VOL. LXXVII."] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 185 



just above the top of the box, at the distance of between Q2 and QS yards from 

 the surface ; when the upper rod, having a circular head or ring 2 inches in dia- 

 meter at the top, dropped down 40 yards through the iron pipes ; which rods 

 were got up again Sept. 15, by a spring. After trying several instruments to 

 get up the lower part of the rods, to no effect, on Oct. 3 following was contrived 

 a spiral instrument, about 2 feet long, with a catch at the top of it, to take the 

 bottom of the uppermost box of the rods that were down ; but the top of the rods 

 having fallen several inches from the perpendicular, prevented the instrument 

 from taking them between the 1st and 2d boxes: therefore the surveyor to the 

 corporation and George Naylor, on Oct. 7? contrived a spiral instrument, about 

 2 feet long, without any catch at the top, which George Naylor put down about 

 10 yards below the upper box, and there taking hold of the rods, raked them up 

 to the top, and by that means brought them perpendicular, when he left them, 

 and on Oct 8 put down the instrument invented before ; by which he got hold of 

 the rods a little below the top box, and brought them up. When the rods 

 broke, George Naylor was boring in a dark-coloured silt, intermixed with chalk 

 and gravel, at the distance of 474 feet from the surface, which continued to the 

 depth of 475 feet 5 inches, when it changed to dark-coloured wet silt without 

 any chalk, in which George Naylor bored to the depth of 47S feet 8-j- inches 

 from the surface. Here he imagined, by the easy turning of the wimble, that 

 he had got into a spring of water, and gave over boring, to see if the water would 

 rise in the pipes ; when, after keeping the water in the well below the top of the 

 pipes for several days by pumping, the water in the pipes was found to rise about 

 5 feet per day on an average ; which only producing about 7 pints, it was sup- 

 posed there was no spring of water bored into, but that the rise of water in the 

 pipes was occasioned by the soccage only. On Monday, Nov. 28, an iron bucket 

 was made and affixed to the bottom of the rods, and let down the pipes, and 

 filled with water at the depth of 85 yards from the surface ; which water was salt, 

 and of a reddish colour. The bucket was again let down, and filled at the depth 

 of 156 yards fi-om the surface; that water was more salt than the first, and 

 much of the same colour. .» 



The committee appointed by the corporation for superintending the business of 

 sinking for water, having taken the whole of these circumstances into their con- 

 sideration, and examined George Naylor, who did not account, in a manner 

 satisfactory to them, for the slow progress he had lately made in boring, were of 

 opinion, that it would be proper for the present to discontinue all operations in 

 the well; they therefore directed the stage to be taken up, the mouth of the iron 

 pipes to be carefully plugged up, the well to be covered with oak plank, and the 

 ground over it to be paved as before ; all which was accordingly done. 

 Dated Boston, Nov. 28, 178(5. , James Limbird, 



VOL. XVI. B M Surveyor to the Corporation. 



