Coal hunting at Bexhill 1805-1811: how the new science of stratigraphy was ignored
| Autor: | Torrens, H S |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2002 |
| DOI: | 10.5284/1085040 |
| Popis: | Sussex Archaeological Collections, 136, 177-191 This paper describes the lengthly attempts made to find coal at Bexhill, East Sussex, between 1805 and 1811 in hope of reviving the Wealden iron industry. The chief promoter of this Sussex Mining Company, William James (1771-1837), was convinced true coal was easily available in Sussex. The London based mineral surveyor John Farey (1766-1826), on the other hand, from 1806 correctly urged that it was impossible to find true coal here, on the stratigraphic grounds taught him in the field from 1801 by William Smith (1769-1839). Farey knew that the Sussex adventurers had first, confused pieces of lignite for seams of coal and second, were hunting many thousands of feet above the geological horizon at which Smith had demonstrated that the main deposits of English coal occurred. Farey supported his view by articles, some printed in agricultural journals, and a unique newspaper advertisement. His advice was ignored. The project failed, at a total cost of well over �30,000. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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