56 
D R A I 
poffibly be found in tlie middle of the lower ground or 
valley, by boring through the fuperincumbent body of 
clay, which forces the water to rife and ooze out along 
the upper edge of it, at its junition with the lighter 
porous ground. The drain being cut below, and the 
fpring bored into, it is evident, that the depth of the 
drain being fo much lower than the natural outlet of the 
fprings, the prelTure of water above that level will force 
tha r which lies under the trench through the auger holes; 
or even, for fome time, until the water fnbfide, it might 
be made to rife higher than the level of its natural out¬ 
let. The confequence of.this will be, that the water of 
the fpritig having found; by means of the drain and bor¬ 
ing, a new and ealier channel, will foon abandon its for¬ 
mer outlets, and ceafe to overflow the ground that for¬ 
merly lay below it. In a valley belonging to Mr. Ec- 
clefton, of Scarilbrick, in Lancafhire, Mr. Elkington 
lias executed a very remarkable drainage of the above 
kind. The ground was a mere bog, fo foft that nei¬ 
ther horfe nor man could walk over it. It contained 
lixty acres-, which, after the drainage, gave thirty pounds 
of additional yearly rent; and the expence of executing 
the dr.ains did not much exceed that Cum. An account 
of this drainage has been communicated to the Board of 
Agriculture, by Mr. Ecclefton himfelf. Where a bog 
of this nature, between two hills, is of great extent, it 
may be requisite to have three different drains ; one on 
each fide, and one in the-iniddle. This laft mud; be an 
open drain, to receive all furface water, as well as to 
cut off any fprings that may arife in that part of the bog. 
In all cafes of this kind, where there is any difficulty 
of difeovering from whence the principal fprings pro¬ 
ceed, or what is the nature and inclination of the fub- 
ftrata, the auger mitft be applied. 
The next thing to be conlidered,- is the conducting of 
the drain, after the levels have been taken, and the true 
line of it fixed ; and whether it fliould be covered, or 
open. If the land be to be inclofed, and as the line of 
the trench may ferve as a proper divifion of the ground, 
it may be made an open cut, or funk fence ; if not, a 
covered drain : but it is firft neceffary to afeertain which; 
as the depth, width, and other circumftances, may be 
regulated accordingly. After finding the neared outlet 
where the water collected in the drain can be difeharged, 
from that a trench mud be brought up to the crofs one 
that is to be carried along the line of the fpring ; allow¬ 
ing a fall of a few inches, in every ten yards, for the wa¬ 
ter to run. 
If, in cutting the trench along the foot of the hill, the 
level of the orifice will not admit of its being cut fo deep 
as to touch the rock ; then the clay, or impervious dra- 
tum that lies immediately above it, mud be bored 
through, when the water will flow up through the fif- 
fures of the done, and through the auger holes, into the 
fough ; but it is preferable, in cafes where the level will 
admit, to dig the drain through the clay, and fo far into 
the rock as will furnifli dones for laying the fough ; and 
then the water will meet with lefs refidance, and have a 
freer iffue, than if the done had not been opened nor 
broken. This will increafe the expence of cutting the 
drain, but leffen that of quarrying the dones elfewhere, 
and of carrying them to the place where the drain is to 
be made. 
If the drain be to pafs through a foft boggy foil, it 
is better to be open than covered, efpecially where it 
may receive other water than that colledted from below, 
and can at the fame time ferve as the fide of an inclo- 
fure, or divifion betwixt the upland and low grounds. 
Stones laid in fucli drains are loon apt to fink, owing 
to the foftnefs of the bottom ; and the fough may alio 
be foon choaked up. The width of a covered drain may 
be from three to four feet at top, and one and a half or 
two feet wide at bottom, thus allowing fix or nine inches 
for each fide-done, and fix inches between, for the paf- 
fage of the water, forming a fquare conduit called the 
N I M G. 
fough , commonly pronounced furf fix or nine inches in 
height. Or, when the quantity of water colledted, or 
to be conveyed in the drain, is fmall, the (tones may only 
be coupled at bottom. This is a confiderable laving, 
both in materials and labour, requiring fewer (tones, and 
lefs time to lay them. It is equally fecure when the 
bottom is folid, the (tones good and properly laid, and 
well packed at the (ides, to prevent them from drifting. 
It is alfo a faving in cutting the drain, as it requires lefs 
width at bottom for this manner of laying the (tones, 
than it does for a fquare conduit. The depth is regu¬ 
lated by the level of the place where the drain is to 
empty itfelf, and the nature of the ground through 
which it is to be cut, commonly four or five feet, and 
never lefs than three. When the drain is only to adt as 
acondudterfor the water brought up by the borer, where 
the foil is all clay, its depth may only be three feet, 
which will be fufficient to allow a proper depth of earth 
above the (tones laid for .the drain at bottom, which 
need not exceed, nor fliould ever be lefs, than one and 
a half or two feet. In foft boggy foils, "it is often nc- 
ceflary (if the drain be to be covered) to cut to a much 
greater depth, in order to have a fecure foundation for 
the (tones. The mod difficult part of the work is lay¬ 
ing the fough in running fands, where it is neceffary to 
have the fides of the trench fupported with flat boards 
and props, which are to be removed forwards as the 
work proceeds, and which keep the (ides from falling in, 
and the loofe (and from falling amongft the (tones with 
which the conduit is laid. If the fough or conduit be 
laid with brick, a Email aperture fliould be left betwixt 
each, to admit the water from the fides of the drain, 
and thin turfs muff be laid above, grafs-fide downwards, 
to prevent the mould from getting through the open¬ 
ings. In quick or running funds, turfs muff alfo be laid 
in the bottom of the drain, under the fough, to prevent 
the loofe fand from flowing up, and to render the foun¬ 
dation of the brick or done more fecure, in cafe of their 
finking. 
Before boring, it is proper to lay the fide ftones of the 
conduit; after which the holes may be bored down, at 
the diftance of every four or fix yards. But if the wa¬ 
ter, on withdrawing the auger, rufh up with violence, 
and continue to have a boiling appearance, it indicates 
a ftrong body of water confined below, and therefore re¬ 
quires a greater number of openings to give it a fpeedy 
and fufficient vent. When the force of the water is 
great, the width of the holes enlarges, and confequently 
the difeharge is increafed. By a careful examination of 
the adjoining ground, it is fometimes pofiible to fay at 
what depth the ftratum containing the fpring lies, and 
confequently how deep the holes fliould be made ; but 
the general rule is, to go down till the water rife irame- 
mediately on withdrawing the auger. Mr. Elkington 
has bored thirty feet, before the water flowed plenti¬ 
fully : but from ten to fifteen feet is about the average. 
He bored a hole thirty feet deep, near Tamfvvorth, in 
Staffordfliire, through which water iffued, equal to three 
hogfneads in a minute, and drained a great extent of wet 
ground in the neighbourhood. In quick-lands, it is 
better to dig a little into the fides of the trench, off the 
line of the fough, where the auger is. to be ufed, and, 
after boring, to cover the places^ in the fame manner as 
the reft of the fough, leaving out a fide-ftone oppofite 
the hole, as the fand thrown up by the fpring can thus 
be more eafily taken out with the hand till it fublide 
and give over running, and is likewife remote from the 
current running down the center or main drain. This 
is (hewn upon the crofs drains of the plan fig. 2, in the 
engraving. 
When the circumfei-ence of the auger-holes is not fuf¬ 
ficient to let up the quantity of water which the fpring 
would iffue, holes muff be dug down to the fpring, and 
thefe holes filled up with loofe ftones, firft putting dovyn 
a round pole in the middle, which, after the ftones are 
filled 
