Reference
R3/3108
Title
Letter regarding boring for water in Covent Garden market
Date free text
4 Nov 1834
Production date
From: 1834 To: 1834
Scope and Content
Reads- Adam asked me to send you information on our boring for water in Covt. Garden mkt. Began with land spring well of large diameter; Telford thought it would be sufficient, but it was not. We then bored from bottom of well; the water came up so mixed with sand that it soiled pumps.
Inadvisable to deepen well, expensive, dangerous, uncertain.
In the end we had to abandon this.
We then began a new well 130 ft. Cast-iron cylinders flanged together were used. At every 10 ft. elm rims were inserted; lower at 5 ft. Bottom of well finished with inverted arch. At 130 ft. cast-iron pipe (6' from bottom that it might not be choked by sand; then copper pipe inside iron; till we reached main spring at about 220 ft.
Well-digger paid £296 (Duke found some materials).
It has answered well, but there are so many in the neighbourhood that water does not stand regularly at same level. We should probably have done better if we had carried the shaft down the whole way. Suggested advice.
Level of description
item