The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-02-05 00:00:00

Fell, 5,11151 i.

THE WATER INQUIRY.

45 FD INVESTIGATION
STEPHENSON

BEFORE MR

NI Fr;d .....___.
snPali aYi the public inquiry respecting the water
li.p. was resumed before Robert Stephenson, Esq.,
kr. c
414 Iv 41% ItsuLtx, with the concurrence of the Parc!..
kr,
on"
theaterar
mittee, read the receipts and expencli-
lit
firiti;• "'As C. HauvEY then came forward as the
Ile said he against the sufficiency of the local supply.
'tibial. L'e was the occupier of a mill near Soho-street
llot the
nlt was a distance of 100 yards from it. He was
't,sil w"cellyier of the mill until .some time after the
kalat 6,84" ; but he had occasion to know something
The w
,a circumstances connected with the sinking of it.
teeth, 4'7 came from a fissure, and they were then per-
Ito,.te smAsat'sfied as to the quantity of water. It produced
'allio--", to 6000 gallons per day. He observedeei
§ aff m the water four weeks after they commenced
for the
hours. The falling off had
The
iivel4_,P to the present time to a serious extent.
te feetiZeel)th of the water in the well was from 13h
hours,
apd
floe
they commenced isatnping twenty-four
.ou ,
tine t:,...it w... .
p, r -. not more than 21 feet deep. It did not
ttc,-1.-ieet when they gave over pumping. It would
lielltt jise above 21 if they stopped for twenty-four
.te itelkn -ape was not more than 21 feet N,ftetrheinwehll
14tb, Sattiard!"daY morning. He was down in
-"e'iY "Y night, and found that the fissures that for-
than a
111410481!PPlied the well did not now produce more
now bLi water a minute. The quality of the water was
would' It was not fit to drink, and sometimes his
menthe
waterboeot let the horses drink it. The quality of
%tatar.hgfto, to deteriorate as soon as the severe pumpingsay tilatiCweect. it smelled very bad. He could not
_re.
atteatlr l'tbrackish. It was so bad that the ho.rses.f k
ritersi,,,ternised to drink it. They had to get their drill -
't th --. "Two the neighbourhood. He could not account
e wat e nlau %Li er in the same neighbourhood being better
2.1 e, to.
-'44 11°44-8 B dd a number of tabular re-
f oZiktv,ge liad received from owners ard occupiers o
tt",Rlliejltineeihbourhood of Green- an , l e in answer to
to them, with the view of
4402, had. forwarded.
Ile haaleetL'oe private wells in
that neighbourhood had
a aim since the sinking of the Green-lane well.
1 - 11
sithese forms returned,
.and out
witeliZtlieretw ItY-three of
them in which the
~ Ms there was only one of .
44111 gc)t bee • I'd dry or draine . d Mr. Bold
opt
ad , _ n either ai .
l rs —Of~ the sixty-three
01;t:Ithe'ueee:ollowing particulars
ng tables the. whole have been dry
e
eleePti MenertrYland all deepened with th
°II 4 two. since 1845,

Ibtre In 1845. 1846. 1847. 1849
32
Tip be% ere dry
..
13
38
twentf• .yedfs • ...
0111, 110 d.rlyit ice, fourteen have been deep-
-1111,01;0`' inch thirty-five have been deepened, and
4,7:. 1)1,4r' °eePened.
Irepllbo„_4l, spoke as to sinking a well at Edge-lane.
ulttere".` sank a well three years ago, and now both
Illetetlghho,lk,9ooll spoke of the water in his own well in
tlnfit,lta d of Vauxhall-road having become lat-
.q nrink„
*-61),iEN50N...--It is not far from river.
kit); -'EGok 'bout 1200 yards. It is on the eas
Dm.,°erd vtoXhall-; ad Forty-eight hours' pumping the
%.,-ito4a.l"rained °ll But he was anxious more
drawt Mr.ewe Ste henson's attention to the
tt,.`loed r Water. He hadP found that it at present
Ird grains of
.salt oer gallon. He had analysed
tOZ*;°_t analysT to Mr..B.erkeley.
heLsAt kr eiaen here said he might remark in reference
tir,"'dez 4`Gregor had just stated, that in June, 1848,
s,""' fop 4.l4'ned the wells in the town for the Corpora-.
Steltnse- 'en..,,Purp.ose of ascertaining the proportion of
laietuo„tnt which they contained. He thought Mr.
th:Nr would find by the documents before him. that
Itc'roa :Penoer) made the common salt seventy gram_s_to
11."‘ eer'ai gallon. The statement now made by Mr.
Nei; gor h, astonished him, and proyed that
14g4' °.151:41i°11 of salt in the wells was continually increas-
ek,
washer azainst the capabilities of the local supply
k.4tr called; but did not answer to his name, on which
h,..4ll,ienitt7te4bai,ladh,eraeuddewsiaresd that Mr. Edward Binney might
proceeding to give his reasons for
eNe4ot. j•E"perekPaPlication, when
and said,—l must object to this
kft4tid; 'l,e ju. lose ad'ourned for a week to allow our
ejr
bZin the orthewrassidej an opportunity of producing
spied',e,nee. We had expected that they would have
Vole our whole of this day. Alr. Binney has been
suggestion, and is only just arrived from
ly almost this moment entered
eal4)o, knowas nothing of the particular subject
"ie4 he will bes examined, nor the nature of the
„•stee, eek that hewill be required to give. I must, there-
ii:,`crot to
expected that beforethe court had beenoen one
'tour, that our friends on the other side. would
tutaal,p. brought to a dead lock for want of evidence.
Rot te,-.4ce--We are not in want of evidene. You
40:D44311(A make those remarks. They are improper
r hear, from Mr. Earle.)
I;r:oeit:....srviednaettr..ab leHceoan fuhsiiuon took place, owing to Mr.
sti;oti,.i,osnusN,
soanidw, h
it was understood that the eaysiu-
Non, the other side was closed ; but it was also
alp.
th4lttietitnat if evidence was given against it, and a
111e,,_ as rnade to receive further evidence to rebut
Ir [meld not shut it out.
it is to be given now as a reply to our
I think it is irregular. The most regular course.
e that we should be allowed first to finish our evi-
L'te 44,1),t1 that then the additional evidence on the other
doth"uld be brought forward. If such an arrangement
-Lade the inquiry may last for ever.
•-rtAir'reenEN Well, that might be ; but I should
•Ittch.'l Pursue it the powers you have given me,
V?, of course, my own discretion.
S')l"t'toltlPPEß. I must call the attention of the
et st..exv.r.—e_ssilork which has just fallen from Mr.
tsklit heLr Lace has said that I was impertinent. I can-
ttltzhemaeree,saeundinp the public, and allow such a re-
agss unnoticed.
tllkt.34cE.--I said so, I admit.
to ec'ti,t+lrPgitY•—Then I place myself in the hands of
th-,Vland at. once ask that Mr. Lace may be requested
1.4414_1t-s"ztatlll: observatin..
4e. 'e xsoN.—This is certainly not proper lan-
to lt
htthe I,•"'nuoNE —We are all here, I presume, sitting
.41e ue°efit. fthe public, and all ought to have the
Lerrlds vieow, and—
agtr,eD"f "Nam' name," and " Who is he ?")
sli‘a„,._tl'elCstititinntvEe(much Rathbone !
lint; ."at Mr. Lace has said, and say that Mr. Jeffery's
yer.
'?vas impertinent. (Great uproar, and hisses.)
P3' eP
tixicsoN. —Upon my word, I must say this is
langmge.
ire r' think, sir, that—(Hisses.)
41-ttPßEtcsoN —Now, gentlemen, I take it. that we
11_ hers
in search. of the truth, and such insulting
41 tOt 0' has just been used must have a tendency to
Our arriving at the truth. I do not think it is at
31;hPeekertlhie to -make use of such language. (Hear,
ttet‘"kwr4.llll). R_INNEY, of Manchester, was next called
Itit},ttlitsee comirontiitetyee's tituttendance had been procured by
consequence of his great emi-
Vton:_geologist, and his intimate knowledge with the
kr. Et ded coal measures of Lancashire.)
ittkthe opzedsttahteerde.that he was not aware on whose
I'4l EtlieNsoN expressed his satisfaction at this,
L,(4141 eh got
I3otWas clear to him that the investigation
Seit'ist °tl properly if remarks similar t.o those they
Leat'd Were permitted, indeed he said were they
/litih"e innst leave the court. He then. explained to
that toti. tie. he was desired to give his views as to the
1114; too:. and yield of the local wells in the red sand-
uotts,*ete Ile was very likely ayvare la resent
1/.f th1:10d .41"Iraber of wells sunk in the to n% and
.neigh-Nii'l°O; 'ion were yieldin.g. from four to five millions
101,4(4, a Per day. An additional supply of water was
44 " Binney's opinion as a geologist was
B..,t°o4l„;_he question, whether the capabilities of the
-‘htl,7dier,"ett under Liverpool were sufficient to afford
).14".°110,..444 supply, and whether the water in the
aia,-„114,148 supplied 'from below or from above.
fskk 14e ''tY replied that he should have liked to exa-
iotZtkeeartieular districts referred to, and to have
.en
beh,Parti r points. The only practical in-
""ttle. -1,4411,,r-i,e, had as to the strata under Liverpool itselfe
-:Leh he had derived from a communication he
Neeral‘,°,lth Professor Ansted. Mr. Binney then, ik 3(44 le
Vitt as length, explained his views regarding the
aleic generally, as it applied. to South Lanca-
LV this°r ownat in the districts east and vvest,
hefu: and Alanchester. In a paper which
tiNtj'ag we; the Geological Society, when Professor
tth; ,1114 L_,Pore!ident, h re resented the sandstone
t?datn g indicated by aP thick bed of clay, next
41111470 e r's linaestone, and underneath this was the
Liktuske •,,°ch, which contained, as he had gener.ally
ttZtqe7elanense v l me of water. The water derived
ith,` ,I)`,, Woe:. sandstooune was nothing in comparison wit
to aNlti,tt NJ: He had put the depth of it down at 150
bq setting it . down at that depth, he had
ehNISII of Oh eight miles
.of Manchester it extended
th'lttt„ , 4_oo feet. Mr. Binney the traced the con-
top 'ne sandstone from east to west from Man-
palit'n:"NattniS this town. The marl and the lime,. with
h-cierlo-`014,"e Under tile found to exist at Patricriz..ft,
tiiilesi,;?, Chat Moss,A tl and Edge-green. With
I°oollt-ti,Loe Salford water workseY Mr. Binney said he did
pet-I.LillE:Net,,t,ll,e Manchester people knew that the suatndtu-
cd ' Veld any water at all, before tshteyv:ye
sun.
e4r he r ) He had been positively 44k&ellest the .a
w, e 4. quantity of water that had been raised in
AZIY g;ilY„°'" tie 14. By dipping t,hrough the
4 -I int" t e sandstone below, the water ra-
't t° the t
tetticl e th evel of the river Irwell. With res-
tAtLetu oudstorie in the neighbourhood of Liverpool,
tr,4,-"` at nate, d that the lower sandstone bad been pe-
Cha111C:40.442-arTekhouse-bridge, near the town. Not
tth give Y ezPeriments relative to this point,. he
tlttretttea c anY detailed oninion • but it would seem
-4ho °I the sandstone Was considerable there ; he
gist tigh hl'etnal
4 11* e h exPeriknents to theoretical opinions,
sik4,titto.`le.hdavtgreat respect for the opinions of geolo-
Qv, for in thi•een What Dr. Buckland had sa.id.omfptuhse..
thue4los, gelonelghbourbood, anfl thought it to
k to b wet gist to say how far it would exte hew e er ther
th •-n‘ter e would be in the porous sandstone
~.Aattl.ttt tverpool and the neighbourhood. He
Wl' Of that Ctinehester, with all the immense quantity
RI)1Y
head BP°ken of, that they had not any one git quit
te, n acres in extent. (Hear, hear.) I.n
144 to 'rnra Mr Ste henson Mr. Binn said
;the °tied th •
tY
‘s kir he 23 for their water was on account of its
the q"iteelit., 8° Procured is beautifully soft ; he
of expense had nothing to do with

He further stated, that as much as 40,000 gallons of
woe, per hour had been got from wells in Manchester
within at, area of less than ten acres ; this water was from
the lower sandstone. He had never known adjacent wells
affected when the new well was sunk deeper.
EDWARD Hinsu, foreman at a ropery about a mile
from Greenlane, gave evidence to the effect that two wells
on his master's premises had beep materially affected by
the Green-lane works.

Mr. EDWARD LEATHER, a well sinker, residing at
West Derby, was next examined. He had had many
years experience in well sinking. Six weeks ago he was
engaged to deepen a well belonging to Mr. Rawlinson,
about one hundred yards from Green-lane. He was told
to deepen it because it was dry. He did not think its
being laid dry was to be at all attributed to the Green-
lane works. It was because the spring was low.
Mr. SMITH here suggested to Mr. Stephenson that if
the witness was allowed to tell his own story, more parti-
culars would be elicited from him.

Mr. STEPHENSON consented, and the witness pro-
ceeded.

I was at Mill-bank some time since, sinking a well
there, and we had no difficulty in getting a supply.

Had you water soon at that well ? •
Yes, we had too much water. It stopped me getting
money, there was so much of it. Cloud Laughter.)
Then you got water before you had sunk very deep ?
Yes.

And what did you want to sink deeper for after you had
got a sufficient supply of water ?—We always keep sinking
as long as we can. _ _ _ _ _

c,
Butdo you think it right to keep sinking after you have
found water ?—Oh, yes ! if we can make money. (Roars
of laughter.)
Mr. STEPHENSON.—Then you think there is plenty of
water to be had by sinking ?—Oh, yes ! Keep finding me
money, and I'll find you any quantity of water. (Re-
newed laughter.)
What was the depth of the well of which you are
speaking ?—I don't know exactly. I think about 251
yards, but I never take much notice when I am working
day-work. (Loud laughter.)
Mr. KENNEDY was the next witness called. He was
of opinion that there is a limit to the supply of the wells.
He considered the engines at Bevington-bush and Hot-
ham-street ought to be stopped, as they were in bad order.
Mr. OWEN, who has a well 700 or 800 yards from
Green-lane, found that a sympathy existed between that
well and the Green-lane one—tlie works at the latter
draining his, which however was replenished by sinking.
Mr. THOMAS SPENCER had his evidence prepared in
the form of an abstract, with respect to the supply. As
this gentleman's evidence has appeared so fully before the
public on various occasions, a repetition of it here is
deemed unnecessary. _ _ _

Mr. BENJAMIN PLATT spoke of a well in Parliament-
street, that had been drained by Mr. Pennington, of
Wavertree. He bad deepened several wells in that neigh-
bourhood—they were now generally from seventeen to
thirty-five feet deep.
Mr. GARDNER was acquainted with several wells in
Green-lane. Had known them six or seven years. Never
knew any of these wells to be affected by public wells.
He knew Mr. Fletcher's well at Tuebrook, and was there
that morning. There was from 3to 4 feet of water in it,
and it was from 13 to 14 leet deep.
Mr. STEPHENSON was surprised that in the neighbour-
hood of Tuebrook, where it was evident there was such an
abundant supply of water, they should have to sink so
deep before finding water.
Mr. GARDNER, in continuation, spoke to the water in
the other wells near Green-lane. There was one about a
quarter of a mile from Green-lane 21 feet deep, and there
was always 6 feet of water in it.

Mr. STEPHENSON.—Have you heard what Mr. Bold
has stated this morning as to several wells in the neigh-
bourhood of Green-lane having been dry since 1845, 46,
and 47 ?
Mr. GARDNER.—Yes. _ _

iNfr: §TEpHENsoN.—Could you suggest any cause for it ?
Mr. GARDNER replied that he considered it had refer-
ence to the level of the wells; and regarding one of the
wells named in Mr. Bold's statement as being dry, he
explained that it was owing to the bore-hole in the well
being plugged up. When the well was cleaned out, and
the bore-hole was opened, the men had to run out of the
well, the water came up so fast upon them.

Several witnesses followed, whose testimony went to
show that various wells in the locality were so plentifully
supplied that means had to be resorted to to keep them
down. .

Mr. THOMAS MURRAY GLADSTONE, at considerable
length, showed that the geological nature of the district
was peculiarly favourable to an inexhaustible supply.
Mr. GAGE, jun., followed on the subject of the hard-
ness of the water, and attempted to show that such water
when boiled became extremely soft. He denied that the
wells being near the river was the cause of the saltness
imputed to the water. He disputed Mr. Spencer's state-
ment,—viz., that the wells of the late Harrington Com-
pany in 1848 contained much more salt than in 1846.
when examined by Dr. Playfair : at that time they con-
tained six grains to the imperial gallon, but Mr. Spencer
said they now averaged fourteen.
_ _ .

Mr. SPENCER denied that he had ever said there wt re
fourteen grains of salt to the gallon in the water in the
late Harrington Company's wells. If Mr. Stephenson
would refer to the documents in possession of the Corpo-
ration, he would find that his statement was that the
water contained nine grains to the imperial gallon.
The inquiry was then adjourned to Saturday.