n 



attended their labours ; but unfortunately the 

 habits of the men requiring the use of spirits, 

 it was afforded them in too great profusion, and 

 they quickly became so impatient and unruly 

 that they had nearly destroyed the skeleton; in 

 one or two instances using oxen and chains to 

 drag them from the clay, the head, hips, and 

 tusk, were much broken ; some parts being 

 drawn out and others left behind. So great a 

 quantity of water, from springs in the bottom 

 of the pit, rose upon the men, that it required 

 several score of hands to lade it out with all the 

 buckets tliey could collect in the neighbourhood* 

 All their ingenuity was exerted to overcome dif- 

 ficulties that every hour increased upon their 

 hands ; they even made and sunk a large coffer- 

 dam, and within it found many valuable small 

 bones. The fourth day so much water had 

 risen in the pit, that they had not courage to 

 attack it again. In this state we found it in 

 1801. 



Confident that nothing could be done with- 

 out having a perfect command of the water, the 

 first idea was to drain it by a ditch; but the 

 necessary distance of perhaps half a mile, pre- 

 sented a length of labour that appeared immense. 

 It was therefore resolved to throw the water 



