882 report — 1884. 



in the different parts of the stratum. giving the 'head' to produce that travel; 

 how far this height is likely to he affected hy the pumping of the desired quantity ; 

 whether, if near the outflow into the sea, the pumping is likely to reverse the 

 direction of the current, and to bring hack brackish water, and whether the rocks 

 are of such a character as to be liable to yield a water impregnated with iron or 

 with lime, and whether these water-bearing rocks are accessible from the surface 

 without the execution of costly and laborious work in passing through overlying 

 strata of an unfit or it may be even of a dangerous character. It need hardly be 

 said that the engineer when engaged in metalliferous mining, or in the extraction 

 of coal or of petroleum, unless he applies the science of Section 0, is but a haphazard 

 explorer whose work is more likely to end in disaster than in success. Again, 

 the engineer, when laying out a railway, has to consider the geological features 

 of the country in fixing the angles of his cuttings, and in determining where it 

 becomes more economical to tunnel than to cut. Indeed, without the appli- 

 cation of that science to engineering there are some enterprises on the feasi- 

 bility of which the engineer would not be able to pronounce an opinion — a 

 notable instance, the Channel Tunnel. The engineers, of whom I am one, 

 said there is a material, the compact non-water-bearing grey chalk, which 

 we have at a convenient depth on the English side, and is of all materials 

 the most suitable ; if that exist the whole way across, success is certain. Then 

 came geological science, and that told the engineer that in France the same 

 material existed ; that it existed in the same position in relation to other forma- 

 tions as it existed in England ; that the line of outcrop of the gault lying below it 

 had been checked across ; and that taken together, these indications enabled a 

 confident opinion to be expressed that it was all but certain this bed of grey chalk 

 did prevail from side to side. The engineers believed it, an intelligent section of the 

 public believed it, and came forward with their money; large sums were expended in 

 England and in France on the faith of the repeated declaration of the English 

 Government (of both sides of politics), that so long as the nation was not called 

 on to contribute towards the cost of the work, it would hail with satisfaction the 

 improved means of communication between England and the Continent ; the experi- 

 mental works were carried on from both sides with the happiest results, and then, 

 when success appeared certain, the whole work was stopped by the incredible 

 suggestion that in the event of a war the soldiers of England, and the science 

 of England, could not defend a couple of rat-holes, holes 14 feet in diameter and 

 20 miles long, situated far below the surface of the sea, having a rapid dip from 

 the shore to a low point, gradually rising from there to the centre of the length 

 of the tunnel, so that the English end could be flooded with sea-water in twenty- 

 five minutes up to the soffit of the arch at the dip ; and in consequence of this in- 

 credible and most-to-be-ashamed-of scare a stop has been put not only to_ one 

 of the finest instances of civil engineering work in connection with the science 

 of geology, but also as I believe to one of the most useful works that has ever 

 been proposed. 



To come to Section D, the botanical side of it is interesting to the en- 

 gineer as instructing him in the locality and quality of the various woods that 

 £e occasionally uses in his work. With regard to that most important part of 

 the work of D, which relates to 'germs' and their influence upon health, the 

 engineer deals with it thus far : he bears in mind that the water supply must be 

 pure, and that the building must be ventilated, and that excreta must be removed 

 without causing contamination ; thus the waterworks engineer, the warming and 

 ventilating engineer, and the sewage engineer can (and do) all of them profit 

 by the labours of Section D, and can by their works assist in giving practical 

 value to the pure science of that section. 



Section E, Geography. Probably in these days, when our kingdom at home 

 and the old countries near us are all but full of the works of the engineer, there 

 are few who take a greater interest in geography than he does, and I am quite sure 

 there are none who make a more useful application of geographical knowledge for 

 the benefit of mankind at large than does the engineer. Almost at the outset of 

 this address I claimed to magnify Section G, on the ground that without the aid of 



