11 



and at once a brilliant flame rose up to an altitude of about 

 fifteen feet, the diameter of the pipe being nearly six inches. 

 The flame was extinguished with some difficulty, and as it was 

 found afterwards that more gas continued to flow, the attempt to 

 find water was abandoned, a depth of three hundred and seventy- 

 seven feet having been reached. The pipes which lined the bore- 

 hole were withdrawn, except that a short length was left at the 

 top, to which a cap was affixed, so as to limit the flow of gas, if 

 not arresting it altogether. But the gas continued to assert itself, 

 escaping at every joint which remains, although blocked at the 

 svmimit. The pipe projects up from the bottom of a shallow 

 well or shaft, and it is in that part the leakage takes place. On 

 a light being applied by the Station Master, Mr. Head, who 

 descended the shaft for the purpose, ignition ensued round the 

 circumference of the pipe where the joint existed. Evidently it 

 only needed the removal of the cap in order for the huge jet, 

 fifteen feet high, once more to show itself. 



To this point reference will be made presently, but for 

 the present it will be interesting to notice a circumstance not 

 hitherto recorded. About three years ago a boring was made in 

 search of water in the stable-yard of the Heathfield Hotel, also 

 in the parish of Waldron, the site being some seventy feet higher 

 than the top level of the Station boring, and about a hundred 

 yards distant. At a depth of two hundred and twenty-eight feet 

 an oily odour was observed, and gas became evident. As there 

 happened to be water in the tube, the gas, as it rose, caused an 

 ebullition which might be described as boiling without heat. The 

 foreman in charge of the works piped oft" the gas to a distance of 

 several feet, and there consumed it, the flame rising to what was 

 called " the height of a man." The boring was then carried 

 down about twenty feet further, but as gas continued to come 

 instead of water, the undertaking was abandoned, and the fiery 

 pit was sealed up with concrete. The incident serves to show 

 that the discovery at the Heathfield Station was not the mere 

 result of a lucky hit, but was caused by the presence of a gas 

 which also existed at a higher level and at a distance of a 

 hundred yards. But the area is far wider than this, gas having 

 manifested itself several miles off, in the Sub-Wealden boring at 

 Netherfield. 



The gas from the boring at the Heathfield Station has been 

 examined by Mr. Woodhead, the Public Analyst of East 

 Sussex, who pronounces it to belong to the paraffin series. 

 This at once connects it with petroleum. But where is the 

 petroleum which throws oft" the gas ? Mr. Dawson considered 

 the balance of probability to be in favour of the conclusion 

 that the gas is derived from the Kimmeridge clay which under- 

 lies the Purbeck beds. This view he entertains, although the 



