442 REPORT — 1895. 



One of the borings to which I wish to call attention was made at Ware, 

 and the other at Turnford, near Cheshunt, both in the county of Hertford. 

 These particular places were chosen because they offered suitable sites for 

 new Chalk wells, and because land alongside the channel of the New 

 River was available for pumping stations. On reaching certain depths, 

 the bore holes furnished conclusive evidence that it was quite hopeless to 

 expect a supply of water from below the Gault, and orders were about to 

 be given for a cessation of the work, when those geologists who had 

 watched the progress of the enterprise, expressed a wish that endeavours 

 might be made to learn the direction of the dip of the lowest stratum 

 reached in each case. Instructions were thereupon given for the requisite 

 investigation to be made, and when the inquiry was found to involve 

 additional boring, the construction of special apparatus, and the devotion 

 of much time and attention, these were liberally provided by the New 

 River Company. A number of men of science formed themselves into a 

 Committee to advise as to the best way of obtaining the desired informa- 

 tion. This Committee consisted of Sir William Thomson, now Lord 

 Kelvin, Dr. C. W. Siemens, Mr. Etheridge, Professors T. McK. Hughes, 

 Maxwell, and Stokes, Mr. Mylne, and Mr. Muir. 



From time to time they discussed various modes of proceeding, and 

 under their advice the several experiments were arranged. In carrying 

 out their suggestions, every possible care was exercised to ensure correct 

 results, and observations were repeated until there could be no reasonable 

 doubt of the truth of the conclusions arrived at. 



Before describing in detail the appliances used, I may give a general 

 outline of the circumstances preceding the discovery of Silurian Rock at 

 the Ware boring, and of Devonian at Turnford. 



Before the year 1872, a well had been sunk into the Chalk at Turnford, 

 and pumping engines erected. The shaft had a depth of 176 feet, with 

 a bore hole 34 inches in diameter, extending to a depth of 362 feet from 

 the surface of the ground. The bore was made of this large size in order 

 to admit of its being continued downwards to a great depth without 

 undue contraction of diameter, in case it should be afterwards decided to 

 search for the Lower Green Sand ; but it was not until 187-i that it was 

 resolved to follow up the question. Arrangements were then made for 

 deepening the bore and for dealing with any water that might be obtained 

 from the hoped-for deep source. To convey the expected supply of water 

 to the surface, a wrought iron tube of 24 inches internal diameter, and 

 long enough to reach to the bottom of the hole, was provided. Its joints 

 were made quite watertight throughout by calking, and all access of 

 water from a higher level was to be shut off by sealing up an annular 

 space to be left around the tube where it passed through the Gault 

 clay. The sinking of this tube to a depth of 896 feet, was accom- 

 plished by the old system of breaking up tlie material with chisels and 

 bringing it to the surface by means of buckets with valves in the bottom. 

 In the meantime, the more rapid method of rock -boring by means of 

 diamonds had become a success, and, after due consideration, it was 

 decided to put down a hole by this meajis at another spot in order to 

 obtain an early solution of the question. A site near Ware, six miles 

 north of Turnford, was selected, and in the beginning of the year 1878 a 

 boring by the new process was commenced there. By this method, a number 

 of black diamonds fixed in one end of a ring or short tube of steel, techni- 

 cally called a 'crown ' (fig. 1), are caused to rotate against the rock to be 



