QUARRY. 



That of boring has been praftil^d wilh complete fuecels 

 in the cafe of a colliery in the coiinly of York, which hud 

 been wrought many years, and in whicli the water was raifcd 

 about (ixty yards by a lleam-enjrine : tTie proprietors of 

 which, on boring down from the bottom of tlie pit next lo 

 the engine-pit, to the furtiier depth of about ten yards, in 

 order to afcertain the depth or thicknefs of a feam of coals, 

 which was fuppofed to lie below thofc then wrought ; the 

 workmen, on taking out the boring rods, found that the 

 water from the works, whicli ulually ran acrois the bottom 

 of this pit to the engine-pump, now ran down the holes they 

 had made. And that the fleam-engine pump, on being fet 

 to work, contained little or no water, it having elcaped 

 through tiicfe holes, and continued to run tlirougli the fame 

 ever afterwards, rendering the pump ufelefs. It is remarked, 

 that tiiis inflance of water at lo great a depth from the fur- 

 face, finding a pafiage at a further depth of ten yards, or 

 lefs, and immediately below, is extremely lingular and itriking 

 in its nature. Tiie iltuation was much higher than the neareft 

 contiguous vallies, or the level of the fea. Trials of this 

 fort can feldom be made, therefore the cafes are rare, tm- 

 common, and curious. But in extenfive trafls of level land, 

 where lakes or moralles have been formed, and which cannot 

 be laid dry by cutting open drains, or driving levels through 

 rocks, except at an expence for which the lands, when 

 drained, would never compenfatc, the above inflances war 

 rant the trial of experiments with boring rods, which, if not 

 attended with fucccfs, can be made at little expence. 



In the county of Lancafter, about the town of Orm- 

 Jlcirk, as well as in forae other parts, ftone quarries are 

 cleared of water exaftly in the manner which has been al- 

 ready pointed out, but which_/?f. 5. in the plate will explain 

 much better. 



Tlie fucccfs of the pradlice has likewife been farther 

 fhewn by the late T. Eccleflon, efq. of Scarrifbrick-hall, 

 an ingenious and extenfive proprietor of land in the fame 

 neighbourhood, who remarks, that in ilone quarries there- 

 abouts, wells or pits are ocealionally funk to the open bed, 

 which have proved ferviceable. This mode was pracliled 

 in a ftone delf near the above town in a very beneficial 

 manner. But in order to lay the delf more effecfually dry 

 to a greater deptli, Mr. Eikington, on viewing the fur- 

 rounding ground, marked out where he thought the rock 

 terminated, or tailed out, and at the lovveil level fet out a 

 drain to be cut and carried up to the rock, part of which 

 work has been executed, and a very confiderable flow of 

 water comes from it ; but on account of its great depth, 

 flxteen feet, the whole will not be finifhed before he liai 

 feen the work again. The drain he has thus laid out is 

 about ten feet lower than the bottom' of the ftone quarry, 

 and when completed, will lay the head or body of ftone dry 

 lower than the prefent floor. All rocks, for the moft part, 

 where they terminate, are fucceeded by broken loofe ftones 

 of the fame nature as the rock, and they are frequently, nay 

 almoll always, fucceeded by land, which, when in a thick 

 bed, and of a running nature, fuch us quickiand, often 

 caufe great expence in cutting through to the tail end of 

 any rock. This is more fully explained in fpeaking of the 

 manner of draining in hilly lands, and where the foils are 

 of a mixed nature. See SrRiNG-Z)/-flm;«^. 



Therefore, in all fuch cafes as this, where there is any 

 danger of meeting a quickfand, boring or finking pits 

 through the bed of clofe ftone, is by much the moft ad- 

 vifeable, and at the fame time the leaft expenfive method 

 that can be purfued. 



The fituations of marie pits are for the moft part fuch, 

 that they require very extenfive cuts to be made through 



fome part? of the furrounding banks or fides of tiiem, m 

 order to carry or convey ofi' the iuperabundant quantity of 

 water wiiicii prevents their being dug or wrought to advan- 

 tage. This bufmefs might frequently be efleftcd in a mucli 

 lefs trouiilefomc and expenfive manner, by the method of 

 letting tile water down by means of finking pits or openings 

 through the retaining and upholding ftrutum underneath 

 the bed of marie, into fome abforbent porous body of mate- 

 rials lying ftill deeper, which is capable of receiving it. 

 Where the Ipace of ground that is occupied by the marlc is 

 of confiderable fize, fevcral pits will be required, in order to 

 efteitually carry off the water ; and where it is neceffary 

 that they lliould be fo deep as to be in danger of falling in, 

 they ought to be walled round the fides, or filled up to near 

 the top with loole ftones, through which the water can fettle 

 and find its way. And any fuch crofs drains or cuts as 

 may be ntcellary for the purpofe of coUefting the water 

 muft be fo formed and condudted as to lead into the pits. 

 But in many cafes the water may be removed and got rid of 

 in a ftill more eafy manner, efpecially where the fituation of 

 the ground is favourable and luited to the purpofe. In 

 inflances where the furrounding banks decline or fall on the 

 oppoiite fides loiuer than the 'Water, by cuttingdrainsinto them, 

 and boring with an horizontal auger into the tails of the 

 ftrata containing the water, it may be drawn off and brought 

 down to a level lower than that of the bed or body of marie. 

 And as this water is not unfrcquently fupplied by a fpring 

 which rifes in fome part of the higher ground, and defcends 

 into the place where the marie is found, it will be neceffary, 

 in all fuch cafes, to cut off the fource of it, and divert the 

 flow of water into fome other channel ; as by that means 

 the quantity of water below will be lefleiied, and more eafily 

 and readily carried off by the pits or drains which may have 

 been formed. 



Mines and fhafts, for the purpofe of raifing different forts 

 of metals, are often much impeded, or wliolly prevented 

 from being wrought by the water which is brought into 

 them from a diftance, by various kinds of mineral ftrata. 

 In many fuch cafes, the water flowing in this way may be 

 intercepted, by making cuts up to the lowefl banks of them, 

 from fome neighbouring water-courfe, or other convenient 

 outlet, and then boring or digging pits in the bottoms of 

 fuch cuts, when the metals to fuch depths or levels will be 

 rendered free from water, and capable of being wrought. 

 This will, however, be more amply fhewn in confidering the 

 manner of draining, in fome cafes of wetnefs, caufed by 

 fprings arifing in this way. See SpRlNG-Z)/-rtin/'nj-. 



In removing the water, or freeing the bottoms of quarries 

 and pits from it, where machinery is required, the writer of 

 the v\'ork on " Landed Property" has remarked, that in 

 cafes where Jliafi-draius are found to be iinpraiSlicable, ■wel/- 

 draitis and pumps become neceffary, and are the moft proper; 

 as they may be wrought by water, where ftreams can be 

 condudled to them ; or by wind in high expofed fituations ; 

 or in works of confequence, v\here fuel is moderately cheap, 

 by fmall fleam-engines. Howeyer, in inftances where large 

 bodies of water are requii"ed to be raifed and difcharged at 

 the height of a few feet only, marfh-mills, fuch as are made 

 ufe of in low marfli-land diftridls, are found the readieft and 

 moft ufeful kind of machinery for the purpofe. 



In fome cafes of this nature, the bottoms of quarries, pits, 

 and mines, may be cleared from water, finiply by forming 

 openings into them from fome parts of the neighbouring 

 ground where it falls lower tiian the levels of them, at fufli. 

 ciently fliort diftances, without any other more expenfive 

 works being undertaken for the purpofe. This (hould 

 always be fully confidercd before any means are reforted to 

 F f 2 for 



