710 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 12 



Pf.Aii2 X\U.— Drainage nf springs on the tops of hills or high ground, and of mmeral'strala. 



N. B. The expanse of the valley, or distance between the high s^round, moy, in most cases, be very con- 

 ;sidpiai le; but it is here represented on a narrow scale, to suit the size of the plate. The strata, too, may be 

 (wiud to he III a more irregular disposition; but the principles are equally applicable, though other circumstan- 

 ces vary. ° 



E F Springs issuing from crop of the metals. N Porous upper soil. 



the opp-cits sidp of the rivulet, to a much hiy:liei 

 level Itmn Hie line A B, by wliicii me:i!is~i.he 

 springs ;ti E F, issiiirijj- jrom the crop of the me- 

 tctls, -rire suppiieil. By brini^iiij| up a cut fnmi the 

 brook or rivuief into liie bniik hi Q, tui outlet wiil 

 be given to tha water, fi'ee from that of the 

 PtreHin j and, by boring,' or ijinkiiig a [>it, fruni l\ 

 to f, ihe wafer tiewi-ifr Ihi'oiigh ifio porous srrafa 

 A^yf$ f) I) 10 E F, will he i-eiiuceil to the level L 

 ■JVl- cortee.^,u<^;)!ly, th--. course of the vvaier sup- 

 plying the" spfirfirg E F, will be itderc'-pled, and 

 the ground on the guiumif, and on boih •iiie.'^ oi 

 the declivity, become dry; and the coal, or other 

 mineral, may he wroutrht out. (ree froni any inier- 

 rnption of water. Tins cnuht not he etiected by 

 .■boring from the bottom of the rivalet (as shown 

 by the dotted line), for (he pressure of the run- 

 ning water above, would prevent that below from 

 rising freely, and small stones or sand would be 

 lodged in the holes, and completely obstruct its is- 

 Bue. If fhe strata, K, crop out 'o thesnrliice and 

 cause wetness, ihe pii or l)ore, H I, may be con- 

 tinued till ii reach V. ; but, lying at such "^ a depth, 

 the water conta!!ie<l in it caimo^ atTecr thesnrfa(;e^ 

 ordo any inpiry to iiie I'ronnd; and is only necessa- 

 ry, il a lower bed of coal, or other useliil mineral, is 

 to be ilrainetl. 



Postscript. 

 Atler this Treatise had been printed off, the 

 author re.-eived the tbilowmg inl()rnianon, which 

 Umds to jujiiienticaie the theory which he has 

 endeavored to establish, respecting the oriijin oi 

 epiings ifi hijrh, und in low situations, 'fhose 

 arisiiiir to the snrliice m the interior oi a country, 

 which are the sources ofrivers, broolcp:, and lakes, 

 may be amply and perennially suftplied by the 

 rains and dews that fail on the suriiice; but, ihose 

 that are found at great depths under ihe ievei of 

 the ."Jca, as stated respecting the well at Wimble- 

 don,* and the coal-pit to be here described, con- 



_*Tho Wimble (au^cr) might have been wc// ap- 

 plied in this case, in perforating the lowvr strata; by 

 which operation, much time, labor, and expense, 

 might have beta saved. 



firms not only the theory, but is a practical demon- 

 SLi'.i:ion that great bodies of water are siiuated in 

 the subjacent strata ol the earth, for the supply of 

 which these sources (rain, snow, and dews,) 

 would be altogether inadequate. 



The deepest perloraiion that has ever been 

 made into the internal straia of the earth, has 

 lieen receiitly peiformed in ihe smkinir of a pit or 

 shaft at Monkweaimouiht Colliery, near Sunder- 

 land, in the county of Durham. The bottom of 

 the shaft is already loOO feet below high -water 

 mark, and 1-JOO feet below the surface of the 

 ground!! This shaft passes throuirh limestone, 

 and free-stone sand, lo the depth of 330 teet, frum 

 which IS discharged the prodigious quaniiiy of 



0000 gallons of waier per minute, for the raising 

 of which, a double acting steam-engine, working 

 with a power of 200 horses, is found requisite! 

 The first stratum of the coal-lbrmation was Ibund 

 at the depth of 34-i feet; but of an insignificant 

 th'ckness. 



A new feeder of water was found at the depth 

 of 1000 ieet, reijuiring additional pumps to clear it. 

 In the expectation of reaching a very thick and 

 valuable seam of coal a! the further depth of 200 

 feet, this wonderful pit is still progressing down- 

 wards. T<j the ireologist, this is a subject of great 

 interest,, whalever i; may turn out lo be, in point 

 of prcjil, to the spirited proprietors and under- 

 takers. 



It is a proof that large bodies of wafer exist in 

 the subterraneous strata to an indefinite depth; 

 hence originate those larger and perennial springs 



1 hat rise in hollows, or close to the sea. The de- 

 grees <»f heat in this pit were carefully ascertained 

 by barometric and fhermomefric observations, and 

 wevn found to increase accordinix to the depth. 

 Ttioagh rather a deep subject even for speculation, 

 perhap's in coal strata of great extent, or in those 

 that lie above or near them, these reservoirs ol wa- 

 ter aie provitled lor fhe purpose of counteracting 

 siihlerranean fire, and p>reveniing volcanoes!! 

 That water, direct from the ocean, has (bond en- 



t It was begun in 1826, and maybe coHjpleted j^ 

 1835. 



