Section of the Bath Easton Coal Mine, Avon

Section of strata of the Bath Easton Coal Mine, Avon. The item is thought to have been created to accompany an 1808 report by the Bath-Easton Coal Company which included a statement by William Smith (1769-1839) concerning the strata passed through in sinking for coal at Batheaston, near Bath. The Bath-Easton Coal Company was founded in 1804 by local landowner Thomas Walters who had been persuaded of the potential riches to be found on his property by an enterprising woman of the name of Mrs Mary Lane Browne. William Smith was hired to prospect for coal and his survey saw one of the first uses of his still rudimentary stratigraphical theories. Smith suggested that coal would be found below the Red Ground (marked near the bottom of the section). Unfortunately influxes of water from the nearby Bath Hot Springs led to problems, and the costs of the 30 horse-power then later 80 horse-power steam engines installed to overcome the issue, and the lack of any coal measures, saw the scheme abandoned in 1813. Hand coloured engraving with ink and pencil annotations

1769-1839 1804 1808 1813 Accompany Annotations Avon Browne Concerning Costs Easton Enterprising Hired Installed Item Lack Landowner Measures Nearby Overcome Passed Persuaded Potential Problems Prospect Riches Rudimentary Scheme Statement Strata Stratigraphical Suggested Survey Theories Unfortunately Uses Walters

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