the old fortification formerly ftood, and where the British army firft began to repair the works before commencement of hoftilities in 1775. From this ftation the Neck continues 900 feet, when it joins the main, where the land begins to widen : the Neck on both fides up to thefe ftations is encompaffed with the fea or fea-water. Mr. Cobb's well is 700 feet from Brown's houfe, where the Neck is 350 feet across, that is, from the fea-water on the north to the feawater on the fouth fide: it is about 100 feet from the water on the north fide. Col. Stevens, to whom this is to be fent, is fuppofed to be well acquainted with the ftations already mentioned, as alfo with fuch as may be hereafter.

The inhabitants of the fouth part of the town of Bofton have been put to much trouble and expence in procuring good water for family ufe, by reafon of their having the falt water on both fides of them. Formerly the fea water overflowed the Neck and much land at the south of the town; from which circumstance there was and is conftant oozings of brackish water, unless where it is prevented by art. The proprietors of the land have been practifing upon the experience of each other; and a Mr. Faxon, an ingenious mechanic and a proprietor, was, as the writer hereof is informed, the first who adopted the method fimilar to the one here reprefented. His experiments, with fome other obfervations, accompany this reprefentation.

Mr. Cobb's experiment is an improvement upon thofe before made, and he is fully fatisfied with the refult.

AA, an octagon curb, with pine timber for uprights, and joift for ribs. This was the first curb put into the earth dug out. This curb is 12 feet diameter and 7 feet deep.

B B, an octagon curb made as above, and let into the earth within AA curb, 8 feet diameter and 12 feet deep.-Thus progrefs was madę 19 feet into the earth, when the diggers came to bluish clay. As they went down falt oozings came in as was expected. Having put down curbs A and B, they were boxed without with well tempered clay, well driven betwixt the main body of the earth and the curbs A B. They then proceeded to boring, and having got down 20 feet, they put down a hollow plug, C. This plug is 25 feet long, and is bored with a five inch augre. It was put into the hole of 20 feet, and with an iron weight of about 500wt. driven five feet into the folid clay; which clay that came up into the bottom of this oak plug, was taken out with the five inch augre. They then made another oak plug D, which was entered into C about two feet fix inches, (it was when first put down about 10 feet long, but the defign of it being principally to guide the long augre which was to be introduced to bore, when that was accomplished it was fawed off,) and stands out of it about three feet, nearly as reprefented in the plate. They now put down cafe E, the diameter of the bore three inches. This cafe is made of two and an half inch pine plank, pretty well feafoned, and hollowed out: it is of the length of the plank, and made in half rounds, good edges, fo as to make tight joints, and then nailed; and they are put unto and follow each other as the earth is bored out, until the fountain is ftruck. The joints of this cafe are put down one after the other, as progrefs is made in boring: the diameter is continued the fame through the whole of the cafe, that is, three inches, and the joints are put together nearly as intimated by the figures hereafter defcribed.

Mr.

Mr. Cobb then had a circular tub made, with a bottom let into grooves, and water tight. A hole was made in the bottom of this tub to pass it over the head of plug C. The bottom of this tub, which is defcribed by F, is a little below the bottom of curb B, and although it ftands on a body of clay, it was thought beft, that for fafety and ease a bed of well tempered clay fhould be made, upon which its bottom refts. This tub is encircled with wooden hoops, and is 15 feet deep, well made.

The head of the plug C, which comes through the bottom, is wedged round with quarter round wedges, hollowed out and made completely tight, to keep out all water from oozing. This tub was then furrounded with well tempered clay, firmly boxed in to within about three feet of the top. Another circular tub or curb was then made, G, to surround tub F. This tub or curb G, is alfo boxed with well tempered clay, and from the bottom of this curb G to the top of the tub F, filled in with clay. It, G, was made to fecure F, and it is above the furface of the ground, to keep out all wafte water and external overflowings. It has no bottom-tub F is the only one made water tight.

Fig 2. Hollow plug D, to enter into C.

Fig. 3. Hollow plug C, with an iron hoop at top and bottom; the first to prevent its fplitting, the last its fpreading. The bottom is brought nearly to an edge, though not quite, as it is driven into the clay five feet. Fig. 4. Cafe E defcribed. This figure reprefents the fides, or half rounds of cafes, made of two and an half inch plank, hollowed out within and rounded without, then joined and nailed together; the nails at ten inches apart, and fo driven as to join the fides, but carefully, and not to enter within the bore, which muft be kept clear, that the augre may pafs

down and bring up pods of clay, &c.

Fig. 5. This is intended to point out the method in which the cafe spoken of is to be connected in joints. Figures 1 1 are to be brought together, as are 2 2: the first, or lowest cafe, O, is first put down, and before it is too low add to it cafe P, and nail them together, and thus follow on. Thus the three inch diameter is preferved.

Fig. 6, reprefents cafe O and P united, nailed together, and paffed down: the points fhew the nails, but obferve, they must not enter the hollow: the line in the center points out where the pieces prepared in the first pofition are joined.

APPENDIX.

Fig. 7. This figure is defigned to reprefent the tin tube and pipe made ufe of in the experiment made with fuccefs at Roxbury, by Mr. Patten. It is particularly explained under the head of information the 6th.

Quere-Would it not be better if the pipe was placed in the center of the tabe? The querift fuppofes it would; and he is not certain but it might be better if the pipe was entered into the tube half way down the fame. His reafon for the first is, that by placing the pipe in the center, the tube might be better governed, and made more effectual in its operation for the fecond, that is, the pipe coming half way down the tube, (it is to be obferved, that all is perfeftly tight except only juft where fire is to take effect on the powder) there is the greater certainty of all the powder taking effect at the fame inftant of time; for it is fupposed to be an admitted fact, that all powder within cannon, &c. does not all of it always burn; and in the above cafe it is concluded that there is the greater probability that all would, and confequently that the more force the greater the effect.

Fig. 8. This figure is intended to represent the circular tight tub fpoken of under the head of information 3d, and is particularly defigned to convey the writer's idea as to making it certain that no ftanding water fhall remain in the tub-b is the cafe particularly defcribed heretofore; a a is a neck of lead, fixed, water tight, on the head of cafe b, and let into c, a hollow cafe, tube or plug of wood, which refts on the bottom of the tub: one half of the diameter of this tube (c) or plug to be fawed off, fay 12 inches from the bottom, that the water may have free courfe. Thus the water entering only at the bottom of the tub, must throw off all above, which, from the circumftance of the ebbing and flowing, muft neceffarily keep up a continual circulation, at leaft it fhould fo feem. However we may reafon upon thefe fubjects, experience is the best teacher, and it may be attempted upon rational principles.

Information from Mr.Nathaniel Brad ley, who has been employed as carpenter in making curbs, &c. and is well acquainted with the process. IF the ground is clay there can be no difficulty; for if water be not ftruck by digging, it may be obtain ed by boring tools (among which are drills that are to pass through foft flones, as well as fuch as pafs through clay, &c.) for this purpose may be had in Boston, completed with defcriptions for ufe, for 751. lawful mo. ney-a fet may be made on a month's notice. If the ground be fandy, it must be dug more or lefs feet, and curbs put down and boxed with clay of the best kind, well tempered. If you bore through clay there is no danger of caving, but if through fand, cafes must be made, introduced and followed. Models of thefe cafes may be fent on they are reprefented in what accompanies Mr. Cobb's expe

riment in Boston. Water has been procured where the tide ebbed and flowed, (particularly on the Neck) and a good fresh fountain obtained, by boxing and keeping the fand out as above intimated. The wells on Boston Neck are dug about fix feet deeb, and bored upwards of 100 feet, and water obtained at that depth : was it needful, boring might be continued.

N. B. The foregoing information is undoubtedly juít; it was obtained prior to the knowledge of Mr.Cobb's experiment, which was founded on the foregoing principles. Information from Mr. Faxon, who practifed on the experiments of others in his neighbourhood, and under fimilar circumftances.

THIS perfon is an ingenious mechanic, and one of particular obfervation. He had obferved that oozings from the fea had injured all the wells at the fouth part of Boston, and being in want of a well at his own houfe, he made the following experiment, in which he was fuccefsful. He dug eight feet into the earth, and came to clay; he then bored into the clay fifteen feet, meeting with falc oozings as he expected; he then entered a hollow oak plug of 20 feet in length, the diameter of the hollow of which was 10 inches; this plug being entered into the hole bored out, refted at bottom on a folid body of clay, into which it was driven five feet: this being done, it was left in the fame ftate for several days, in order to difcover whether any falt oozings entered it; upon obfervation it was found that none did, although it was evident that oozings came up on the outfide of the plug, though none came up within it.-Mr. Faxon was now fatisfied that he had taken a good method, and proceeded to bore. He firft cleared the hollow plug of the clay within it, and then made a five inch augre, and in four hours bored

85

85 feet through a body of clay, where he ftruck a fpring to his fatisfaction. The water has proved fit for every purpose of ufe in his family. Into this hole he put a cafe to prevent the poffibility of caving, though there did not appear any neceflity therefor.

Third information was from Mr. Cobb, whole experiment, accompanying this with explanations, is an improvement upon all others that have been obtained. He was more particular from his fituation.

For the benefit of New-York thefe particular enquiries were made, and the collector of them withing to render fervice in fo important a matter, made further enquiry concerning a well on Minot's T, in Bofton, which adjoins the long wharf, and is, if the expreflion may be permitted, in the midit of the harbour-the tide conftantly ebbing and flowing around it. This comes under the fourth information.

This well is fecured by curbs, as in other places mentioned; the curbs are carefully boxed with well tempered clay after putting down the curbs, boring was proceeded to; from the furface of the ground to where a fpring was ftruck is 80 feet. Notwithstanding its vicinity to the fea, good water was obtained in fuch plenty as to fupply many vefiels for fea, though not fo much as might be wifhed. There are no cafes made ufe of in this well.-The water, when firft taken out, feems to partake of that which is brackish, and not quite agreeable; but after standing in the air for two hours, it is very good and fatisfactory. Many veffels have watered for fea from this well, and it has hitherto proved completely fatisfactory to those who have made ufe of it in that way.

The city of New-York being very particularly circumstanced as to water, led the collector of the foregoing particulars a little further; and as

there cannot be any other probable obftruction than earth of different kinds, and stone, and as the former, from what has been obferved, may be paffed through, it only remains to mention the experience which has been had in paffing through the latter. This, in the first inftance, comes under the fifth information.—Mr. John Dinfdale, an inhabitant of Roxbury, adjoining Boston, has been for a number of years, fay 30, acquainted with blowing of rocks, which have obftructed the paffage to water. In one inftance, with a three inch drill or augre, he penetrated, in five hours, 21 inches hard rock: his rule for charging in this inftance, was to fill up one fourth of the hole with pow der, upon which he put mealed clay of the best kind, well rammed, taking care to keep open a communica, tion with the powder below, by means of a wire made for this purpose. His practice for a hole one and a half inch drill, was to fill one third with powder; this is fuppofing the rock in or under the ground, as is the cafe in the bottom of wells. He, upon my converfing very particularly with him, doubts not but water mny be obtain ed by blowing through rocks. In confirmation of this idea, the following fixth and last information, with experiments made in Roxbury, is added.

"The town of Roxbury, adjoining Bofton, is well known by thofe acquainted therewith to be almoft an entire rock, comparatively speaking. Within 300 rods of the meeting-house in Roxbury, Mr. Patten opened the earth for a well. Expecting to meet with rocks, he began his operation accordingly. His fituation was peculiar: he began by opening a hole 20 feet diameter, and dug five feet through earth perfectly dry, when he came to loose rock or flate, through which he paffed with pick-axes,without much difficulty, ten feet; then

came