ON THE CIRCULATION OF UNDERGROUND WATERS. 



239 



These are readily seen in the sketch map of area under the Act with 

 five large districts, each having the smaller pound-boundaries marked in 

 ■different colours. 



It was soon found that Bilston and Tipton were so far one that when 

 Tipton was pumped Bilston water flowed down and nearly swamped 

 Tipton, so that some of the largest pumps in the kingdom have been put 

 down on the lower side of the boundary between those districts, and the 

 most difficult operation in mining successfully carried out, of driving under 

 the Bilston water and tapping it. 



To each pumping station the water flows, but the district which it 

 will drain depends on the ' faults' and workings. 



A few examples may be of interest, especially as compared with the 

 behaviour of the water in the more homogeneous strata under the inves- 

 tigation of the Committee, and will be given in the next report. 



Appendix II. 

 Bij Mr. E. B. Marten. 



Although the records are, I believe, closed, I send you particulars of 

 four springs yielding extremely good water and sufficient for supplying 

 the village of Pedmore, just upon the borders of tbe great western 

 boundary fault of the coalfield as it passes away south under the Clent 

 Hills and Hagley. 



Wychbury Camp Hill, like Clent, Walton, Woodbury, and other hills 

 of Permian formation, is capped by the Breccia described by Professor 

 Jukes which receives the rainfall and holds it like a sponge on the some- 

 what denser rock below, springs showing themselves all around 500 feet 

 above sea-level at the base of the Breccia at Pedmore and Hagley, and 

 forming the heads of rivulets. 



Within the last few weeks the water has been analysed by Dr. Bostock 

 Hill and found to be very good as follows : — Parts per 100,000 : total 

 solid impurity, 20'0 ; organic ammonia, 0-002 ; free ammonia, 0001 ; 

 chlorine 2-5 ; temporary hardness, 6' 43 ; permanent hardness, 9-57 : total 



hardness, 15'00. 



On the west side of the fault the New Red sandstones abut against 

 the Permian, and being far more porous ^ 



the rainfall sinks away, so that at Hagley 

 the few wells are 70 feet deep, and at 

 Pedmore there are no deep wells, and the 

 few that are shallow easily get contami- 

 nated. The general level of the water in 

 the New Red sandstone is about 250 feet 

 above the sea, the river Stour being the 

 lowest outlet about one mile below the 

 Wollaston Pumping Station, described by 

 me on page 7, 1882 (Eighth Report), is 

 about 200 feet above sea-level. 



In excavating for a small reservoir, 

 about three years ago, one side slipped 

 in, the whole coming off like half a peg- 

 top, point downwards, leaving a smooth, 

 polished, ' slickenside ' surface, so that 

 we were evidently exactly on the great 

 western boundary fault. 



Si'ourhridae 



