The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-06 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 6, 1859.

EAST AND WEST INDIA DOCK COM-
PANY.—The Court of Director; of the East and West
India Dock Company hereby Ovc Notice that the Transfer
Books of the said Company will be shut on Wednesday, the
14th December, 1859, and open again on Wednesday, the 4th
January, 1860.- -By Order of the Court.

_
GEORGE COLLIN, Secretary.
Eamt and West India Dock House,
Billiter-square, 2d Dec., 180.

THE LONDON ASSURANCE,
_7, Royal Exchange.
30th November, 1859:
The Corporation of the London Assuranoc give notice to
parties whose Lives are Assured iu their OfUce, that no extra
Premium will be charged to them on joining any Volunteer
Corps for service in the United Kingdom, and that all Poli-
cies will be paid in nil where death ensues in consequence of
such service. JOHN LAURENCE, Secretary.

ROYAL EXCHANGE ASSURANCE OFFICE.
Royal Exchange, London,
16th November, 1859.
The Court of Directors of the Corpora.tiou of the Royal
Exchange Assurance do Hereby give Notio, that their
Transfer-Books will be shut from: THURSDAY, the Bth of
December next, to THURSDAY, the sth of January following;
that the Annual General Court appointed by their Charter
will be holden, at their Office on the Royal Exchange, on
WEDNESDAY, the 21st of December, at Twelve o'clock at
noon, and that a dividend will be considered of at the said
Court. JOHN A. MOHAN, Secretary.

LIFE ASSURANCE.-LAPSED POLICIES.
The holders of Lapsed Policies upon which flye or more
premiums had been paid before forfeiture, are requested to
make known their respective cases to Messrs. DAVIES and
Co., Advice Office for Life Assurers, 1, Finch-lane, Cornhill.

LIFE ASSURANCE. - ADVICE OFFICE.
No. 1, Finch-lane, Cornhill. When about to insure
your life pay little or no regard to the amount per cent. of
annual premium, for a £5OO policy in one office will yield ab-
solutely more than a £l,OOO policy in another, but as your
money cannot be recalled, test an office by the following
questions, and refuse to insure with a Society that refuses to
answer them :—The total amount, not of subscjibed capital.
which is generally a deception, but, of PAID-UP and accumu-
mulated capital ? The. annual income ? The total amount
assured, and number of policies in force? And PARTICULARLY
whether the society has_ adopted tlie DAVIES OF FINCH-
LANE CLAUSE." VIZ.: *lfow many annual premiums must be
paid before the pOlicy acquires A VALUE TIIAT CANNOT EE
FORFEITED, and what proportion of the premiums such value
will consist of? Or, to avoid risk, apply to Messrs. DAVIES
and Co., 1, Finch-lane, who are not the Agents of any Life'
Ass.urance Society.

CATTLE SHOW. See the RIFLEMAN'S
Registered KNEE-CAP GARTER.—BowIey, and Co.,
Charing-cross. Full particulars sent by post.

fIOCKS'S CELEBRATED READING SAUCE,
-) .which is so hitxhly esteemed with Fish, Game, Steaks,
SoUps, Grills, Gravies, lot and Cold Meats, and unrivalled
for general use, is sold by the most respectable dealers in Fish
Sauces.—J. and C. COCKS Reading, Sole Manufacturers.

DECAYED TEETH AND TOOTHACHE.-
HOWARD'S ENAMEL for stopping decayed teeth,
however large the cavity. It is used in a soft state without
pressure or pain, and hardens into a white enamel. It remains
in the tooth many years, rendering extraction unnecessary,
and arresting the decay. Sold by all medicine vendors.
Price is.

THE ROYAL STATION HOTEL, Paiagon-
street, Hull, requires only to be visited to be pronounced
one of the most splendid hotels in England. The situation is
open and healthful, a few minutes' walk from all the public
buildings and places of business, and being connected with
the Railway Station, affords railway passengers arriving or
departing by every train day or night, the advantage of being
on the spot, and having their wants and wishes immediately
attended to.
The public should know that under the present manage-
ment they will find every comfort and convenience at the
same charges they are paving at the minor hotels. It has
accommodation for upwards of one hundred and fifty visitors,
is fitted up with every luxury an hotel can command, and is
so arranged for the advantage of every class of visitor, that
Beds can be had from ls. to 2s. ; Private Rooms, from 2s. to
is. ; Breakfasts, from Is. Gd. to 2s. ; Dinners, from 2s. ; and
all other charges of that moderate character which will give
satisfaction to every class of visitor who may pay the hotel a
visit.

The hotel contains Gentlemen and Ladies' Coffee Rooms ;
a special Room set apart for Commercial Gentlemen ; fourteen
Private suites of Rooms ; large spacious Rooms for Dinner
Parties, Public Meetin?.s, &c., &c. ; two first-class Refresh-
ment Rooms ; two Smoke Rooms ; Bath and Billiard Rooms.
A Night Porter in attendance.
EDWIN TAYLOR,

Proprietor of the Royal Station Hotel, Hull, and Crescent
Hotel, Filey.

N.B.—TAYLOR'S CRESCENT HOTEL, fronting the sea,
for Families and Gentlemen. It has accommodatios for up-
wards of one hundred and fifty visitors. Table D'llote at
fire o'clock. Omnibuses and Cabs from the hotel meet all the
trains. Good stabling and coach-houses. Moderate terms.

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.

At a meeting held on 22d November—Mr. 1.
Locke, M.P., president, in the chair,
The whole of the evening was occupied by the
discussion upon Mr Alaos's paper " On the Govern-
ment Waterworks, Trafalgar-square." It was re-
marked that the main point soughtto be established
in the paper appeared to be that an abundant and
reliable supply of water could be obtained from these
wells, whilst it was admitted that very different re-
sults had taken place at various other establishments
where attempts had been made to procure a large and
permanent supply of water from the sand and chalk
under London. Now it had been contended for many
years past either that a largo supply could not be
pumped up from the chalk, or that if it was mischief
would be done in other quarters. It had been argued
that, from an aggregate of causes, a general
depression of the water level under London had
been produced. This opinion was confirmed by
the case under consideration, for it was stated in
the paper that the water in the wells had origi-
nally stood at 48 feet below Thames high water-
mark, whilst now it was 66 feet below that datum.
It had been concluded that there was an infiltra-
tion from the river Thames, because it was found
that the depression under London was extending
more rapidly towards the north than at the centre
of the greatest abstraction by pumping; and it we
was believed that the depressed level rose towards
the tidal outfall. In a paper which was read at the
institution in May, 1855, it was shown, by the
analyses of different waters, especially from the
wells at Trafalgar-square, that there was a larger
amount of saline matter than was ordinarily
found in chalk water ; and it was argued that
filtered Thames water was being pumped from
the Trafalgar wells. It was a well ascer-
tained fact that the water did not find its way
into wells sunk below the level of the tidal out-
fall. This was the case at Ramsgate, at Liver-
pool, and at Portsmouth. One of the wells at Has-
lar Hospital having become infected with salt water,
an inquiry was instituted, when it was found that
the salt water came through a sand beneath the sub-
jacent clay, into which the tidal water found its
way, from an artificial cause. This evil had now
been remedied by shutting out the tidal water, and
sinking the bore-pipe to a lower stratum. In con-
firmation of the opinion as to the general depres-
sion of the water-level under London, it was stated
that brewers and others had been obliged repeatedly
to lower their pumps. This plan had been recom•
mended in the Covent-garden well, but it was
decided to sink a pipe, 3 inches in diameter, deeper
into the chalk, in the belief that an inexhaustible
supply would be reached. No water was, however,
obtained, and the pumps had to be lowered, as at first
proposed, after an unnecessary and useless outlay of
money. The pumps were 15 ft.,or 20 ft. higher than
at Messrs. Combe 's brewery, so that it was neces-
sary to commence pumping early in the morning,
or else the water would be down too low. On one
occasion, a further supply of water being required
by Messrs. Combe, they were persuaded to sink an
additional well, with a view of reaching what was
termed the " backbone " of the chalk, and to shut
out the sand-water. The failure which arose was
predicted. Subsequently by boring holes from the
cylinders into the sand formation, a supply, it was
said, of 70 gallons per minute was obtained. In
consequence cf the discovery that the water in the
well was gradually lowering, daily gaugings had
been taken for the last thirty-two years of the rise
and fall of the water. From these observations a
diagram had been constructed, which had enabled
a prediction to be made in 1846, that the well
would be dry in 1857, and it proved correct.
Another diagram was also exhibited, showing the
monthly rainfall over the same period. On the
other hand it was contended that the paper dis-
tinctly stated that the level of the water in the
Trafalgar-square wells had not been permanently
depressed, but that, on the contrary, the water stood
at the same height in Dec., 1857, as it had done in
Dee., 1847, notwithstanding the large quantity of
water pumped in the interval. That there had been
variations in the level was net disputed, for after a
heavy rainfall, or much snow in the winter, the
water in the wells increased in the following spring,
and under opposite circumstances the level of the
water fell. It was believed that when wells were
properly made and sunk, in suitable localities, into
the chalk, the water would stand for a series of
years at the same level as when the wells were ori-
ginally sunk. Two analyses made by a competent
chemist at a long interval of time also showed
that the water from the Trafalgar-square wells
contained less saline matter than formerly. With
regard to the statements as to the general and
permanent depression of the level of the water in
all the wells in the chalk in the north of London,
it was advisable that the situation and particulars
of the wells in which this had been noticed should
be given, and also the quantity of water daily
pumped, and the manner in which the observations
way
—essntohesye aasaseisrotiloantesdwinesretacnoerer,obbuot-
by numerous exam
rwaetreed minadtlei t b
It had been urged tPhi ae st
itt 1
wasey di imd pno os
st
ibpl re o
tv
oe mg
eut c ha.
supply
largeuai
)spLes,puli
Charlton,ei:
dl y o
that
ilat'
tNiani,teur f 8
insl3:sotmaectedot,lmi eapnaendhyallvwko.aosilTfyoioril

that source, when froM a single well 600,000 gal-
lons per day had been obtained. In 1857 a new
borehole,lB inches diameter, was carried down from
the bottom of the well to a furthei depth of 500
feet, by which the supply had been increased to
1,000,000 gallons per day, and yet the water stood
at the same level as at. first. The Kent Waterworks
Company had followed this example, and had sunk
a well from which upwards of I,2so,ooo.galkins per
day had been pumped, without Iroducing any effect
whatever upon the supply to the Plumstead works.
Another well was then sunk, not 500 yards from the
first, the yield from which exceeded 1,500,000 galli
per day; and the two together produced upwards
of 3,000,000 gallons, per day, yet the level of the
water remained the same. Thus a large district of
the metropolis was supplied with water from the
chalk, and the water was practically free from salt
(chloride of sodium), containing no more, salt per
gallon than the Thames water above Teddington
lock. It was explained that the water of • the
Plumpstead well was undoubtedly derived from the
chalk, but the London basin did not extend so fad,
being interrupted-by a fault or faults, so that no
fair comparison could be instituted between the
'wells under London and those at Plumstead. Also,
that analyses of the water from the Trafalgar square
wells showed 79.9. grains of sea salt per gallon,
and little or no carbonate of lime, thus proving that
it was sand andsalt water, and not chalk water. It
was thought that the paper failed to give informa-
tion on several points on which explanation was
much needed. From 1844 to 1856, it had been pub-
licly contended that at the Trafalgar-square wells
no water came from the sand, but that it was de-
rived entirely from the chalk. The increase in the
supply, amounting, it was said, to 600 gallons instead
of 100 gallons per minute, had heft' attributed to
the enlargement of the far extending fissures of the
chalk. If this was the case it had been found by
calculation that 100 gallons per minute, at atmos-
pheric pressure; passing through say 20 miles of
chalk fissure, would require a borepipe 20 inches
diameter; whereas the actual borepipe was only
seven inches diameter; and to admit the increased
supply of 600 gallons per minute this pipe ought to
be 19 inches diameter. The quantity of chalk which
must have been displaced under such circumstances
was enormous, and yet no account had been given of
it. The members should also have been told that in
driving the tunnel between the two wells, owing to
the want of proper precautions, the sand spring
burit in and nearly drowned the well-sinkers. It was
thought the blowing of sand which took place in
sinking the second well did not arise, as had been
alleged, from the screws which held the joints of
the pipes being shaken out, but from the excess of
pumping over a limited area. It was not until after
some days' pumping of sand into the cisterns o
Buckingham Palace and elsewhere that this feel

was discovered. It was asserted that the wells-in
Orange-street and Trafalgar-square were not excep-
tional to the general laws governing the rise and
fall of waters. They were sand and not chalk
spring wells, so that the water supplied to the
Palace and Government offices was not pure chalk
water, but was derived from the sand, and was
partly saline, It was stated that since 1832 the
pumps in a well in Cowper-street, City-road, had
to be lowered twice, the water level having sunk at
, last 30ft., though he quantity of water pumped
had remained the same. Mention was made of the
abundant supply of water in the chalk at Ipswich.
There was a large tract of rising country behind,
and the chalk cropped out on the upper side of the
river Orwell, into which considerable streams of
fresh water ran. It was stated that the town of
Colchester, containing about 20,000 inhabitants,
had since 1851 been supplied with water from a
well and a boring into the chalk to the depth of
390 ft. from the surface. The quantity raised ave-
raged 1,250,000 gallons per week, but more could
be obtained if necessary, There had been no appa-
rent diminution in the yield, and the water stood
at the same level as it did nine years ago, which
was about five feet above high-water mark. An ac-
count was then given of a deep boring recently pro-
secuted at Harwich, for the purpose of obtaining an
adequate supply of fresh water for the inhabitants
and for the shipping frequenting the harbour.
Harwich was situated immediately upon the ada
coast, about 12 wiles in an costerly direction
from Colchester, and about 12 wiles in a southerly
from Ipswich, at both of *Cell places an abundant
supply of water had been derived from the chalk
formation. Many'unsuccessful attempts had pre-
viously been made. due, it was believed, to suffi-
cient care not having
been taken to shut out the
salt water. It was therefore determined to use cast-
iron-pipes, with water-tight joints, and to sink
them sufficiently deep into the chalk to shut out
the saltwater. Pipes 10 inches diameter, and in
lenghts of 9ft. were employed, and these were
forced down 50ft. in the chalk, by which it was
hoped that the saltwater would be prevented from
descending into the borehole. The boring was then
prosecuted with a view of reaching the deep
springs which had been ascertained to exist in the
chalk at no very great distance ; but the only re-
sult was, saltwater of precisely the same character
as that in the harbour and the sea immediately ad-
jacent. The cylinders were then forced down to a
depth of 480 ft., and the boring was continued with-
out any fresh-water spring being apparintly tapped,
as the bore-hole remained filled with salt water.
The expedient was then resorted to of pumping out
the salt water, but it flowed in as fast as it was with-
drawn: The boring was then continued without
any better results in the upper green sand, and sub-
sequently through the gault to the, lower green sand,
rsem, inix
mixed
e Paris which was the same stratpm
ris
that
basin.supp A fewliedthegingrareats
with gault, were met with,
giving indications of the existrnee of this forma-
boforingat coloured Gn
anedle
forma-
tion, when suddenly an extremely hard rocky stra-
tum was encountered. It somewliat resembled
slate, having a line of cleavage with bed-joints dip-
ping considerably, and containing no fossils. The
work was then abandoned, and the boring remained
in that state at the present time, the water in the
pipe ebbing and flowing with the tide. The surface
of the ground where this boring was made was six
feet above high water, the chalk being met with at
74 feet below it. At Colchester the chalk was 121
feet below the same datum. The peculiarity which
had been noticed in the stratification, and the
failure in finding fresh water, could only be ac-
counted for by the supposition that there was a
local fault within a short distance. .A similar un-
successful attempt had been made at Walton-on-
the-Naze, about six miles from Harwich. It was
mentioned that in the West of Ireland, at a place
about 13 miles from the sea, a well had been sunk
through the cavernous limestone. The shaft was
9ft. in diameter, and from 50ft., to GOft. deep. A
supply of water was obtained, but as it was not
sufficient an auger hole 3in, diameter was inserted
to a further depth of 30ft., or about the level of the
sea, and far below the possibility of drainage by
the adjacent
I
n trihvaetrds,iswtrhicetn
rivedthe, atdeirsaepnpteiarered f
entirely disap.
or
neared. a,
distance of three or four miles and then reappeared
upon the surface. It was considered that it was
most objectionable to derive the supply of water
for the metropolis from the river •Thames, and that
if practicable some other source should be resorted
to. The large demands already made by the me-
tropolitan population upon the waters of the Thames
had during dry seasons tended to injure the navi-
gation, by reducing the scour, and of late years the
abstraction of water from • the Thames had been
greatly increased, as appeared from the returns of
the water companies. It therefore became import-
ant to ascertain whether that portion of the rainfall
which was absorbed and percolated into the chalk
beneath London, and did not reflow into the river
Thames, might not be made available for the supply
of the metropolis, without reducing the quantity. of
fresh water flowing down the Thames,or becoming in-
jurious in other respects. Supposing that eight
inches of rainfall per annum descended into the
chalk basin surrounding. London, a bare statement
of facts, showing that certain wells were being de-
pressed, whilst others were not, was not deemed
sufficient upon which to base an argument that an
important source of water supply might not be de-
rived from the chalk formation, or that the present
injurious demand upon the waters of the Thames
should be continued. It was remarked that in the
new red sandstone, the coal measures, the chalk and
other geological formations, the great volume of
water existed in the strata between 300 ft. and 900
feet deep. Therefore, the idea of getting a larger
quantity by sinking deeper
was fallacious.
caution should be observed in relying upon a sup-
ply of water from wells for large communities.
Great
Ancient Rome, New York, Liverpool, and Man-
chester had originally been supplied from wells.
But in all these cages the local wells had to be
abandoned, or else to be largely assisted by going
to sources where the water was on the surface. At
the same time wells should not be wholly repu-
diated for small populations. In reference to the
remarks which had been made as to wells near the
sea coast, the well at Worthing was alluded to. It
was situated at less than a quarter of a mile from
the sea coast, and where the surface of the ground
was about 300 ft. above high water. The surface
water was tubbed out by cast-iron cylinders for a
depth of 70ft., and then the chalk was bored into

for a depth of 293 ft. About 150,000 gallons per
day were pumped, and as yet there had been no
perceptible diminution in the quantity, nor was the
water at all salt. It was believed that the strata
of the district was capable of yielding a much larger
supply. The experience obtained in sinking a
large number of wells into the chalk went to show
that a variation in the water level might always be
anticipated, according as the previous season had
been wet or dry. This would not be conclusive where
the water was being drawn from wells much below
the natural outfall or the level of the sea. In those
cases it was apprenended that the rise or fall
would depend on the extent of the water-bearing
strata within the influence of the pumping.
In reply to some of the statements which had been
made in the course of the discussion, it was observed
that, the saliply from the Trafalgar-square wells
had not be increased at one time. At first 100
gallops per minute were thought sufficient. When
a largeimaitity was required 300 galls. per minute
were °Blamed, and now GOO gallons were pumped.
It had been stated in the paper that the abstraction
of that quantity had lowered the water 24 ft., be-
yond which it could not be depressed. A daily re-
cord has been kept during 11 years of the height of
the water in the wells, and the highest and lowest
levels at which the water stood in each of these
years were given.

- After the meeting Mr. J. Poole exhibited and
explained a parallel motion safety valve. It was
pointed out that the ordinary valve rested on its
face, or seat ; its vertical or upright motion being
guided by a spindle on the lower side, passing
through a box or feathers in the steam pipe. The
area of the discharge pipe was thus reduced one-
third, and in soma eases as much as one-half. This
valve was pressed upon by a weighted lever, mov-
ing on a hinge, or centre, on one side. When in a
state of rest, the lever and the centre of the spindle
were at right angles to each other ; but as soon as
the valve rose the angle became more acute. This
brought an unequal load upon the valve, and caused
the ♦alve to jam, or stick. The guide spindle, be-
ing below the valve face, was also liable to be cor-
roded by foul or dirty water, and to uneqnal con-
traction and expansion. It was likewise found that
these valves, when out of order, invariably leaped
on the side nearest the hinge of the lever. In the
parallel motion safety valve the spindle was on the
upper side, the seat or face was flat, and the dis-
charge was free of interior incumbrances, so that
less leverage and weight were necessary. The
spindle passed through a guide above, and to the
centre of thespindle, on wnich the valve was hinged,
the parallel motion was attached. It was shown,
by a sectional model, that the radial action of the
lever did not control the vertical action of the valve,
which therefore could not stick or jam in its seat.