QUARRY. 



pits &c • as it is folely and particularly on tin' fuppofilion.and 

 111 fuch cafes as where the <lire6tion of tiie diftereiil llrata and 

 fand-beds have a ,/,>/./«^ pofitioii with the natural inclination 

 of the furfacc of the land, or he nearly horizontally, that 

 the method of proceeding which is Hated above is prafticable, 

 cr capable of being employed with any fort of advantage. 

 But fhould they, for inttance, lie in a reverfe or contrary di- 

 reftion, there is but little poffibility or chance of accom- 

 plifhing theobjeft, the removal of the water, unlcls by dif- 

 covering or hitting on their terminations, fomewhere on the 

 oppofite fides of the hills or elevations, which in fome cales 

 may very nearly or exadlly be found out, by alcertaining 

 the precife inclination or direftion of the materials of the 

 quarries, pits, &c. and by a careful and exad ufe of the 

 level. But this will be much better comprehended, ahd a 

 more" clear, full, and perfedt notion of its nature be afforded, 

 by the feftion figure in the plate on draining quarries, pits, 

 ?/c. in agriculture, as given by Mr. Ellcington, in his work 

 on that fubjedt. , , 



This is the manner which is to he purlued in preventing the 

 eftefts of water, or cutting off that which is met with in 

 finking the quarries, pits, fliafts, or other fimilar works, 

 before reaching or arriving at the ftone, coal, or other fort 

 of material that may be wanted ; but that which is found in 

 the bottoms of thefe different kinds of undertakings, or 

 which proceeds from the rocks or their fides, or in other 

 ways, in the courfe of working them, is commonly got quit 

 of by means of fome fort of machinei7, as that of the en- 

 trine 'or other kind of pump, in order to afTill in w^orking of 

 which, the water gained by cutting the drains already noticed 

 may be particularly ufeful, efpecially where the ufual ftream 

 for that purpofe is infuflicient in faving the great expence 

 of Vvorking fuch machinery by the power of fteam. But 

 without tht» aid of a natural ilream, which is capable of being 

 converted to this purpofe, it is rarely poflible to find, by 

 means of drains, or in any other way, a quantity of water 

 fufficient to drive fuch weighty machinery, in a fituation of 

 proper heiglit, to have the full and neceflai-y command of it. 

 However, in many cafes it may be an acquifitior of great 

 utility and value. It is explained at/^. 2. in the fame plate. 



In fome fituations, where a full and proper command of 

 water can be had, and where the entrance to the quarry, 

 pit, (liaft, &c. is alfo furtable for the purpofe, the ufe to 

 which it may be converted and applied is ilill more important 

 and advantageous, as the driving of machinery for bringing 

 out the various kinds of .materials, and at the fame time 

 working an engine-pump, in order to clear the works of the 

 fubterraneous water which flows from the cavities of the 

 rocks, which are met within working thefe forts of pits, &c. 



It has been remarked in Mr. Elkington's work on drain- 

 ing, in thefe cafes, that the duke of Buccleugh's coal-works, 

 near Langholm, in the county of Dumfries, afford a linking 

 example of this, as well as of the fuperior powers of water and 

 machinery, when properly combined, where a command of 

 the former can be had, and when the latter is conftruc\ed on 

 proper principles, and condudfed with that care and ingenuity 

 which are requiiite m fuch difficult undertakings. 



In working quarries of lime-ftone, free-ftone, and other 

 forts of materials, it not unfre<juently happens, that, at a 

 certain depth, part of the rock or other body, which con- 

 tains the water, is hit upon, by which they are foon fo filkd 

 with it, as completely to put a ifop to the work proceeding 

 any deeper, where the belt and often the greatell part of the 

 ftone IS fituated. In all fuch cafes, the moft ufual remedies 

 have been, either the ereftion of a wind-mill pump, to draw 

 out part of the water, as the whole cannot be taken away 

 by fuch means, or the opening of a new quarry or pit 



contiguous to the other, which at the fame depth moltly 

 meets with a fimilar obllrudtion, or the bringing up of a very 

 deep cut, often at great expence, under the level of the 

 witer, from the neareft declivity or hollow that can be met 

 with. However, by the following method, all quarries of 

 hme-itone, free-Hone, marie, or other materials of the fame 

 nature, which are liable to inch fort of obllruCtion, may be 

 completely and cflectually cleared of the water at but little 

 expence ; while, at the lame tiifie, the drain which is made 

 may ferve the double purpofe of that, and the laying of the 

 wet ground, caufed by the fpring coiitaiued in the rock, 

 which is found contiguous to it, dry. 



There commonly lies, immediately under the rock, a bed 

 of Itrong, lliff, retentive clay, which upholds all the water 

 received and retained by that rocky Itratum, and which be- 

 ing, at the fame time, bound round on each fide by a cover- 

 ing of the fame fort of clayey material, or ether ftiff earthy 

 fubllance, is not able to difcharge itfelf, and of courfe con- 

 llantly remains or Hands full in the rock, fo as to prevent the 

 working or taking out the Hone from the bottom. 



In fuch cafes it is neccHary, in the firll place, to endeavour 

 to find to what fide the rock dips or inclines, which, in general, 

 may eafily be afcertaincd by the appearance of the furface, in 

 examining the furrounding ground, and the aid of a proper 

 level. When this has been difcovered and fully afcertained, 

 a fuitable drain muH be cut through the clayey covering to 

 the rock, by which the water will be drawn off, which, for 

 want of a proper outlet, formerly Hood pent up in the hol- 

 lows and cavities of the Hony rtratum or body. This is fur- 

 ther and more fully explained by Ji^s. 3 and 4, in the fame 

 plate. 



But, in fome cafes, this fort of evil or inconvenience may 

 be removed and remedied in a different w ay. As it frequently 

 happens that a bed or body of the fame ftone, which has a 

 clofe, compaft nature or quality, is found lying under one 

 which has a more open porous texture, witii fidures and 

 cracks in it, that are admiflible of water, which obtlrudts 

 and keeps up the water in the upper bed or layer, in fuch a 

 manner, that not any of it can pafs or filtrate through it to 

 an inferior, or ftill deeper open Itratum or bed ; and on fink- 

 ing or cutting through this compadt bed of ftone, another 

 layer is met with, which is of fo open and porous a nature, 

 as to admit the reception of any water from the above one, 

 which may come upon it. 



And fometimes a bed of gravel or fand is found under that 

 of the clofe ilone, which being ftill more capable of ab- 

 forbing or taking up any water that may be let down to it, is 

 far better and more properly fuited for the purpofe of clearing 

 the upper bed of ftone from water, than a Itratum of open 

 Hone Itfelf. 



Therefore, when this is difcovered and afcertained to be 

 the cafe, and the water is icpi up by the fecund bed of ftone, 

 fo as to be injurious and hurtful to the working of the upper 

 bed, and which will be equally fo in working the fecond ; 

 the work may be greatly freed and relieved by boringthrough 

 the clofe bed of Hone, and letting down the water into the 

 more porous one below, or into a ftratum or body of dry 

 fand or gravel, fhould there be fuch a one underneath it. 

 But in place of boring, the finking of fmall pits through 

 the clofe ftone is a more efiedtual method of letting down the 

 water, though a much more difficult one in the execution. 



The methods of digging and boring, even in the bottoms 

 of quarries, pits, and Ibaits, where pumps and other machinery 

 of the fame nature are made ufe ot, as has been noticed above, 

 may, in fome cafes, not only be pradlicable, but advantageous 

 for lettintj down the water which they contain iKto an infe- 

 rior open ftratum. 



That 



