382 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



my arrival in Hamilton, the principal town of Bermuda, I 

 observed that a well, a few yards distant from the Steam 

 Grist Mill, was much resorted to for water, and, on en- 

 quiring if it were fit for drinking, I was assured there 

 was no finer water in the islands. A similar well had 

 been sunk inside the engine-house of the said mill, for 

 the express purpose of supplying the boilers (high pressure 

 of ten horse-power) with " fresh water." 



The mill was worked with the water obtained from this 

 well for five or six years, when, in consequence of a slight 

 explosion of steam, the boilers were opened, and the interior 

 of each found to be coated, on the bottom and sides, with a 

 solid crust of indurated grey salt and calcarious sediment, 

 about two inches thick, which required a stout blow from a 

 sharp iron pick to detach even a small portion of it ; thus 

 proving beyond a doubt that water hitherto considered to 

 be fresh was in reality impregnated with a certain portion 

 of salt. 



Another instance of the impurity of well water occurred 

 at the Arrowroot Mill of Mr. Harry Tucker, near Hamilton. 

 A well had been sunk on the premises to provide a better 

 supply pf water for the process of extracting this well- 

 known starch from the root or tuber ; and, the water 

 derived from his well being considered " pure," it was 

 used in the preparation of the crop of that season. The 

 arrowroot thus prepared, having been shipped to London, 

 was there pronounced to be of inferior quality, and Mr. 

 Tucker's agent wrote out to say that it was the opinion 

 of persons who were in the habit of purchasing Bermudian 

 arrowroot that brackish water had been used in the manu- 

 facture of it. This induced Mr. Tucker to cause an exami- 

 nation of the well water in question, the result of which 

 fully confirmed the suspicions of the London dealers. 



During the scarcity of rain water in the drought of 1849, 



