Intelligence  and  Miscellaneous  Articles.  239 
ON  A  REMARKABLE  FAULT  IN  THE  NEW  RED  SANDSTONE  OF 
WHISTON,  CHESHIRE.  BY  PROFESSOR  EDWARD  HULL,  F.R.S., 
DIRECTOR  OF  THE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  IRELAND. 
The  position  of  this  fault  is  marked  on  the  Geological  Survey  maps 
of  Lancashire  (1-inch  map  80  N.W.)  as  forming  the  boundary  be- 
tween the  little  isolated  tract  of  coal-measure  one  mile  west  of 
Rainhill  station  and  the  New  Red  Sandstone.  The  fault  ranges  in 
a  nearly  meridional  direction  ;  and  on  the  west  the  upper  coal-mea- 
sures with  Spirorbis  limestone,  first  discovered  by  Mr.  Binney,  F.R.S., 
are  brought  to  the  surface,  and  on  the  east  the  upper  mottled  sand- 
stone of  the  Bunter  division  of  the  Trias. 
The  Corporation  of  St.  Helens,  in  order  to  increase  the  water- 
supply  of  the  borough,  commenced  sinking  a  well,  on  Mr.  Hull's  re- 
commendation, at  a  distance  of  200  yards  from  the  fault  in  the  New 
Red  Sandstone,  close  to  Cumber  Lane  bridge*;  this  well  was  carried 
down  75  yards,  and  from  the  bottom  a  bore-hole,  18  inches  diame- 
ter, was  driven  35  yards  further;  but  at  104  yards  from  the  surface 
it  passed  through  the  fault  and  entered  hard  micaceous  sandstone  of 
a  purple  colour  belonging  to  the  upper  coal-measures. 
As  the  horizontal  distance  from  the  outcrop  of  the  fault  where  it 
crosses  the  railway  is  200  yards,  and  the  depth  104  yards,  it  appears 
that  the  slope  of  the  fault  is  about  2  horizontal  to  1  vertical,  or  28° 
from  the  horizontal. 
The  usual  slope  of  the  fault  in  South  Lancashire  being  2  vertical 
to  1  horizontal,  such  a  result  was  unexpected  ;  and  as  the  thickness 
of  New  Red  Sandstone  was  thus  reduced  below  the  calculated 
amount,  the  quantity  of  water  obtained  (about  400,000  gallons  per 
day)  was  consequently  much  less  than  that  required  and  anticipated. 
Other  means  have'been  adopted  for  increasing  the  supply. — Commu- 
nicated by  the  Author,  having  been  read  before  the  Royal  Geological 
Society  of  Ireland,  February  14,  1872. 
DISPLACEMENT  OF  THE  SPECTRAL  LINES  BY  THE  ACTION  OF 
THE  TEMPERATURE  OF  THE  PRISM.      BY  M.  BLASERNA. 
I  have  still  a  fact  to  communicate  which  is  not  unimportant  for 
spectroscopy.  On  looking  at  the  sun's  spectrum  through  a  bisul- 
phide-of-carbon  prism,  I  observed  that  the  Fraunhofer's  lines  were 
considerably  displaced.  This  fact  is  not  new  in  reference  to  liquids. 
It  was  observed  in  Verdet's  laboratory.  As  regards  the  refractive 
index,  it  has  long  been  known  that  it  changes  with  the  temperature. 
But  it  has  been  universally  assumed  in  reference  to  solids  that 
these  changes  are  unimportant.  I  had  therefore  the  idea  of  working 
with  the  substances  most  important  for  spectroscopy,  and  used  a 
flint-glass  prism  by  Duboscq.  The  displacements  of  the  lines  are 
here  far  feebler,  yet  distinctly  visible.  This  is  easily  manifested 
if  the  prism  be  heated  in  sunshine,  then  rapidly  inserted  in  a  spec- 
troscope in  the  shade  and  adjusted  to  any  line.  As  the  prism  cools, 
the  line  is  displaced,  and  in  such  a  manner,  in  the  case  of  glass,  that 
the  deflection  increases  as  the  temperature  sinks;  the  reverse  being 
the  case  with  bisulphide.  If  the  temperature  of  the  prism  is  not 
uniform,  the  Fraunhofer  lines  become  confused  and  but  barely  visible. 
*  This  site  was  selected,  notas  being  the  best  for  water-supply,  but  the 
best  available. 
