THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
45
Dunstable Priory Church by Mr. Worthington G. Smith, hon. member of the
Club.
Dr. J. C. Thresh read a paper entitled, "The Shallow and Deep Well Waters
of Essex" (see p. 28), which was illustrated by tables of analyses of waters,
specially printed for the occasion.
During the discussion following the paper, Mr. T. V. Holmes remarked on the
bearing of Dr. Thresh's observations and analyses on the efficiency of the filtra-
tion through a considerable thickness of gravel. Dr. Thresh strongly contrasted
the purity of springs from the gravels, such as that underlying the Boulder Clay,
with the impurity of wells in which the water was derived from the same source.
This could only be the result of the comparative remoteness of houses and farm-
buildings with their cesspools, etc., in the case of the springs in question ; while
wells in villages were necessarily situated where the inhabitants could most
conveniently and quickly get their supply—in other words, close to their houses
and cesspools. This showed the necessity, when water was obtained from super-
ficial beds, of ensuring the absence of dwellings, etc., within a certain distance of
the source of supply, whether spring or well. Mr. Holmes also alluded to
the lack of enthusiasm shown by Essex people in their mineral springs. An
attempt was once made to "run" the medicinal well at Hockley, but unsuccess-
fully ; and there was a mineral spring on Tyler's Common, near Upminster,
once visited by the Club, but which had never been utilized. Essex people did
not care for Epsom Salts.
Mr. Sworder said many agricultural labourers of Stanford Rivers and Staple-
ford Tawney went in hay time and harvest to a spring between Navestock and
Brentwood to "take the waters." After a gallon of beer a day, they no doubt
needed some little corrective. [Laughter.]
Prof. Meldola and Mr. G. J Symons, F.R.S., alluded to the value of Dr.
Thresh's observations, and trusted he would continue them ; and the former
speaker referred to the value of bacteriological investigations in all enquiries
respecting the hygienic qualities of drinking water.
Mr. J. M.Wood, CE., of the New River Company, remarked that the sinking
of a well or bore-hole always afforded an opportunity of obtaining valuable infor-
mation of a geological, chemical, hydraulic, and engineering character. Each
observer interested probably records the results of his own particular science :
the consequence was that the information is usually of a disjointed character, in
the possession of several individuals, and often difficult to obtain.
So far as Essex is concerned, Mr. Whitaker had done much in recording in the
Journal the geological formations through which wells and bore holes have passed,
and now Dr. Thresh was doing most interesting and valuable work in recording the
analyses of the surface and underground waters of Essex. But there yet remained
much to be done in the county, in studying and especially recording the hydro-
geological conditions of water after it had passed into the formations and is
beyond the influence of evaporation.
Little or nothing was known of the underground waters of Essex, say north of
a line drawn from Bishop Stortford to Maldon, such, for instance, as the capacity
of the formations for storing water, direction of flow of the underground waters,
the natural fall, fluctuations of the standing water levels, the effects of rain upon
the water levels, high and low water levels, artesian districts—that is, districts in
which wells overflow, etc., etc.
Mr. Wood thought that a committee of the Essex Field Club could do