288 Bliscellaneous — Boring at Puriton. 



was extremely aucient, and not that of a Neolithic man. He accepted 

 the geological age ascribed to the bones by Sir. Moir. In the dis- 

 cussion which followed Professor Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S., said that he 

 liad just made a careful examination of the section in which the 

 skeleton was found, and he was of opinion that it was 7iot found 

 beneath the Boulder-clay as such. The clay was not in situ, but there 

 liad been a vertical (earth-)raovement in the section. There was 

 absolutel}- no geological evidence, in that place, of pre-Glacial man. 

 In the case of the Ipswich skeleton there was, he considered, every 

 reason to suppose it was a modern interment. Professor W. J. Sollas, 

 F.H.S., said tluit tlie complete truth in such cases could not possibly 

 be arrived at unless experts were called in to examine the bones before 

 they were removed by the workmen. — Morning Post, April 25, 1912. 



Boring at Puriton, near Bridgwater. — A deep boring in 

 search of coal, carried to a depth of 2,072 feet, during the years 

 1909-10, by Vivian's Boring and Exploration Company, has lately 

 been described by Mr. James McMurtrie, F.G.S. (Proc. Somerset 

 Arch, and Nat. Hist. Soc, vol. Ivii, p. 25, 1911). The site of the 

 boring was 640 yards east of Dunball Station, on the Great Western 

 llailway, and between Puriton Hill and the Sedgemoor Drain. The 

 strata passed through were as follows : — 



Thickness. Depth, 

 ft. in. ft. in. 



Superficial (Alluvial) Deposits 23 23 



Keuper Marl with gypsum ; and with beds of rock-salt 



between depths of 646 and 713 feet . . . 1,252 2 1,275 2 



Upper Sandstones (Keuper and Bunter). 



Eed, grey, and blue marly sandstone, red and grey 

 sandstone, occasional marl, gypsum, and 1 foot of 



fine conglomerate at depth of 1416 ft. 10 in. . . 202 8 1,477 10 

 Bunter Conglomerate. 



Grey and red marly sandstone with bands of con- 

 glomerate with limestone pebbles . . . . 12 2 1,490 

 Lower Sandstones (Permian). 



Eed marly fine-grained sandstones and marl . . 582 4 2,072 4 



The grouping of the Red rocks was made by Mr. W. A. E. TJssher, 

 who remarks that the homogeneous character of the Lower Sandstones 

 for so great a depth is " quite unparalleled in the [Permian] rocks of 

 the south-west of England". 



The boring was abandoned because it was considered that if coal 

 were found at a greater depth the seams were not likely to be 

 sufficiently thick to give prospect of financial success, bearing in mind 

 the great cost of sinking. 



The undertaking, however, has proved of singular interest and 

 importance by the discovery of rock-salt, the composition of which 

 was sodium chloride 97"47 per cent, calcium sulphate 2*13, calcium 

 chloride "15, and magnesium chloride '25. Tests of the brine during 

 five months showed an average yield per gallon of 1 lb. 13 oz. of salt. 

 Some remarkable cores were obtained during the boring of columns of 

 rock-salt encased in red and blue marl. A second boring has been 

 commenced for the purpose or pumping the brine for commercial 

 purposes. 



