A method of drilling, now largely replaced by rotary drilling, in which the
rock at the bottom of the hole is broken up by a steel bit with a blunt,
chisel-shaped cutting edge. The bit is at the bottom of a heavy string of steel
tools suspended on a cable that is activated by a walking beam, the bit
chipping the rock by regularly repeated blows. The method is adapted to
drilling water wells and relatively shallow oil wells. AGI
Source:
Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms
