Drilling of Beernem in 1898 'for coal'

In 2022 this has disappeared, but the story remains remarkable : Under a black tarpaulin at the edge of the herb garden is a deep well . A weathered information board talks about a coal drilling.

The story of the coal drilling states that at the end of the 19th century amateur geologists in our country were fascinated by coal, according to many the raw material that would replace peat. Count de Meeus of Bulskampveld was such a person. In 1898 he drilled himself bankrupt here. The coal was finally found in Limburg in 1903, after which the mine of Winterslag near Genk was the first to open in 1917. If de Meeus had won, this oxygen-rich deciduous forest would look completely different today.

However, this story is not true:

In 1895 an important drilling project was carried out, known in geological circles as the 'Beernem Boring' . This water well (archive number 38E045, Belgian Geological Survey) has been discussed in various publications. It was a so-called 'artesian well', which was drilled to a depth of 352m .

Contrary to popular belief today, there is no mention of a 'search for coal' anywhere.

The construction of artesian wells was part of the emerging awareness around the turn of the century that polluted drinking water is a carrier of germs and was 'in' with noble families, not least as a prestige project. The drilling missed the direct goal (winning drinking water): the quality of the water was poor (salty taste), probably 1000 mg/l Cl ions. Indirectly, the drilling yielded a not insignificant part of the knowledge of the subsurface of Flanders.

Willem Vandenameele