82 A. R. Horicood — Ujrper Ti'ias of Leicestershire. 



Mr. Plant said he discovered a fine geode containing crystals of 

 selenite in the Lower Keuper Sandstone in the sinking. 



Considerations of water-supply necessitated the sinking of a deep 

 well and a boring to the south at Hincliley, wliich have become 

 rather notorious from the difficulties arising from the different advice 

 tendered and the character of the boring and inethod adopted. 

 James Plant had charge of the boring, acting as adviser, and his 

 reasons for the choice of the site were somewhat as follows. The 

 ground around Hinckley falls away into the valley on all sides, 

 except on the north-west, where, after a slight depression, half a mile 

 away it rises up to Wykin Hills, and the plateau continues to Crown 

 Hill. The impermanent streams all flow trom the town, and are fed 

 at different levels by water from drift beds. He considered water- 

 stones would be reached between 300 and 400 feet, and he stated they 

 were developed most to the south-west, west, and north-west. He 

 referred to a ridge between Hartshill and Cliarnwood, causing two 

 basins, the western one being the one upon which Hinckley was situated, 

 on its eastern border. As this western basin was deeper the water- 

 stones he argued were thicker. He cited borings at Hawkesbury and 

 Nuneaton, where from the waterstones in twenty-four hours one and 

 a half million and a quarter of a million gallons of water were obtained 

 from depths of 120 and 112 feet respectively. Tlie boring showed 

 in June, 1879, 150 feet Drift, 30 feet Upper Sandstones, 250 feet Red 

 Marl and gypsum, 150 feet waterstones, and he considered the last were 

 penetrated between 390 and 410 feet. Mr. Stooke, who was asked to 

 take the matter in hand, stated at the Local Government Board inquiry, 

 August 12, 1884, that he considered the waterstones were reached at 

 500 feet. He said the last vein of gypsum was at 526 feet, but he found 

 traces of it down to 726 feet. This boring was 1 mile to south-west 

 of Hinckley. He gives an account of it with a figure and section, in 

 which below the Boulder-clay, 350 feet (down to 500 feet) of new Red 

 Marl with veins of gypsum and beds of sandstone were encountered, 

 then 200 feet of sandstone with nodules of gy})sum and beds of marl, 

 and 100 feet of waterstones (down to 800 feet), overlying Permian 

 beds. This last is doubtful. Some confusion has been made here as 

 to the term waterstones. The last 50 feet contained the best water, 

 but it was much too full of mineral matter. It resembles the waters 

 of Leamington, Cheltenham, and Shearsby, in Leicestershire, and its 

 constituents were : — 



Grains in 

 Inipei'ial Gallon. 

 Chloride of sodium .... 71-2 



Chloride of potassium .... traces 



Sulphate of soda 238-3 



Sulphate of magnesia .... 8-0 



Sulphate of Hme ..... 114-4 

 Carbonate of magnesia .... 22-3 



Silica 1-4 



455 '6 



This means about sixty grains to the gallon more than the Shearsby 

 water, which has been described as the Cheltenham of Leicestershire, 

 and derives its properties from the Red Marl underlying the Lias Clays, 



