202 Miscellanies. 



or nearly two miles above the bridge of St. Maurice. The place 

 whence it issues is open to view only where the water is at its lowest 

 point, that is, during the severest cold of winter.. In summer, it is 

 covered to the depth of fourteen feet by the water. The river is 

 here two hundred and fifty feet wide, and the spring is twenty five 

 feet from the right bank. It was discovered by accident in a place 

 where trout fishing is practised, on the 27th of February, 1831. The 

 next day, the Rhone having suddenly risen, it was covered to the 

 depth of two feet by the water, but on plunging the foot into the 

 water, its warmth was very sensibly felt above that of the river water 

 which was only 2° above zero. When the water subsided, a small 

 stream was discovered issuing from under a rock, having the tempe- 

 rature of 106° F., and where the rock was removed several other 

 Alimentary streams were discovered issuing from the bed of the river, 

 which is formed of sand and gravel intermingled with large rolled 

 blocks of stone. 



An excavation being made eight feet square and six feet deep, the 

 warm water flowed in at the rate of eighty cubic feet per hour, and 

 it Was plainly perceived that the water issued vertically from below, 

 and was by no means connected with any lateral opening from the 

 adjoining mountains. 



At the depth of twelve feet it was found that the principal stream 

 occupied a space of five feet and a half, by four, and as it would be 

 impossible, from the structure of the valley of the Rhone, to sink the 

 opening to a rock, it was cased up with a strong wooden frame, 

 around which a clay cement was rammed, and the casement was car- 

 ried in a pyramidal form to the height of eight feet. 



Into the top of the, pyramid a tube was inserted, sixty nine milli- 

 metres in diameter, and in this pyramid and tube the thermal water 

 rose to the height of seven feet above the then level of the river, but 

 on attempting to carry it higher, it issued through the sand and gravel 

 at the bottom of the encasement. 



A lateral conduit, formed of bored larch logs, was then connected 

 with the tube at the top of the pyramid, and conducted to the distance 

 of one thousand seven hundred and eleven feet, being more than half 

 of its distance sunk into the bed of the river, as it was found necessary 

 in order to preserve the proper descent, to dig a trench from six to 

 fifteen feet in depth. The thermal water was thus conveyed to place 

 convenient for the erection of baths. 



