by Raw- 
cliffe to Airmin. Below the alluvium peat may be found, then 
sand in places, clay, and, at a greater depth, as proved by 
excavation and borings, the New Red Sandstone (Trias), includ- 
ing Gypsum. A few deep borings have been made for water, 
and also one or two for coal ; the latter I may say were uniformly 
unsuccessful. 
Our Moor is only a portion of the low district between the 
Ouse and the Trent. Formerly many small streams ran into the 
latter river, and some improvements were effected by opening out 
additional drains, but no great alleviation to the common risk of 
floods was obtained till Vermuyden cut our Dutch river, relieving 
the Don of its superabundant waters. The effect. may be under- 
stood by the present state of the two former outlets of that river ; 
the one flowing into the Trent, and formerly navigable, is now 
only a ditch that I have repeatedly stridden across ; the other 
running by Turnbridge to the Aire is likewise but a few feet wide. 
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