90 



The specific gravity may be compared as follows : — 



Pure Water being 1-000. 



Sea Water is 1-027. 



Bath Mineral Water is 1-0025. 



And Eadstock Salt Springs ... 1-02899. 



Then as to Solids, — the Bath Mineral Waters contain only 

 144-018 grains, according to Merck and Galloway, while other 

 writers give even less; but the Eadstock Salt Springs yield, 

 according to Mr. Coomber's analysis, 1292-34 grains per gallon. 



It may be further noted that nearly all the ingredients in the 

 Bath Mineral Waters are present in these springs, although in 

 very different proportions. 



Soon after this Spring was tapped, it was found, much to the 

 annoyance of the Engineer in ch;i s;e, that certain boilers which 

 were partly fed by the water from this mine had become encrusted 

 with Salt. A specimen of this encrustation is now produced, 

 and the quantity of Salt it contains is very remarkable — 

 considering that the water before reaching the boilers was 

 diluted with about twenty times its volume of fresh water from 

 other sources. 



As the sinking proceeded, another Salt Spring was met with 

 about 302 feet below the one I have already described, and at a 

 total depth of 1,693 feet from the surface. In this instance also 

 the Spring indicated very great pressure from beneath, for not 

 only did the water rise some height out of the bore holes, but 

 the beds of shale in the bottom of the shaft were heaved up bodily 

 through its agency. No separate analysis of this Spring has been 

 obtained ; but it was apparently similar in character to the one 

 previously met with. Its yield was found to be 100 gallons per 

 hour ; but a corresponding decrease seems to have taken place in 

 the upper Spring, with which it may possibly be connected, as 

 the total quantity continued as before at about 400 gallons per 

 liour, and it has so remained down to the present time. 



Although new in Eadstock, the occurrence of Salt Springs 



