Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 195

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR

UNDERGROUND WATERS 

OF MISSOURI

THEIR GEOLOGY AND UTILIZATION

BY

EDWARD M. SHEPARD

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1907
CONTENTS.

Page

Introduction............................................................. L

Historical facts........................................................... 2

Requisite conditions for flowing artesian wells.............................. 3

Variation in the flow of artesian wells..................................... 5

Topography ............................................................. 7

Northwest plateau district ............................................ 7

North-central prairie district.......................................... 8

Ozark-St. Francis dome district. ..i.................................... 8

Ozark border district ................................................. 9

Southeastern lowlands district...........................'.............. 9

Lincoln Ridge district................................................ 10

Geology ................................................................. 11

Rock formations. ................^.... ................................ 11

General statement............. .................................. 11

Archean...................................... ..............^... 12

Knob Lick granite.................................... 13

Iron Mountain porphyry.............................. 13

Other igneous rocks .................................. 13

Cambrian........................................................ 13

La Motte sandstone...--..-..-..-..-..--...-...-...... 13

Boniieterre limestone................................. 14

Cambro-Ordovician.............................................. 14

Elvins formation..................................... 14

Gasconade limestone ................................. 14

Roubidoux sandstone................................. 15

Jefferson City limestone .............................. 15

St. Peter sandstone................................... 16

Joachim limestone ................................... 17

Ordovician........................................ .............. 17

Silurian ......................................................... 17

Devonian ....._.....*.................. .._...................... 18

Carboniferous.................................................... 18

Mississippian ................................................ 18

Louisiana limestone .........................--.-----. 18

Hannibal formation .................................. 19

Chouteau formation .................................. 20

Burlington limestone ................................. 20

Keokuk limestone.................................... 21

Warsaw formation.................................... 21

Spergen limestone.................................... 21

St. Louis limestone.-..-..........-...-.--...-...----. 22.

Chester group........................................ 22

IH
IV CONTENTS.

Geology Continued. Page. 

Rock formations Continued. 

Carboniferous Continued.

Pennsylvanian .............................. r .^.. ........... 22

Des Moines group ........................................ 22

Graydon formation.................................... 22

Cherokee shale....................................... 23

Henrietta, limestone -.-......-...............-...-..-- 23

Pleasanton shale -..............--.-....-....-...-.--- 23

Missouri group........................................... 24

Cretaceous....................................................... 24

Tertiary......................................................... 24

Porters Creek formation .............................. 24

Lagrange formation .................................. 25

Lafayette gravel...--.-..-..-...--......--..-.--.---.. 25

Quaternary ................. .................................... 25

Columbia clay ....................................... 25

Alluvium, etc........................................ 25

Geologic history......__............--..._......-...._............_... 26

Archean......................................................... 26

Cambrian and Carnbro-Ordovician ................................ 26

Ordovician....................................................... 27

Silurian and Devonian............................................ 27

Carboniferous.................................................... 27

Mesozoic ........................................................ 28

Tertiary ......................................................... 29

Quaternary ...................................................... 29

Descriptions of geologic sections....................................... 29

Section from Glenwood, Iowa, to Brunswick, Mo....... ........... 29

Section from Kansas City to Lebanon.............................. 31

Section from St. Joseph to Versailles .............................. 32

Section from Forest City to St. Louis .............. ............... 33

Section from Arcadia, Kans., to Memphis, Term...... ............. 34

Section from Doniphan, Mo., to Hickman, Ky ..................... 35

Section from Doniphan, Mo., to Cairo, 111.......................... 35

Section from Pleasant Hill to- Louisiana............................ 36

Section from Higginsville to Hannibal............................. 37

Section from Moberly southwest to Nevada, thence south to Carthage

and east to Springfield.......................................... 38

Section from Pacific, Mo., to Greenville, 111 ........................ 41

Section from Keokuk, Iowa, to St. Louis, Mo....................... 41

Underground waters..... ................................................ 43

Artesian districts..................................................... 43

Northeastern district ....................1............................ 43

General artesian conditions ........................................ 43

Clark County .................................................... 44

Kahoka ..................................................... 44

Lewis County.................................................... 45

Canton ...................................................... 45

Lagrange .................................................... 46

Lincoln County .................................................. 48

Troy ........................................................ 48

Marion County .................................................... 48

Hannibal.................................................... 48
CONTENTS. V

Underground waters Continued. Page. 

Northeastern district Coutiuued.

Marion County Continued.

Nelson ville .................................................. 50

Palmyra............. ....................................... 51

Oakwood.................................................... 51

Pike County..................................................... 52

Louisiana.................................................... 52

Balls County..................................................... 53

Renssdlaer.................................................... 53

Spalding..................................................... 54

North-central district................................................. 55

General artesian conditions ....................................... 55

Adair County.................................................... 55

Kirksviite ..................................'................. 55

Caldwell County ................................................. 56

Braymer .................................................... 56

Carroll County................................................... 57

Carrollton ................................................... 57

Tina ........................................................ 58

Clay County ..................................................... 58

Excelsior Springs............................................ 58

Kearney..--......-...........-...-.-.-.- .--.--..-..--...-.. 60

Daviess County .................................................. 60

Gallatin ..................................................... 60

Harrison County................................................. 61

Bethany..................................................... 61

Holt County..................................................... 62

Forest City .................................................. 62

Linn County..... ............................................... 66

Brookfield................... ............................... 66

St. Catherine................. .............................. 66

Livingston County................................................ 67

Chillicothe................................................... 67

Utica ;....................................................... 67

Mercer County................................................... 68

Wasson Creek....................................... ........ 68

Princeton ............ ^..............................,......... 70

Nodaway County -. ................................................ 70

Burlington Junction....................... .................. 70

Maryville.................................................... 70

South-central district............. ................................... 71

General artesian conditions.................-----.----..-.-.-.-.... 71

Audrain County.................................................. 72

Mexico...................................................... 72

Vandalia .................................................... 73

Boone County.................................................... 73

Columbia.................................................... 73

Callaway County..'............................................... 74

Cedar City................................................... 74

Fulton....................................................... 74

Chariton County................................................. 75

Brunswick................................................... 75

Salisbury .................................................... 76
VI CONTENTS.

Underground waters Continued. Page. 

South-central district Con tinued.

Cole County ...................................................... 77

Eugene ....................................................... 77

Miscellaneous wells...__--...,..__...___........_____.._..___. 77

Howard County.................................................. 78

Boonslick.................................................... 78

Fayette...................................................... 83

Jackson County.. ....___.-_.....___-.-.._......-.._.-.---....... 84

Kansas City.................................................. -84

Johnson County.................................................. 86

Leeton .-..-._....................-...-...................... 86

Lafayette County................................................. 86

Higginsville _-.......__-....._.__.......__..._.......--.._... 86

Macon County ................................................... 88

La Plata..................................................... 88

Macon....................................................... 88

Miller County.................................................... 91

Glean ....................................................... 91

Moniteau County.,............................................... 92

California..................................................... 92

Morgan County .................................................. 94

Fortuna district.............................................. 94

Bluff Spring and Qlenstead...... ............................. 95

Pettis County ................. .................................. 95

Hughesville..................................... ............ 95

Pettis........................................................ 96

Sedalia ...................................................... 96

Smithton .................................................... 99

Ealla County.. .............................................. .... 100

Nadine ........................... i.......................... 100

Perry ....................................................... 100

Rails................."......-..-............................. 101

Randolph County................................................ 101

Higbee...................................................... 101

Moberly..................................................... 102

Randolph Springs............................................ 103

Saline County.................................................... 104

Malta Bend................................................... 104

Stater ....:............ x ............................... ..... 105

Sweet Springs................................................ 105

Warren County .................................................. 106

Warrentoii................................................... 106

Decaturville dome district ............................................ 107

Camden County.................................................. 107

Carver...................................................... 107

Decaturville ................................................. 107

Gunters ..................................................... 108

Hahatonka .................................................. 108

Hickory County ................................................. 109

Cross Timbers................................................ 109

Pittsburg.................................................... 109

Miller County.................................................... 110

Aurora Springs..........................:.................... 110

Iberia..................I.......,.........,.,.,...,.,.,...,.., 110
CONTENTS. VII

Underground waters Continued. Page. 

Decaturville dome district Continued.

Polk County..................................................... Ill

Cliquot...................................................... Ill

Goodson..................................................... Ill

Clinton-Nevada district............................................... Ill

General artesian conditions ....................................... Ill

Barton County ............. ...__......_.........._.............. 112

Horse Creek ................................................. 112

Bates County .................................................... 112

Adrian ...................................................... 112

Roekville.................................................... 113

Cass County ..................................................... 113

Drexel ...................................................... 113

Plea'ant Hill ....................................... ........ 113

Henry County .................................................... IP

Clinton...................................................... 114

St. Clair County.................................................. 120

Appleton .............. .. ........................... ...... 120

Osceola...................................................... 120

Vernoii County ............................"...................... 121

Nevada...................................................... 121

Richards .................................................... 123

Sheldon .............................................'..... .. 124

Stotesbury................................................. >.. 125

Walker...................................................... 125

Southwestern district................................................. 125

General artesian conditions ....................................... 125

Barry County.................................................... 126

Exeter....................................................... 126

Christian County................................................. 126

Dent County..................................................... 127

Salem \........... ........................... .............. 127

Greene County................................................... 128

Ash Grove................................................... 128

Springfield.................................................... 131

Howell County .............................................. ... 134

West Plains.................................................. 134

Jasper County .............................. -.-.................. 134

Carl Junction................................................ 134

Carterville................................................... 134

Carthage.................................................... 135

Chitwood................ ................................... 135

Duenweg .................................................... 136

Joplin....................................................... 136

Webb City................................................... 139

Laclede County .................................................. 141

Lebanon.............. ..................................... 141

Lawrence County ................................................ 143

Aurora ...................................................... 143

Comet............... ....................................... 144

Corry ....................................................... 145

Pierce Ci'y................................................... 145

Verona ...................................................... 145
VIII CONTENTS.

Underground waters Continued. PageSouthwestern district Continued.

McDonald County................................................ 146

Lanagan..................................................... 146

Noel ........................................................ 146

Southwest City............................................... 147

Tiff .........^............................................... 148

Wanda..................... ................................ 148

Newton County .................................................. 148

Diamond .................................................... 148

Mount Pltasant Mill.......................................... 150

Neosho...................................................... 151

Ozark County.................................................... 152

Bakersfield .................................................. 152

Phelps County ................................................... 152

Edgar Springs................................................ 152

Rolla............................... ........................ 153

Westcott..................................................... 154

Texas County.................................................... 154

Plato........................................................ 154

St. Louis basin district................................................ 154

General artesian conditions ....................................... 154

Franklin County ......................................... ....... 156

Luebbering .................................................. 156

Sullivan ..................................................... 156

Jefferson County ................................................. 157

Kirnmswiek .................................. ....... ........ 157

Madison County, 111.............................................. 157

. Granite City ................................................. 157

St. Charles County ............................................... 158

St. Charles................................................... 158

St. Clair County, 111.............................................. 158

Monks Mound ...............;............................... 158

St. Louis County ................................................. 159

Bridgeton ................................................... 159

St. Louis ................................................... 159

St. Francis Mountains district.... 1.................................... 166

Cape Girardeau County........................................... 166

Burfordvillc ................................................. 166

Pocahontas .................................................. 167

Carter County.................................................... 167

Grandin..................................................... 167

Iron County ..................................................... 168

Ironton...................................................... 168

Pilot Knob .................................................. 168

Jefferson County................................................. 168

De Soto...................................................... 168

Madison County ................................................. 170

Fredericktown............................................... 170

Perry County.................................................... 171

Perryville ................................................... 171

St. Francois County .............................................. 171

Bismarck.................................................... 171
CONTENT8. IX

Underground waters Continued. Page.

Southeastern swamp district........................................... 172

General artesian conditions ......................-...--...-.-.---. 172

Butler County.................................................... 174

Poplar Bluff.................................................. 174

Dunklin County................................................. 174

Campbell..................................................... 174

New Madrid County.............................................. 175

Morehouse................................................... 175

New Madrid ..........\ ....................................... 176

Pemiscot County................................................. 177

Caruthersville ............................................... 177

Kipley County................................................... 178

Naylor ...................................................... 178

Scott County............................ ........................ 179

Benton...................................................... 179

Wells outside of Missouri......................................... 181

Cairo, 111 .................................................... 181

Hickman, Ky......._............-............................ 181

Dyersburg, f enn ............................................. 182

Jonesboro,Ark............................................... 182

Marked Tree, Ark............................................. 182

Memphis, Tenn .............................................. 183

Mississippi County, Ark ...................................... 185

Terrell, Ark.................................................. 187

Drift-well district ............................... .................... 187

Atchison County................................................. 187

Tarkio....................................................... 187

Holt County ..................................................... 192

Mound City.................................................. 192

City water supplies................................................... 192

General discussion................................................ 192

Source of supply.............................................. 192

Artesian waters as a source of supply .......................... 193

Characteristics that affect the value of water for public supply... 194

Potability ............................................... 194

Hardness................................................ 195

City water supplies in Missouri.................................... 198

Statistics..................................................... 198

Analyses of water of public supplies ........................... 204

Mineral wells ........................................................ 209

Blowing wells........................................................ 213

Index ................................................................... 215
ILLUSTRATIONS.

Pago. 

PLATE I. Geologic and artesian-well map of Missouri........................ 6

II. Matherly Bluff, Sac River, Greene County; Jefferson City limestone capped by St. Peter sandstone ........................... 14

III. A, Bluff of Burlington limestone near junction of Shoal River and 

Caps Creek; B, Characteristic weathering of Graydoii sandstone 

at Eudora Springs, Polk County ............................... 20

IV. Geologic cross sections .............................. ........... 30

V. Geologic cross sections .......................................... 36

VI. A, Big Salt Spring, Saline County; B, Sinking Creek, Shannon

County, issuing from under natural bridge ..................... 80

FIG. 1. Diagram illustrating essential conditions for artesian wells and springs. 4

2. Map showing topographic districts of Missouri ...................... 8

3. Group of artesian wells on the middle branch of Moreau River near

Fortuna........................................................ 94

4. Diagram of the Sedalia waterworks wells .................. i........ 9ti

5. Map of the Clinton artesian district, Henry County ................. 115

6. Map showing location of the Tarkio artesian wells, Atchison County.. 189
UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI: THEIR 

GEOLOGY AND UTILIZATION.

By EDWARD M. SHEPARD.

IN TRODUCTION.

With the advance in sanitary science the value and importance of a 

pure water supply for towns and cities, as well as for country districts, are being each year more strongly emphasized. The rapid settling of the country has made surface waters very liable to contamination, and the demand for water from deeper sources, less exposed to 

organic impurities, is becoming more and more marked.

The rapid growth of Missouri the 1900 census placing her fifth in 

population among the States of the Union has brought this demand 

into particular notice in this-State. Many villages have grown to 

towns and are looking for a suitable supply of water, not only for 

domestic uses, but also as a means of protection from ftre. Many 

cities have wholly outgrown the capacity of their source of water supply and need additional or new and larger sources. The largest cities 

have constantly to face the increasing contamination of the rivers 

from which their water is derived, and the necessity of seeking some 

new source has stimulated inquiries for information in regard to 

artesian conditions in" the State. In the hope of answering such 

inquiries to some extent this report has been prepared.

Those who have studied the subject of artesian wells understand the 

difficulties which confront the geologist in attempting to explain or 

describe the conditions which govern their distribution. These difficulties are especially apparent in Missouri, as so little has been done 

toward elucidating the problems incident to the folding and faulting 

of the geologic horizons of this great State. The sinking of deep wells 

has been largely confined to the mining districts, and they have been 

comparatively few in number, while it is but recently that the development of the oil fields of Kansas has stimulated prospecting in the 

northern and western parts of Missouri,

J
2 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

It is unfortunate that the geologist can not be present to collect for 

himself the drillings from deep wells and note the thicknesses of the 

strata passed through, since, as a rule, the records are rather negligently kept. Samples of cuttings are carelessly preserved, the labels 

are either lost or destroyed, and even the records themselves often 

disappear. Little or no attention is paid to the different flows or to 

the quality of the water. In some cases these wells are grouped in or 

near certain mining localities and in others a considerable distance, 

covering several counties, intervenes between them, for which reasons deductions made by the geologist from cross sections based on 

well-record data may not be strictly accurate. Fortunately, however, there are a few wells in Missouri which were drilled under the 

careful supervision of geologists, and the writer has been able to 

study a number of cases where samples of drillings and an accurate log 

have been carefully preserved by intelligent drillers. On -the other 

hand, the valuable information that might have been given by many 

deep wells, drilled at great expense, has been wholly lost. Records 

that would have been of inestimable value to the geologist and the 

public have disappeared, and in some cases the well has been abandoned. It is to be hoped that in the future not only drillers, but 

owners of such wells will see to it that records and samples of drillings 

are preserved and that information regarding them is given either to 

the State or to the United States Geological Survey.

The writer wishes here to express his appreciation to Mr. M. L. 

Fuller, under whose direction this work has been done; to Mr. W. B. 

Johnson, of Memphis, Tenn., who rendered invaluable .assistance in 

making many well records accessible; to Mr. C. B. Bailey, of Wynne, 

Ark.; Mr/Thomas Beckwith, of Charleston, Mo.; Messrs. W. G. Lanhan and W. C. Davis, engineers for the Memphis Water Company; 

Mr. W. E. Pratt, of Samburg, Tenn.; Mr. W. B. Beckman, of Blytheville, Ark.; to Dr. E. R. Buckley, State geologist of Missouri; to Mr. 

R. Hawkins, of Chillicothe; and many otherk who have cheerfully 

given the result of their observations.

HISTORICAL FACTS.

The term " artesian" is derived from the province of Artois, France, 

where one of the first wells of this character was sunk, and it dates 

back probably to the twelfth century. Norton, in Ms Artesian Wells 

of Iowa,0 calls attention to the fact that at Modena, in northern Italy, 

are wells of about the same antiquity as those of Artois. They have 

been in use for many centuries in Austria. It is believed that they 

have a great antiquity in China; and TcMhatchef affirmed, in an address before the British Association in 1882, that the ancient Greeks 

sunk artesian wells in Sahara, at Baalbek, and at other points. One

a Norton, W. B-, Ann. Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 6,1897, p. 123.
CONDITIONS FOR FLOWING ARTESIAN WELLS. 3

of the earliest wells sunk in this country, so far as it has been possible 

to determine, was bored for salt at Spalding, near RensselaSfF; Rails 

County, Mo., about 1823.

It is most unfortunate that the term artesian is used so loosely. 

Originally it designated flowing wells only, but in later years it has 

been also applied to deep wells that do not flow. Norton has suggested the term "subartesian" for nonflowing deep wells, and it is 

very desirable that some such distinction should be made. In this 

report each well will be designated as "flowing" or "nonflowing."

REQUISITE CONDITIONS FOR FLOWING ARTESIAN WELLS.

In a general way the principal requisite for the production of a 

flowing-water well is the direct opposite of that for a gas well. Both 

require, first, a reservoir that is, a stratum of coarse-grained or 

granular rock, which may be either a sandstone or a coarse-grained 

limestone; second, an impervious protecting cap rock, which is generally a shale or a very compact limestone; but the third and most 

important point, in which the two classes of wells differ, is that the 

gas collects at the crest of a fold of strata, i. e., at the summit of an 

anticline, while the water accumulates in a basin or synclinal trough. 

These two classes of wells differ also in the source from which they are 

derived. The gas usually originates in the carbonaceous shale that 

underlies the reservoir, while the source of the water is frequently 

many miles away, at the point where the rock which forms its reservoir outcrops, necessarily always at a higher level than that from 

which the well starts. A sufficient rainfall in its catchment basin is 

also an essential condition for the existence of a successful artesian 

well. Williams 0 has shown that 

A rainfall of 30 inches per year, which is well within the average rainfall of the eastern United States [as well as of the State of Missouri], would supply to the gathering 

area of a 100-foot stratum, dipping at an angle of 1°, 3,400 barrels of water a year for 

every foot in width across the outcrop, of which, if but one-third is taken up by the 

stratum, upward of 1,100 barrels per year will be stored in every foot of its width. 

Hence the enormous flow from some noted artesians need excite no surprise. An 

artesian well in the city of Louisville is said to yield 330,000 gallons every twenty-four 

hours, from a depth of 2,086 feet. One in the city of Paris, the Grenelle well, discharges over half a million gallons per day from a depth of 1,806 feet, while one bored 

by a French engineer in the Sahara Desert is said to have yielded at the outset 1,000 

gallons per minute, or about 1,500,000 gallons per day.

Gas fields are, as a rule, confined to certain geologic horizons. For 

example, in Kansas and Missouri gas is found only at the base of the 

Pennsylvanian, in the Cherokee shale. It is also true that certain 

geologic horizons are eminently water bearers. Later in this report, 

for example, it is shown that the St. Peter sandstone, where the other 

conditions are favorable, is one of the most prominent reservoirs for

"Williams, S. J., Applied Geology, New York, 1886, p. 62.
4 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

artesian waters. Further, different water-bearing horizons vary 

decidedly in the quality of waters produced. In the loose incoherent 

sands of the Tertiary is found an abundance of good water, though it 

is inclined to be somewhat chalybeate. In the sandstones of the 

Pennsylvanian sulphur and saline waters may be expected. In the 

Hannibal formation of the Kinderhook group magnesium-sulphate 

(Epsom salts) waters are the general rule. At the base of the porous 

upper part of the Burlington hard but pure waters are found. The 

water of the St. Peter sandstone, if it has not traveled too far and 

become laden with impurities, is likely to be soft and fresh.

As has been stated, artesian waters are sometimes found in basins 

that is, in old lake or estuary beds. Under such conditions the water 

falling on surrounding outcropping strata drains into the basin from 

all sides. The accompanying diagram (fig. 1), modified from Williams, gives an idea of a basin which has been faulted on one side. 

The catchment area is higher on each side than in the middle, and the 

upturned edges of the strata outcrop there. The porous sandstone

FIG. 1. Diagram illustrating essential conditions for artesian wells and springs.

beds a, e, and h are covered above and below by impervious shale beds. 

Wells drilled through the upper shale at any point in the basin, below 

the outcropping edges, will tap the water under pressure and will flow. 

Sometimes strata gradually change in character, as illustrated in e in 

the diagram, the sandstone bed merging into shale. This sandstone 

bed, when tapped, as at d, will yield flowing water. It is clear that 

the rainfall soaking into the outcropping edges of the porous strata 

passes downward in these beds and, being under pressure, will rise, 

when tapped, as at c and d, and flow to the surface with a force proportionate to the height of the head above the mouth of the well. If 

a well were sunk at 5, water would not flow, because 5 is at the same 

height as the head a. At g the strata have been faulted, and those to 

the left have gone down. Such a fault line as this frequently marks 

the passage of water that rises in springs, as at g. Water from a well 

drilled at c would rise with much greater force than from a well at d, 

because the head at c is higher.

If a basin was formerly an estuary of the sea, which has been tilted 

so that the mouth has been elevated, or if the mouth has been filled
VARIATION IN FLOW OP ARTESIAN WELLS. 5

up with impervious deposits so that the salt water has slowly evaporated, leaving the basin to be subsequently filled with alternating 

deposits of sand and clay, all the conditions requisite for brine wells 

will be found. Such conditions explain the brine wells and springs 

of Saline and Howard counties, and are more fully described in the 

text (pp. 80-81).

Another common condition favoring the collection of artesian waters 

is found in basins which contain sand, with an impervious clay layer 

above, and into which the drainage comes from three directions. As an 

example of this the conditions in southeastern Missouri may be cited. 

The valley of the Mississippi lies in a trough, between the Ozarks on 

the west and the Kentucky and Tennessee plateau on the east. Here 

powerful drainage flows in from the north, the west, and the east. 

This is one of the strongest artesian basins in the interior States.

Again, the source of artesian waters may be from one direction 

only as, for example, on the long, gentle slope of a fold, where the 

head is higher than the point at which the well is drilled. Such is 

commonly the case in many parts of the State.

Faulting may produce artesian conditions where they would not 

otherwise be present, the displacement bringing an impervious stratum against the porous, water-bearing stratum.

Another consideration of much importance as regards the abundance of water supply is the area of the outcrop of the porous beds, 

or the breadth of the absorbing surface exposed. Williams a has 

shown the great extent of the catchment area where only a slight dip 

is found. He says: "The breadth of exposure on a level surface of 

beds 100 feet thick with a dip of 1° would be a trifle more than a mile, 

and for 2° dip about one-half mile, the breadth of surface exposed 

varying inversely as the dip. Hence a moderate degree of dip will 

give a greater extent of gathering ground, or area of catchment, as it 

is often termed."

VARIATION IN THJB FLOW OF ARTESIAN WEMJS.

Artesian wells sometimes vary in their flow. Some gradually 

weaken until their flow ceases altogether; others stop flowing when 

wells near by are pumped, as illustrated by those of the De Soto 

group; and still others have periodic variations or fluctuations in 

their discharge. Such fluctuations are due in many cases, no doubt, 

to barometric variation in pressure; near the seashore they may be 

due to tidal influence; in some cases they are believed to be due to a 

siphon action, when the conditions in the waterway are favorable.

a Williams, S. J., Applied Geology, New York, 1886, p. 61,
6 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

The uses of artesian wells, aside from their value in supplying water 

for domestic purposes, are, among others, as a source of mineral 

waters; to furnish water for irrigation; for protection against fire; 

for the development of power for manufacturing purposes; for the 

production of heat. Last, but not least, the importance of the artesian well as a geologic agent is a matter which challenges attention 

and which has heretofore been entirely overlooked.a

The waters of certain wells possess mineral constituents which render them valuable therapeutic agents, both for internal and external 

use, and these give rise to the establishment of health resorts. Some 

of the finest of such resorts in the West are located in this State and 

derive their water from deep wells.

The abundance of rainfall in Missouri, as shown by the table at the 

close of this section, and its excellent drainage system render irrigation unnecessary; but the value of artesian wells for such a purpose 

in the far West is largely recognized. One of the most important 

services rendered by the water resources branch of the United States 

Geological Survey is the location of storage reservoirs and the outlining of artesian districts for the irrigation of the arid regions of 

the West. The basins located between many of the ranges of the 

Rocky Mountain system are deserts. Fortunately the strata sloping 

from the frequently snow-capped mountains present favorable conditions for artesian waters, and large areas are now being irrigated 

by means of flowing wells. 

In several cases, where the water from an artesian well has proved 

too saline for domestic purposes it has been found that this characteristic has rendered it of particular value in extinguishing fires.

iJarton,6 in his report on "Artesian wells of a portion of the Dakotas," describes the utilization of power from some artesian wells in 

producing electrical energy and running mills. The pressure in a 

number of cases reaches 100 to 150 pounds. There are a number of 

wells in Missouri that have a considerable pressure, but are not utilized 

for power.

None of the wells of this State have water of a high temperature, 

though some of them reach a considerable depth.

a See Shepard, E. M., New 'Madrid earthquake: Jour. Geol., vol. 13, 1805, p. 45. 

6 Barton, N. H., Seventeenth Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 2, 1896, pp. 690-691.
SILURIAN 

ARCHEAN CAMBRIAN CAMBRO-ORDO. ANDORDO. DEVONIAN
PRECIPITATION.

Average annual precipitation in Missouri for ten years, by counties.

Inches. 

Adair................. 38

Andrew-............... 35

Atchison.............. 34

Audrain............... 39

Barry.................. 47

Barton................. 46

Bates.................. 40

Benton................. 40

Bollinger............... 45

Boone.................. 36

Buchanan............. 34

Butler.................. 45

Caldwell............... 37

Callaway.............. 39

Camden................ 42

Cape Girardeau........ 44

Carroll................ 37

Carter................. 44

Case................... 38

Cedar.................. 43

Chariton................ 36

Christian.............. 45

Clark................... 34

Clay.................. 35

Clinton................ 35

Cole..................... 38

Cooper................. 37

Crawford............... 42

Dade.................. 45

Dallas.................. 43

Daviess................ 37

Dekalb................. 36

Dent.................. 42

Douglas................ 44

Dunklin............... 46

Franklin.............. 40

Gasconade.............. 39

Gentry................. 36

Greene. .........

Harrison ........

Holt... .......

Howell. ........

Jackson ........

Jasper. ..........

Johnson ........

Knox ..........

Lafayette.... .. .

Lawrence .......

Lewis... .......

Lincoln ........

Maries .........

Marion .........

Miller...........

Mississippi .....

Morgan ..........

Osasre. ..........

Inches. 

....... 43 Ozark............

....... 36 Perry......... ..

....... 40 Pettis............

....... 43 Phelps............

....... 37 Pike.............

. . 37 Plat.tp

43 Polk

45 1 PiilaRld

....... 36

....... 46

....... 41

....... 37

....... 36

....... 44

....... 37

........ 47

....... 36

....... 38

....... 37

....... 36

....... 47

....... 37

....... 45

....... 41

....... 38

....... 37

....... 41

...... 43

...... 38

....... 38

....... 39

....... 39

....... 46

...... 46

...... 36

....... 43

...... 40

Rails.............

Ra.v

Scott.............

Shelby..... .......

Sit OViarlp^

St. Clair..........

St. Louis.. .......

Warren.......... .

AXTo ~\7"n p

"WTaKcf pv

Worth.............

Wrieht...........

Inches. 

..... 44

..... 45

42

Q7

42

..... 38

..... 35

..... 43

..... 42

..... 36

37

Q7

..... 37

...... 43

..... 45

..... 35

..... 35

..... 35

..... 44

..... 43

..... 38

... .41

..... 42

JQ

..... 42

..... 39

..... 46

..... 47

..... 37

..... 46

..... 41

..... 42

..... 40

..... 42

 11

..... 43

..... 35

..... 43

TOPOGRAPHY

Topographically Missouri is naturally divided into six great districts the northwest plateau, the north-central prairie region, the 

Ozark-St. Francis dome, the Ozark border, the southeastern lowlands, 

and the Lincoln Kidge, all of which are outlined on the accompanying 

map (fig. 2).

NORTHWEST PLATEAU DISTRICT.

The northwest plateau includes the elevated portion of the northwestern third of the State and is bounded, approximately, by the 900- 

IRE 195 07 2
UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

foot contour indicated on the map. This plateau gently rises in altitude to the northwest corner of the State, where its elevation is over 

1,200 feet. Geologically, however, the strata generally dip about 10 

or 15 feet to the mile in a northwesterly direction, thus burying to a 

considerable depth the Pennsylvanian rocks, which outcrop on the 

southern border of the district. The surface is relatively smooth and 

gently rolling, slightly trenched by the rivers which drain it and 

covered with a mantle of drift, which is composed on the surface of 

a fine sandy silt and clay. Along Missouri River, however, are large 

deposits of loess. The valleys of the smaller streams are usually 

broad, with gentle slopes, owing to the character of the underlying 

rocks, which are largely shales and sandstones. Rarely, where the 

___________________________ streams cut into thin

limestone beds, a greater 

irregularity of the surface is noticed.

NORTH-CENTRAL 

PRAIRIE DISTRICT.

The north-c e n t r a 1 

prairie is bounded on 

the south by an arbitrary line that starts on 

Mississippi River, in St. 

Charles County, and 

runs in a northwesterly 

direction until it strikes 

the southern 900-foot 

contour north of Cooper County. Thence this line runs in a southerly and southwesterly direction, leaving the State in Barton County. 

This irregular prairie district is deeply bisected by Missouri River 

and is trenched on the north and south by the tributaries of the 

Missouri. The altitude of the flood plain of the river at the lowest 

point in this district is a little over 600 feet. It rises gradually to 

the northeast as far as the Iowa line, where its altitude is about 

1,200 feet. From the Missouri southwest to the Kansas line it 

reaches an altitude of from 800 to 900 feet.

OZARK-ST. FRANCIS DOME DISTRICT.

The Ozark-St. Francis dome district includes an elevated elliptical 

plateau, having a northeast-southwest trend. It extends in a broad 

belt from a point near Mississippi River to the Arkansas line. The 

northwestern limit of this district is marked on the topographic map 

(fig. 2) by an irregular line. The general axis extends from Iron

FIG. 2. Map showing topographic districts of Missouri.
TOPOGRAPHY. 9

County southwestward, and leaves the State near the southeast corner of Barry County. As a rule, the strata dip gently at right 

angles to this axis. The highest point in this district, as well as in 

the State, is Taum Sauk, the crest of the St. Francis Mountains, in 

Iron County, which reaches an elevation of 1,800 feet. The crest of 

the Ozarks is reached at Cedar Gap, in Wright County, at an elevation of 1,700 feet. The geologic formations involved in the Ozark 

dome are mainly hard silico-magnesian limestone and more or less 

indurated sandstones. The drainage to the north and west of the 

main axis is into Osage and Missouri rivers. To the south it is 

mainly through James Fork, Bryants Creek, Current River, and 

Black River into White River, and through St. Francis River into 

the Mississippi. The Current, flowing southeastward, and Piney 

Fork of the Gasconade, flowing northward, nearly bisect the dome. 

The streams flowing across the dome on either side have cut less 

deeply than those along the border of the Ozarks. This is due to 

the nature of the rocks and the slope of the streams.

OZARK BORDER DISTRICT.

The Ozark border district is a region marked by a deeper trenching of the streams and by numerous sink holes, which are a striking 

characteristic of the region. Near the inner margin of this area are 

found many of the great springs of the Ozarks, which, in a number 

of cases, are the outlets of underground rivers and are of phenomenal size. The scenery along this margin is unique. It is here that 

the valleys are deepest and the bluffs most abrupt and picturesque. 

The outer margin of the district gradually merges to the north into 

the prairie district,

SOUTHEASTERN LOWLANDS DISTRICT.

The southeastern lowlands district includes that part of the State 

which lies southeast of a line running from a point-near (Jape Girardeau southwestward to a point in the southeast corner of Ripley 

County and approximately marked by the 400-foot contour. The 

line of demarcation between the Ozark dome and the lowlands is 

somewhat abrupt, as there is no border district on the southeast of 

the dome. This is, in some respects, the most striking topographic 

district in the State. It has a width of about 50 miles. In a general way the surface is nearly a level plain, broken by the irregular 

Crowleys Ridge, which extends northeastward from Arkansas to 

Commerce, Mo., on the Mississippi. This ridge is broader at the 

south and gradually narrows to the northeast, being finally broken 

into several isolated elevations, such as Ringer Hill, Cow Hill, Lost 

Hill, Birds Hill, and Benton Ridge, that stand up boldly in the 

midst of the general plain. It is a remnant of a former coastal
10 UNDEBGEOTJND WATEES OF MISSOTJEI.

plain and is being rapidly reduced by erosion. The slope is more 

gentle toward the east, with a rather abrupt escarpment in places 

on the west, facing the St. Francis Valley. Marbut a has shown 

how Crowleys Ridge was left by the change in the channel of Mississippi River, which formerly flowed between the Ozark highlands 

and this ridge and emptied into what was then Ohio River, near 

Helena, Ark. Later, after several changes in its course, the Mississippi was captured by the Ohio, and its present flood plain is the 

low region east of Crowleys Ridge. It should be remembered that 

the drainage of the Ozarks empties into this lowland and helps, with 

the drainage from Illinois on the north and from Kentucky and 

Tennessee on the east, to form a very remarkable artesian basin. 

The majority of the streams on the southern slopes of the Ozarks 

bend abruptly at right angles on entering the St. Francis basin. 

The flood plain of the Mississippi east of Crowleys Ridge is from 

100 to 150 feet lower than the present top of the ridge, and shows 

the amount of erosion that has taken place from the original level of 

the coastal plain, which was undoubtedly considerably higher than 

the present altitude of the ridge. The sections given across this 

district (p. 35) show the striking manner in which Crowleys Ridge 

rises from the dead level of the lowlands, like an island in the sea. 

With the exception of a low dome about New Madrid, elevated from 

20 to 30 feet, the general level is unbroken, save by low ridges alternating with narrow, tortuous lakes, rivers, and swamps running in 

more or less irregular parallel lines between Crowleys Ridge and 

Mississippi River. Toward the south of the lowland district there 

is a general gentle slope away from the Mississippi to the southwest.

LINCOLN RIDGE DISTRICT.

Lincoln Ridge is an anticlinal axis entering Missouri in Lincoln 

County from Calhoun County in Illinois. This anticline has been 

called the Cap au Ores fault. Its main axis has a general northerly 

course, diverging slightly to the west. It may be traced in an irregular line through Lincoln, Pike, Rails, and a part of Marion counties. 

The uplift has given rise to a characteristic, topography throughout 

this region. The eastern side, toward the Mississippi, is more or less 

abrupt, being seamed and scored by deep, narrow valleys alternating 

with rounded and in many cases conical hills. The different geologic 

formations, from their varying texture, illustrate the changing degrees 

of erosion, the shales giving gentle slopes, while the harder limestones 

and sandstones form steep terraces and declivities. The surfaces of 

these hills, which stand up several hundred feet above the river, 

rapidly merge into a prairie plateau toward the west. The drainage

a The evolution ol the northern part ol the lowlands of southeastern Missouri: Univ. Missouri Studies, 

vol. 1, No. 3, 1902.
ROCK FORMATIONS. 11

on the east is directly into the Mississippi. On the west, south of Salt 

River, it runs into streams that are more or less parallel with the uplift 

and, turning abruptly to the east just south of the anticline, enters the 

Mississippi.

Topographically, Missouri presents a considerable diversity, in striking contrast to those States which lie to the northeast, north, and west. 

The broad prairies of Illinois and Iowa and the plains of Nebraska 

meet in the northern half of this State. In the Ozark plateau and 

border is some of the most picturesque scenery to be found in the Mississippi basin, scenery that combines the most striking features of 

the mountainous regions of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. In 

the southeastern lowlands are anticipated the broad coastal plains of 

the Southern States.

GEOLOGY.

ROCK FORMATIONS. 

GENERAL STATEMENT.

The diversified topography of this State and the combination of 

features characteristic of surrounding States indicate a wide range of 

geologic horizons. In southeastern Missouri the oldest and the most 

recent formations are seen almost side by side.

The St. Francis Mountains were in the earliest Paleozoic period, the 

Cambrian, an archipelago of islands far distant from any other land 

of that primitive time. They formed a nucleus for the development 

of this portion of the continent.

The rocks of the State may be divided into the two groups, crystalline and sedimentary. The nomenclature of Missouri geologic formations has been heretofore in a very unsettled condition. Although 

this was one of the first States in the interior to establish a geological 

survey, later and more complete surveys have been made in surrounding States, with the result that many of the names first given to Missouri formations have had to be abandoned, for the reason that they 

were largely based on lithologic characters a method of nomenclature no longer permissible. It is the intention in this report to give 

a brief resume of the different formations of the State, emphasizing 

those which have an important relation to the water resources of the 

region under discussion.

Three of the five great eras of geologic history are represented in 

Missouri, viz, the Archean, Paleozoic, and Cenozoic; and while the 

rocks of the Mesozoic do not outcrop in the State, they are represented in deep-well sections in the southeast corner. The following 

table gives a list of the geologic formations, as complete as it is possible to make it at the present day. The writer is indebted to Dr. 

E. O. Ulrich for the synonymy of the Cambrian, Ordovician, Devonian, 

and Mississippian.
12 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI. 

Geologic formations of Missouri.

System.

Carboniferous. .....

Cambro-O rdo vician.

Series.

| Pliocene ....... ......

[Eocene. ..............

Group.

Osage

Kinderhook.. ........

Formation.

Loess.

Till. 

Columbia clay. 

Lafayette gravel.

f Lagrange formation.

ICherokee shale. 

iGraydou sandstone. 

(Birdsville formation.

Cypress sandstone. 

Ste. Genevieve limestone. 

St. Louis limestone.

Warsaw formation. 

(Keokuk limestone.

(Burlington limestone. 

{Choute.au limestone. 

Hannibal formation. 

Louisiana limestone. 

[Chattanooga shale.

(Clear Creek chert. 

(Bailey limestone.

I

Girardeau limestone. 

Maquoketa shale.

Kimmswick limestone. 

Plattin limestone.

f Jefferson City lim.estone.

[Gasconade limestone.

fBonneterre limestone.

J Iron Mountain porphyry.

1 Knob Lick granite.

ARCHEAN.

The Archean rocks are confined entirely to the St. Francis Mountains in the southeastern part of the State. They consist of granites 

and porphyries, mainly the latter. About 700 or 800 feet of these 

rocks are exposed. They are the oldest in the Mississippi Valley, as 

well as in Missouri. Around this early land area are grouped in concentric bands the later geologic formations. The porphyries are 

usually found near the surface and the granites underneath, the two 

gradually merging into each other, indicating that they were probably 

formed from the same magma, their differences being largely due to 

the variation in the physical conditions under which they were 

formed.

These rocks outcrop in Madison, St. Francois, Iron, Washington, 

Wayne, Reynolds, Shannon, Carter, Ste. Genevieve, Butler, and 

Crawford counties. Keyes a classifies these crystalline rocks into

a Keyes, C. R., Report on Mine la Motte sheet; Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 9, 1896, p. 19.
AKCHEAN BOCKS. 13

the Iron Mountain porphyry-, 300 feet thick, and the Knob Lick 

granite, 400 feet thick.

Knob Lick granite. This granite has its maximum development 

around Knob Lick, in St. Francois County. It is usually reddish in 

color, is composed mainly of quartz and feldspar, and is as a rule 

rather coarse grained. Biotite mica and hornblende are rarely 

present. It frequently weathers in characteristic rounded masses, 

well shown near the quarries at Arcadia.

Iron Mountain porphyry. This rock is usually found capping the 

granite, except where it has been removed by erosion. The porphyries are more abundant on the west and the granites on the east 

of the Archean district. Haworth 0 has very fully described these 

rocks. He divides the porphyries into two great classes the porphyries proper and the porphyrites. The first are made up of quartz 

and orthoclase, with microcline phenocrysts, the red variety having 

no phenocrysts. The second group includes those which have 

prominent phenocrysts composed of the varieties of triclinic feldspars, usually greenish in color, due to the minute dissemination of 

epidote crystals. As might be expected, springs are rare, and the 

water supply, as a rule, is poor in the granitic region.

Other igneous rocks. Numerous dikes of basic eruptives are found, 

mainly of diabase, in the St. Francois region. These dikes vary from 

less than 1 inch up to 50 or 100 feet in width, and are usually vertical, 

or nearly so.

In Camden County, just south of the middle of the State, is an 

exceptional dike or boss of pegmatite, made up mainly of microcline 

feldspar, with some albite or oligoclase and numberless small masses 

of quartz. From this dike the strata dip in every direction. This is 

the only outcropping of igneous rocks, so far as known, outside of 

the district already described. For a fuller description of this locality 

the reader is referred to the paper by the writer on '' The spring system of the Decaturville dome." b

CAMBRIAN.

The Cambrian rocks overlying the Archean are represented by the 

Bonneterre limestone, 500 feet thick, and the La Motte sandstone, 

300 feet thick.

La Motte sandstone. This sandstone, which usually surrounds the 

granite and porphyry outcrops, was first given the above name in the 

description of the mines at Mine la Motte. It probably has a total 

thickness, in the Archean area, of 200 to 300 feet. It is a soft, 

rather fine-grained, compact sandstone, cemented with calcareous

a. Haworth, Erasmus, The crystalline rocks of Missouri: Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 8, 1895. 

b Contributions to the hydrology of the eastern United States, 1904: Water-Sup, and Irr. Paper No. 

110, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1906, pp. 113-125.
14 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

and dolomitic material. It varies in color from white to yellow, 

brown,-deep red, and purple, being usually darker where it comes into 

contact with the granite. The base of this sandstone is in many places 

a coarse gravel or even a conglomerate of granite and prophyry pebbles. As a rule, this is a good water bearer, though the water 

frequently carries iron. It is probably the source of some of the 

chalybeate springs of the district.

Bonneterre limestone. The La Motte sandstone frequently merges, 

by degrees, into the Bonneterre dolomitic limestone, which includes 

the Fourth Magnesian limestone of Swallow, in part; the St. Joseph 

limestone, in part; the Fredericktown dolomite, in part, and the 

Decaturville limestone. The Bonneterre has a thickness of 300 to 

500 feet. The lower beds are usually a gray limestone, here and 

there siliceous and in some places shaly. The upper beds are a 

yellowish dolomite, merging upward into thin-bedded and shaly 

rocks. This formation is usually free from chert and is thus sharply 

distinguishable from the distinctly cherty Gasconade limestone, which 

overlies it when the shaly Elvins formation is absent. Fossils are 

rare. One brachiopod, Lingulella lantborm Meek, and a few other 

Upper Cambrian forms have been found in the lower part.

C AMBRO-ORDO VICI AN.

The following formations are, for the present, grouped as undifferentiated Cambro-Ordovician beds: Joachim limestone, up to 125 feet 

thick; St. Peter sandstone, up to 200 feet; Jefferson City limestone, 

100 to 250 feet; Roubidoux sandstone, 100 to 225 feet; Gasconade 

limestone, 450 to 650 feet; Elvins formation, up to 150 feet.

Elvins formation. This formation (the basal part of the Potosi 

limestone of Nason) outcrops around the Bonneterre limestone in the 

St. Francis Mountains district. It is prevailingly shaly, especially in 

its lower two-thirds. The basal part generally contains from one to 

five or six thin bands of limestone conglomerate the "edgewise 

beds" of Nason. Locally the upper 60 feet or more consists of 

massive to thin-bedded, more or less earthy, noncherty dolomite. 

The formation is often wanting even in the southeastern mining district, and in such cases the cherty Gasconade limestone rests on the 

Bonneterre. These beds were also identified by Dr. E. O. Ulrich in 

Camden County, around Pegmatite Hill, where they are overlain by 

a very coarse-grained, friable, reddish to yellow sandstone. The 

formation has a maximum thickness of 150 feet.

Gasconade limestone. This formation includes the Fourth Magnesian limestone, in part, and the Third sandstone of Swallow; the 

Osage limestone and the Cole Camp sandstone of Winslow; the Gunter sandstone and the Proctor limestone of Ball and Smith, and the 

Potosi limestone, in part, of Nason. It has a thickness of from 450
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 186 PL. [I

m

MATHERLY BLUFF, SAC RIVER, GREENE COUNTY. 

Jefferson City limestone capped by St. Peter sandstone.
CAMBRO-ORDOVICIAN EOCKS. 15

to 650 feet. It is made up of more or less heavy-bedded limestones, 

which in many places merge into dolomite, and may contain nodular, 

disseminated, or thin-bedded chert. Here and there are irregular 

lenses of sandstone, and the writer believes he has found throughout the State a well-defined and persistent bed of sandstone the 

Third sandstone of Swallow. The Gasconade limestone is widely 

distributed throughout the southeastern quarter of the State, around 

the Archeaii rocks. A long strip of it extends through Texas, 

Pulaski, Phelps, and Maries counties. Another strip extends northeastward through Dallas, Caniden, Morgan, and Miller counties, and 

narrow strips outcrop along some of the streams that run through 

Douglas and Ozark counties. This formation is an important water 

bearer, as is shown by the great springs that issue from its cavernous 

beds.

Eoubidouy sandstone. This formation includes the Second sandstone of Swallow, the Moreau sandstone of Winslow, and the Bolin 

Creek member of the St. Elizabeth formation of Ball and Smith. It 

is from 100 to 225 feet thick. The sandstone of this formation is 

made up of waterworn, well-rounded grains of quartz, and varies in 

color from white to yellow, reddish, or almost black, according to the 

amount of iron that it contains. Much of it exhibits false bedding, 

ripple marks, and sun cracks. It varies in thickness, but the writer 

has found it remarkably persistent and outcropping above the exposures of the Gasconade limestone. It is somewhat porous, though 

locally cemented with silica into a compact mass. It is a prominent 

water horizon in the counties mentioned in the preceding paragraph 

as containing the Gasconade limestone, and is the reservoir source of 

most of the large springs of the southeastern part of the State.

Jefferson City limestone. This formation, which is from 100 to 400 

feet thick, is equivalent to the Second Magnesian limestone of Swallow and the Winfield limestone of Keyes. It is a dolomitic limestone, 

usually more or less heavy bedded, rather soft when freshly broken, 

fine grained, compact, and grayish white. Locally, especially in its 

upper part, it is thin bedded. Most or all of the upper thin-bedded 

part is rather generally absent in Missouri, having been removed by 

erosion prior to the deposition of the Devonian and Carboniferous 

rocks which, especially in the southwestern part of the State, generally overlie this formation. The remaining lower beds are highly 

siliceous, and frequently, in weathering, exhibit jagged honeycombed 

peaks or block-like masses (PL II). They are also frequently pitted 

with geode-like cavities. When honeycombed by weathering they 

leave siliceous skeletons in strangely contorted forms, and many hillsides underlain by this formation are abundantly covered with chert. 

Here and there beds of thin sandstone are found near the middle of 

this formation. In. the mining districts it is not unusual to find
16 TJNDEBGBOUND WATEBS OF MTSSOUBI.

intercalated beds of thin variegated blue and white shale, called by 

the miners "the soapstone layer." It is very probable thai, both 

the chert and the siliceous beds are usually examples of replacement 

of limestone by percolating waters holding silica in solution.0

The Jefferson City limestone has a wide distribution throughout 

the Ozarks.6 It varies decidedly in thickness, probably reaching a 

maximum of nearly 400 feet in the Lebanon deep well, while 60 

miles to the south, in the Metropolitan deep well at Springfield, it 

seems to be but 90 feet thick. The porous beds of this formation 

are the source of some of the smaller springs of the Ozarks.

St. Peter sandstone? This formation is the equivalent of the First 

or Saccharoidal sandstone of Swallow, the Cap an Ore's sandstone of 

Keyes, the Pacific sandstone of Ball and Smith, the Crystal City 

sandstone of Winslow, and in part the Key sandstone of Adams. 

The Marshfield sandstone and the Bolivar sandstone of southwestern 

Missouri are commonly believed to represent the same formation, but 

Ulrich regards them as lenses within the Jefferson City limestone. 

Ulrich maintains further that the true St. Peter sandstone is rarely 

or never present when late Devonian or Carboniferous rocks are in 

contact with the Cambro-Ordoviciaii.

This formation is the most important water bearer in the States 

north of Missouri and one of the most important in this State. It 

has a thickness of 10 to 200 feet and is brought to the surface in 

Rails and Lincoln counties and in some of the counties north of 

Missouri River to a point nearly halfway across the State. It also 

outcrops in the counties just west of Mississippi River and south of 

St. Louis County. Its presence to the west and southwest of the 

Ozarks is doubted by some geologists, but, although it may not come 

to the surface, the writer believes that it occurs under cover all 

around the Ozark Island in Missouri. It is a rock that forms a 

prominent landmark in the correlation of the different horizons. It 

is made up of highly polished, rounded, waterworn grains of limpid 

to translucent quartz, rather loosely cemented together. While it is 

generally somewhat friable, it seems to possess to a high degree the 

power to resist the elements. Its durability is exhibited by the 

manner in which it stands out in ledges and forms benches and 

overhanging shelves in the bluffs along streams. It varies in color 

from white to a yellowish brown or red, the coloration being largely 

due to iron, which commonly forms part of the cementing material, 

but does not affect the grains.

This sandstone is remarkably persistent and covers a large area. 

The water yielded by it is usually pure and soft when i* has not

a See Shepard, E. M., Spring system of the Decaturville dome, Camden County, Mo.: Water-Sup, and 

Irr. Paper No. 110, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1905, p. 124.

6The Jefferson City and St. Peter formations cover smaller areas than those shown on the map. 

The St. Peter, in the western and southern areas shown, contains many bodies of younger sandstones.
ORDOVICIAN ROCKS. 17

percolated through the formation for long distances. Here and there 

minute particles of marcasite are found, which tend to impregnate 

the water with sulphur and iron.

Joachim limestone. This formation is the equivalent of the First 

Magnesian limestone of Swallow, the Folley limestone of Keyes, and 

probably of the Finley limestone of the writer. It varies greatly in 

thickness, ranging from a knife edge to 125 feet. Its distribution 

corresponds somewhat to that of the St. Peter sandstone. It is generally a thin, evenly bedded, fine-grained, compact dolomitic limestone, varying from white to yellowish in color; much of it is so soft 

and white as to be called "cotton rock." The upper beds are locally 

silico-magnesian in character and so uneven in texture that in weathering the softer portions are worn away, leaving an irregularly pitted 

surface.

ORDOVICIAN.

According to the prevailing definition of the Ordovician, this system should include the formations between the top of the Girardeau 

limestone and the base of the Jefferson City limestone, the latter 

being, as interpreted by Ulrich, equivalent to the Beekmantown or 

Calciferous rocks of New York. Indeed, according to Ulrich, the 

lower limit of the Ordovician might be extended downward to the 

base of the Gasonade without serious modification of the present 

conception of the Cambrian. However, for reasons that need not be 

stated here, it has seemed wise to the writer to place in the Ordovician 

only those formations about which there can be no doubt, and to refer 

the underlying rocks down to the top of the Bonneterre limestone, 

provisionally to a " Cambro-Ordovician" system. The Ordovician, 

then, includes the following: Girardeau limestone, up to 50 feet thick; 

Maquoketa shale, up to 40 feet; Polk Bayou limestone, 1 to 3 feet; 

Kimmswick limestone, 40 to 90 feet; Plattin limestone, 100 to 200 

feet. These Ordovician rocks are almost wholly confined to the eastern part of the State, south of Hannibal; except the Maquoketa shale 

and Kimmswick limestone, they are rarely found in well sections to 

the northwest and southwest. They are of little importance as water 

carriers and have so limited a distribution that it will be unnecessary, 

so far as the purpose of this report is concerned, to give them further 

attention.

SILURIAN.

The Silurian rocks, like the Ordovician, have a somewhat limited 

range throughout the State. They are confined mainly to the few 

counties south of St. Louis, but extend westward for a short distance 

along Missouri River. In only a few cases, near the areas of outcrop,
18 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

has it been possible to.recognize them in well sections. They consist 

of the Bailey limestone, 70 to 150 feet thick, and the Bainbridge 

limestone, up to 125 feet.

For the same reasons as those given in connection with the Ordoviciaii, it will not be necessary to consider the Silurian rocks further.

DEVONIAN.

The Devonian rocks form a very narrow penumbral margin around 

the Ozark Island. Except in the counties south of St. Louis and 

along Missouri'River, the beds are very thin, irregularly distributed, 

and of little or no importance from the standpoint of water supply. 

The different formations are the Chattanooga or Ohio shale, up to 30 

feet thick; Oallaway limestone, up to 50 feet; Clear Creek chert, up 

to 150 feet.

The Callaway limestone north of St. Louis is in part the equivalent 

of the Chattanooga shale, and south of St. Louis of the upper part of 

the Grand Tower limestone.

CARBONIFEROUS. 

MISSISSIPPIAN.

The Mississippian series of the Carboniferous bears a most important relation to the water resources of Missouri. It forms a broad 

belt running in an irregular diagonal across the State from southwest 

to northeast and a very narrow strip southward from the mouth 

of Missouri River along the banks of the Mississippi to Cape Girardeau 

County. The following formations are comprised in the Mississippian: 

Birdsville formation, up to 300 feet thick; Tribune limestone, 100-150 

feet; Cypress sandstone, 50-100 feet; Ste. Genevieve^ limestone, 

150-150 feet; St. Louis limestone, 300 feet; Spergen limestone, 100 

feet; Warsaw formation, up to 50 feet; Keokuk limestone, 200 feet; 

Burlington limestone, 300 feet; Chouteaulimestone, 70 feet; Hannibal 

formation, 30-100 feet; Louisiana limestone and equivalent formations, up to 100 feet.

Louisiana, limestone. This is the equivalent of the Lithographic 

limestone of Swallow, who named it for its supposed lithographic qualities, which, however, were never realized in this State. So far as the 

writer has observed, it reaches its maximum thickness, 100 feet, at 

Louisiana and the best exposures are found along Mississippi River 

between Louisiana and Hannibal. In this region it is a fine-grained, 

compact, thin-bedded, dolomitic limestone, usually ash colored. It is 

generally underlain by a sandy shale, which is more or less fossiliferous. It thins out and becomes coarse grained elsewhere in the State. 

In the counties west of Pike it is much thinner, is coarser grained, and 

has a slightly bluish tinge. It has been recognized in Cedar and St.
CARBONIFEROUS ROCKS. 19

Clair counties, and Swallow found 30 feet of it in Jasper County. In 

Greene and Webster counties the Hannibal formation is underlain by 

four thin but lithologically distinguishable beds that are regarded by 

Ulrich as representing the Louisiana limestone. The uppermost of 

these beds has long been correlated with that limestone by the writer. 

It is widely distributed in the southwestern part of the State, ranges 

from 8 to 22 feet in thickness, and is so compact in texture as to ring 

like bell metal when struck. The other beds are much more local in 

their distribution. They were described by the writer, who called 

them Phelps sandstone, King limestone, and Sac limestone of the 

Hamilton stage (Devonian). Few fossils are found in these beds, 

though the weathered surfaces expose depauperate forms of crinoid 

stems.

Hannibal formation. This is the equivalent of the Vermicular sandstones and shales of Swallow. It is from 30 to 150 feet thick. In the 

type locality, in Marion County, this formation consists of beds of 

bluish to greenish argillaceous shale, frequently calcareous or dolomitic, with impure layers of limestone or dolomite. The rocks vary 

greatly in composition, containing a number of mineral salts which 

tend to impregnate the water. Many of the strongest mineral waters 

have their source in this formation. It is somewhat widely distributed 

throughout the State, becoming more calcareous to the west of Marion 

County and represented by several distinct rocks in the southwest and 

south. For example, in Greene, Polk, Lawrence, and Webster counties it consists in many places of three members. In northern Greene 

and Polk counties is found a heavy deposit of fine-grained buff sandstone, penetrated everywhere by worm-like borings that are filled 

with less indurated matter. This sandstone is fairly durable, and in 

weathering usually forms benches or terraces. It graduates through 

beds that become less and less arenaceous into compact silico-magnesian shales. These shales are usually grayish to blue, but locally 

greenish. In many places they are shattered and the veins are filled 

with a white, soft substance, like kaolin. The shales and sandstones 

locally exhibit cauda-galli markings and, near their contact, nodular 

elliptical masses of impure iron pyrites are found. On the south side 

of the Ozark dome, the watershed that extends through Greene County, 

the sandstone gradually disappears and the shale predominates. Farther south, in adjoining counties, the shale merges into an impure 

limestone. It is uncertain whether these rocks occur in southeastern 

Missouri. Some variegated clay shales below the Burlington limestone in Ste. Genevieve County have been doubtfully assigned to this 

formation.

A more extended account of this horizon has been given than its 

distribution would justify, because it is one of the most important in 

its relation to underground waters. It contains a large proportion of
20 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

impurities and is the source of some of the strongest mineral waters 

of the State.

CJi'Oiiteau limestone. This peculiar buff to dark-yellow rock 

received its name from Cliouteau Springs, in Cooper County, being 

first described by Swallow. In color and texture the rock throughout 

the State varies greatly from that at the type locality, where it is 

ashy gray in appearance and of the nature of a shaly limestone. In 

Marion and Pike counties it is from 10 to 15 feet thick, buff colored, 

and somewhat arenaceous. In Pettis County it reaches a thickness 

of 100 feet. In Webster County it is about 40 feet thick. In the 

southwest it is usually heavy bedded, hard, and compact, and in 

many places very arenaceous. The beds generally contain small, 

geode-like cavities lined with minute calcite crystals. Here and 

there crystals of pyrites are disseminated through the rock, and some 

chert is also found in the southwest. The rock indurates on exposure, and this fact, together with its striking color, causes it to form 

a noticeable topographic feature. The Chouteau is usually too compact to be counted as a water carrier, yet in places springs of somewhat mineralized water rise from fissures in it. As a rule the Chouteau forms a more or.less impervious bed beneath the Burlington 

limestone.

Burlington limestone. This formation is usually a coarse-grained, 

highly crystalline, and very pure limestone. It varies considerably 

in thickness and in other characteristics in different parts of the State. 

It has a rather wide distribution in the counties bordering the Mississippi on the west, extending, in an irregular diagonal to the southwest 

corner of the State, where it covers a broad area. In the southwest 

it has two distinct parts the upper and the lower. Here the upper 

bed is usually from 200 to 300 feet thick and similar in fauna and 

structure to the beds in the northern part of the State, while the lower 

bed, which is much less persistent, varies from 20 to 60 feet in thickness and consists of a very dense, hard, and impure rock that has a 

bluish slate color and breaks with a conchoidal fracture. The fossils 

of the lower bed are much smaller than those of the upper, the crinoids 

in particular being of the more delicate varieties, in strong contrast 

with the large robust forms of the upper bed.

Between these two Burlington beds is a transition layer of chert, 

varying from 5 to 40 feet in thickness. This chert is usually seamed, 

shattered, and irregularly bedded, very hard, compact, and white. 

The intercalated chert of the upper part of the Burlington is very soft, 

impure, and fossiliferous, of reddish shades of color, and usually disposed in lens-shaped masses. Where the lower bed of the Burlington 

is present, the intervening shattered chert is the source of many large, 

fine springs, the water having been derived from the upper bed, which 

is one of the great water earners of the State. It is very probable that
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 195 PL. Ill

A. BLUFF OF BURLINGTON LIMESTONE NEAR JUNCTION OF SHOAL RIVER AND 

CAPS CREEK.

S. CHARACTERISTIC WEATHERING OF GRAYDON SANDSTONE AT EUDORA SPRINGS,

POLK COUNTY.
CARBONIFEROUS ROCKS. 21

this transition chert has been formed by replacement of the original 

limestone through the action of the large quantities of siliceous waters 

that are constantly passing through the upper bed of this formation.

Topographically, the upper part of the Burlington is marked everywhere by the presence of large sink holes, and it forms the largest and 

most important basin and reservoir for collecting water in the State. 

As the limestone is very pure and porous and the intercalated chert 

impure and soft, percolating waters dissolve out large quantities of 

lime and silica from the chert and, encountering the impervious lower 

Burlington or Chouteau below, issue in the valleys as great springs.

This formation is honeycombed with great caves in which flow 

underground streams. It also forms striking topographic features in 

the mural and castellated bluffs along the great rivers in the region 

where it outcrops. (See PL III, A.)

Keokuk limestone. This limestone, which is largely distributed over 

Illinois, is represented in Missouri mainly in the northeastern part. 

It is about 200 feet thick and made up of rather compact layers of 

bluish limestone at the base of the formation, varying with shaly 

masses intercalated with thinner beds of limestone above. Its presence south of Missouri River is disputed. The fauna of the Burlington 

and overlying beds in the southwest seems to be a mixture of Keokuk 

and Burlington types, so much so that other names, such as Cherokee 

and Encrinital have been proposed for these transition beds. It is 

probable that most of the upper Mississippian is absent in the southwestern part of the State, the Pennsylvanian deposits, resting unconformably upon the Burlington at various points in that region. The 

Keokuk is not a prominent water carrier in Missouri.

Warsaw formation. This formation, confined mainly to the northeastern part of the State, is problematic in its relations. It is described by Hall ° as being made up, near Keokuk, of magnesian limestone of variable thickness, which is in places absent, overlain by 

argillaceous limestone with shaly partings, followed by coarse calcareous yellow sandstone in thick heavy beds. Some authors include 

it with the Keokuk and others with the St. Louis. Ulrich regards it 

as a distinct formation overlying the Keokuk and forming the basal 

division of his Meramec group. (See table of formations, p. 12.) The 

Warsaw is of very little importance as a water bearer in Missouri.

Spergen limestone. This formation is confined in Missouri to the 

counties bordei ing the Mississippi below the mouth of Missouri River. 

Here, as in the States to the east and southeast, it consists chiefly of 

massive oolitic limestone, parts of which afford a handsome building 

material. In St. Louis County its thickness is about 100 feet, but in 

Ste. Genevieve and Perry counties it seems to be not less than 200 feet.

"Hall, James, Geology of Iowa, vol. 1, 1858, p. 101.
22 UNDEEGEOUND WATEES OF MISSOURI.

So far as known the Spergen limestone has no special connection with 

the water problems of the State.

St. Louis limestone. This formation is well developed along the 

Mississippi from Iowa to Cape Girardeau County. Keyes describes it 

as being more or less brecciated to the north of St. Louis County, 

while south of Missouri River it is an evenly bedded, cherty gray limestone. It reaches a considerable thickness, the maximum development within the State being nearly 300 feet. While more largely 

developed than some other formations, it is not an important water 

bearer.

Chester group. The formations belonging to the Chester group 

have so small a distribution in Missouri that they will not be considered separately in this report except to state that good water is 

usually obtained from the Cypress sandstone and the Ste. Genevieve 

limestone. The group consists of the Birdsville formation, up to 300 

feet thick; Tribune limestone, 100-150 feet; Cypress sandstone, 

50-100 feet; and Ste. Genevieve limestone, 100-150 feet.

PENNSYLVANIA!*.

The Pennsylvanian series of the Carboniferous is divided into two 

groups the Des Moines and the Missouri.

DES MOINES GROUP.

One of the most important sources of water supply is in the basal 

formations of the Des Moines, which is represented by the Pleasanton 

shale, up to 200 feet thick; Henrietta limestone, up to 100 feet; 

Cherokee shale, up to 300 feet; and Graydon sandstone, up to 75 feet.

Graydon sandstone. This formation consists of several members, 

the most prominent of which is a coarse-grained, friable, usually 

micaceous, ferruginous sandstone, with scattering intercalated 

patches or beds of highly inclined shales, from blue to greenish black 

in color and in many places mixed with thin seams of carbonaceous 

matter. Its thickness ranges from a feather edge to 75 feet. The 

sandstone locally merges into a fine to coarse cemented gravel, and 

finally into a coarse, polished bowlder conglomerate. This formation 

seems to fill old erosion channels or basins and is almost invariably 

tilted and unconformable to the beds upon which it rests. It probably marks the beginning of the submergence which resulted in the 

deposition of the Pennsylvanian rocks. It apparently skirts the 

Ozark Island and has been traced from Fulton, Callaway County, 

where it is finely exhibited in a bluff on the outskirts of the town, down 

to southern Missouri. Its best development is perhaps in Cedar, 

Polk, Dade, Lawrence, Greene, and Christian counties. Ball and 

Smith a have described a number of interesting outcroppings in Miller

« Ball, S. H., and Smith, C. P., Geology of Miller County: Kept. Missouri Bureau Geology and Mines, 

2d ser., vol. 1, 1903, p. 95.
CARBONIFEROUS ROCKS. . 23

Cqmity, some distance from the borders of the coal field, where it is 

most commonly exhibited. (See PI. Ill, B.}

This sandstone is an important water bearer, many of the most 

valuable chalybeate springs of the State having their origin in it. A 

number of so-called sulphur springs come from this formation, but 

owe their apparent sulphurous odor to minute traces of petroleum 

derived from the intercalated carbonaceous shales.

CJierokee shale. The Cherokee shale is a very important formation 

in Missouri, being the source of practically all the workable coal, gas, 

and oil. From it also are obtained most of the brines and sulphosaline waters. The formation was named by Ha worth from Cherokee 

County, Kans., where it is particularly well developed. It is made up 

largely of sandstones and shales, the shale members being perhaps the 

more persistent. The sandstone is usually more abundant at the 

base of the formation. Besides numerous coal seams a few thin beds 

of limestone occur. These are usually restricted in area and are in 

many places fossiliferous and carbonaceous. Some of the most interesting problems connected with the water supply of the State arise 

from the study of this formation.

The Cherokee shale is distributed in an irregular diagonal strip, 

forming an outside border to the ississippian rocks from the southwestern part of the State through to the northeast corner. These 

rocks dip strongly to the northwest at th- rate of from 10 to 20 feet to 

the mile, and their thickness varies considerably, being in some places 

300 feet.

Henrietta limestone. The Henrietta limestone is a composite formation somewhat like the Cherokee shale and is made up of arenaceous 

shales and thin beds of sandstone and limestone. In places it is 100 

feet thick. The name was given by Marbut to the associated beds 

with the limestone members, which, though thinner than the shales 

and sandstones, form escarpments that run through the State, making 

pronounced topographic features.

The limestone members are essentially the extension of the Pawnee 

and Fort Scott limestones of the Kansas Survey. The formation may 

be traced from Bates County, on the Kansas line, to Missouri River in 

Lafayette County and for some distance north of the river. It is not 

an important water bearer, there being no springs of any size along its 

course; but a small supply of water is obtained by sinking wells to the 

limestone beds.

Pleasanton shale. This is the equivalent of Marbut's Marais des 

Cygnes shale. The formation is made up of argillaceous and arenaceous shales, some sandstones, and several small veins of coal. It 

forms a belt 15 or 20 miles wide, extending from Bates County, on the 

Kansas line, to Lafayette County, where it crosses the river and 

passes on northward through the State. Springs are rare in this 

IBB 195 07 3
24 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

formation. Wells sunk to the sandstone or limestone beds usually 

give a fair amount of water.

MISSOURI GROUP.

The Missouri, the uppermost group of the Carboniferous rocks, is 

usually made up of heavy alternating beds cf shales, limestones, and 

sandstones, the shales largely predominating. No good supplies of 

water are found in the 1,000 feet of this formation, that obtained 

being usually saline and in many cases strongly impregnated with 

other mineral salts.

The beds of the Missouri group are confined to the northwest 

quarter of the State. The lowest forms an escarpment extending 

from southern Cass County northward through Mercer County into 

Iowa.

CRETACEOUS.

While the Cretaceous rocks nowhere outcrop within the limits of 

the State, they undoubtedly extended up the Mississippi embayment 

a short distance into Missouri and were subsequently covered by 

Tertiary deposits. A number of deep wells in the embayment area 

of Missouri and the adjoining portions of Tennessee and Kentucky 

penetrate, at varying depths, loose sand and clay which, from their 

situation and structural characters, are probably the equivalent of 

the Ripley sand. These sand beds are usually noiifossiliferous, but 

in many places contain fragmentary particles of lignite. They vary 

in color from white to black, but are more commonly red or yellow, 

owing to the presence of iron. They are from 25 to 50 feet thick in 

well sections at Cairo, 111., and 224 feet thick in the well at Morehouse, where they are reached at a depth of 466 feet. In the Campbell artesian well, at a depth of 940 feet, a very fine black sand with a 

large percentage of mica in small pieces was struck. The boring 

penetrated 20 feet of this material and stopped at a depth of 960 feet. 

The Ripley sand is a water bearer and has a thickness of 400 feet in 

southern Tennessee.

TERTIARY.

The Tertiary rocks outcrop in the extreme southeast corner of the 

State, where they fill the eld valley <..f Mississippi River.

Porters Creek formation. Lying above the Ripley sand of the 

Cretaceous, as already described, is the Porters Creek formation 

probably of Eocene age, This consists of a loose, green sand or clay 

at the base, with scattered beds from 1 to 4 feet thick of indurated calcareous green sand 6r impure limestone, and a few layers 

of fine micaceous sandstone. The clay is usually dark when wet
TERTIARY AND QUATERNARY ROCKS. 25

and a light gray when dry. Safford gives its thickness as from 

200 to 300 feet in Tennessee. Glenn states that it is not there a 

bearer of good water. It forms, however, an impervious layer over 

the waters of the Ripley sand. It has been identified in Missouri 

wells at but one point. It was reached in the Morehouse well at a 

depth of 248 feet, where is consisted of 197 feet of bluish gumbo.

Lagrange formation. Overlying the Porters Creek formation is the 

Lagrange formation. This consists of great masses of loose sand 

intercalated with beds or lenses of blue clay. It varies greatly in 

thickness, being 963 feet at Memphis, Tenn.; 785 at Campbell; 740 

at Hickman, Ky.; 542 at Caruthersville, and over 200 feet at Morehouse. The only fossils found are imperfect leaf impressions. Those 

in,the lower beds are believed to be Eocene, while those in the upper 

are probably Pliocene. Authorities are, however, inclined to consider this as one formation. It includes the Lagrange and Bluff of 

Safford. It is the great water reservoir for the artesian and deep 

wells of this district.

Lafayette gravel. Above the Lagrange rests the thin bed of the 

Lafayette. This varies from 10 to 60 feet in thickness. Along the 

bluffs of the larger streams a basal deposit of cemented gravel is 

found. This conglomerate is made up of rounded, waterworn, and 

polished chert pebbles which are apparently glazed with a yellow 

iron stain. Percolating waters charged with iron have cemented 

these pebbles near the rivers into a hard ferruginous conglomerate. 

Small chalybeate springs are not uncommon along this deposit. 

Away from the larger streams the gravel is less abundant, not 

cemented, and gradually merges into an orange-colored sand and 

irregular deposits of clay. This is the equivalent of Saffords Bluff 

gravel and, in part, of his Orange sand.

QUATERNARY.

Columbia clay. LTpon the Lafayette gravel rests the Columbia, at 

the base of which, along the bluffs, is usually found from 10 to 15 feet 

of sand and gravel. Above this deposit is from 20 to 60 feet of loess, 

which is in turn overlain by a varying amount of loam. Crowleys 

Ridge and its continuation, Benton Ridge, show fine sections of the 

Columbia and Lafayette.

Alluvium, etc. Irregularly distributed over the flood plain of the 

Mississippi are later deposits than the Columbia the Recent alluvium, which overlies the Columbia clay, and large patches of sand, 

of varying thickness, which has all the structural and microscopical 

characteristics of the Lagrange formation, and has probably been 

thrown up through the fissures caused by the New Madrid earthquake.
26 UNDEKGKOUND WATEKS OP MISSOUKI.

GEOLOGIC HISTORY.

Before closing this section, a brief outline of the geologic history 

of the State should be given, as that history is of considerable importance in its bearing on the location of artesian areas, the varying 

chemical composition of the waters, and a more complete understanding of the many and varied topographic and geologic features. 

While it is not possible, in all cases, to give the correct sequence of 

events, and while some conclusions may be modified by wider study 

of this region, it seems desirable to present an outline that is sustained by the facts now available. Winslow, Broadhead, and Buckley have each given such a history in brief, and they have been 

freely consulted in the preparation of this sketch.

ARCHEAN.

During Archean time a large part of Missouri and extensive portions of the continent to the north and south of this State were dry 

land. It is impossible, at present, to outline the extent of this area. 

The erosion must have been great and the time long, to have sufficed 

for the accumulations of the succeeding age. The few isolated peaks 

in the St. Francis Mountains are all that is left to-day of this original 

land area in Missouri. It is doubtful if there are any Algonkian rocks 

in this State. A general submergence of a large part of the area 

brought in the Cambrian.

CAMBRIAN AND CAMBRO-ORDOVICIAN.

These ages are represented by coarse sandstones and conglomerates forming narrow fringes around the small islands now represented 

by the Archean outcrops in the St. Francis Mountains. These shore 

deposits were, at first, largely of fragmeiital origin, but in the quieter 

waters around the arcliipelago alternating deposits of limestones 

and sandstones, indicating periods of elevation and depression, with 

occasional erosion intervals, were laid down. It is probable that 

the nucleus of this varying land surface was an area around the St. 

Francis. Mountains. It is generally believed that at the close of the 

deposition of the Jefferson City limestone a large area was elevated 

and a somewhat extended erosion period began. This was followed 

by a submergence, during which the St. Peter sandstone was laid 

down. It is doubted, by many, whether this submergence extended 

over the whole of what now constitutes the Ozarks or not. At any 

rate, the St. Peter sandstone practically surrounds the Ozarks in 

Missouri; but whether it covered the larger portion and has been 

subsequently removed by erosion or whether it formed only an off-.
GEOLOGIC HISTORY.

shore deposit around Ozarkia ° is a question that, with the data now 

obtainable, can not yet be decided. A considerable elevation took 

place just preceding the Ordovician period.

OEDOVICIAN.

There is also a doubt as to the former extension of the "Trenton'' 

and other typical Ordovician rocks in the Ozarks. Like the St. Peter 

sandstone, they may have been deposited over a much larger area, 

from which they were removed by subsequent erosion, or their limits 

may always have been, practically, what they are to-day. The 

determination by Ulrich of a small patch of cherty Maquoketa 

shale in Camden County, far in the interior of the Ozarks, would indicate a wider distribution of at least the latest of the Ordovician 

formations than has heretofore been supposed. There is strong 

evidence *that south of Missouri River there was a very large land 

area during the most of Ordovician time. Small deposits of this 

age are found east of the St. Francis Mountains and along Mississippi 

River northward toward Iowa. They also extend, to a limited 

degree, along an embayment now occupied by Missouri River.

SILURIAN AND DEVONIAN.

With slight modifications, the conditions prevailing during the 

Ordovician continued through the whole of Silurian and the greater 

part of Devonian time. Toward the close of the Devonian a gradual 

embaymeut of Ozarkia set in that culminated in the early part of the 

Carboniferous. Silurian deposits occur only- along the Mississippi 

in Perry and Cape Girardeau counties. Devonian sediments are 

also but sparingly represented in the State. Thin beds of Devonian 

limestone and shale are found north of St. Louis, and along Missouri 

River, while local deposits of the blue Chattanooga shale have been 

noted on the southwestern flanks of the Ozark uplift.

CARBONIFEROUS.

The close of the Devonian was marked by a considerable depression 

west of the Mississippi in the northern part of the State and along the 

slopes of the Ozarks to the west. The ocean invaded the Ozarks, 

forming a considerable embayment in what is now Green County, 

penetrating the western slopes so as to form many patches lying 

unconformably on the Cambro-Ordovician. This subsidence was

a The term "Ozarkia'' is a convenient name proposed by Ulrich (Prof. Paper, U. S. Geol. Survey 

No. 24, 1904. p. Ill) for the ancient land mass that at various times during the Paleozoic era formed a 

large island or groups of small islands in the area of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas now 

exposing the Cambrian and Cambro-Ordovician rocks. In a measure, the term is an alternative for 

" Ozark uplift," " Ozark dome, "or " Ozark Island."
28 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

rapid at first, during which time deposits of coarse material, such 

as the "Phelps" and Hannibal sandstones and shales and the impure 

Chouteau limestones, were laid down. The depauperate forms of the 

Hannibal and Chouteau fossils indicate rather impure water, possibly brackish in places. This condition was followed by steady 

depression and by deeper and purer waters and the deposition, successively, of the Burlington and Keokuk in the southwest, west, and 

northwest; to the east and northeast these were followed, in turn, 

by the Warsaw, Spergen, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, and other limestones of the Mississippian. Most of these heavy beds of limestone 

are rich with fossil forms. From the fact that small patches of the 

Burlington, together with its chert, are found scattered as far east as 

Texas and Howell counties, it is probable that the Springfield embayment reached these points. The greater part of the Ozarks has 

remained above water since Burlington time.

Toward the close of the Mississippian the great ocean floor to the 

west was slowly elevated, becoming a nearly level area, covered with 

marshes and estuaries. This movement was apparently accompanied by a slight depression in the region now included in Miller 

and Morgan counties, which permitted the formation of the coal 

pockets now found lying uncomformably in erosion basins on the 

Cambro-Ordovician rocks. Along this low-lying land, in old basins 

and estuaries, conditions were favorable for the development of 

great swamps in which were accumulated the extensive deposits 

of coal characteristic of the Pennsylvaiiian period. It was during 

this depression that some of the great rivers which drained the 

Ozarks were filled up by sands and gravels. Where the rivers 

emptied into estuaries, large deposits of conglomerates are found, as 

is well illustrated by the ancient Schoolcraft River, which extended 

from Arkansas through Stone, Christian, Greene, and Polk counties, and in which the Graydon sandstone and conglomerate were 

laid down. That the extent of the Pennsylvanian rocks was greater 

than at present is shown by the number ot outliers in the form of 

coal pockets scattered over the adjoining counties and resting unconformably upon other terranes.

This period, while one of gentle oscillations, was yet, on the whole, 

one of steady depression, being characterized by the deposition of 

thick alternating beds of limestones, shales, and sandstones.

The close of the Paleozoic, which was brought about in the East 

by the Appalachian revolution, was manifested in Missouri by a 

bulging up of the Ozarks, a great dome, or quaquaversal fold, being 

thereby formed.

MESOZOIC.

With the exception of the small deposit of Ripley sands in the 

Mississippi embayment, reached by deep drilled wells, the Mesozoic,
GEOLOGIC HISTORY. 29

which followed the Carboniferous, has no representative in this 

State. It was probably a period of erosion and land sculpturing. .

TERTIARY.

During the early Tertiary the Lafayette (Winoka) gravel, which is 

represented in scattered patches high up above the present river 

courses, was deposited. These gravels mark the outline of early Tertiary drainage systems. The elevation of the great Mesozoic deposits 

west and southwest of Missouri extended into this State, changing the 

direction of the drainage systems and developing, probably for the 

first time, Missouri River, the source of which seems to have been not 

far beyond the northern boundary of the State.

QUATERNARY.

During Pleistocene time the northern part of the State, approximately bounded by Missouri River, was covered with the drift of the 

Pleistocene, which, in some places, reached a thickness of nearly 

300 feet. The general southward movement of the ice sheet greatly 

modified the surface of this part of the State, eroding large areas and 

filling up old channels. Since Pleistocene time this area has been 

subjected to the erosive action of the elements. Deep valleys have 

been formed and the more porous rocks have been honeycombed by 

numerous channels, forming underground streams and the outlets of 

the great springs which characterize this State.

DESCRIPTIONS OF GEOLOGIC SECTIONS. 

SECTION FROM GLEN WOOD, IOWA, TO BRUNSWICK, MO.

Well sections in the northwestern part of the State show a deep 

depression or trough extending in a southwesterly direction from 

Iowa through Missouri and into Kansas. Section 1 (PI. IV) is taken 

approximately at right angles to this depression in order to show the 

development of the trough. Norton a gives the following record of 

the well at Glenwood, Iowa, 2,000 feet deep:

Summary of log of well at Glenwood, Iowa.

Devonian (?)......................_............_. . . . .................

Thickness.

Feet. 

175

670

390

230

135

400

Depth.

Feet. 

175

845

1,235

1,465

1,600

2,000

2,000

a Norton, W. H., Artesian wells of Iowa: Geol. Survey Iowa, vol. 6, 1897, p. 347.
30 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Well No. 1 of the Nodaway Valley Oil, Gas and Mineral Company, 

at Burlington Junction, Nodaway County, 1,903 feet deep, has the 

following record:

Summary of log of well at Burlington Junction.

Thickness. Depth.

Pleistocene .......................... ......... . ... ............... . . ...

Des Moines. .................... . ..... .............

Feet. 

68?

910

722

186

Feet. 

68?

978

1,700

1,886

This well was sunk for oil.

A diamond-drillwell, sunk to a depth of 500 feet at Gentryville, 

Gentry County, struck a bed of coal 26 inches thick at a depth of 477 

feet. At the farm of G. H. Lawson, near Utica,0 Livingston County, 

a well was sunk to a depth of 421 feet, at which point Mississippian 

limestone was struck. In a well on the farm of John R. Williams, 

south of Dawn, in the same county, the Mississippian was reached at 

433 feet.

At Chillicothe, just north of the two points last named and in the 

same county, the following section was obtained; probably the same 

rocks might also be found at Utica and Dawn:

Summary of log of well at ChillicotJie.

Thickness.

Feet. 

56

425

509

Depth.

Feet. 

56

481

990

There is, probably, 100 feet of St. Peter sandstone at the bottom of 

this well.

The well at the creamery near Hale, Carroll County, passed through 

290 feet of Des Moines and 40 feet of Mississippian, giving a depth of 

330 feet.

At the C. W. Nuss well, at Tina, Carroll County, the following section was obtained:

Summon/ of log of veil at Tina.

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

345

2904-

Depth.

Feet. 

40

385

675

a Data in regard to the wells at Ut'ca, Dawn, Hale, and T.na were obtained through the courtesy ol 

Mr. R. Hawkins, of Chillicothe, to whom the writer is indebted for a large amount of information cons 

cerning the wells of the northern part of the State.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 195 PL. IV

Glen wood ByrHngton 

Jxmcuon

PLEISTOCENE

Utica.

PLEISTOCENE Hale

Sealevel

- Mo.nes group

tervoBS-s-ppl*N -

Lebanon

Kansas Oly ReasantHUl 

Rayto^n

SECTION 1

DCS Moines

^**' Probably ^ 

crystalline rocks

JJefferson City limestone 

q.Roubidoux sandstone

gfGasconade limestone

St. Joseph Bambridge Holt Excelsior

MHvouriR.

Lexington ,

Springs Fleming Higginsv3le

PLEISTOCENE PLEISTOCENE

Dresden

Sedalia VersaiUes

Poniphan.Mo.

 ^ - 

Sea level

SECTION 2

Vallcyridge

Biniie

Muldon NewMadrid

h, T ((n)estone

Rov,bidoux sandstone

SECTION 3

SECTION 6

Forest City Braymcr Higbee Mearico

Hiclanan.1^.

La grange 

formation

StLoiiis

Insane 

Asylum

|js

:- 

: -~=±

1

________________ - "

Sea.level ^-~-~~ _----"""" 

Des Moines group

MiSSISSiPPIAN

j - 

£2:*

# 

. .

Des Moines group _ 

-- - MISSISSIPPI^ _ -^_=_ = _==,-_ = -_ ^___-_-_- 

St Peter SBnd&tqne_-^,.,= __ ::._-___^__ = _- - - . 

Jefferson City limestone

SECTION 4

^

^

bqjq

MISSISSIPPIAN __--_-_-^^-==-c--^~~~~~~ ~ " - - -^L. 

__-QEVONlA.N _ rr----~ " ~ ^""-^-^-v--- ._ Des Moines group^'

*^Ss^

i

22

B

S\

elcher Collij 

well Illin

^ 

 =rm

^

1SV1

ois

 --

* Msuntain Gr-ovc

Thayer

BlackRock

Sea> level

Memphis

SECTION 5

Horizontal scale 

10 EO 30

La grange formation

4-0 miles

Vertical scale 

o 1000 EOOO 3000 400& sooo feet

_ ^rte^rl^Cre'ek^orrnat ion_ _

 _____ jp ley _san£J_ ____--

 ___5etrna_chelk______- 

.___ Eutaw sand ___-

GEOLOGIC CROSS SECTIONS.
GEOLOGIC SECTIONS. 31

At Brunswick, Chariton County, a drill hole was sunk to a depth 

of 1,505 feet: Unfortunately the record is not obtainable, but it is 

said that 130 feet of Des Moines was passed through. The water 

began to flow at 1,400 feet and continued to flow at a decreasing 

rate for several years, until it finally stopped.

A study of section 1 in connection with the map of the State 

showing the locations of the artesian wells (PI. I) shows that conditions favorable for flowing wells are found along the eastern slope of 

the trough extending southwestward from Iowa, as previously mentioned, at points where the elevation of the surface is not greater 

than 725 feet. As the surface of the country rises to the northwest, 

this northeast-southwest belt has a somewhat limited extent. Nearly 

all wells in this belt that penetrate to the base of the Des Moines 

L e., through the sandstone at the base of the Cherokee shale have 

an abundant supply of water under sufficient pressure to force it to 

the surface. The water from this horizon is rather saline, running 

from 300 to 500 grains of salt to the United States gallon. Mr. 

Hawkins states that this saline water is used extensively by stock 

raisers, who believe it to be well adapted to their needs.

Water from the sandstone beds in the Missouri group, as well as 

from other porous beds in the Des Moines, is much more saline, and 

in many cases contains iron and other salts. It is probable that 

wells extended down to the St. Peter sandstone in this artesian belt 

would yield much purer water.

SECTION FROM KANSAS CITY TO LEBANON.

Section 2 (PI. IV) shows the continuation of the trough appearing 

in section 1 and the western slopes of the Ozarks.

Broadhead 0 describes a diamond-drill well at Kansas City, which 

was sunk to a depth of 758 feet in the bottoms not far from the 

union railway station. The following summary is taken from the 

log of that well:

Summary of log of well at Kansas City.

Thickness.

Feet. 

37

708

13+

Depth.

Feet. 

37

745

758

Section 2 shows the northeast-southwest trend of the Iowa syncline 

described under section 1. It also shows the axis of the syncline to 

be some distance to the west, in Kansas. Winslow b describes a deepwell section at Raytown, Jackson County, southeast of Kansas City.

o Broadhead, G. C., Preliminary report on iron ores and coal fields . . . 1872, pt. 2, Missouri Geol. 

Survey, 1S73, p. 86.

6 Winslow, Arthur, Geologic history of Missouri: Am. Geologist,.vol. 15, 1895, p. 85.
32 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

He says: "Here the base of the Paleozoic rocks was reached at a 

depth of 2,430 feet, and below this 36 feet of crystalline rocks were 

penetrated. A specimen of this core, examined by the writer, is a 

highly micaceous schist composed almost entirely of black mica. It 

is different from any rocks found in the Archean of the Southwest, 

and is more like rock elsewhere referred to the Algoiikian/' It is 

greatly to be regretted that Doctor Winslow did not give the full 

record of this well, as it is now unobtainable.

A deep drill hole at Pleasant Hill shows the top of the Mississippian 

at 530 feet. These rocks outcrop near the western edge of Benton 

County. At Decaturville, about 14 miles north of a point near 

Eldredge on section 2, pegmatite granite outcrops, and a study of the 

strata in that district shows that it is quite probable that the crystalline rocks reach an altitude of about 750 feet above sea level. A 

portion of the Decaturville quaquaversal is well shown in section 2. 

for at the deep well at Lebanon the following section is obtained:

Summary of log of well at Lebanon.

Feet.

con

Feet. 

427

SECTION FROM ST. JOSEPH TO VERSAILLES.

The Mississippian was reached in a well near St. Joseph at a depth 

of 1,250 feet. The same rocks were struck at Orric at a depth of 545 

feet. At Higginsville the following general section has been obtained 

from the deep well of the Higginsville Prospecting Company:

Summary of log of well at Higginsi'dle.

Thickness.

Feet. 

68

302

87

63

195

55

743

Depth.

Feet. 

68

457

715

770

The following section was obtained from the waterworks well 

about 3 miles south of Sedalia and about 100 feet lower than the city:

Summary of log of waterworks well near Sedalia.

Thickness.

Feet.

23

1,151

Depth.

Feet. 

226 049

1 Acun
GEOLOGIC SECTIONS. 33

In section 3 (PI. IV) the waterworks-well section is combined with 

that of a deep well about a mile to the northwest in which, according 

to the statement of the driller, white sandstone was struck at a depth 

of 1,000 feet and continued to the bottom of the well, a distance of 

1,612 feet.

The various horizons down to the Jefferson City limestone outcrop 

successively toward the town of Versailles, which stands near the 

crest of an anticlinal fold, the strata having an eastward dip to the 

east of the town.

Section 3 crosses over the synclinal trough outlined in the sections 1 

and 2. It also illustrates artesian conditions along the western slope 

of the Ozark Island.

SECTION FROM FOREST CITY TO ST. LOUIS.

At Forest City, Holt County, a diamond-drill hole was sunk to the 

depth of 2,400 feet, and the writer is indebted to Dr. E. R. Buckley 

for the carefully prepared record which he made from the core. The 

complete log of this well, together with those of other wells mentioned 

in the description of the cross sections, is given in another part of 

this report. The summary is as follows:

Summary of log of well at Forest City.

Thickness.

Feet. 

64

866

690

293

128

359+

Depth.

Feet.

930

1,620

1,913

2,400+

In an oil prospect hole on the farm of Robert Davis, 3 miles northwest of Braymer, Caklwell County, the Mississippian is reported to 

have been struck at 650 feet and the St. Peter sandstone at 1,250 feet. 

A complete record was not preserved.

At Brunswick, Chariton County, the Mississippian was reached at 

180 feet. This shows the steady dip of the Pemisylvanian over the 

Mississippian floor to the northwest. From this point to Mexico the 

crest of the Ozark Island is nearly level. At Higbee the Mississippian 

is reached at a depth of 240 feet. At Mexico the following section is 

obtained:

Summary of log of well at Mexico.

Thickness.

Feet. 

15

145

405

65

395

Depth.

Feet. 

15

160

565

630

1,025
34 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

The St. Peter sandstone, 10 feet thick, was struck at 670 feet. The 

Des Moines comes to the surface a few miles east of Wellsville.

In Warren County the St. Peter sandstone is reached at a depth of 

390 feet. Thence it dips strongly along the east edge of Ozarkia and 

is struck at a depth of 1,580 feet in the insane asylum well at St. 

Louis, where it reaches a thickness of about 133 feet. At the Belcher 

well in St. Louis it is reached at a depth of 1,500 feet and is 135 feet 

thick. In St. Louis County is a small patch of Pennsylvanian, which 

is 80 feet thick in the insane asylum well, and is not found in the 

Belcher well.

Section 4 (PI. IV) shows the synclinal trough of the Pennsylvanian 

in the northwestern part of the State, the approximate contour of 

Ozarkia, and the St. Louis basin.

SECTION FROM ARCADIA, KANS., TO MEMPHIS, TENN.

Section 5 (PI. IV) is made from the profile of the St. Louis and San 

Francisco Railroad and illustrates the dip of the Pennsylvanian to the 

west; one of the culminating points of the Ozarks, at Cedar Gap (the 

highest point reached by any railroad in the State); a general outline 

and cross section of Ozarkia in the southern part of the State; and the 

old Mississippi estuary from Black Rock, Ark., through to Memphis. 

Section 5 also shows Crowleys Ridge, the marked topographic prominence which is a most striking feature of the broad alluvial plain of 

the Mississippi and which extends from eastern Arkansas through a 

point south of Cape Girardeau in Missouri. This ridge is an erosion 

remnant of the vast Quaternary deposits that have been removed 

from this region, the Mississippi having flowed through the basin to 

the west previous to its capture by the Ohio, as already described 

(p. 10). The" ridge is over 100 feet high throughout most of its 

length and of varying width.

Various mine sections and prospect drill holes in Barton County 

show a varying thickness of the Pennsylvanian averaging about 200 

feet, the westerly dip bringing the Mississippian to the surface a little 

west of Golden City. At Ash Grove the Devonian is reached at a 

depth of 250 feet, and a sandstone, believed to be the St. Peter sandstone, at a depth of 275 feet. At Springfield several wells, drilled 

within a few hundred feet of each other, show the supposed St. Peter 

sandstone at an average depth of 320 feet. At Cedar Gap this sandstone is only slightly exposed in the sides of the ravines, and the country is capped by thin patches of the Mississippian. At Thayer the 

lower part of the Jefferson City limestone is well developed. The dip 

from Cedar Gap is generally to the southeast, and in the vicinity of 

Black Rock, Ark., the upper part of the Jefferson City limestone is the 

surface rock except at the tops of some of the highest hills, which are
GEOLOGIC SECTIONS.

capped with St. Peter sandstone. Mr. William B. Johnson gives 

following section" at Marked Tree, Ark.:

Section at Marked Tree, Ark.

Lafaye 

Lagrar

Thickness.

Feet. 

220 

178+

Depth.

Feet. 

220 

398+

SECTION FROM DONIPHAN, MO., TO HICKMAN, KY.

Doniphan is underlain by the Jefferson City limestone. The record 

of a deep well which was sunk there a few years ago has, unfortunately, 

been lost. The Jefferson City limestone extends about 18 miles eastward to the Mississippi embayment. Crowleys Ridge is crossed by 

section 6 (PI. IV) at a point where its elevation reaches about 300 feet. 

At New Madrid a well 295 feet deep goes for some distance into the 

Lagrange formation.

Prof. L. C. Glenn, of Nashville, Term., has kindly furnished the log 

o*f the Hickman well, with the following correlations:

Summary of log- of well at Hickman, Ky.

T 

Thickness. Depth.

Lafavette .................................. . . . . . . .........

Feet. 

80+

10

740+

Feet. 

80

90

830+

Section 6 gives, approximately, the Mississippi embayment and a 

cross section of Crowleys Ridge at one of its highest points.

SECTION FROM DONIPHAN, MO., TO CAIRO, ILL.

The Jefferson City limestone extends from Doniphan to Poplar 

Bluff, where the old Mississippi embayment begins. Section 7 (PI. V) 

illustrates the shallower northern contour of the Mississippi embayment. The following section and correlation at Morehouse are given 

by Professor Glenn:

Summary of log of well at Morehouse.

Thickness.

Feet. 

30

110

10

98

218

224

90

Depth.

Feet. 

30

140

150

248

466

690

780
36 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

At Cairo, 111., the correlation of a record furnished by Mr. Otto 

Kochtitzky, of Cape Girardeau, furnished the following summary:

Summary of log of well at Cairo, III.

Lafayette (?).....................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

50

59

237

187

45

Depth.

Feet. 

50

109

346

' 533

578

854

SECTION FKOM PLEASANT HILL TO LOUISIANA.

Section 8 (PL V) is drawn not only to illustrate the western dip 

of the. Pennsylvanian toward the St. Joseph syncline, but also the 

irregularity of the northwestern border of Ozaikia; the development 

of the northeastern anticline which has turned the course of Missouri 

River in Saline County to the north; the synclinal basin in Saline 

and Howard counties, which is shown on page 81 to be the probable cause of the saline waters of that district; and the eastern slope 

of the Ozark Island, which forms a part of the synclinal valley of 

the Mississippi at Louisiana.

Between Fayette and Louisiana no well records could be obtained, 

and except in regard to the outcrop of the different formations, section 8 is somewhat theoretical.

At Pleasant Hill, as already stated, a drill well struck the Mississippian at 530 feet.

The record of the fair grounds artesian well at Sweet Springs, 

1,074 feet deep, furnishes the following summary:

Summary of log of well at Sweet Springs fair grounds.

Thickness.

Feet. 

29

326

719

Depth.

Feet. 

29

355

1,074

The St. Peter sandstone was reached at a depth of 549 feet and 

had a thickness of 67 feet. It outcrops near Missouri River, which 

cuts across the anticline after having been deflected some distance 

to the north.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 195 PL. V

Pleasant Hill

Sweet Springs

Des Moines group Boonesboro Fayette

Des Moines group Louisiana

ffigginsville Malta Bend Rensselaer

SECTION 8 SECTION 9

Springfield

Moberly Fnyett SednJia. Clintotl RockvilLe

. 

Nevada. (9 miles south; Carthage

CAMBRIA^ _ W|| ____ 

CAMBRIAN 

OR ARCHEAN

sa nd stone ~- _ _ ---_~=.r r : =£=^~-3{ V£'-=z

|jmestgne_____ ___.^

0es

SECTION 10

Roubidoux sandstone'

CAMBRO-ORDOVICIAN 

Archean porphyry

Idalia

Morehouse Cairo 

foess -Lafayette gravel

S=^--^.-x--^r-^^_4.-^-^-_g.-_ _Bj

DesA*o;.

Pacific

bt.Loms E.St.Louis 

Insane Asylum well Monks Mound 

Pleistocene

CAMBRO-ORDOVICIAN 

Limestone

SECTION 7

Kedkuk,Iawa 

PLEISTOCE

MISSISSIPPIAN

\\Jraconda,

la Grange Hannibal

PLEISTOCENE

LINCOLN COUNTY

DEVONIAN

.,. .. . Collinsville.Ill. 

fat.Lovus well at 

Belcher 6. Bro. Monks Mound 

well

ORDOVICIAN 

SECTION 11

SECTION 12

Horizontal scale 

10 20 30

_l_______I_______L_

2*^*" I!ICARBON":EROUS

f"**0 1 CARBONIFEROUS

ORDOVICIAN

St.Peter sandstone--. __

^

1

m

x.^

4-0 miles

Vertical scale 

1000 zooo 3000 4000 5000 feet

GEOLOGIC CROSS SECTIONS.
GEOLOGIC SECTIONS. 37

The old deep well at Boonslick, near Boonesboro, Howard County, 

has the following section: 9

Summary of log of well at Boonslick.

Thickness.

Feet. 

22

68

216

696

Depth.

Feet.

22

90

306

1,002

The St. Peter sandstone was probably reached at 607 feet and 

had a thickness of 101 feet.

At Fayette, Howard County, the artesian well shows 135 feet of 

Pleistocene and 599 feet of Des Moines and passes 271 feet into the 

Mississippi an. Section 8 shows a very strong dip of the Mississippian rocks to the east, with a steady rise north of Fayette, where 

they reach the surface near North Fork of Salt River, on the line of 

this section. This interesting basin is referred to further in the discussion of the salt waters of Saline and Howard counties (pp. 81-82).

At Louisiana, Pike County, the Thespian artesian well, 1,350 feet 

deep, strikes the St. Peter sandstone at 600 feet.

SECTION FROM HIGGINSVILLE TO HANNIBAL.

Section 9 (PI. V) is given tentatively, being one of the most difficult to correlate, and only a possible development of the horizons 

is outlined. The section runs through Higginsville, Malta Bend, 

Moberly, Rensselaer, and Hannibal. It shows the general dip of 

the strata to the west from Moberly to Rensselaer and a sharp anticlinal axis of Cambrian rocks at Rensselaer. Considerable disturbance and some faulting have also been noted at this point. These 

can not be indicated in the section. The abrupt eastern slope of the 

Mississippi syiicline is shown between Rensselaer and Hannibal, and 

oil each side of Rensselaer the Devonian and Ordovician rocks are 

indicated. The Devonian probably extends entirely through the 

section. The Ordovician rocks thin out between Moberly and Malta 

Bend, apparently not being represented in the Malta Bend record.

aThe writer is indebted to Prof. J. "W Kilpatrick, of Fayette, and Prof. A. F. Hendrix, of Lawrence, Kans., for this section and for the Fayette section on p. 83.
38 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

The log of the deep well of the Higginsville Prospecting Company, 

furnished by Mr. J. H. Burgaii, of Higginsville, gives the following 

summary:

Summary of log of well at Higginsville.

Pleistocene ............................ ... . . . . . ... ... . . ....

Thickness.

Fett. 

68

302

345

55

743

Depth.

Feet. 

68

370

715

770

1,513

The St. Peter sandstone, 150 feet thick, was struck at the depth 

of 1,071 feet.

The deep artesian well at Malta Bend gives the following partial 

summary:

Summary of log of well at Malta Bend.

Thickness.

Feet. 

119 

230-b 

300+ 

200±

Depth.

Feet. 

119 

349± 

649± 

849±

The St. Peter sandstone was struck at 900 feet and was 30 feet 

thick. , ' 

A portion of this record was given from memory by some of the 

drillers and is, probably, only approximately correct. The. well is 

1,300 feet deep. It has been impossible to obtain the complete 

record.

SECTION FROM MOBERLY SOUTHWEST TO NEVADA, THENCE SOUTH TO 

CARTHAGE AND EAST TO SPRINGFIELD.

Section 10 (PI. V) shows the synclinal basin in Howard County, 

crossing over a portion of Ozarkia from Roonesboro to Clinton, showing the coal basins at Rockville, just south of Nevada, and again 

touching Ozarkia at Carthage and Springfield. It is also given for the 

purpose of showing the continuation of the St. Peter sandstone from 

Hannibal and Louisiana, on the Mississippi, westward to Fayette 

and around the Ozark Island on the west and south of this section to. 

Springfield. It further demonstrates the thinning out of the Ordovician all around the Ozarks. The Ordovician rocks seem to be well 

developed at Macon, Moberly, and Higginsville, in an outer ring 

around Ozarkia; but on the slopes of the uplift they thin and abruptly 

disappear. This is well shown in sections 9 and 10. The Ordovician 

system seems also to be well developed along the west side of the
GEOLOGIC SECTIONS. 39

Ozark Island and northward into Iowa. It evidently once formed a 

penumbral margin around this elevation.

The record of the well at Moberly, 1,170 feet deep, submitted 

through the courtesy of Mr. W. H. Jones, of that city, gives the following summary:

Summary of log of well at Moberly.

Mississippian.. ........................... .......... ................ .

Thickness.

Feet. 

38

89

390

365

655

Depth.

Feet.

38

127

517

680

1,045

1,700

The correlations in this record are based on McGee's summary of 

the formations found in the deep well at Macon, Macon County, a few 

miles north of Moberly.a

The same basin structure is shown in section 10 as was shown in 

section 8 a fact that is discussed further in the study of the saline 

waters of Howard and Saline counties (pp. 81-82).

The Fayette and Boonesboro wells have already been described 

(p. 37).

The well section at Sedalia is made by combining the records of 

two wells situated about a mile apart:

Summary of Jogs of wells at Sedalia.

Thickness.

Ffft. 

226

23

± 1,151

± 212

Depth.

Feet. 

226

249

The St. Peter sandstone is found at a depth of 289 feet, and is 40 

feet thick.

From Sedalia to Clinton the horizons are fairly uniform. At 

Clinton the following section was procured through the courtesy of 

Dr. J. H. Britts:

Summary of log of icell at Clinton.

a MeGee, W J. Geology of Macon County: Trans. St. Louis Acad. Sci., vol. 5,

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

± 150

± 40

± 570

No. 1, 1888, 1

Depth.

Feet. 

40

± 190

± 800

3. 327.
40 UNDERGROUND WATEES OF MISSOURI.

The St. Peter sandstone is 20 feet thick and was encountered at a 

depth of 290 feet.

From Clinton to Nevada, as indicated by the very imperfect record 

of a deep well at Rockville, there is a sag in the strata and a thickening 

up of the St. Peter sandstone.

The record of the Nevada deep well is very incomplete and difficult 

to correlate. A thickness of 170 feet of Des Moines is noted, and the 

St. Peter sandstone, 93 feet thick, is reached at a depth of 775 feet. 

About 9 miles south of Nevada an oil prospect well was put down to 

a depth of 1,447 feet. The imperfectly kept record of this well shows 

the existence of another slight synclinal trough, and a thickening up 

of the Des Moines to 294 feet. The St. Peter sandstone was reached 

at 907 feet, with a probable thickness of 100 feet. From this point 

southward, the Des Moines rapidly rises, the base reaching the surface 

beyond Lamar.

Winslowa gives an approximate section of a drill hole 2,005 feet 

deep at Carthage. It is unfortunate that his description is so incomplete as to render it impossible to correlate the section. The summary would be about as follows:

Probable summary of log of drill hole at Carthage.

Thickness.

Feet. 

400

50

1,300

Depth.

Feet.

1,750

2,005

The St. Peter sandstone was reached at a depth of 560 feet, and 

was about 85 feet thick.

The traveler going northward from Carthage to Springfield passes 

up the slope of the Ozarks. Several imperfect well records show a 

steady dip upward on this slope. At Springfield the combined 

records of several adjacent wells give the following general summary:

Sununary of logs of wells at Sprinyjield.

Thickness.

Feet. 

300

40

660

Depth.

Feet. 

300

340

1,000

The supposed St. Peter sandstone was reached at a depth of 350 

feet, and has a thickness of 16 feet.

oWinslow, Arthur, iLead and zinc deposits, pt. 2: Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 7, 1894, p. 405.
GEOLOGIC SECTIONS. 41 

SECTION FROM PACIFIC, MO., TO GREENVILLE, ILL.

The log of the insane asylum well at St. Louis, one of the best 

records to be found in the State, gives the following summary:*

Summary of log of well at insane asylum, St. Louis.

Thickness.

Feet. 

40 

80 

763 

421 

2,254 

285

Depth.

Feet. 

40 

120 

883 

1,304 

3,558 

3,843

The St. Peter sandstone was struck at 1,452 feet, and was 133 

feet thick.

Section 11 (PL V) follows, from Pacific, the line of the Missouri 

Pacific Railway to St. Louis. At Pacific the St. Peter sandstone 

outcrops in the bluff, thus having the great dip of 1,452 feet in about 

30 miles.

The different formations above this sandstone outcrop, successively, 

between Pacific and St. Louis, and are very well correlated in the 

Belcher well, situated on the bank of Mississippi River in the city 

of St. Louis, about 6 miles east of the insane asylum well.

Across the river, toward Caseyville and as far as Greenville, 111., 

on an easterly line, the Mississippian and Pennsylvaniaii successively 

outcrop under the loess, dipping gently to the east. The structural 

conditions of the beds between Mississippi River at St. Louis and 

Caseyville, 111., are only conjectural. There may be a low anticline, 

or there may be faults. The Mound City well section would indicate 

a gentle dip to the east as more probable. As no well sections from 

this area are available, the existence of a low anticline can only be 

 assumed.

At Godfrey, 111., a few miles to the northeast of section 11, a well 

was sunk to a depth of 1,703 feet, in which St. Peter sandstone was 

struck at 1,625 feet. The writer is indebted for this section to Mr. 

D. W. Maxfield, of Monticello Seminary.

SECTION FROM KEOKUK, IOWA, TO ST. LOUIS, MO.

A summary of the formations in the well of the Keokuk Poultry 

Company, at Keokuk, Iowa, is taken from Norton's Artesian Wells 

of Iowa. b

a Broadhead, G. C., Trans. St. Louis Acad. Sci., vol. 3, No. 2, 1878, p. 219, 

6 Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 6, 1897, p. 235.
42 UTSTDERGBOUND WATEES OF MISSOUEI.

Summary of log of well at KeoJcuJc, Iowa.

Thickness.

Feet. 

5

13U

30

9l>

103

206

85

120

Depth.

Feet. 

5

135

165

187

290

496

581

701

The St. Peter sandstone, 110 feet thick, was struck at a depth of 

1,050 feet in the Hubinger well, not far from the well of the Keokuk 

Poultry Company. Norton estimates that this sandstone would be 

struck in the latter well at 1,250 feet.

At Canton, Lewis County, an artesian well was sunk in 1890 to a 

depth of 906 feet. The St. Peter sandstone was struck at 846 feet, 

and drilling was stopped in this rock at 906 feet, showing a thickness 

of 60 + feet.

At Lagrange, in the same county, two artesian wells were sunk. 

The Thomas well on the bluff at an altitude of 580 feet struck St. 

Peter sandstone at 800 feet, and the Wyaconda at an altitude of 481 

feet struck this rock at 700 feet, passing into it for 115 feet.

The well of Dr. A. Vernet, near Hannibal, Marion County, was sunk 

to a depth of 1,340 feet. The record was furnished the writer by Mr. 

R. Hawkins, of Chillicothe, and from it the following summary was 

made:

Summary of log of Vernet well, near Hannibal.

Feet. 

41

259

301

96

253

290

Feet. 

41

300

601

697

950

1,340

Thickness. . Depth.

At Louisiana, Pike County, the Thespian artesian well has a depth 

of 1,350 feet. Unfortunately the record of this well has been lost, 

but it is known that the St. Peter sandstone was struck at a depth of 

600 feet.

From Louisiana southward to St. Louis the country is very much 

broken and disturbed. The Cap au Gres fault crosses the river near 

Winfield. As there are no well sections between Hannibal and St. 

Louis only a theoretical outline of the geology can be shown in section 

12 (PI. V). The St. Peter sandstone comes to the surface jn Lincoln 

County and then dips sharply to the south, being found in the insane 

asylum well, as described on page 41, at a depth of 1 7 452 feet,
ARTESIAN DISTRICTS. 43

East of Hannibal, at Barry, 111., in a well 2,500 feet deep,® the St. 

Peter sandstone was struck at 1,125 feet. The altitude of Barry is 

617 feet and that of Hannibal 472 feet. The sandstone was struck at 

Hannibal at 601 feet.

UNDERGROUND WATERS.

ARTESIAN DISTRICTS.

The State may be conveniently and somewhat arbitrarily divided 

into the following ten districts: (1) The northeastern, (2) the north 

central, (3) the south central, (4) the Decaturville dome, (5) the Clinton-Nevada, (6) the southeastern, (7) the St. Louis basin, (8) the St. 

Francis Mountains, (9) the southeastern swamp, (10) the drift.

NORTHEASTERN DISTRICT. 

GENERAL ARTESIAN CONDITIONS.

The northeastern district includes the portions of the counties north 

of St. Charles County that lie between Mississippi River and the ridge 

a few miles to the west. The artesian wells obtain their flow from the 

eastern slope of the northern extension of the Ozark uplift. In the 

northeast corner of the State for some miles back from the river the 

Des Moines group forms the country rock. Along the Mississippi 

from the Iowa border nearly to Louisiana, Mo., and for some distance 

inland farther south, Missouri rocks outcrop. In the vicinity of 

Louisiana a narrow belt of Silurian appears. The dip is strongly to 

the east. The St. Peter sandstone rises steadily from Iowa toward 

the south. In this district the drillers' records are meager and poorly 

kept. There are flowing wells at or near Canton and Lagrange, 

Lewis County; Hannibal, Nelsonville, and Oakwood, Marion County; 

Spalding, Rails County; Louisiana, Pike County; and Troy, Lincoln 

County.

Flowing artesian water in this district may be found in a narrow 

belt extending from Keokuk probably to a point a little south of 

Louisiana. The belt is limited because of the more or less abrupt 

slope toward the river and the relative nearness of the crest of the 

divide to the river valley, as shown in sections 8 and 9 (pp. 36-37). 

The water is derived mainly from the St. Peter sandstone, which, so 

far as can be learned, is the highest horizon yielding flowing water. 

As a rule potable nonflowing water may be found at the base of the 

Mississippiaii. It is not probable that water will rise to an altitude 

of much over 600 feet in this district, and owing to the high elevation 

of the towns along the divide it is questionable whether that will 

be within proper pumping distance.

aLeverett, Frank, Seventeenth Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 2, 1896, p. 810.
44 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

It is rather interesting to notice the general increase in mineral constituents in the water southward from the Iowa line, as shown by the 

following table:

Statistics of wells in northeastern district.

Well. Depth

(feet).

906

850

800

300

1,3.50

Temperature

(°F.).

60

fiO

57

Total solids (parts 

per million) .

385. 76

373. 266

395. 571

700.3112

552. 2904

Sodium 

chloride 

(parts per 

million) .

266. 2497

286. S34

320.607

533.2613

410. 7212

All increase in the amount of the other mineral constituents as well as 

of salt is noticed in these wells. Samples of St. Peter sandstone, procured from several shallow wells in Rails County, show the presence of 

minute disseminated grains of marcasite (iron pyrites) which will perhaps 

account for the increasing amount of sulphureted hydrogen. The 

catchment basin for the St. Peter sandstone is probably in Wisconsin, 

the water flowing through Iowa and meeting with a gentle upward dip, 

as noted in the sections, so that when it reaches Missouri it undoubtedly has its mineral constituents concentrated, as is indicated by the 

foregoing table.

CLARK COUNTY.

KAHOKA.

The following is the log of one of three deep nonflowing wells at the 

pickle plant of the Clark County Canning Company, Kahoka:

Log of Clnrk. County Canning Company well, Kahoka.

Pleistocene (157 feet):

Sand .........................................................................

Keokuk (131 feet):

Shale..................................................................... ...

Shale.........................................................................

Burlington (72 feet):

Shale .........................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

20

20

10

20

30

40

10

7

2

31

10

10

13

11

6

16

2

1°

18

5

45

Depth.

Feet. 

20

40

50

70

100

140

150

157

159

190

200

210

223

234

240

256

258

270

288

310

315

.360
LEWIS COUNTY. 45

The first water was struck at a depth of 60 feet, and a still larger 

body was encountered in the honeycombed limestone at a depth of 198 

feet. The well was shot with dynamite at different depths, after 

which it was cleaned out. Excellent water stands at 72 feet below 

the surface.

The Kahoka city water supply is obtained from a well 509 feet deep. 

Drilling was started in December, 1901, by George C. Morgan, of Chicago, and the well was finished in March, 1902. The water, which is 

wholesome, abundant, rather hard, and usually clear, rises within 90 

feet of the surface or to the top of the rock, as the Pleistocene is 90 

feet thick. A reservoir with a capacity of 75,000 gallons provides 

water, with direct pressure, for city consumption. No log of this well 

has been preserved, and no analysis has been made. The cost of the 

well and pump was $3,000 and the supply of water is ample for the 

needs of a city of 2,500 people.

LEWIS COUNTY. 

CANTON.

At Canton a well is situated on the grounds of the Christian University, about 1 mile west of the river, at the summit of a picturesque 

bluff. Its elevation is about 600 feet; depth, 900 feet; 6-inch casing 

to 100 feet; temperature of water, 60°; of air, 80°; flow, 72 gallons 

per minute; pressure, 12 pounds; date of completion, 1890; cost, 

$1,812. The first water was struck at a depth of 90 feet, and rose 

within about 10 feet of the top. At a depth of 870 feet, in the St. 

Peter sandstone, a strong flow of water was struck, which had a gaged 

pressure of 12 pounds. Mr. L. H. Condit, the postmaster at Canton, 

superintended the drilling. He states that when the drill struck the 

sandstone, which was spongy and water-logged, it went down several feet. No record of the well was kept. Although this well is 

located on the grounds of the Christian University, it was drilled at 

the expense of the city under a lease for forty-nine years, and Messrs. 

Griffith and Maggard, of the Aqua Vitse Mineral Springs Company, 

have sub-leased the right to ship the water for medicinal purposes. 

The water possesses mildly laxative qualities. The well was originally put down by the city for fire protection, and its saline properties made it of especial value for this purpose', as fire once under 

control by this water has little chance of reignition. Insurance 

companies have recognized this fact and have cut their rates about 

one-half for this town.

The water is used for all domestic purposes, except that of watering 

lawns, and there are about 9 miles of mains. It is clear and sparkling, with a slight sulphur odor, and is strongly charged with sulphureted hydrogen. This well is interesting from the fact that its
46 UNDEEGEOUND WATERS OF MISSOUEI.

flow has steadily increased. When first tested it flowed 53 gallons 

per minute. In 1903 it was opened and water and gas issued with 

great force, due to the accumulation of gas. It was again tested and 

found to flow 72 gallons per minute.

An analysis of this water, made by Prof. Harrison Hale, of Drury 

College, resulted as follows:

Analysis of miter from Canton, Lewis County. a

Parts 

per million.

Silica (SiO2 ) ..................... 5.3

Iron (Fe)....................... Trace.

Calcium (fa) ................... 252. 0

Magnesium (Mg) ................ 142

Sodium (Na) ..................... 1,858

Potassium (K).................. 86

Parts 

per million.

Carbonate radicle (CO3 ).......... 21.0

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3 )....... 500

Sulphate radicle ISO4 )............ 919

Chlorine (Cl)..................... 2, 838

6, 621. 3

It will be noticed that this water somewhat resembles the sulphosaline water of Excelsior Springs. It is gaining a considerable reputation.

LAGRANGE.

Close to the west side of the Burlington Railway track, at Lagrange, 

a short distance from the railway station, is a well owned by the 

Lagrange Mineral Well Prospecting Company. The depth is 800 

feet; elevation above tide at well mouth, 481 feet; casing, 6-inch, 850 

feet; temperature of water, 61° F.; of air, 86° F.; flow, 60 gallons per 

minute; date of completion, 1887; cost, $1,500; surface formation, 

Keokuk limestone.

This well is 2,500 feet deep and was sunk with the expectation of 

finding some profitable mineral. The first water was reached at 

400 feet. At 800 feet a strong flow was struck, and at 850 feet it 

became so strong that the driller could go no farther. This flow 

comes from the soft, water-logged St. Peter sandstone, and no perceptible change has ever been noticed in either its volume or force. Mr. 

R. N. Blackwood states that the force was sufficient to carry the 

water to the summit of the bluff, a distance of over 100 feet. This 

well has recently been sold to Mr. Thomas, the owner of the Wyaconda well, and the product of both wells is shipped under the name 

of Wyaconda water.

The Wyaconda well is on the summit of a bluff overlooking the town 

of Lagrange, about 1 mile north and about 100 feet above the well 

just described. The owner is William H. Thomas; depth, 850 feet; 

diameter, 8 inches; altitude at well mouth, 580 feet above tide; casing, 

5f-inch, 150 feet; temperature of water, 60° F.; of air, 80° F.; flow, 

40 gallons per minute; date of completion, January, 1888; cost, 

$1,500; surface formation, Keokuk limestone.

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological Survey.
LEWIS COUNTY. 47

The main flow of water was reached at 800 feet, in the soft, white 

St. Peter sandstone; it is steadily decreasing in volume. In both 

this and the Lagrange well the flow increased when the St. Peter 

sandstone was reached. The following is the incomplete log of the 

well:

Log of Wyaconda well, Lagrange, Lewis County. 0

Pleistocene (15 feet) : 

SoU...........................................................................

Mississippian (480 feet) :

Shale .........................................................................

Devonian (?) (150 feet):

Silurian and Cambrian, including St. Peter sandstone (205 feet) :

Thickness.

Feet. 

15

200

65

65

150

150

155

50

Depth.

Feet. 

15

215 °80

345

495

800

850

a The writer is indebted to Mr. William H. Thomas for the logs of the Wyaconda and Lagrang» wells.

Two analyses of this water have been made, one of which, by Prof. 

Paul Schweitzer, is as follows:

Analysis of Wyaconda mineral water.a 

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2).................. 40

Iron (Fe)...................... 1.3

Calcium (Ca).................. 293

Magnesium (Mg)............... 89

Sodium (Na).................. 1, 934

Potassium (K)................. Trace.

Lithium (Li)................. Trace.

Parts per million. 

Bicarbonate radicle (HC03). .... 2. 9

Sulphate radicle (S04) .......... 1, 055

Chlorine (Cl) .................. 2, 975

Free CO,

6, 392. 2

260

But an imperfect record of the drillings was kept, and only the following data can be given:

Partial log of Wyaconda well, Lagrange, Lewis County.

Pleistocene (15 feet) : 

Soil ...........................................................................

Mississippian (360 feet) :

Shale .........................................................................

Devonian (110 feetl :

Silurian and Cambrian, including St. Peter sandstone (315 feet! :

Thickness.

Feet. 

15

80

70

55

155

110

200

115

Depth.

Feet. 

15

95

165

220

375

485

6S5

800

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputecF to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
48 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

With this meager record it is difficult to correlate the various formations passed through, but a comparison with the well at Keokuk 

makes the above determinations probable.

An analysis of this water, made by C. A. Crampton, Washington, 

D. C., shows the following results:

Analysis of water of Wyaconda well, Lagrange, Lewis County. a

Parts per million. Parts per million.

Silica (SiCU.................. 49

Iron (Fe).................... Trace.

Aluminum (Al)............... .8

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )........ 664

Sulphate radicle (SO4 i........ 107

Chlorine (CD .................. 3, 326

Calcium (Ca) .................. 246 b' 767'' 8 Magnesium (Mg) ............. 101

Sodium (Na). ................ 2,214

Potassium ( K) ................. 60

 ^

Free CO,. . . . ................ 288

LINCOLN COUNTY.

Near Troy, Lincoln County, is a well owned by N. Hanni, of which 

the depth is 136 feet; altitude, 15 feet above the railway station; 

casing, 6-inch, 10 feet to rock; flow, a small stream, about 1 gallon 

per minute; date of completion, 1893; surface formation, Burlington 

limestone. In this well flowing water was struck in an open crevice 

between 125 and 130 feet. The supply decreases with pumping, 

and consequently the well flows only after the pumps have been 

stopped for some time. No log was kept; but it is stated that chert 

and an easily drilled, fine-grained white limestone were passed 

through. It is probable that drilling was stopped in the lower part 

of the Burlington. Another well in Troy, 100 feet deeper, does not 

flow.

The following analysis of the water of the Hanni well was furnished 

by Mr. E. E. Ellis:

Analysis of water of Hanni well, Troy, Lincoln County.

Parts per million. 

Iron............................. 0

Sulphates......................... 29

Chlorine........................ 7.47

Total hardness................... 208. 5

Parts per million. 

Total carbonates................. 341

Alkaline carbonates............. 0

Alkaline and earthy carbonates .. 341 

Calcium........................ 228

MARION COUNTY.

HANNIBAL.

On the west edge of the city of Hannibal, about 1J miles west of the 

railroafl station, is a well owned by Mrs. Vernet. The depth is 1,435 

feet; altitude, 608 feet, or 135 feet above the union railroad station at

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
MARION COUNTY. 49

Hannibal; diameter of casing, 6 inches; temperature, 57.2° F.; water 

stands within 12 feet of top of well; date of completion, 1894; surface formation, lower part of the Burlington. The writer is indebted 

to Mi-. R. Hawkins, of Chillicothe, for the following record of this well:

Log of Vernet well, Hannibal, Marion County.

Pleistocene (41 feet > :

Mississippian (259 feet) :

Devonian (?), Silurian, and Cambrian to St. Peter sandstone (301 feet):

St. Peter sandstone (96 feet) :

Jefferson City limestone (253 feet ) : 

Limestone and hard, fine sand at intervals; water rose within 20 fpet of surface

Roubidoux sandstone (439 feet ) :

Sand.........................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

41

154

105

33

14

254

90

253

50

5

50

150

20

50

10

104

46

Depth.

Feet. 

41

195

300

333

347

601

697

950

1,000

1,005

1,055

1,205

1,225

1,275

1,285

1,389

1,435

This well was put down by Dr. Fred. Vernet for the purpose of 

obtaining mineral water. The water is very saline, being similar to 

that of the Stilwell well in Hannibal. The following analysis is 

taken from an advertising circular published by Doctor Vernet; the 

analyst and date of analysis are unknown:

Analysis of water of Vernet -well, Hannibal, Marion County.a

Parts 

per million.

Iron (FeV-....-.................. 41

Calcium (Ca)....................... 49

Magnesium (Mg).................. 108

Sodium (Na)....................... 363

Lithium (Li)...................... 26

In 1889 J. M. Tracy drilled a well for oil on the same tract of land 

as that 011 which the Vernet well is situated. The elevation was 50 

feet above the railroad station at Hannibal and 85 feet below Doctor 

Vernet's well. Fresh water was found at the bottom and rose within 

a few feet of the surface.

In an alley near Front street, corner of Hill street, close to the 

steamboat wharf, is a well owned by the Richard Stilwell Meat and 

Ice Company. The depth is 950 feet; altitude, 475 feet; casing, 

8-inch, 200 feet; temperature of water, 60° F.; of air, 88° F.;"flow,

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ). . . . .

Chlorine (Cl).. ............

Parts 

per million.

....... 422

....... 790

....... 58

1,857
50 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

fairly strong, 208 gallons per minute; pressure by steam gage, 50 

pounds; date of completion, 1890; surface formation, Louisiana limestone. The first water, nonflowing, was struck at 40 feet; the next 

stream, flowing, was encountered at 800 feet, in the soft, white St. 

Peter sandstone; and it is claimed that for 100 feet in this sandstone 

alternating streams of fresh and salt water were struck. The water 

is highly charged with saline ingredients, and sulphureted hydrogen 

bubbles up freely. The flow is estimated at 300,000 gallons in twentyfour hours. No log of this well could be obtained. The following 

analysis of the water was made by E. E. Ellis, May 31, 1905:

Analysis of water of Stilwell well, Hannibal.

Parts per million. " Parts per million. 

Iron ........................ Trace. Alkaline earthy carbonates . . . 274. 4

Calcium .................... 150 +

Alkalinity .................. 274.4

Alkaline carbonates........... 0

Turbidity, none; color, none.

Sulphates.................. 522

Chlorides.................. Very high.

The water is very salty and contains a large amount of sulphureted 

hydrogen.

NELSONVILLE.

The following data have been collected about the wells at Nelsonville. Well No. 1 is in sec. 28, T. 59, R. 8 W.; owner and driller, 

C. H. Mohr; first flow at about 650 feet. The following log was 

received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of ivell No. 1, Nelsonville, Marion County.

Limestone, verv hard .............. ....... .............

Sandstone .......... ...

Sandstone ..........

Sandstone ........... . . ...... ....................

Thickness.

Feet. 

165

60

72

188

10

30

10

10

140

15

20

Depth.

Feet. 

165

225

297

485

495

525

535

545

685

700

720
MAEION COUNTY. 51

Well No. 2 is 3 miles south of Nelsoiiville, in sec. 21, T. 59, R. 8; 

owner and driller, C. H. Mohr. The well was drilled with 4^-inch 

tools. It flows 10 gallons per minute, and the water rises 12 feet 

above the mouth. The following log was received from Messrs. 

M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of well No. 2, Nelsonvi.lle, Marion County.

Clay ..........................'....................................................

Blue shale .................................. . .........'.......................

Hard rock ................................ .... ... ... . . ................

Thickness.

Feet. 

45

150

35

220

15

125

10

2

213

Depth.

Feet. 

45

195

255

290

510

525

650

660

662

875

PALMYRA.

At Palmyra a well was sunk to a depth of 1,683 feet. The water 

is said to have flowed at 700 feet. The analysis here given was 

made by Prof. Paul Schweitzer in 1887.

Analysis of water of well at Palmyra, Marion County. °

Parts per million.

Silica (SiOa)................. 19

Calcium (Ca)................. 515

Magnesium (Mg).............. 234

Sodium (Na)................. 3, 542

Lithium (Li)................ .9

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4)....... 814

Chlorine (Cl)................. 6, 443

Bromine (Br)................. 4

11,571.9

OAKWOOD.

A deep well was sunk in 1390 at Oakwood, 3 miles southwest of 

Hannibal, on the land of C. G. Price, but it ceased to flow some 

years since. The log was lost. This well was about 800 feet deep 

and located 150 feet above the river. It had a very strong flow, 

but it was stopped up because the highly saline water injured vegetation. The following analysis of this water, furnished by Mr. Price, 

was made by R. Chauvenet & Brother:

Analysis of water of well at Oakwood, Marion County. 0

Parts per million. 

Calcium (Ca)............................................................ 634

Magnesium (Mg)......................................................... 249

Sodium (Na)............................................................ 5,233

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ).................................................. 3, 401

Chlorine (Cl)........................................................... 7, 388

16, 905

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations: recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
52 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF JMISSOURI.

PIKE COUNTY.

LOUISIANA.

A well, now called the "Thespian Spring," is located in the small 

valley of Town Branch, corner of Fifth and Kentucky streets, in the 

town of Louisiana. Owner, C. W. Crudson; depth, 1,275 feet; altitude, 470 feet; date of completion, 1887; casing, 6-inch, to 910 feet; 

temperature of water, 63.5° F.; fl of air, 92° F.; cost, $3,000.

The water is strongly saline and charged with sulphureted hydrogen. It is clear, sparking, and bubbling with gas, and has corroded 

the rock basin into which it empties. The water conies up with considerable force, having a head, probably, of about 8 feet. It is stated 

that when the well was first opened it threw a jet 40 feet high. The 

flow is said to be stronger after a wet period and weaker in dry weather. 

A sanitarium, with bottling facilities, has been established near the 

well, and the water was once bottled and shipped to St. Louis. It 

is now used for bathing and, to a limited extent, for drinking.

Schweitzer 6 gives the following meager log, which he obtained from 

William H. Suda:

Log of Thespian Spring, Louisiana, Pike County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

90

560

120

30

10

70

395

Depth.

Fet't. 

90

650

770

810

1,275

This record is so manifestly incorrect that no satisfactory correlations can be made. It was stated that the first flow of water was 

struck at 600 feet, in sandstone. Prof. R. R. Rowley gives the following geologic data: "At Louisiana the Hudson River limestone is 

40 feet thick, and under that is 100 feet of Trenton limestone. The 

St. Peter sandstone would probably be reached at about 600 feet."

a This temperature was obtained July 15,1903. Schweitzer, in his report on Mineral waters of Missouri (Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 3, 1892), gives a temperature of 62.2° F., with air temperature 74° 

F., probably taken in 1892.

6 Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 3,1892, p. 94.
PIKE AND BALLS COUNTIES. 53

The following analysis, date and name of chemist unknown, is 

given on the circular published by the owners of the well:

Analysis of water from. Thespian Spring, Louisiana, Pike County. «

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2)..... ....... ....... 0.4

Lithium (Li) ................

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3 ). . . 

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ) ........

Schweitzer b gives the

410

200

0 70ft

17

3.1

345 

879

Chlorine (Cl) .........

H2S.... ..............

CO2 . ..................

Parts per million. 

........ 4, 774

........ 34

9, 459. 5 

........ 478

........ 805

10, 742. 5

following analysis:

Analysis of water of Thespian Spring, Louisiana, Pike County. a

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2).................... 4. 9

Calcium (Ca).................. 420

Magnesium (Mg)............... 165

Sodium (Na).........-.....-.... 2,775

Potassium (K)................. 63

Parts per million. 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3)..... 186

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ).......... 1, 051

Chlorine (01).................. 4, 677

9, 341. 9

RALLS COUNTY.

RENSSELAER.

Mr. J. M. Johnson, of Rensselaer, gives the record of a stock well 

270 feet deep, situated on his farm li miles from Rensselaer station 

in Rails County. He also sent samples of drillings to accompany 

the log, which follows:

Log of Johnson well, Rensselaer, Rails County.

Thickness.

Feet.

28

172

60

10

Depth.

Feet.

28

200

260

270

Of these samples, No. 2 corresponds with Swallow's Onondaga 

limestone. No. 5 is, without doubt, the St. Peter sandstone; it is 

made up of incoherent, fine, rounded, polished, and waterwom grains 

of limpid quartz. Occasional specks of marcasite (iron pyrites) were 

found, which might possibly account for the sulphureted hydrogen 

and sulphates tbat abound in the waters of this region.

<i Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey. 

6 Op. tit., p. 96.
54 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

SPALTHNG.

About 5 miles south of Rensselaer station, on the Missouri, Kansas 

and Texas Railway, in sec. 25, T. 56, R. 6 W., at the post-office of Spalding, is a very interesting well, owned by R. M. Spaulding. Depth, 330 

feet; altitude at well mouth, about 590 feet above tide; temperature 

of water, 57° F.; of air, 86° F.; flow, 400 gallons per hour; date of 

completion, about 1823; drillers, Hager & Muldrow; drilled by hand. 

This well is on an old French grant known as the Boovat Lick. Several salt springs are situated a few hundred feet to the north. Some 

time after 1821, probably about 1823, the State engaged Messrs. 

Hager & Muldrow to sink the well. Several veins of water, some soft 

and some salt, were struck. The first strong flow was obtained at 300 

feet in soft sandstone, which was penetrated to a depth of 30 feet. 

Various attempts were made to case this well with wooden tubing, but 

the pressure was too strong, and with the exception of a wooden tube 

passed through the soil and firmly anchored to rock no casing was put 

in. The source of the water was the St. Peter sandstone. So far as 

observed the pressure has always remained the same. Salt was 

obtained from this well and the adjoining springs for many years. 

The water is very strongly saline and is charged with sulphureted 

hydrogen, so that white precipitate forms about the boards and pipes 

connected with the well. This place has long been a summer resort.

No record was kept of the geologic horizons passed through, but 

there is no doubt of the fact that the source of supply is the St. Peter 

sandstone. The strata in the vicinity of the well are greatly disturbed. 

North of the well the rocks dip 15° SW., with a strike of N. 40° W. At 

the farm owned by Mr. Spaulding's son, about a mile southeast of the 

well, the strata are much more disturbed. The St. Peter sandstone 

stands with upturned edges and is overlain by ledges of Joachim limestone. An anticline having a northwesterly trend passes through this 

portion of the country and the artesian well is situated on its southern 

slope. Geologically this is a region of great interest. Three miles 

northwest of Spalding, in the road near the Tompkins's place, the rock 

dips strongly to the northeast. This is probably near the axis of the 

anticline just mentioned.

The following analysis of this water is taken from Schweitzer's 

report: a

Analysis of water from u>ell at Spalding, Rails County.b

Parts per million. , Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2 ) ................... 5.8 , Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3 ).... 162

Calcium (Ca).................... 544 Sulphate radicle (SO4 )......... 1,181

Magnesium (Mg)............... 213

Sodium (Na)................... 3, 596

Potassium (KI................. 78

Chlorine (01).................. 6, 242

a Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 3, 1892, p. 96.

& Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological Survey.
ADAIB COUNTY. 55

NORTH-CENTRAL DISTRICT. 

GENEKAL ARTESIAN CONDITIONS.

The north-central district includes the portion of Missouri north and 

northwest of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which 

crosses the State in a northeast-southwest direction, from Des Moines 

River to Kansas City. The wells in this district obtain water from 

the Des Moines group, the basal formation of which is usually a porous 

sandstone. The waters have their head on the western slope of the 

great divide which runs in a north-south direction through the northern part of the State and which is probably the northeastern extension 

of the Ozark dome. The water is generally strongly saline and often 

chalybeate, but it is considered excellent for the use of stock, though 

it is not generally desirable for drinking. There is sufficient pressure 

to bring the water to the surface where the surface elevation does not 

exceed 730 feet. Very few wells have reached the St. Peter sandstone. 

Those that have been drilled to this formation have a surface elevation too high to admit of flow.

The general dip is to the northwest toward the St. Joseph trough, 

but this dip is not uniform. Near Utica, Livingston County; Jamesport, Daviess County; and Bethany, Harrison County, are anticlinal 

folds and faultings. The average dip is from 10 to 15 feet to the mile. 

The land rises regularly in this direction, so that the Des Moines group 

is deeply buried. The flowing wells are found in this district at or 

near the following places: Carrollton, Carroll County; Utica, Livingston County; Gallatin, Daviess County; Bethany, Harrison County; 

and in Mercer County, near Lineville, Iowa.

ADAIR COUNTY.

KIRKS VILLE.

At Kirksville is a well that was sunk for the purpose of obtaining a 

city supply. The writer is indebted -to Hon. Thomas J. Dockery for 

the following log of this well:

Log of deep well at Kirksville, Adair County.

Pleistocene (170 feet): 

Clay..........................................................................

Des Moines (280 feet) :

Shale .........................................................................

Coal..........................................................................

Coal..........................................................................

Mississippian (840+ feet ) :

Thickness.

Ft. in. 

170 0

8 0

1

30 0

22 0

15 0

2 0

20 0

1 6

30 0

20 0

20 0

15 0

2 0

50 0

45 0

700 0

140 0

Depth.

Ft. in. 

170 0

178 0

178 1

908 1

230 1

245 1

247 1

267 1

268 7

298 7

318 7

338 7

353 7

355 7

405 7

450 7

1,150 7

1,290 7

IRR 195 07-
56 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

As Kirksville is situated on the crest of the dividing ridge between 

Missouri and Mississippi rivers, at an altitude of 975 feet, there was 

no possibility of obtaining flowing water. Water was struck at a 

depth of 1,150 feet and rose within 240 feet of the surface. It-was 

highly impregnated with sulphur and iron.

CALDWELL COUNTY.

BRAYMER.

The following record of a well on the farm of Dan Braymer was 

furnished by Mr. R. Hawkins, of Chillicothe. The surface elevation 

at the well is about 765 feet.

Log of well of Dan Braymer, near Braymer, Caldwell County.

Pleistocene (26 feet) : Dirt..........................................................................

Shale. ........................................................................

Des Moines (420 feet) :

Slate....................................................................... .

Slate.........................................................................

Coal..........................................................................

Slate......... ....................... T . ...... .................................

Coal..........................................................................

Black shale to Mississippian limestone; drilled 11 feet into this limestone. ..

Thickness.

Feet. 

8

8

10

10

6

10

10

13

10

4

4

12

11

14

40

6

6

27

2

1

1

4

4

2

1

6

4

14

57

3

2

2

15

20

2

13

3

65

8

Depth.

Feet. 

8

16

26

36

42

60

70

83

97

101

113

124

138

178

184

190

217

219

220

221

225

229

231

232

238

242

256

313

316

318

320

335

355

357

370

373

438

446
NORTH-CENTRAL DISTRICT. 57

OARROLL COUNTY.

CARROLLTON.

One-half mile northeast of the city of Carrollton, on the west bank 

of Brush Creek, is a well owned by Hugh K. Rea.a Altitude, about 

660 feet above tide (about 70 feet lower than the Carrollton public 

square); depth, 241 feet; flow, feeble; date of completion, 1890; 

driller, J. C. Ferrie, of the Mallory Diamond Drill Company, Chariton, 

Iowa; surface formation, Des Moines; cost of well, $900.

The distance to the principal source of water in the basal sandstone 

of the Cherokee shales is 200 feet. The last 7 feet are in the chert 

of the Mississippian. The flow is estimated to be about a gallon in 

three minutes and is uniform, having neither increased nor decreased.

Another well, similar in character, was sunk about 1,200 feet southwest of the above. The following log was preserved by Mr. Wilcockson:

Log of well at Carrollton, Carroll County.

Pleistocene (25 feet) ..............................................................

Des Moines (234 feet) :

Dark shale. ..................................................................

Shale. ........................................................................

Coal..........................................................................

Mississippian (7 feet):

Thickness.

Ft. in. 

25 0

13 0

11 0

1 0

3 0

1 0

5 0

1 0

6 0

3 0

21 0

30 0

4 0

17 0

3 0

47 0

20 0

5 0

6 0

10 0

' 5

1 7

7 0

Depth.

Ft. in. 

25 0

38 0

49 0

53 0

54 0

66 0

69 0

90 0

120 0

141 0

144 0

191 o

211 0

216 0

222 0

232 0

232 5

234 0

241 0

A flow of saline water was struck between 200 and 210 feet. The 

water has no odor, but the contained gas will blow a cork from a 

bottle of it in a few minutes. This water is used for drinking purposes and for stock. It is slightly laxative. No analysis has been 

made.

a The writer is indebted to Mr. J. M. Wilcockson, of Carrollton, for data concerning this well.
58 UNDEKGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

A prospect hole for oil, drilled on the farm of C. W. Nuss, at Tina, 

at an elevation of about 706 feet, gave the following record, which 

was furnished by Mr. R. Hawkins, of Chillicothe:

Log of prospect hole at Tina, Carroll County.

Pleistocene (40 feet) :

Des Moines (345 feet) :

Shales........................................................................

Mississippian (290 feet) :

" Slate " ............ .".". .......................................................

Very hard, flinty limestone, interstratified with other beds; water from

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

4 

4 

20 

5 

2 

215 

40 

55

40 

95 

5

2

40 

75 

5

28

Depth.

Feet. 

40

44 

48 

68 

73 

75 

290 

330 

385

425 

520 

525 

527 

567 

642 

647

675

CLAY COUNTY.

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS.

Near the town of Excelsior Springs, in the northeast corner of Clay 

County, about 30 miles northeast of Kansas City, are two deep drilled 

wells the sulphosaline, 1,460 feet deep, and the salt-sulphur, 1,370 

feet deep. It is unfortunate that no record of these wells has been 

preserved. The waters are in all probability mainly derived from 

the Jefferson City limestone and the base of the Pennsylvanian. The 

information regarding these wells was furnished by Mr. C. W. Fish, 

general manager of the Excelsior Springs Company.

The sulphosaline well is located about 1 mile north of the town of 

Excelsior Springs in a narrow valley on the west bank of Fishing 

River; owner, Excelsior Springs Mineral Water Company; depth, 

1,460 feet; altitude above tide, about 925 feet; diameter of casing, 34 

inches; temperature of water, 67° F.; of air, 84° F.; date of completion, 1888; cost, $1,200; surface formation, upper part of Des Moines. 

The water stands within 150 feet of the top of this well and is pumped 

by a Eureka pump run by a 10-horsepower engine. It is very corrosive, and ordinary pipes last only about three years; galvanized pipes 

last ten years. The water is clear and sparkling, with a saline taste 

and a slight odor of sulphur. It contains a small amount of carbon 

dioxide gas.
CLAY COUNTY. 59

The salt-sulphur well was sunk by W. S. Pryor, of'Kansas City. 

The water is pumped to the Music Hall bath house, which has a swimming pool 60 by 32 feet. The owners are E. L. and E. I. Morse; 

depth, 1,327 feet; altitude, about 925 feet; cased to bottom; date of 

completion, 1899; water stands within 60 feet of surface; surface formation, upper part of Des Moines.

The following analyses of water from these two wells are given in 

Schweitzer's report: a

Analysis of water from sulphosaline well, Excelsior Springs, Clay County.b

Parts per million.

Silica (SiOa).. ................ 10

Iron (Fe).................... .7

Aluminum (Al)............... 21

Calcium (Ca).................. 239

Magnesium (Mg)............... 98

Sodium (Na).................. 2, 610

Potassium (K)................. 42

 Parts per million. 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3 )...... 234

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )........... 1-, 126

Chlorine (Cl)................... 3, 808

8,189 

Residue on ignition ............. 8, 093

Analysis of water from salt-sulphur well, Excelsior Springs, Clay County. 

(Analyst, E. H. S. Bailey.)

Parts per million. 

..... 11 

..... 4.7 

..... 210 

..... 109

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4)........ 396

Chlorine (Cl)................ 6, 684

Bromine (Br).............. 14

Iodine (I)................... 12

Sulphur (S).................. 1.9

12, 590

Silica (SiO2 ). ......

Iron (Fe).".......

Calcium (Ca).......

Magnesium (Mg)....

Sodium (Na)................. 4, 392

Potassium (K)................ 11

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )...... 69

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3). . . 675

Temperature of water, 64.4° F.

In connection with these wells it may not be out of place to refer 

briefly to the neighboring mineral springs, which, together with the 

wells, constitute the most popular health resort in the State. Of these 

springs the best are the Regent and Siloam springs, both ferromanganese waters, derived from the Pennsylvanian. In the Regent the 

manganese bicarbonate (16.8 parts per million) aids in the assimilation in the human system of the high percentage of ferrous bicarbonate (58.8 parts per million). The sulphosaline waters of the 

drilled wells counteract the astringent properties of the ferromanganese waters of the springs, and the two furnish a fortunate combination.

a Missouri Oeol. Survey, vol. 3, 1892, p. 99.

6 Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological Survey.
60 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

KEAENEY.

The following is a log of a well drilled by A. W. Stubbs near 

Kearney:

Log of well, 6 miles west of Kearney, Clay County.

Soil.......................... .. . ............. .....................

Shale......................... . ................ ......................

Limestone ................... ........ . . . .......

Shale.............................................................................

Shale............................................................................

Shale.............................................................................

Shale .............................................................................

B rown limestone ............ . . .................................

Shale. ..........................................................................

Shale........................ . ... ..............................................

Shale .............................................................................

Sandy shale ......................................................................

Shale.*. ...........................................................................

Shale.............................................................................

Shale. ............................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

25

56i'o

35

15

20

28

12

6

6

120<n

22

28

40

10

4

4

4

10

12

12

24

6

6

40

10

12

6

6

24

6

18

131

12

IS

30

12

18

36

40

30

10

Depth.

Feet. 

25

81

91

126

141

161

189

201

207

231

237

249

369

391

413

441

481

491

495

499

503

513

525

537

561

567

573

613

623

635

641

647

671

677

695

826

838

856

886

898

916

952

992

1,022

1,0£J

DAVIESS COUNTY,

GALLATIN.

Seven miles east of Gallatin, near the head of a small draw, is a well 

on the farm of W. C. Macy. Depth, 22 feet; altitude above tide, 

about 794 feet; casing, IJ-mch, 22 feet; temperature of water, 61° F.; 

of air, 82° F.; flow, feeble; date of completion, 1895; bored by farm 

hands; cost of well, $25. This well passed through the clay and sandstone of the Des Moines group. It may be a drift well. On entering 

the sandstone water was struck, which rose 8 feet above the surface. 

The flow is uniform. The water is clear and hard and is used for 

watering stock. No analysis has been made.-
NORTH-CENTRAL DISTRICT. 61

HARRISON COUNTY. 

BETHANY.

About 1 mile west of Bethany, in sec. 16, T. 63, R. 28, on the east 

bank of Big Creek, is a well owned by the Bethany Improvement 

Company. Depth, 654 feet; altitude above tide, about 916 feet; casing, 3-inch, 45 feet to rock; flow, 5 + gallons per minute; date of completion, 1885; surface formation, Missouri group. The water is used 

by the Heilbron Sanitarium. It is said to be especially valuable in 

rheumatism. It is clear and bubbles with carbon dioxide. The log 

of the well is as follows:

Log of deep flowing well at Bethany, Harrison County.

Pleistocene (45 feet) :

Missouri (53 feet) :

Gray limestone. ..............................................................

"Marais des Cygnes" shale (Pleasanton) (156 feet):

Coal..........................................................................

Henrietta limestone (149 feet) :

"Slate"......................................................................

Coal..........................................................................

Cherokee shales (251 feet) :

"Slate"......................................................................

Clay..........................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

45

11 

8 

12 

5 

17

81 

5 

4 

32 

18 

1 

1 

14

3

19 

5 

4 

10 

16 

30 

29 

1 

32

11 

27 

9 

11 

3 

3 

3 

64 

2 

16 

2 

20 

62 

8 

10

Depth.

Feet.

56 

64 

76 

81 

98

179 

184 

188 

220 

238 

239 

240 

254

257 

276 

281 

285 

295 

311 

341 

370 

371 

403

414

441 

450 

461 

464 

467 

470 

534 

536 

552 

554 

574 

636 

644 

654

It is very probable that the Mississippian would have been reached 

had the drilling been continued 50 or 60 feet farther. The first flow 

of water was struck at 200 feet, and it was continuous. The last and 

strongest flow was reached at the bottom of the well. No analysis of 

this water has been made.
62 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

HOLT COUNTY.

FOREST CITY.

Near Forest City, Holt County, is a deep diamond-drill prospecting 

well, made in 1901. The core is preserved at the office of the State 

geological survey, at Holla, Mo.

Log of prospecting well near Forest City, Holt County.

Pleistocene (66feet): Ft. in.

Sandy clay................................................................... 65 0

Missouri (866 feet):

Clay and bowlders............................................................ 10 0

Clay shale.................................................................... 15 0

Blue shale.................................................................... 4 0

Limestone.................................................................... 5 7

Fossiliferous limestone....................... . . ........... ............... 1 5

Blue shale.................................................................... 3 6

Limestone.................................................................... 11 0

Blue shale.................................................................... 4 0

Limestone.................................................................... 3 6

Limestone.................................................................... 2 6

Blue shale.................................................................... 16 6

Blue limestone............................................................... 4 3

Clay shal?.................................. ................................. 3 9

Blue shale.................................................................... 10 0

Limestone.................................................................... 30 0

Bark blue shale.............................................................. 3 0

Limestone.................................................................... 2 6

^Blue shale.................................................................... 12 6

Limestone.................................................................... 8 0

Sand shale................................................................... 17 0

Limestone.................................................................... 4 8

Blue shale.................................................................... 12 8

Sandstone, shale partings.................................................... 54 8

Blue sand shale.............................................................. 16 0

Dark blue shale.............................................................. 14 0

Clay shale.................................................................... 33 0

Blue shale.................................................................... 50 0

Limestone.................................. ................................. 27 0

Black shale................................................................... 9 0

Limestone........................................ ........................... 2 0

Shale......................................................................... 12 0

Limestone.................................................................... 20 0

Black shale................................................................... 2 0

Limestone.................................................................... 10 6

Sand shale .................................................................... 2 0

Sandstone.................................................................... 3 0

Blue shale..................................................................... 3 0

Limestone.................................................................... 4 6

Dark shale................................................................... 2 0

Limestone.................................................................... 7 0

Sandy shale.................................................................. 3 6

Dark shale, mixed with limestone............................................ 16 6

Limestone.................................................................... 15 0

Blue shale...............'......................... ........................... 1 9

Black " slate"................................................................ 1 5

Blue shale .................................................................... 12 10

Limestone-conglomerate..................................................... 5 6

Blue shale.................................................................... 4 0

Limestone.................................................................... 3 6

Conglomerate................................................................ 9 6

Dark shale................................................................... 1 0

Limestone.................................................................... 7 0

Black shale and limestone.................................................... 3 0

Limestone-conglomerate..................................................... 13 10

Bastard limestone and shale ................................................. 7 10

Blue shale.................................................................... 4 3

Clay.......................................................................... 2 1

Limestone.................................................................... 34 2

Shale......................................................................... 6 2

Limestone.................................................................... 23 2

Dark shale................................................................... 3 2

Limestone and shale......................................................... 2 5

Black shale................................................................... 3 4

Siale and limestone.......................................................... 3 5

SH&le and limestone.......................................................... 1 4

Thickness.
HOLT COUNTY.

Log of prospecting well near Forest City, Holt County Continued.

63

Missouri Continued. 

Limestone........ .................... . .......... ....... .............

Dark shale ......................................... . .......................

Dark shale ........................... . . . ... ....... . ...........

Limestone............................ . ........... .........................

(Iron pyrites 737 feet 6 inches to 740 feet.) 

Sandstone ............................ .... . ................

Dark shale ........................................ . . ....... .............

Dark shale ........................... . . . . . . . . ... . .........

Limestone......................................... . ....... .............

Clay shale ............................ . . . .... ..........

Clay shale and fragments .......................... . .......................

Limestone and black shale ............. . . ... .... .............

Sandy shale .......................... . . . . . ......

Clay shale, broken and soft ........................ . . .....................

Shale................................... .......... ....... . ..........

Sandstone, fossiliferous ......................................................

Sand and shale ...............................................................

Shale.........................................................................

Blue shale with 8-inch vertical seam (silica) ...... . ....... . ..........

Sandstone.......................................... . ... . . . ...

Shale................... ....... ....

Limestone. . ..........................

Shale.............................................. . . ..... . . ... ..

Limestone............................ ......... ... ...

Blue shale, last foot fossiliferous. .................. . ......................

Limestone, last 6 inches lossililerous .........................................

Blue shale, with a little sandstone ................. . ......................

Des Moines (690 feet) : 

Blue limestone ....................... . . ........ ... . . . . ... .

Black shale, with a little thin sandstone ........... ........................

Clay shale, broken .......................

Alternating sandstone and shale ................... . ......... . . ........

Sand shale, broken ..................

Blue shale ...........................

Sandy shale ............................ ... ..... . ...

Clay shale ................................... . , .

Dark shale ..........................

Clay shale ................ . ........

Blue shale, a few lime nodules........ . .

Shale.............................................. ....... ...

Limestone............................ .......

Black slate ..........................

Coal, fair quality....................... .....

Clay shale ...........................

Blue limestone. ...................... ......

Sandstone. ..................... ...

Sand shale ......................... . . . .

Black shale. . ........................

Coal, poor................................ ... . .

Sandstone. ..........................

Blacfe shale. ..................................

Coal, poor ...........................

Clay shale, soft........................... .....

Clay, with some limestone ........................ . . ....... . . ... .

Shale................................

Clay shale, with sandstone and limestone .

a Error in original record; probably should be 37 ft. 6 in.

Thickness.

Ft. in. 

13 0

1 3

4 0

1 0

6

3 0

4 2

3 2

5 2

4 6

1 4

13 11

2 4

2 4

3 10

3 10

3 2

1 0

3 11

4 6

4 10

2 2

10

7 0

«4 9

5 5

16 11

5 2

10 0

1 4

3 6

2 6

4

5 6

4 3

8 11

8 A

3

f)

2 9

4

2 6

1 3

8

3 3

2 9

14 2

9 10

23 6

1 10

4

6 4

1 9

1 2

1 4

5 0

8 11

5

4 0

5 Q

15 1

9

1 S

1 i

3

1

2 A

3 1ft

5

K

3

0

1 0

4 4

7 0

g

2 9

6

9

1 9

Depth.

Ft. in. 

724 8

725 11

729 11

730 11

731 5

734 5

738 7

741 9

746 11

751 5

752 9

766 8

769 0

771 4

775 2

779 0

782 2

783 2

787 1

791 7

796 5

798 7

799 5

806 5

843 11

849 4

866 3

871 5

881 5

883 4

886 10

889 4

889 8

895 2

899 5

908 4

916 8

919 8

922 5

926 5

928 11

930 2

%0 10

934 1

951 0

960 10

984 4

986 6

992 6

994 7

995 9

997 1

1 nn9 1

1,011 5

1,015 5

1,021 2

1 ftlfi 1

1,037 0

1

AQQ Q

1,039 11

1 O41 ft

1,045 0

1 ft4ft 1 ft

1,054 3

1,057 11

1,070 3

1,071 0

1 073 9

1 ft7ft 1

1,084 5
64 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Log of prospecting well near Forest City, Holt County Continued.

Thickness.

Des Moines Continued. . Ft. in.

Sandstone, hard,' fine-grained................................................ 8 2

Soft, dark shale.............................................................. 4

Sandstone, shale partings.................................................... 12 6

Dark shale, with sandstone partings......................................... 9 9

Shale......................................................................... 24 1

Coal, poor, with iron pyrites................................................. 9

Shale:....... ................................................................ 18 0

Sandstone.................................................................... 5 9

Shale......................................................................... 7 4

Dark shale; a little pyrites at 1,182 feet 4 inches.............................. 10 0

Sandstone.................................................................... 6

Dark shale................................................................... 3 4

(Block for waste in drilling out last core).................................... 2 2

Sand shale................................................................... 2 0

Shale, dark and slaty........................................................ 16 1

Shale, with limestone nodules................................................ 3

Shale......................................................................... 7 2

Sandstone.................................................................... 1 3

Shale; iron pyrites from 1,216 to 1,217 feet.................................... 8 2

Sandstone, with some limestone............................................. 4 0

Soft shale.................................................................... 10

Carbonaceous shale.......................................................... 9

Blue shale.................................................................... 8

Hard, sandy shale........................................................... 2 8

Hard gray shale.............................................................. 3 9

Blue shale ................................................................... 15 1

Coal.......................................................................... 5

Blue shale.................................................................... 9

Gray shale, with coal partings; nearly 45° to axis of core. ................... 9

Shale........... ............................................................. 10 0

Coal.......................................................................... 3

Light Mulsh sandstone....................................................... 13 11

Blue shale.................................................................... 3 9

Sandstone.................................................................... 4 10

Coal.......................................................................... 3

Sandstone.................................................................... 57 5

Blue sandy shale............................................................. 3 2

Dark shale................................................................... 9 5

Sandstone, coarse-grained, hard............................................. 1 1

Dark shale, slaty and hard................................................... 3 6

Sandstone.................................................................... 20 6

Dark shale. ................ J ................................................. 3 0

Coal.......................................................................... 5

Shale......................................................................... 5 2

Coal.......................................................................... 10

Soft clay shale, irregular cleavage............................................ 1 1

(Block for wasted core)...................................................... 1 4

Shale......................................................................... 6 9

Blue shale, turning to gray sandstone in last foot........................... 17 0

Sandstone.................................................................... 6 0

Fossiliferous sandstone...................................................... 2 3

Sandstone.................................................................... 9 6

Shale......................................................................... 5 11

(Pine block for wasted core)................................................. 3 0

Sandstone, gray, medium to coarse grained.................................. 2 1

Blue shale.................................................................... 4 2

'' Steatite'' 3 inches, blue shale 6 inches, sandy shale 6 inches................ 1 3

Blue shale, sometimes sandy................................................. 14 9

Black shale, similar to above................................................ 14 0

Dark shale, cleavage up to 35° of core axis................................... 4 8

Blue shale.................................................................... 4 0

Coarse gray sandstone with a little limestone............................... 4 9

Clay shale.................................................................... 2 4

Gray sandstone.............................................................. 4 3

Sandstone..........-.-...........------....-..---.-..--...-----.-.....---.--- 6 8

Black shale; patches of sandstone at 1,511 feet 4 inches...................... 11 6

Sandstone.................................................................... 10 6

Hard, sandy shale..................-..--...-.--......-.....---..-.....--.---- 1 4

Coal.......................................................................... 2

Sandstone, light, with two steatitic partings................................ 4 0

Sandy shales, with partings of white sandstone............................. 5 10

Shale and sandstone...................---.........-...--....-------...------ 3 1

Light-blue shale, with thin streaks of white sandstona...................... 8 8

Sandstone, light blue......................................................... 3 8

Sandstone and shale.......................................................... 1 H

Shale......................................................................... 2 8

Light sandstone, fine grained and hard...................................... 6 0

Blue shale with steatite sections and partings, and some diagonal displacements, with highly polished surfaces....................................... 14 0

Sandstone, coarse, irregular, with iron pyrites, mica granules, and small fossil fragments............................................................... 2 0
HOLT COUNTY. 65 

Log of prospecting well near Forest City, Holt County Continued.

Thickness.

Ft. in.

4 2

1 6

2 4

21 5

1 10

3 7

3 3

10 0

3 5

2 10

3 10

20 0

8 6

11 5

11 5

1 5

5 1

2 0

18 6

1 6

30 0

10 0

20 0

2 5

J

11 6

2

10

9

1 8

10

1 3

1 6

3

1 5

1 0

5 10

3 7

7 5

1 3

7 9

7 0

3 0

73 5

6 7

3 10

80 4

19 10

16 0

1 1

16 9

4 9

17 5

40 0

23 0

19 5

4

34 3

3 0

80 00

13 10

7 3

18 11

12 2

7 10

10 0

1 4

2 0

6 8

40 0

Depth.

Ft. in.

1,586 2

1,587 8

1,590 0

1,611 5

1,613 3

1,616 10

1,620 1

1,630 1

1,633 6

1,636 4

1,640 2

1,660 2

1,668 8

1,680 1

1,691 6

1,692 11

1,698 0

1,700 0

1,718 6

1,720 0

1,750 0

1,760 0

1,780 0

1,782 5

1,783 0

1,794 6

1,794 8

1,795 6

1,796 3

1,797 11

1,798 9

1,800 0

1,801 6

 1, 801 9

1,803 2

1,804 2

1,810 0

1,813 7

1,821 0

1,822 3

1,830 0

1,837 0

1,840 0

1,913 5

1,920 0

1,923 10

2,004 2

2,024 0

2,040 0

2,041 1

2. 057 10

2,062 7

2,080 0

2,120 0

2, 143 0

2, 162 5

2, 162 9

2, 197 0

2,200 0

2,280 0

2,293 10

2,301 1

2, 320 0

2,332 2

2,340 0

2,350 0

2,351 4

2,353 4

2,360 0

2,400 0

Des Moines Continued.

Blue shale, sandy and harder in last foot....................................

Fossiliferous sandstone......................................................

Fossiliferous sandy shale, with horizontal partings..........................

Blue shale, with vegetable remains; iron pyrites at 1,602 feet 2 inches, 1,605 

feet 9 inches, 1,608 feet 1 inch, and 1,608 feet 10 inches.......................

Shale and sandstone, with vegetable partings................................

Fine-grained sandstone, parting freely into small, clear crystals.............

Sandstone with a little limestone.........................'...................

Mississippian (293 feet):

Limestone (marble ?) with some sandstone..................................

Blue limestone...............................................................

Sandsto le and limestone.....................................................

Limesto ie....................................................................

Limesto le with many partings..............................................

Limesto ne................................................... ^................

Limesto ne, with several masses of quartz up to 7 inches in diameter........

Ragged quartz and limestone................................................

Sandy s lale and limestone...................................................

Limesto le and sandstone....................................................

(Block f >r wasted core)......................................................

Limestone with thin partings................................................

Blue shale with horizontal partings..........................................

Limestone with few partings; fossils from 1,738 feet 8 inches to 1,740 feet....

Hard, light limestone, with fossils and quartz crystals......................

Limestone, with irregular partings at 1,761 feet arid 1,778 feet 6 inches to 1,780 

feet......!............................................................--...

Limestone....................................................................

Very hard quartzite..........................................................

Limestone....................................................................

Chert........ ^..................................................... ...........

Sandy limestone.............................................................

Chert.

Hard and sandy limestone.. 

Broken chert and limestone. 

Limestone, sandy and hard. 

Fossiliferous limestone. 

Chert.

Fossiliferous limestone.......................................................

Chert ending in quartzite....................................................

Magnesian limestone; quartz at 1,805 feet 6 inches...........................

Limestone, chert, and quartzite, with fossils................................

(Block for wasted core).......................................................

Sandstone, light, with some lime....... r.....................................

Bluish sandstone, with lime..................................... _............

Sandstone, bluish, lime increasing............................................

Limestone....................................................................

Limestone with some marble (?); a few spots of sandstone and chert.......

Devonian (128 feet):

Blue shale mixed with a little lime...........................................

Sandy shale................................................................;.

Shale, blue, green-brown, and red, containing iron oxide....................

Shale, with lime..............................................................

Shale, fine grained, increasing in hardness...................................

Blue shale....................................................................

Silurian (359+ feet):

Fossiliferous limestone.......................................................

Blue shale....................................................................

Limestone....................................................................

Limestone, some thin partings.......-........................."..............

Limestone, "half-inch shale ................................................

Limestone....................................................................

White and blue chert.........................................................

Limestone....................................................................

Coarse limestone; cavities lined with quartz crystals........................

Limestone........................................'............................

Dark-gray limestone, sandy, hard...........................................

Limestone; many cavities;' black-shale partings.............................

Limestone; 2 inches of chert and quartz at 2,335 feet 7 inches................

Limestone, white, fine grained...............................................

Limestone; small quartz crystals in last 4 feet..............................

Limestone; many cavities, often with small quartz crystals; occasional 

spots of chert............................................'........-.....-....

Gray limestone, chert increases..............................................

Dark limestone, some chert...................................................

Dark limestone, sharp sand with fossils.....................................

Limestone; solution cavities and fossil molds abound.......................

(No return of water below 2,350 feet.)
66 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

LINN COUNTY.

BKOOKFIELD.

A shaft and boring at Brookfield gave the following section:

Section of shaft and boring at Bfookfield, Linn County.

Thickness.

Surface deposits (the rhomboidal limestone should have come in here, 17 feet be-

" Soapstone".. ............................. ...... ............................

Coal (Nutter's) ...................................................................

Hard rock ..................... ..... . .....................

"Slate "..........................................................................

Below ihis a boring penetrated the following:

" Soapstone ".. ............................. . ...................................

Coal..............................................................................

Fire clay.. ........................................................................

Coal......................................... ....................................

Ft.

30 

1 

16 

25 

1 

14 

6

52

16 

14 

10 

8 

3 

4

5

8 

4 

14 

4

2

15 

8 

10

10

4 

2

in.

0 

10 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

8 

8 

4 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

8 

0

0 

0 

0 

0 

0

1

5 

6 

0 

0 

0 

8 

0 

6 

0 

0

Depth.

Ft. in.

30 0 

31 10 

47 10 

72 10 

74 1 

88 1 

94 1 

95 9 

148 5 

150 9 

166 9 

180 9 

190 9 

198 9 

201 9 

205 9 

206 5 

211 5

219 5 

223 5 

237 5 

241 5 

243 5 

245 6 

245 11 

246 5 

261 5 

269 5 

279 5 

280 1 

290 1 

290 7 

294 7 

296 7

ST. CATHERINE.

A shaft and boring at St. Catherine showed the following section:

of shaft and boring at St. Catherine, Linn County."

Clay................................. ............................................

Rotten " slate". .............. ...... .. . . ....................................

Coal..............................................................................

Clav..............................................................................

"Soapstone".................. ......... . ...................................

Below this a boring was made and passed through the following:

Ceal.......................................... ....................................

Coal....................................................... ......................

Thickness.

Ft. 

14 

6 

3 

1 

2

"l 

6 

40 

2

3 

8 

60 

4 

2 

4 

35 

3

in. 

0 

0 

0 

4 

5 

0 

0 

0 

0 

3

0 

0 

0 

6 

6 

0 

0 

0

Depth.

Ft. in. 

14 0 

20 0 

23 0 

24 4 

26 9 

48 9 

49 9 

55 9 

95 9 

98 0

101 0 

109 0 

169 0 

173 6 

176 0 

180 0 

215 0 

218 0

a This section and the one at Brookfield are taken from Broadhead, G. C., Missouri Geol. Survey, 

vol. 1,1874, p. 267.
NORTH-CENTRAL DISTRICT. 67

LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

CHILLICOTHE.

About 3 miles from Chillicothe, in sec. 28, T. 58, R. 23, is a gas prospect hole whose mouth is at an altitude of about 825 feet. The following log has been furnished by Mr. R. Hawkins, of Chillicothe:

Log of gas prospect hole about 3 'miles from Chillicothe, Livingston County.

Thickness. Depth.

Pleistocene (56 feet): Feet. Feet.

Yellow clay.................................................................. 0 30

Soft yellow sandstone........................................................ 15 45

Light-colored shales. ......................................................... m 11 56

DesMoines (425 feet):

Hard conglomerate; cased from top, 8i inch ................................ 2 58

Black ''slate "................................................................ 3 61

Soft light-colored gray shales................................................ 69 130

Sandstone, with 6-inch coal.................................................. 3 133

Light-colored shales.......................................................... 57 190

Black ''slate "................................................................ 4 194

Gray shales.................................................................. 36 230

Red and greenish-gray shale; caved......................................... 8 238

Dark shales with barren coal seam; cased from top, 7J-inch................... 13 251

Limestone.................................................................... 1 252

Gray shales.................................................................. 45 297

Brown" smut".............................................................. 3 300

Drab and purple clays and shales, with coal particles....................... 48 348

Soft, nearly white sandstone, rounded grains................................ 3 351

Black sand shales; saline water at 406 + feet................................ 79 430

Porous conglomerate; saline water.......................................... 12 442

White, plastic flre clay....................................................... 10 452

Sandy coal and flre clay, gray to purplish................................... 29 481

Keokuk and Burlington (319 feet):

White, very hard, flinty limestone........................................... 3 484

Soft white limestone, with flinty layers and a soft white substance (gypsum ?)

not a carbonate............................................................ 38 522

Sandstone, flre clay, " slates," and pebbles; saline water.................... 62 584

Soft, chalky limestone....................................................... 12 596

Flint or quartzite sandstone, shales, etc..................................... 6 602

Black shales, very little lime................................................. 14 616

Soft sandy gray calcareous rock............................................. 20 636

White and blue calcareous shales and flint................................... 9 645

Soft sandy gray calcareous rock............................................. 69 714

Dark plastic to hard joint clay, caVed badly; cased, 4i inch, at 762 feet ..... 48 762

White limest one.............................................................. 4 766

Dark " hydraulic " limestone................................................. 13 779

Pure, soft white limestone................................................... 21 800

Chouteau (81 feet):

Brownish mealy limestone; saline water..................................... 46 846

Crystalline limestone......................................................... 8 854

Dark impure limestone; saline water........................................ 27 881

Hannibal formation (101 feet):

Fine yellowish-gray lime sand............................................... 25 906

Light to dark gray limestone, with some yellowish sand.................... 11 917

Gray to orange sandstone, with some lime; gas............................. 65 982

Devonian (94 feet):

Limestone, with black organic matter....................................... 8 990

Limestone, with gray sandstone at top...................................... 75 1,065

Fine brown lime sand, with pyrite, etc....................................... 11 1,076

St. Peter sandstone (25 + feet):

Hard quartzite............................................................... 20 1,096

Pure white sand, with saline water; caved................................... 5 1,101

TJTICA.

In sec. 2, T. 25, R. 56, in the valley of a small branch which empties 

into Shoal Creek, about 5 miles southwest of Utica, Livingston County, 

is a well owned by G. H. Lawson. Depth, 421 feet; altitude above 

tide, about 660 feet; casing, 5f inch; 400 feet (partially cased); 

temperature of water, 59° F.; of air, 76° F.; now, weak; date of completion, 1807; driller, C. P. Thomas, of West Bend, Iowa; cost of 

well, $1,000; surface formation, lower Pennsylvanian. The principal
68 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

source of the water is at a depth of 360 to 370 feet, in the soft basal 

sandstone of the Cherokee shales. A nonflowing vein of water was 

reached at a depth of 35 feet. The present flow is feeble, the water 

rising only about 10 feet above the surface. The well was sunk to 

obtain water for stock, but the flow was so weak only about 40 barrels per day that the owner put in a $1,500 pumping plant. The 

water is saline, with a small amount of hydrogen sulphide and some 

iron, which is precipitated around the well. No record was kept. 

The drill, however, passed through the Des Moines into the Mississippian. The following is a copy of the analysis of this water made by 

Professor Schweitzer, no date being given:

ArKdysis of water of Lawson well, near Utica, Livingston County. a

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2 )...................... 13

Iron (Fe)........................ 10

Calcium (Ca)...................... 312

Magnesium (Mg)................. 136

Sodium (Na)...................... 2, 728

Parts per million. 

Potassium (K)................... 45

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ) ............ 1, 289

Chlorine (Cl)..................... 4, 250

8,783

This water, though strongly saline, is said to be excellent for stock, 

and is a good example of the waters that are derived from the base of 

the Cherokee shales.

MERCER COUNTY.

WASSON CREEK.

Two and one-half miles south of Lineville, Iowa, in Mercer County, 

Mo., in the east half of lot 2, NW. i sec. 1, T. 66, R. 24, in a valley 

about 100 feet from Wasson Creek, is a well owned by M. B. Haver 

& Son. Depth, 153 feet; altitude above tide, about 672 feet; depth 

of casing, 27 feet; temperature of water, 53° F.; & of air, 65° F.; 

flow feeble; date of completion, 1879; driller, J. H. Reger, Lineville; 

cost, $150; surface formation, Des Moines, under Pleistocene.

The partial record of this well which follows was given from 

memory by the driller:

Log of Haver well in Mercer County, near Lineville, Iowa

' Marias des Cygnes " shales (Pleasanton) (125 feet) :

Coal..........................................................................

Coal . .........................................................................

Thickness.-

Ft. in. 

27 0

1 0

8 0

35 0

2

5

3 0

30 0

3

45 2

3 0

Depth.

Ft. in. 

27 0

28 0

36 0

71 0

71 2

71 7

74 7

104 7

104 10

ISO 0

153 0

o Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological Survey. 

6 In Sweitzer's report on Mineral Waters, vol. 3, Missouri Oeol. Survey, 1892, p. 128, A. E. Woodward 

gives the temperature ol this well in 1892 asi 52° F., air temperature 71° F.
MERCER COUNTY. 69

It is possible that the 1 foot of limestone is the base of the Missouri group. At the bottom of the well the drillers struck a quicksand that was so difficult to penetrate that they stopped work. 

Water was struck at 27 feet and in the sandstone at 150 feet. The 

water came up slowly during the night and flowed gently over the 

top of the pipe. The flow, although constant, is very feeble when 

not pumped. The analysis here given was made by Woodward and 

Schweitzer: °

Analysis of water from Haver well, near Liiieville,

Parts per million. Parts per million.

Silica (Si02).........

Aluminum (Al) ............... 2.6

Calcium (Oa).................. 9. 6

Magnesium (Mg)............... 11

Sodium (Na) .................. 1, 047

Potassium (K)................. 16

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ).......... 2, 245

Chlorine (Cl).................... 171

3, 504. 2

This water has a local reputation and is shipped to various points. 

It is esteemed as especially valuable for constipation and stomach 

and kidney troubles. Schweitzer places this well in the Glauber 

salt (sodium sulphate) group of the sulphatic waters, or those containing sulphates as their main constituents. He has shown that 

dolomitic limestone containing gypsum, as associated with marls 

rich in alkalies, or other rocks containing alkaline carbonates or 

silicates are favorable for the formation of Glauber salt springs or 

wells.

About 250 feet southwest of the Haver well is a well owned by 

J. H. Reger. Depth, 158 feet 8 inches; altitude above tide, about 

680 feet; temperature of water, 54° F.; of air, 65° F.; water rises 

nearly to the surface; date of completion, February, 1892; driller, 

J. H. Reger; surface formation, Des Moines, under Pleistocene. The 

water is strongly chalybeate, and in this respect differs from that of 

the Haver well, which contains no iron. It is valued as a tonic and 

in kidney troubles.

A well in the immediate vicinity owned by J. S. Haymaker has a 

depth of 202 feet; altitude above tide, 672 feet; casing, 6-inch, 92 

feet; temperature of water, 53° F.; of air, 65° F.; water rises nearly 

to the surface; date of completion, March, 1902; drillers, Frank 

Bowles and Ed Jumper; cost, $250; surface formation, Des Moines, 

under Pleistocene. The first water was struck at a depth of 134 feet 

and rose within 26 feet of the top of the well; a second vein of water 

was struck at a depth of 175 feet which rose within 23 feet of the 

surface. The log of this well corresponds to that of the Haver 

well; the water also is similar and apparently has the same composition.

a Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 3,1892, p. 128.

6 Expressed by analyst ia grains per gallon; recomputed to jonjc form and parts per million at 

United States Geological Survey.
70 UNDERGROUND. WATERS OF MISSOURI.

PRINCETON.

The following record of a well 10 miles southeast of Princeton, 

Mercer County, was obtained by Mr. R. Hawkins, of Chillicothe:

Log of well 10 miles southeast of Princeton, Mercer County.

Pleistocene (180 feet) : 

Clay..........................................................................

Des Moines (321 feet): 

Hard rock, about ............................................................

Coal..........................................................................

Coal..........................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

180

10

30

20

4

13

5

3

236

Depth.

Feet. 

180

190

220

240

244

257

262

265

501

No water was obtained.

NODAWAY COUNTY.

BURLINGTON JUNCTION.

At Burlington Junction, Nodaway County, one-half mile south of 

the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway station, is a well owned 

by the Nodaway Valley Oil, Gas, and Mineral Company. Elevation 

of curb, 969 feet; driller, Sherman Burdick; date of completion, 

1905; kind of water, saline. The following log is taken from the 

original recorc of J. N. Maupin:

Log of the well of Nodaway Valley Oil, Gas and Mineral Company, Burlington Junction,

Nodaway County.

Pleistocene (68 feet) : 

Soil...........................................................................

Missouri (910 feet) : 

Coal..........................................................................

Shale .........................................................................

Des Moines (722 feet) : White Trenton rock. ........................................................

White "talc "................................................................

Black shale sand. . ...........................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

68

459

18

100

20

30

40

30

15

66

«>E

40

15

30

20

117

30

114

1

17

10

300

on

40

Depth.

Feet. 

68

68

527

545

645

665

695

735

765

780

846

871

911

926

956

976

978

1,095

1,125

1,239

1,240

1,257

1,260

1.270

1,570

1,600

1,640
NODAWAY COUNTY. 71

Log of the well of Nodaway Valley Oil, Gas and Mineral Company, Burlington Junction, 

Nodaivay County Continued.

Des Moines Continued.

Mississippian (186+ feet) :

Tflickness.

Feet. 

30

2

20

5

20

11

10

165

Depth.

Feet. 

1,670

1,672

1,692

1,697

1,717

1,728

1,738

1,903

This well was sunk for oil, and 110 record was kept of water horizons.

MARYVILLE.

On the west side of the road leading north from the Burlington 

Railway station, in the NE. } SE. }, sec. 17, T. 64, R. 35, is a well 

owned by Miss Alice Beal. This well is about 15 feet above the 

level of the railroad track. It was drilled in 1884 by Thomas Brown, 

of the Diamond Drill Company, Chicago, 111., to a depth of 1,003 

feet. It has a 4-inch bore, and is cased 300 feet to solid rock. A 

good vein of water was struck at 600 feet. The driller's record book 

was loaned to the Missouri State geologist in 1885 and was subsequently lost.

SOUTH-CENTRAL DISTRICT.

GENERAL ARTESIAN CONDITIONS.

The south-central district includes the area between the Atchison, 

Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and a line running from Kansas City 

through Sedalia, Versailles, and along Osage and Missouri rivers to 

Warren County, thence northward along the ridge that bounds the 

northeast district to Iowa. Geologically this district is divided by 

Missouri River into two well-marked sections. Except for narrow 

patches of Mississippian in Harrison and Boone, the Pennsylvanian 

rocks underlie the northern section. The great dividing ridge, or 

northeastern extension of the Ozark dome, running across the northern half of the State, dips gently to the northwest, although it is 

broken here and there by slight anticlinal folds and disturbances. 

Flowing wells are generally confined to the area along Missouri 

River, where erosion has cut down the surface to such a degree that 

there is sufficient head for the underground water. South of Missouri River, Cambrian rocks are exposed on the west slope of the 

Ozark dome, but the dip to the northwest brings successively to the 

surface the Mississippian, Des Moines, and Missouri rocks. Along 

this slope, which is decidedly broken and disturbed in Saline and 

Cooper counties, conditions are favorable for artesian waters. The 

development of anticlinal folds along the western side of the Ozark 

Mountains has left its impress on the topography and especially on 

IRR 195 07 6
72 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

the course of the rivers. An anticline that enters Missouri from 

Kansas just south of Kansas City has deflected Missouri River at 

that point from a southerly to an easterly course, across several 

anticlinal ridges with a northeast-southwest strike, which pass from 

Vernon County through Saline County and deflect Missouri River to 

the north. One of these axes is well defined one-fourth of a mile 

east of Napton, on the Missouri Pacific Railway, and near Lisbon, 

on the other side of the river, the continuation of the axis is exposed. 

At Higbee a well 300 feet deep reached the Mississippian series at 

240 feet, showing that one of these anticlinal folds probably stands 

near this point. It is likely that this anticline has an important 

bearing on the saline waters of Saline and Howard counties. There 

are flowing wells at or near the following places: Brunswick and 

Salisbury, Chariton County; Randolph Springs, Randolph County; 

Malta Bend and Sweet Springs, Saline County; Boonslick and Fayette, Howard County; Sedalia and Smithton, Pettis County; Fortuna, Moniteau County; Olean, Miller County; California, Moniteau 

County; Cedar City, Callaway County, and in southeastern Cole 

County.

AUDRAIN COUNTY.

At Mexico, Audrain County, the waterworks company drilled a 

well 1,025 feet deep to supply the city with water. The altitude of 

Mexico, at the Chicago and Alton Railway station, is 811 feet. The 

following log was obtained:

Log of waterworks company well, Mexico, Audrain Coiinty.

Thickness. Depth.

Pleistocene (15 feet): 

Soil.

Feet.

Des Moines (130 feet):

Limestone and fragments of gray quartz or gravel.........................

Limestone, soft, drab, earthy...............................................

Limestone, darker and harder, with Mack shale.............................

Black shale..............._...........,.......................................

Limestone, soft, light bluish gray............................................

Shale, black, bituminous.....................................................

Limestone, fine grained, with fragments of black shale......................

Limestone, fine grained, soft, light gray, no shale............................

Coal, bituminous..............................................................

Miss'ssippian (420 feet):«

Chert, hard, gray, yellowish coating on some fragments..."..................

Chert, hard, gray hornstone, some white and opaque........................

Limestone with some chert and shale........................................

Sandstone, rounded, white, translucent quartz grains; some limestone and 

chert.......................................................................

Limestone, soft, gray, earthy................................................

Limestone, soft, gray, with green shale......................................

Sandstone, white quartz', chert, limestone and shale.........................

Limestone, gray, compact, earthy; some shale..............................

Chert, white, iron stained; a few gra'ns of quartz sand......................

Limestone, compact, earthy; some shale and chert..........................

Chert; some Kmestone and shale.............................................

Limestone and soft yellowish-white powder..................................

Sandstone, white quartz, with considerable l.mestone.......................

Limestone, soft, gray........................................................

Limestone in soft white powder.............................................

15

10

10

15

2

13

5

50

20

5

15

40

250

80

35

65

40

10

25

135

20

10

10

90

55

Feet.

25

35

50

52

65

70

120

140

145

160

200

450

530

565

630

670

680

705

840

860

870

880

970

1,025

a The correlation below 565 feet becomes too uncertain to be of any value.
AUDRAIN AND BOONE COUNTIES. 73

The following is a sanitary analysis of water from this well, made 

by Prof. Charles R. Sanger, of Washington University, St. Louis:

Sanitary analysis of water from tvaterworks well, Mexico, Audrain County.

[Samples collected October 5, 1896.]

Parts 

per million.

Total residue from unfiltered water............................ 531

Loss on ignition from unfiltered 

water......................... 52

Fixed residue from unfiltered 

water......................... 479

Total residue from filtered water. 479 

Loss on ignition from filtered 

water......................... 42

Fixed residue from filtered water. 437 

Nitrogen as free ammonia....... 558

Nitrogen as,nitrates............... .06

Oxygen consumed............... 98

Parts 

per million.

Chlorine........................ 45. 7

Permanent hardness.............. None.

Temporary hardness.............. 275

Lime (CaO)....................... 99. 5

Magnesia (MgO)....--.-.--.-...... 52. 5

Alkali carbonate................. 54.8

Turbidity, slight. 

Sediment, very slight. 

Color, none. 

Taste, slightly alkali. 

Odor, none.

Bacteria after 96 hours culture, 378 

per cubic centimeter.

VANDALIA.

There are about 45 drilled wells near Vanclalia, Audrain County, 

varying from 120 to 450 feet in depth. It has been impossible to 

obtain the logs of any of these wells, but it is stated that they furnish 

an abundance of water for stock and farm purposes, and that water 

rises within 25 to 75 feet of the surface. The water-bearing formations in these wells are usually gravel or sandstone, and the water is 

commonly hard, with occasionally some sulphur.

BOONE COUNTY.

COLUMBIA.

Two miles northeast of Columbia, Boone County, is a well owned 

by the city of Columbia and drilled by Cliff Rummons. The following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of well near Columbia, Boone County.

Whitelime. ..................................... ....... . .....................

Soapstone blue, with gravel .....................................................

Blue shale, light in color. ........................ ...............................

Shale, mundic, some sand mixed; caving; casing driven from 300 to 450 feet. . . . . 

Blue lime rock, easy drilling. .................... .... ..........................

Soft light flint rock. .............................................................

Open crevice; full of water, which was analyzed at Missouri University and

White and blue flint. . ............................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

40

4

36

330 

100

25

100

85

15

25

Depth.

Feet. 

40

80

84

120

450 

550

575

675

760

775

800
74 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP MISSOURI.

CALLAWAY COUNTY.

CEDAR CITY.

A well at Cedar City, owned by F. M. Pease & Co., of Chicago, was 

drilled by Charles York, of Allentown, Allegany County, N. Y. It 

is situated in a stream bed about half a mile from the Missouri River 

bottoms, at an altitude of about 560 feet. It was drilled to a depth 

of 1,282 feet, with a 10-inch bore, and completed in 1902. Water was 

found in sand, and flowing water was reached at depths of 182, 220, 

and 423 feet. The flow from the 423-foot level was strong. The 

force increased at 700 and 800 feet and was strongest below 1,200 

feet. Mr. S. W. Cox states that the flow was so strong at 1,282 feet 

that the drill could make no headway, and work was stopped. The 

water is clear, cold, and soft. The drilling was started in the Jefferson City limestone.

FULTON.

At Fulton, Callaway County, there are a number of deep wells, 

from two of which the city derives its water supply. Well No. 1 was 

drilled in 1888 to a depth of 785 feet with a 9-inch bore. Well No. 2 

was drilled in 1895 to a depth of 703 feet with a 9-inch bore. The 

following information was secured through the kindness of Mr. D. K. 

Greger, of Fulton:

The temperature of the water from these wells is 58° F., the air 

temperature 72° F. The altitude is 814 feet above tide. A strong 

flow was struck at a depth of 450 feet. The well was cased to this 

depth, and the water rose within 240 feet of the surface. Both of 

these wells are located inside of the pump house, and they obtain 

water from the same bed, as when No. 2 was drilled below 450 feet 

the cuttings caused the water in No. 1 to be discolored. The stratum 

struck at 450 feet was the St. Peter sandstone. As the beds dip . 

north by northwest this formation comes to the surface toward the 

southeast in the Ozarks. The following log gives the record for both 

of these wells:

Log of wells Nos. 1 and 2, Fulton, Callaway County.

Pleistocene (40 feet) :

Graydon sandstone (80 feet) :

Burlington (20 feet) :

Kinderhook (3 feet) :

"Hamilton "o(70 feet):

Limestone ....................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

80

12

8

3

31 

39

Depth.

Feet.. 

40

120

132 

140

143

174 

213

"This Hamilton:has been described by D. K. Greger (Am. Geologist, vol. 12,1893, p. 204) from outcroppings in the county. Mr. Greger further states that the Chouteau limestone is not developed in 

this region; that the Trenton and Hudson River are likewise missing; and that the Devonian rests 

directly on the magnesian series in some places on the Joachim limestone and in others on the St. 

Peter sandstone.
CALLAWAY COUNTY.

Log of wells Nos. 1 and 2, Fulton, Callaway County Continued.

75

Joachim limestone (42 feet) :

St. Peter sandstone (120 feet) :

Jefferson City limestone (214 feet) :

Roubidoux sandstone (65 ieet) :

Gasconade limestone (131 feet) : 

Limestone.. .......................... ..... . ......................

Thickness.

Feet. 

42

1?6

214

65

a 126

5

Depth.

Feet. 

255

375

589

654

780

785

The following analysis a was made April 5, 1904:

Analysis of-water from well No. 1 at Fulton, Callaway County.

Parts per million. 

Total residue after evaporation............................................ 531

Chlorine................................................................. 12.5

Oxygen consumed........................................................ 1.75

Free ammonia.......................................................... .48

Albuminoid ammonia................................................... .55

Nitrates................................................................. .31

Nitrites.................................................................. None.

Color, clear. 

Odor, none. 

Bacteria in 1 cubic centimeter (^ teaspoonful of water, agar pits counted the third

day), 118,115.

Growth of bacteria in beef tea at 40°-42° C., cloudy. 

Intra-peritoneal injection of beef-tea culture, incubated at 40° C. for twenty-four

hours, killed guinea pig.

At the State hospital No. 1, one-half mile east of Fulton, are two 

deep drilled wells, one on a hill and one on a plain, 960 and 904 feet 

deep, respectively. The principal vein of water was found in both 

at about 800 feet in black porous sandstone. The water rises within 

180 feet of the surface.

Another well is located at the deaf and dumb asylum and still 

another at the tobacco factory, but no data for either of these could 

be obtained.

CHARITON COUNTY. 

BRUNSWICK.

One-fourth of a mile north of the Brunswick city hall, in sec. 3, T. 

53, R. 20, on a bluff overlooking Missouri River, is a well owned by 

S. Benecke & Co. Depth, 1,505 feet; altitude above tide, 712 feet; 

casing, 8-inch, 600 feet; temperature of water, 53° F.; date of completion, 1887; surface formation, Des Moines. This well was sunk in the 

hope of obtaining natural gas. As this was not found at a depth of

o Bull. Missouri State Board of Health, April, 1904.
76 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

1,505 feet, the well was cased to 700 feet, and since then the mineral 

water has been used for drinking and bathing purposes. The log of 

the well has been lost. The following information was given from 

memory by the owner of the well:

Solid Mississippian limestone was struck at a depth of 130 feet, 

everything down to that point being Des Moines. "At a distance of 

about 300 feet a we struck a very strong salt water, one tin cupful of 

which when evaporated left a teaspoonful of salt. When we reached 

1,400 feet, the water began to flow freely and continued to do so long 

after we abandoned the well." The flow has, however, been decreasing from year to year, and at present the water stands within 10 feet 

of the surface. It is probable that the main flow was derived from 

the St. Peter sandstone at a depth of 1,400 feet. Mr. Benecke further 

states that a bed of fine white marble was found somewhere in the 

neighborhood of 900 feet. This was probably dolomite. The following analysis is given by Schweitzer in his report on the mineral waters 

of Missouri:

Analysis of water from well at Brunswick, Chariton County.b

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2)..................... 5

Calcium (Ca)................... 740

Magnesium (Mg)................ 329

Sodium (Na)..................... 4, 706

Lithiutn (Li) ..................... Trace.

Parts per million. 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3)..... 597

Sulphate radicle (SO4)............ 1, 304

Chlorine (Cl).................... 8, 228

15, 909

This water, which is strongly saline and highly charged with sulphureted hydrogen, comes under the second division of Schweitzer's 

muriatic waters and is somewhat similar to that of the Louisiana well. 

At one time this well was a popular resort. A bath house, since 

destroyed, was built, and the water was also used internally because 

of its aperient qualities. The well cost about $3,500, of which the 

city paid $2,000 and the citizens the remainder.

SALISBURY.

In the southeastern part of Salisbury, on a gentle southern slope, is 

a well owned by the city. Depth, 852 feet; altitude, above tide, 740 

feet; casing, 6-inch, 100 feet; temperature of water, 58° F.; flow, weak; 

date of completion, 1896; cost, $2,500; surface formation,.Des Moines. 

The city of Salisbury started this well in 1895 and finished it in 1896. 

No record of the drilling was kept. It is stated that the drill passed

through 6 feet of soft loam, about 70 feet of soft sand, and 60 feet of

 « -

a This was probably in the Hannibal shales.

6 Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological Survey.
CHARITON AND COLE COUNTIES. 77

white sandstone. The first water was reached at 150 feet and the second at 210 feet, both being fresh. At a lower level, below 600 feet, a 

flow of salt sulphur water was obtained. The flow has not materially 

changed. The water is used medicinally for drinking and baths. The 

following is an analysis of this water made by Schweitzer in 1896:

Analysis of water from well at Salisbury, Chariton County.a

Silica (SiO2 )..................

Iron (Fe)....................

Manganese (Mn)...............

Calcium (Ca)................

Magnesium (Mg).............

Sodium (Na)................... 3, 538

Potassium (K)................ 61

Parts per million. 

...... 21

...... 5

...... 1.2

..... 491

..... 396

Parts per million. 

Lithium (Li)................. .56

Carbonate radicle (CO3)....... 454

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )........ 1, 346

Chlorine (Cl)................. 6,030

Bromine (Br)................. 12

12, 356

The water is a muriatic water of value. Its salts of iron, manganese, 

magnesia, and lithium, 'as well as the bromide, give it the^jjeutic 

effects. The source of this water is doubtful. It is greatly to be 

regretted that the drillers of several important wells in this district 

have either kept no logs or lost those which were kept.

COLE COUNTY.

EUGENE.

Three miles southwest of Eugene, Cole County, in sec. 13, T. 41, 

R. 14, is a well owned by the Bell Tunnel Mining Company, and drilled 

by Charles E. Miller. The following log was received from Messrs. 

M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of well of Bell Tunnel Mining Company near Eugene, Cole County.

Clav and chert .....................................

Open ground in limewater . ........................

Gray magnesia lime with layers of flint at interval 3; water stronger as greater

Thickness. Depth.

Feet. feet. 

17 17 

38 (?j 55 

5 60 

5 65 

13 78

158 236

This well is probably in Jefferson City limestone.

MISCELLANEOUS WELLS.

In southern Cole County, and in Miller County adjoining, a number 

of prospect holes sunk for mineral struck water that rose to the surface. Two of these are located on the farm of Dell Karr, about oneo Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological Survey.
78 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

half mile east of Bass post-office on the south line of sec. 31, T. 43, 

R. 12. One of these wells was 110 feet deep with a 6-inch bore, and 

was drilled about 1901 by Mr. Groover, of Jefferson City. The water 

flowed feebly at the surface. Twenty-five feet away another well was 

sunk to a depth of 50 feet. Both of these probably obtain water from 

the Gasconade limestone. No log was kept.

One-half mile south of the Karr place, on the farm of Daniel Schreiber, two prospect holes were sunk. In the one in the valley the 

water rose 5 feet above the casing; but the one on the ridge, about 50 

feet higher, did not flow. One-half mile southwest of the Karr place, 

on the farm of Mrs. Annie Barnhardt, a prospect hole sunk to the depth 

of 100 feet resulted in a flowing well. One mile due south of the same 

place Mr. Marstellar has two flowing wells, each about 100 feet deep.

About 2J miles south of Hickory Hills post-office, on the Wallace 

Scott property, near the middle of T. 42, R. 13, on Bob Druly Creek, 

three prospect holes within half a mile of each other were sunk to a 

depth of 100 feet each. These were all 6-inch holes made by a 

churn drill. Of these wells the one near the mining shaft, has a feeble 

flow; another, a quarter of a mile to the east, is much stronger, and a 

third, a quarter of a mile to the southeast, gives a good stream of 

water. The temperature of the water in these wells is 58° F., with the 

air temperature 93° F. The water is clear, with a slight odor of 

sulphureted hydrogen. All of these wells probably obtain water 

from the Gasconade limestone. Another well, three-fourths of a mile 

northeast of Hickory Hills, obtains flowing water at a depth of 217 

feet.

HOWARD COUNTY.

BOONSLICK.

In a narrow valley a few hundred feet below the old Boonslick salt 

springs, where Daniel Boone settled and manufactured salt, is a well 

owned by W. M. Marshall, of Boonesboro. The writer is indebted to 

Prof. A. F. Hendrix, of Kansas State University, for the log of this 

well and for assistance in various other ways: Depth, 1,002 feet 4 

inches; altitude above tide by aneroid barometer, 599 feet; casing, 

IJ-inch, 400 feet; temperature of water, 62° F., of air, 88° F.; flow, 

20 to 30 gallons per minute; date of starting, 1869; of completion, 

1872; surface formation, Des Monies, under Pleistocene.
iHOWABD COUNTY 

Log of Marshall well, Boonstiek,

79

Pleistocene (22 feet) :

Des Moines (66 feet 11 inches) :

Hard gravel ......................_...........................,..............

Dry crevice................................ . . ....... ....................

" Stone coal ".......................................... ....................

"Slate"......................................................................

Flint bowlder................................................................

"Stone coal"................................ .. ........ .....................

Mississippian (217 feet 1 inch) : 

Black flint..... ...............................................................

Coarse gray limestone. . ......................................................

Bed flint.....................................................................

White shale, flint. ...........................................................

Black flint....................................................................

Hard white flint. .............................................................

Soft limestone. . ....................................... ......................

Black flint........... .........................................................

White flint...................................................................

White flint...................................................................

White sandstone. ............................................................

White flint............................. ......................................

White sandstone .............................................................

White flint...................................................................

White flint...................................................................

White sand and flint mixed .............. ...................................

Crystallized white flint .......................................................

Blue flint................................... . ......... .....................

White sandstone. ............................................................

Blue flint.....................................................................

Brown sandstone. ...........................................................

Blue flint.....................................................................

Fine white sandstone .................... ..... ......... ...................

Blue flint.....................................................................

White flint..... ..............................................................

Coarse sandstone and shale. .................................................

Devonian and Cambrian (696 feet) : 

Blue sandstone. ..............................................................

Brown sandstone and shale. .................................................

White flint....... ................ ............................................

Thickness.

Ft. in. 

22 0

2 10

2 0

11

2 2

7*

6 9

8

. 2 6

10

19 6

4

»>i

3 0

5 6

1 6

6 9

7

4 2

1 2

1 2

5

1,3 7

3 0

2 0

5

1 7

2 10

10 4

4

1 6

1 1

9

7

4 0

4

1 0

4

5

3

5

3 3

7

4 6

1 5

9

1 3

1 4

8

9

9

3

6

9

5

4

9

1 3

1 3

5

2 3

1 0

1 3

9

6

3 9

25 3

12 6

9 0

1 6

3 0

54 0

36 0

7 0

4 0

11 0

5 0

9 0

9

Depth.

Ft. in. 

22 0

24 10

26 10

27 9

29 11

30 6|

37 3|

37 11*

40 5J

41 3|

60 9J

65 1

68 1

73 7

75 1

81 10

82 5

86 7

87 9

88 11

89 4

102 11

 105 11

 107 11

108 4

109 11

112 9

123 1

123 5

124 11

126 0

126 9

127 4

131 4

131 8

132 8

183 0

133 5

133 8

134 1

137 4

137 11

142 5

143 10

144 7

145 10

147 2

147 10

148 7

149 4

149 7

150 1

150 10

151 3

151 7

152 4

1 CQ 7

154 10

155 3

157 6

158 6

159 9

160 6

161 0

164 9

190 0

202 6

211 6

213 0

216 0

270 0

306 0

313 0

317 0

328 0

333 0

342 0

342 9
80 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Log of Marshall well, Boonslick, Howard County Continued.

Thickness. Depth.

Devonian and Cambrian Continued.

Gray sandstone..............................................................

White flint...................................................................

White sandstone.............................................................

Hard white flint..............................................................

Blue sandstone...............................................................

White sandstone.............................................................

White limestone and flint...................................................

Sandstone....................................................................

White flint...................................................................

Soft white sandstone.........................................................

White flint...................................................................

Brown sandstone............................................................

White shaly flint.............................................................

White soft sandstone........................................................

White flint...................................................................

Sandstone, lime, and flint....................................................

Blue sandstone...............................................................

White sandstone and shale; salt water; stream increased one-third at 482

feet 1 inch..................................................................

Sandstone....................................................................

White sandstone and flint...................................................

White " cotton rock".........................................................

Soft white sandstone.........................................................

Blue flint bowlder...........................................................

White sand and flint..........................................................

Blue sandstone and shale,...................................................

White sand and flint.........................................................

White sandstone.............................................................

White flint...................................................................

White sandstone.............................................................

White shaly flint.............................................................

Soft white sandstone; small addition of water, very strong and offensive

with gas....................................................................

Sandstone....................................................................

Coarse white sandstone; fresh water said to have come in here..............

Crevice.......................................................................

Ft. in.

13 0 

1

34

0 

6 

0 

3 

0 

6

24 0 

3 0 

1 6

Ft. in.

355 9

363 10

397 10

399 10

3 6

3 0

5 0

9 9

8 0

401

405

408

421

423

447

450

451

455

458

463

472 10

480 10

I 3

21 0

II 0

5 0

31 0

1 3

4 6

2 6

34 0

6 3

61 0

262 0

31 0

	3

482

503

514

519

550

551

555 10

578 10

599 10

604 10

607 4

641 4

647 7

708 7

970 7

1.001 7

1.002 4

The water from this well is strongly saline and highly charged with 

sulphureted hydrogen. The ground around the ditch is covered with 

a black and white deposit. When visited by the writer, July 28, 

1904, the well had an estimated flow of 20 gallons per minute. The 

following data were obtained: At 37 feet water was obtained; at 68 

feet weak salt water; at 164 feet 9 inches the size of the stream had 

increased one-fourth, with the amount of salt about the same as the 

outside stream, or 4| per cent; at 482 feet a vein of salt water was 

reported, with an increased strength of one-third; at 708 feet 7 inches 

a small amount of water was reached which was very strong and 

offensive with gas, with a corresponding increase in strength of brine 

from 4^ to 9 per cent. A 10-inch square wooden conductor was put 

down to the bottom of the quicksand, a distance of 22 feet. Below 

this a IJ-inch pipe was inserted (Schweitzer states that a 3-inch pipe 

was inserted to a depth of 400 feet). The volume of water is sufficient for a 2J-inch pipe.

The log states that fresh water came in at 1,001 feet. Mr. Price 

Cooper informed the writer that he was on the ground when the well 

was sunk and that no fresh water was obtained. Others make a 

positive assertion that there was fresh water. This question has an 

important bearing on the possibility of a fresh-water supply in the
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 195 PL. VI

A. BIG SALT SPRING, SALINE COUNTY.

£. SINKING CREEK, SHANNON COUNTY, ISSUING FROM UNDER NATURAL BRIDGE.
HOWARD COUNTY. 81

immediate vicinity, and it has already been discussed at Fayette, 

where the problem of city water supply is serious and where the 

advisability of sinking the present deep well down to the supposed 

fresh-water supply found in the Boonslick well has been considered. 

The following is an analysis of the water from this well, made by 

Woodward, probably in 1891, and published in Schweitzer's report on 

the mineral waters of Missouri."

Analysis of water from Marshall well, Boonslick, Howard County, b

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2)................... 18

Calcium (Ca)................... 967

Magnesium (Mg)................ 413

Sodium (Na)................... 6, 580

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4).......... 1, 392

Chlorine (Cl)................... 12,071

21,441

While this is only a partial analysis of this spring, it indicates 

some very important conclusions. The saline springs of Saline, 

Howard, and Halls counties have, it is believed, a deep-seated origin, and the deep wells at Sweet Springs, Malta Bend, Spalding, 

Boonslick, and Fayette are either adjoining or near salt-spring 

marshes. The wells at Spalding, Boonslick, and Fayette are located 

on such marshes. The Big Salt Spring (PI. VI, A), one of a group 

of brine springs between the deep wells at Malta Bend and Sweet 

Springs, has been described by the writer as follows : c

The surface rock is near the base of the Mississippian, and the spring proper is 

an oval pool about 25 feet in diameter. The water boils up all over the surface of 

this pool, and is impregnated with sulphur. Its source is undoubtedly at a great 

depth.

After a brief discussion of the fluctuations of these springs in temperature and of the varying amounts of sulphureted hydrogen, 

as revealed by examinations made at different times, the writer 

continues: d

This central section seems to be a basin which receives the flow from the Ozarks 

from the southeast, being apparently inclosed on the south by the Sedalia fold and 

probably on the west by smaller folds which have not yet been fully outlined. If 

this view can be fully verified it might account for the concentration of salines in 

these waters. The presence of a considerable amount of calcium chloride in all the 

deep wells and brine springs of this district would presuppose the theory that thiswas a basin early shut off from the sea, in which the original sea water became 

concentrated.

The view quoted above has. been more fully substantiated by the 

studies of the past few months.

Section 8 (PI. V, p. 36) shows the structure, from west to east, 

of the Fayette basin in Howard County and of a part of the Sweet

a Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 3. 1892, p. 71.

6 Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic torm and parts per million at 

United States Geological Survey.

c Shepard, E. M., Water-Sup, and Irr. Paper No. 114, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1905, p. 213. 

3 Op. Cit., p. 214.
82 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Springs basin in Saline County. To the south the horizons rise 

rapidly toward the Ozark Island, and to the north shallow well sections extending through the Pennsylvanian show a rise of the Mississippian floor in that direction, thus outlining the two well-defined 

basins just mentioned. These basins were probably developed early 

in the geologic history cf the region, possibly at the close of the Cambrian, the flexures which had a northeast-southwest trend being more 

or less parallel with the old coast line of the Ozark Island and developing lines of weakness which were accentuated by further uplifts. 

The presence of these folds is indicated by deflections of Missouri 

River, as has previously been described (p. 36). The Ozark Island 

has probably been divided at times, and water connection between 

the great east and west seas has existed along what is now the line 

of Missouri River. Subsequent elevations of these anticlines to the 

north shut off these basins and left therein the fossil brines of 

ancient oceans, in which the present deposits were afterwards laid 

down.

The analyses of the water from the Boonslick spring and the 

Boonslick deep well, wriich are about 400 feet apart, show a striking 

similarity. The two arj given below for convenience of comparison:

Analyses ofwatei from Boonslick well and Boonslick spring. « 

[Parts per million.l

Chlorine (01)..................................... ..................................

Well.

968

418

6,590

1,391

12,040

21,407

Spring.

1,105

6,077

1,440

10,238

18,860

a. Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.

The similarity of these two waters is striking. The log of the Boonslick well gives a record of the varying amounts of saline water found 

at different depths, and not until 708 feet was reached was water 

found having a composition similar to that which comes to the surface in the adjoining spring, a fact which seems in this case to demonstrate the deep-seated origin of the water. Moreover, the valleys 

where these brine springs occur are flat and seem to have been filled, 

to some degree, by deposits from the springs.

The Boonslick spring rises from a slightly elevated platform of 

muck. The water is highly charged with sulphureted hydrogen. 

The mound which the spring has apparently built up around itself is 

stained a beautiful purplish-red, the material consisting of clay, algae, 

and slime. The purplish algae seem to be covered in places by a dark
HOWAED COUNTY. 83

slaty-colored sediment. Mr. J. N. Newman, who resides in the vicinity, states that in the winter the flow from the spring is much greater, 

the water boiling up to the height of 1 foot.

One hundred yards south of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway station at Fayette is a well owned by the Fayette Mineral Well 

Company. Depth, 860 feet; altitude above tide, 655 feet; diameter 

of casing, 4 inches; temperature of water, 61.5° F.; of air, 78° F.; 

surface formation, Des Moines. This well was sunk for the purpose of 

obtaining a supply of water for the city, but at a depth of 860 feet so 

strong a flow of salt water was encountered that the original idea was 

abandoned. The well is in close proximity to the Fayette salt springs, 

at the head of a small salt branch. The area occupied by these springs 

is about 50 feet in diameter. The Howard and Saline County basins 

are both characterized by numerous irregular salt marshes and springs 

of the same character.

The following log and analysis of the water of the Fayette well have 

been furnished by Prof. E. E. Wildman, of Fayette College. The log 

was made from samples of drillings preserved by the late J. W. Kilpatrick, formerly professor of geology in that institution:

Log of well of Fayette Mineral Well Company, Fayette, Howard County.

Pleistocene (135 feeti :

Clay..........................................................................

Des Moines (464 feet) :

Mississippian (Keokuk-Burlington) (271 feet) :

Thickness. 

'Feet. 

25

12

34

19

10

35

80

25

35

225

22

49

14

14

146

10

75

20

6

14

Depth.

Feet. 

25

37

71

90

100

135

215

240

275

500

522

571

585

599

745

755

830

850

856

870

The great thickness of the Des Moines, which fills the Howard 

basin, as shown in section 8 (PI. V, p. 36), is to be noted in this log.
84 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Analysis of water from. Fayette mineral ivell. a 

[Analyst, Kennicott Water Softener Company, Chicago, 111.]

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiOa)..................... 20

Iron and aluminum oxides (Fe2O3

+A120,)---------------------- 14

Calcium (Ca)..................... 1,042

Magnesium (Mg)................ 340

Parts per million. 

Sodium (Na).....--...-...._.... 8,197

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3)... ... 146

Sulphate radicle (SO4)............ 1, 343

Chlorine (01).................... 14, 440

Suspended matter................ 128

25, 670

The suspended matter is, to a considerable extent, sulphur. The 

analyst did not give the sulphur or the sulphureted hydrogen. The 

water has a feeble flow and contains a considerable amount of the gas. 

From this analysis it is seen that the water resembles a fossil brine 

from an ocean basin that has never been leached out since the area 

was originally shut off from the sea.

At present the water from this spring is used for medicinal purposes. 

A small bath house, with hot and cold water, and a swimming pool 30 

by 64 feet adjoin the well. The water is recommended for rheumatism and skin and blood troubles.

JACKSON COUNTY.

KANSAS CITY.

Dr. G. C. Broadhead gives the log of a well at Kansas City, Jackson County, located not far from the union station:

Log of well at Kansas City, Jackson County.

Pleistocene (37 feet) :

Des Homes (708 feet) :

Clay.................".........................................................

Coal ..........................................................................

Black shale .........................'....................................---

Thickness.

Ft. in. 

37 0

21 0 

1 0 

4 0 

13 0 

100 0 

4 0 

84 0 

4 0 

5 0 

18 0 

 I 0 

23 0 

24 0 

23 0 

5 0 

25 0 

37 0 

1 0 

0 4 

10 0 

5 8 

1 6 

0 6 

16 0 

12 0 

10 6 

3 6 

7 0 

119 0 

3 0

Depth.

Ft. in. 

37 0

58 0 

59 0 

63 0 

76 0 

176 0 

180 0 

264 0 

268 0 

273 0 

291 0 

295 0 

318 0 

342 0 

365 0 

370 0 

395 0 

432 0 

433 0 

433 4 

443 4 

449 '"0 

450 6 

451 0 

467 0 

479 0 

489 6 

493 0 

500 0 

619 0 

622 0

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and. hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic form 

and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
JACKSON COUNTY. 85

Log of well at Kansas City, Jackson County Continued.

Des Moines Continued. 

Coal ..........................................................................

Coal ..........................................................................

Mud..........................................................................

Mississippian (13+ fe'et) : Vitreous crystalline Mmestone ...................... ................ .......

Thickn

Ft. 

1

50

6

3

1

16

34

10

13

ess.

in. 

0

0

0

0

8

4

10

o

'0

Depth.

Ft. in. 

623 0

673 0

679 - -0

682 0

683 8

700 0

734 10

746 0

758' 0

The log of a deep well in Jackson County was furnished by Messrs. 

M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford. It is believed to be the record of a 

well recently sunk in Kansas City, though the specific location was 

not given.

Log of well in Jackson County.

Earth...... ................................................................. ....

Yellow shale...... ................................... ........ . ....

Fire clay, light to dark. . .........................................................

Limestone, hard ..................................................... ...........

Limestone ................................................ .......................

Fire clay. ........................................................................

Fire clay ...."....................................................................

"Slate," black. ..................................................................

"Rock"..........................................................................

Shale, sandv crevice; strong brine in crevice, filled well within 100 feet *f top. . . .

Thickness.

Ft. in 

14 

2 

35 

9 

7 

4 

2 

36 

6 

8 

1 

6 

6 

8 

11 

4 

0 

1 

2 

3 

17 

1 

1 

4 

5 

1 

4 

1 

66 

1 

2 

33 

0 

1 

7 

7 

5 

2 

20 

0 

16 

0 

29 

4 

14 

7 

11 

10 

4 

7 

17 

30 

4 

4 

2

6 

0 

0 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

6 

6 

0 

0 

6 

6 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

9 

3 

6 

0 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

6 

6 

6 

2 

4 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 . 

6 

0 

6 

0 

0 

0

Depth.

Ft. in.

16 6 

51 6 

60 6 

67 6 

72 0 

74 0 

110 0 

116 0 

124 o 

125 0 

131 0 

137 6 

146 0 

157 0 

161 0 

161 6 

163 0 

165' 0 

168 0 

185 0 

186 0 

187 0 

191 0 

196 0 

197 0 

201 9 

203 0 

269 6 

270 6 

272 6 

305 6 

306 0 

307 0 

314 0 

321 0 

326 0 

328 0 

348 6 

349 0 

365 6 

365 8 

395 0 

399 0 

413 0 

420 0 

431 0 

441 0 

445 6 

452 0 

469 0 

500 0 

504 0 

508 0 

510 0

The above formations are all in the Des Moines group.
86 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Record of diamond-drill well 10 miles northeast of Kansas City, Mo. 

[Elevation of well mouth, 925 feet. Correlations by E. O. Ulrich.]

Boone limestone (?): 

Cambro-Ordovician :

Cambrian:

Granite.............................................................................

Thickness.

Feet.

760

75

260

100

15

57

64

129

10

160

20

16

74

20

70

15

215

50

40

110

98

53

Depth.

Feet. 

750

825

1,085

1,185

1,200

1,257

1,321

1,450

1,460

1,620

1,640

1,656

1,730

1,750

1,820

1,835

2,050

2,100

2,140

2,250

2,348

2,401

JOHNSON COUNTY.

One-half mile southwest of Leeton, Johnson County, is a well 

owned by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway and drilled 

by George Austin and W. E. Carrier. The following log was received 

from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway well near Leeton, Johnson County.

t 

Thickness.

Feet. 

14

18

50

2

6

1

623

500

Depth.

Feet. 

14

32

82

84

90

91

714

1,214

LAFAYETTE COUNTY.

HIGGINSVILLE.

At Higginsville, Lafayette County, the Higginsville Prospecting 

Company in 1898 drilled a well near the Missouri Pacific Railway station to a depth of 1,512 feet. This well has a diameter of 10 inches at 

the top and 4^ inches at the bottom; it is cased all the way down.
LAFAYETTE COUNTY. 87

The principal source of water is in sandstone, apparently the Kinderhook, at a depth of 656 feet; another strong flow was obtained at a 

depth of 1,350 feet in a sandstone that was probably the Roubidoux. 

A strong flow of salt water was struck at a depth of 1,070 feet in the 

St. Peter sandstone. The water rises within 80 feet of the surface, 

the supply seeming to be unlimited. The president of the company, 

Mr. J. H. Burgan, to whom the writer is indebted for this information, 

states that pumping 100,000 gallons per day for a week made no 

change in the level of the water. Salt water, charged with sulphureted hydrogen, now comes in through the casing and the well is not 

used. Mr. Burgan furnished the following log:

Log of well at Higginsville, Lafayette County.

Pleistocene (68 feet) :

Des Moines (302 feet) :

Slate.........................................................................

Keokuk (87 feet) :

Burlington (63 feet) :

Kinderhook (195 feet) :

Devonian (55 feet) :

" Trenton" and Joachim limestone (281 feet) :

St. Peter sandstone (150 feet) :

Jefferson City limestone (145 feet) :

Roubidoux sandstone (167 feet) :

Thickness.

Feet. 

68

112

8

5

157

20

67

13

7

38

5

20

36

100

35

24

27

20

8

201

45

35

20

130

145

25

142

Depth.

Feet. 

68

180

188

193

350

370

437

450

457

495

500

520

556

656

691

715

742

762

770

971

1,016

1,051

1,071

1,201

1,346

1,371

1,513

A number of drill holes ranging from 80 to 250 feet in depth are 

noted in Marbut's report on the geology of the Lexington sheet, 

Lafayette County.®

t a Marbut, C. F., Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 12, pt. 2, 1898, pp. 196-247. 

IKK 195 07 7
88 UNDERGROUND WATERS OE MISSOURI.

MACON COUNTY.

LA PLATA.

At La Plata, Macon County, the La Plata Electric Light Company drilled a well 435 feet deep one-eighth of a mile northeast of the 

town. The work was done by Durand, of lola, Kans. La Plata is 

situated on the crest of the divide between Missouri and Mississippi 

rivers, at an altitude of 914 feet. The well has an 8-inch bore and 

was completed in 1902. The principal flow is from sandstone, at a 

depth of 140 feet, and the water rises within 90 feet of the surface. 

Another water-bearing sandstone was found at 430 feet. The supply 

is only about 3 gallons per minute and a little pumping soon lessens 

that amount. By hard pumping the well can be entirely drained. 

The water is used for boiler purposes.

The following analysis, neither date nor name of analyst being 

given, is furnished by the company:

Analysis of water from electric-light company's well, La Plata. Macon County. 0

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2 ) ...................... 3.4

Iron and alumina oxides

.). ........... ...... 13

Calcium (Ca) ...................... 109

Magnesium (Mg) ................. 38

Sodium (Na).. .................... 9(5

Parts per million. 

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )........... 283

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )....-...... 195

Chlorine (Cl)..................... 11

698.4

The following notes on the record of the deep well drilled by the 

mining company of Macon in the summer of 1887, which furnishes a 

key to the geology of this immediate vicinity, are taken from the 

account by W J McGee: 6

The boring in Macon. The prospect bore is located in the southeastern part of the 

city, in a ravine some 30 feet deep, where the drift was found to be 36 feet in thickness. 

An ordinary plunge drill was used. The diameter of the bore is 13 inches in the drift 

and 8 inches in the rock to 320 feet from the surface, where a strong flow of water was 

encountered and the diameter was reduced to 5 inches. Samples were taken by means 

of the "sand pump^' at frequent intervals, particularly when change in character of 

material was indicated by the behavior of the drill; and special care was exercised 

in taking samples and in determining thickness of strata when borings indicated the 

proximity of coal seams. The samples were collected and preserved by the well 

driller and one or more representatives of the citizens' committee acting in conjunction 

with him; and the depth from which each was taken was indicated upon the box in 

which it was preserved. In the following notes the depths are transcribed from this 

record. The specimens were personally examined; and the notes represent the 

inferences then made as to the character of the strata from which specimens were 

derived rather than accurate descriptions of the specimens themselves.

a Expressed by analyst in hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic form at United States 

Geological Survey. 

6 Trails. St. Louis Acad. Sci., vol. 5, 1888, pp. 326-333.
MACON COUNTY. 

Log of the deep well at Macon, Macon County.

89

2. Blue calcareous-argillaceous shale breaking down into clay with a few firm

3. Hard, brittle blue limestone with conchoidal fracture, mixed with shaly

6. Blue shale or clay containing a little grit, breaking down into mud, with a

8. Gray calcareous shale with a few fragments of limestone, of which some are

10. Coal ..........................................................................

12. Black graphite-like clay with a few bits of gray clay, the whole containing a

13. Dark-gray or black clay evidently derived from slightly calcareous shale

18. Light-gray limestone, pure, probably mass.ve or thick bedded, with con30. Light-buff pulverulent rock containing beautiful crystals of carbonate of 

lime and carbonate of iron, and leaving a, considerable residue (probably

31. Dark-gray arenaceous shale, light-gray calcareous shale, and crystals of

32. Light-gray arenaceous and calcareous shale with light-buff powder like that

Thickness.

Ft. 

36

9

1

2 

1

5 

10

5 

3 

1 

33

17

0 

1

8 

IS 

30

28 

7 

.53 

3 

5 

5 

3 

30 

5 

10 

39 

21

14

72

27 

23 

43 

60 

17 

112 

36 

95 

100 

5

in. 

0

0

0 

0 

1

11 

0

0 

^ 

9i

8

4

6 

9 

3 

6 

0

0 

0 

0 

0 

6 

0 

6 

0 

0 

6 

6 

0

0 

0

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0

Depth.

Ft. 

36

45

46 

48 

49

55 

65

70 

73 

75 

108

126

126 

128 

136 

155 

185

213 

220 

273 

276 

281 

286 

290 

320 

325 

335 

375 

396

410

482

509 

532 

575 

635 

652 

764 

800 

895 

995 

1,000

in. 

0

0

0 

0 

1

0 

0

0

2| 

0

8

0

6 

3 

6 

0 

0

0 

0 

0 

0 

6 

6 

0 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0

0 

0

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0
90 UNDERGKOUND WATEKS OF MISSOUEI.

The following summary of this log is in part taken from a table 

given by McGee, who compared the materials and thickness of the 

several strata penetrated with the general sections developed by the 

State surveys of Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa (a sort of composite of 

which was prepared for use in prognosticating the results of the 

boring):

Summary of log of ivell at Macon, Macon County.

System.

Carboniferous .....

Formation.

Lower Pennsylvania!!.

Keokuk ..............

Niagara ....... . ....

Trenton 6.... ... ....

St. Peter&. ...........

Petrographic character.

Shales, clay beds, limestones, coal seams.

Somewhat calcareous shales ...........

Siliceous limestones, calcareous shales . .

Numbers in McGee' slog.

2-17 

18-19

20-22

f>O

29-33 

34-37

38-39

40

41

Thickness.

Feet. 

215 

36

62 

40

157 

232

131

100

c450

c50

1,026

o Not recognized. & Not reached. ' Estimated.

D. B. Moore, of Macon, has sunk a number of wells ranging from 

125 to 210 feet in depth, and has preserved a careful record of them. 

He states that most of the wells driven to a depth of 150 to 200 feet 

are dry, and that most of the water used in that vicinity is from the 

drift. George Kohl sunk a well one-half mile west of Macon to a 

depth of 60 feet in drift, and it was perfectly dry. At a distance of 

75 feet a well 20 feet deep struck water that rose within 8 feet 

of the surface. On the Pohlman's farm, 7 miles southeast of Macon, 

a well drilled 209 feet deep failed to get water.

Four miles southeast of Macon is a well owned by S. T. Brock and 

drilled by S. D. Harris. The following log was received from Messrs. 

M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Brock well near Macon, Macon County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

4

16

2

18

3

37

15

20

Depth.

Feet. 

4

20

22

40

43

80

95

115

The water rises within 20 feet of the surface and has been pumped 

for two years. The beds all belong to the Des Moines group.
MACON AND MILLER COUNTIES. 91

Four miles northwest of Macon is a well owned by T. E. Wardell 

and drilled by S. D. Harris. The following log was received from 

Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Wardell well near Macon, Macon County.

Pleistocene (54 feet) : 

Surface rock, soil to joint clay. ............................ .................

Des Moines (110 feet) : 

Gray sandstone... ......................... . . ............

Coal..........................................................................

Mississippian (136 feet) :

Lime rock which was very hard to drill; struck water in seam of rock at 290 

feet; water rises within 90 feet of surface. .................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

54

40

66

1

3

26

70

40

Depth.

Feet. 

54

94

160

161

164

190

260

300

MILLER COUNTY.

CLEAN.

There are several wells in and around Olean, Miller County, on 

Blythes Fork. One, owned by the Olean Canning Company, in sec. 

12, T. 42, R. 15, at an altitude of 746 feet above tide, is 56 feet deep. 

Flowing water was found at the bottom. The well was drilled in 

1893 and no change in the flow has ever been noted. The water is 

softer than that in the shallow dug wells of the vicinity and is used 

for the boiler at the canning factory. The drill passed through 10 

feet of soil and creek gravel and 40 feet of broken flint and sandstone. In order to make the water flow into the casing, the pipe is 

inclosed in a bag of flaxseed which was lowered beyond the gravel 

layer. The seeds swell and cut off the escape of water through the 

river gravel. The cost of the well was $50.

Another well is located near the flouring mill of Joseph Guttermeier, in sec. 1, T. 42, R. 15. It was drilled in 1893 with a 7-inch 

bore to a depth of 85 feet. The flow of water, about 110 gallons per 

hour, does not .vary ordinarily, but it may be decreased by pumping. 

At a depth of 50 feet water was struck that rose within 4 feet of the 

surface; at a depth of 85 feet it flowed. The water is soft, with a 

slight odor of sulphur. It is used for drinking and for the boiler at 

the flouring mill. The altitude of the curb is 764 feet. The cost of 

drilling was 75 cents per foot, or $64 for the entire work. The following is the log of the well:

Log of Guttermeier well near Olean, Miller County.

Shale................................................ ............................

Thickness.

Feet. 

4

78

2

1

Depth.

Feet. 

4

82

84

85
92 UNDEKGKOUND WATEES OF MISSOUEI.

On Ms place near the railway station at Olean Mr. J. C. Johnston 

drilled a well, with a 6-inch bore, to a depth of 67J feet. The water 

rose to the surface from the bottom of the well and flows 7J gallons 

per minute. It is soft and is used for household purposes. The 

drill passed through 10 feet of soil and 571 feet of chert and sandstone.

A second well, at an altitude of 754 feet above tide, was sunk in a 

farmyard adjoining the one just described. This well is the lowest 

in the group, and when allowed to flow full head it will, in a short time, 

cause all the others to stop flowing, except the one at the flouring mill one-half mile north of Olean. The water is soft. The well 

cost $80.

Another well, located at the Franklin, Lux & Proctor livery stable, 

was drilled in 1901, with a 6-inch bore, to a depth of 50 feet. At the 

depth of 25 feet the water rose to the surface. It is moderately soft 

and is used in the livery stable. The well cost $50. The wells at 

the livery stable and store have ceased to flow, owing probably to 

leakage in the pipe and to the sinking of neighboring wells at lower 

levels.

The general dip of the sandstone strata overlain by impervious 

shale in this region gives rise to conditions favorable to artesian flow; 

but it is probable that a flow could be obtained at no point in this 

vicinity having an altitude of over 775 feet above tide. All the 

Miller County wells probably obtain water from either the Roubidoux formation or the Gasconade limestone.

Ball and Smith a state that 

One of the drill holes at the Son prospect, in sec. 19, T. 41, R. 15 W., is a flowing 

well. This is situated near the top of the Gasconade limestone and is 12 feet above 

the bottom of Little Gravois Creek. The hole is 140 feet deep, no water having been 

struck up to 100 feet. * * * In the bottom of Baileys Branch, 1\ miles northwest of Iberia, George Graves obtained a flowing well at 60 feet, in the Gasconade 

limestone.

MONITEAU COUNTY.

CALIFORNIA. &

About 7 miles east of California, in sec. 17, T. 45, R. 14, on the south 

side of the road leading to that town, is a well owned by Karl Messerli. 

It is in a valley somewhat lower than the town. " The well was completed May 8, 1902, and is 265 feet deep, with a 5|-inch bore. The 

strongest flow was obtained at 90 feet and had its source in limestone 

and flint. Two water-bearing beds were found, at 30 and 60 feet.

a Ball, S. H., and Smith, A. F., Geology of Miller County: Missouri Bureau Geology and Mines, 2d 

ser., vol. 1, 1903, p. 196.

6 For data regarding these wells the writer is indebted to Mr. E. B. Fulkes, of the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, who drilled them.
MONITEAU COUNTY. 93

The water is clear, cold, and hard. This well is about 200 yards east 

of a dwelling house and cheese factory, both of which are supplied 

with water from a running s pring. The well lessened the flow of the 

spring, but did not stop it. ' ^he following log of the well was obtained:

Log of Hesserli well, near California, Moniteau County.

Soil........................ ...............

This well obtains water fr(

on the same farm, about 1,0

was drilled in 1902 to a dept

was struck first in limestom

reached 65 feet the water :

stream, the force increasing

became strong enough to rai:

.........................ft............ ] '::::::::::::::::::::

>m

00

1 0

S 8

^an

H

,et

feet. The water is clear, cold,

of the other well and of the ch

placed on the top of the casii

became active.

The Crown Mining Company

east of town, on the north side

T. 45, R. 15, in a valley which

house. This well was drilled 1

bore, and completed in August

of the surface. It is clear, col<

hydrogen. The following log ^

Log of Crown Mining Compam

Thickness.

Feet.

3

22

113

8

119

Depth.

Feet.

3

25

138

146

265

the Jefferson City limestone. Another,

feet farther west, near a small stream,

! 182 feet, with a 5f-inch bore. Water

t a depth of 40 feet. When the well

over the top of the pipe in a small

> a depth of 105 :

lie full column of v

and hard. This \v

eese-factory spring

ig and the other w

', of California, dri

of the road, in th

is considerably lo

o a depth of 175

, 1902. The wate

1, hard, and charg

pas obtained:

i well, near California,

Limestone, flint bowlders, and some zinc at 80 feet. .... ... ........

Limestone. ..................................... . .................

'eet, when the flow

rater to a height of 3

ell stopped the flow

£. Later, a cap was

ell and spring again

lied a well H miles

e N4 SE. i sec. 23,

wer than the court-

'eet, with a 5£-inch

r rises within 6 feet

sd with sulphureted

Moniteau County.

Thickness.

Feet.

9

25

30

35

14

21

Depth.

Feet.

9

50

75

105

140

154

175

Flowing wells are also found in sec. 1, T. 43, R. 17; sec. 6, T. 44, 

R. 17, and sec. 10, T. 44, R. 14. All these wells obtain water from the 

Jefferson City limestone, and their artesian source is oil the western 

slopes of the Ozarks.
94 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

MORGAN COUNTY.

FORTUNA DISTRICT.

In Morgan County and near Fortuna, Moniteau County, in T. 44, 

R. 17, according to the statement of Mr. E. A. Pettibone, there are 

about 20 flowing wells. These were all prospect holes sunk by lead 

and zinc mining companies. The water is obtained from flint beds at 

the base of the Burlington limestone. None of these wells are utilized, 

but they demonstrate the existence of another interesting artesian 

district. Their catchment area is to the southeast, and the rocks of

R. ie w. R.I7W.

R. 18 W. R 17 W

FIG. 3. Group of artesian wells on Straight Fork of Moreau Creek, near Fortuna.

this region dip to the northwest along the western slope of the Ozark 

dome. The wells all lie along the valley of Straight Fork of Moreau 

Creek and may be located by means of the accompanying sketch map 

(fig. 3).

No. 1, the Singer well, and No. 2, on the Hutchinson tract, are 200 

feet deep. The water was struck at a depth of about 140 feet, and the 

flow is strong. No. 3 is a group of three wells on the Capellar & Osier 

tract, each 200 feet deep, with a flow of water rising from a depth of 133 

feet. No. 4 is a group of four wells on the Woodyard and Parkersburg Lead and Zinc Company's tract, all 200 feet deep, with water 

reached at about 40 feet. No. 5 is a group of four wells on the Missouri Lead and Zinc Mining Company's tract, each 200 feet deep, with 

a flow struck at 100 feet. No. 6 is a well on the Dug Hayes property,
MORGAN AND MONITEAU COUNTIES. 95

200 feet deep, witih flowing water reached at 40 feet. No. 7 is a well 

on the Newkirk tract, 200 feet deep, with flowing water reached 

between 156 and 160 feet. No. 8 is a well 011 the Dug Hayes tract 

No. 2, 200 feet deep, with flowing water at 120 feet. No. 9 is a well 

100 feet deep, sunk by Milton McDaniel about 15 feet above the bed 

of a little draw and 40 feet above the middle branch of Moreau River. 

This is the farthest well to the south and has a barometric altitude of 

869 feet, the altitude of Fortuna being 959 feet. The water in all 

these wells is clear, cold, and hard, typical of the Burlington limestone. The temperature of those tested is 59° F., with an air temperature of about 80° F.

Near Fortuna is a well owned by the Mary M. Mining Company and 

drilled by Charles E. Miller. The following log was received from 

Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of well of Mary M. Mining Company, near Fortuna, Moniteau County.

Rock................... ............. . . .................

Limestone............................. . ..... ......................

Limestone, black flint, very good jack and lead. .................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

10

15

25

10

10

10

10

10

10

11

14

15

10

6

15

5

5

20

Depth.

Feet. 

10

25

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

121

135

150

160

166

181

186

191

211

This well is probably all in the Jefferson City limestone.

BLUFF SPRING AND GLENSTEAD.

Mr. J. F. Todd states that there is a strong flowing well in an old 

prospect hole in the NE \, sec. 11, T. 44, R. 18, in Morgan County, 

within a quarter of a mile of the Bluff Spring mines; also another a 

mile east and a quarter of a mile north of Glenstead, Morgan County, 

in sec. 6, T. 43, R. 17. Neither of these two wells was visited.

PETTIS COUNTY.

HUGHESVILLE.

Two miles northwest of Hughesville, Pettis County, is a well owned 

by Raymond Voigt and drilled by J. B. Ellison. The following log 

was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Voigt -well, near Hughesville, Pettis County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

30

170

53

Depth.

Feet. 

30

200

253
96 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

At Pettis, Pettis County, is a well owned by Elijah Hatsenpiller and 

drilled by G. W. Yeager. The following log was received from Messrs. 

M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of the Hatsenpiller well, Pettis, Pettis County.

Soil. ............................................. ..............................

Clav...- ..........................................................................

Bowlders and c!av. ........... ... ...... . . ........ . . . ...............

Blue clay, gravel, sand, flint rock, and particles of iron .......................... 

"Cotton" rock, black sand... ..... ........... ...............................

Thickness.

Feet. 

20 >o

78

97

15

Depth.

Ftft 

20

40

118

215

230

The former Sedalia water supply from Flat Creek having proved 

insufficient in time of drought, the Sedalia Water and Light Company 

drilled a deep well about 1 mile southeast of Forest Park in the valley 

of Flat Creek, 3 miles south of the city. Five other wells have been

FIG. 4. Diagram of the Sedalia waterworks wells.

sunk, as indicated in fig. 4. Well No. I was drilled to a depth of 670 

feet. At 620 feet a gray sandy flint 12 feet thick was struck, then a 

softer gray sandy rock, with an intercalated bed of soft blue clay 8 

feet thick. Under this was found a harder dark sandy formation in 

which drilling was stopped because of bad ground and the fear that 

the jars might get fast. Well No. 2, completed in 1901, is at an elevation of about 800 feet above tide. The diameter of the casing is 8
PETTIS COUNTY,

inches. The surface formation is Burlington limestone. The log of 

the well and other information concerning it have been furnished by 

Mr. L. P. Andrews, president of the water and light company.

Log of -well No. 2 of Sedalia Water and Light Company, Sedalia, Pettis County.

Pleistocene (25 feet) : 

Soil........................................ . . ............................

Mississippian (20] feet: Barlington 52 feet, Kinderhook 149 feet):

Hard flint. ...................................................................

Cotton rock ..................................................................

Devonian (23 feet) :

Joachim limestone (40 feet): 

Hard flint. ...................................................................

St. Peter sandstone (71 feet) :

Jefferson City limestone (151 feet):

Thickness.

Feet. 

15

10

27

20

5

87

24

13

25

23

17

23

71

25

22

50

54

Depth.

Feet. 

15

25

52

77

164

188

201

226

249

266

289

360

385

407

457

511

The correlations in this log have been made by a comparison of the 

record of this well with those of well No. 1, 670 feet deep, and of the 

Forest Park well, 1,612 feet deep. The Jefferson City limestone 

extends to a depth of 620 feet, and is followed by 380 (?) feet of the 

Roubidoux and 612 feet of Cambrian or Archean. The driller who 

sunk the Forest Park well stated that he could not remember the 

whole log, but distinctly recalled the fact that the last 400 feet was in 

hasd white sandstone.

The late Mr. R. A. Blair a gave the following section at Sedalia, and 

it checks remarkably well with the drill section:

Generalized section at Sedalia, Pettis County.

Feet. 

Burlington limestone ..................................................... 70

Chouteau (Kinderhook).................................................. 140

Devonian................................................................ 30

Silurian (Cambrian) ...................................................... 75 +

The water in well No. 2 rises 18 inches above the surface.

a The Sedalian, December, 1903, p. 20.
98 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Analysis of water from deep ivell No. 2 at Sedalia. a 

[Analysis by St. Louis Sampling Works, July 18,1902.]

Parts per million.

Silica (Si02)................'.... 8.2

Calcium (Ca)................... 62

Magnesium (Mg)................. 34

Sodium (Na).................... 1. 8

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )......... 164

Sulphate radicle (SO4)........... 22

Parts per million. 

Chlorine (Cl)................... 2.7

294.7 

Residue on evaporation......... 316

Residue on ignition.............. 233

Water in shallow wells in Sedalia is too higlily charged with lime 

and magnesia sulphates and carbonates to be good for either boiler 

or drinking purposes; but that city has now, with these inexhaustible deep wells, one of the best water supplies in the country. The 

main flow comes from the St. Peter sandstone, at a depth of 289 to 

360 feet.

A deep well in Forest Park, about a mile north of the waterworks 

wells, was drilled in 1893. The following log was contributed by 

Mr. F. A. Sampson, of Columbia:

Log of deep 'well at Forest Paris, near Sedalia, Pettis County:

Thickness. Depth.

Soil...............................................................................

Coarse sandy yellow limestone, with white chert...............................

Gray shaly, earthy limestone, with some white chert and crinoid stems........

Light-gray crystalline limestone, with some white chert........................

Fine-grained gray magnesian limestone.........................................

Darker-gray crystalline magnesian limestone, with bluish and white flint......

Very fine white quartz sand.....................................................

Grayish-white magnesian limestone; some shows oolitic structure with fine 

quartz grains and very little white flint.......................................

Fine white limestone and fine white quartz.....................................

Fine quartz sand, nearly pure...................................................

Whitish magnesian limestone, with some whitish flint..........................

Whitish-gray magnesian limestone; resembles fine sand (may contain sand)... 

Fine white quartz sand..........................................................

White and reddish crystalline limestone (marble)...............................

Coarse white quartz sand........................................................

Fine-grained sand with a little flint.............................................

Olive-green shale and a little white calcite.......................................

Dark-gray magnesian limestone and white sandstone...........................

Coarse sand, dark gray, with traces of a hornblende-like mineral...............

Olive and greenish-gray shale, with sand like preceding.........................

Gray quartz sand, with greenish shale and fine grains resembling hornblende.. 

Gray quartz sand, ferruginous...................................................

Fine quartz sand with mica; light quart? sand at 1,470 feet....................

Coa rse round white sand; transparent, good glass sand........................

Fine reddish-white sand.........................................................

Feet.

30

25

56

52

36

62

160

60

35

150

215

100

20

150

25

85

40

95

5

15

15

15

25

110

32

Feet.

30

55

110

162

198

260

420

480

515

665

1,000

1,150

1,175

1,260

1.300

1,395

1,400

1,415

1,430

1,445

1,470

1,580

1,612

This log differs somewhat from those of several of the waterworks wells, which check closely with each other. The large amount 

of sandstone shown in this record is difficult to account for. Several 

parties who saw the drillings state that the last 400 or 500 feet was

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
PETTIS COUNTY. 99

hard white sandstone. From the log, as given, the last 200 or 300 

feet might be either the La Motte sandstone or, possibly, the Archean 

quartz or porphyry. This well is about 20 feet higher than the 

waterworks wells, and water rises within 6 feet of the surface. Correlations made from this record would vary somewhat from those of 

the waterworks wells*

The artesian pressure comes from the catchment basin in Morgan 

County, in the Ozarks. Section 3 (PL IV, p. 30) illustrates the 

artesian conditions in this vicinity.

SMITHTON.

On a farm near Smithton, Pettis County, in a stream bed in sec. 

11, T. 45, R. 20, is a well owned by Dr. W. C. Page. It was drilled 

in 1901 to a depth of 146 feet, with a 6J-inch bore, and cased to a 

depth of 15 feet. Water was struck at the bottom in rock and rises 

to the surface. It is clear, cold, and soft, and has a mineral taste. 

No log was kept and no analysis has been made.

The description of another well in the immediate vicinity is given 

for the sake of the log. This well, which is not flowing because of 

its situation on a high plateau, is 4 miles west of Smithton, Pettis 

County, in sec. 7, T. 45, R. 20, on a farm owned by Mr. Gabbatt, of 

Sedalia. It was drilled to a depth of 215 feet, with a 6-inch bore, 

and cased 26 feet with a 6^-inch casing. Water was found at 175 + 

feet in sand and at 198 feet in gravel. The water is reasonably 

soft. It rises within 140 feet of the surface. It is raised by a pump 

worked by a gasoline engine which cost $300. The water, is used 

for stock and drinking purposes. The well was drilled by W. C. 

Ellison, of Smithton, at a cost of $150. The water of this well probably has its source in Devonian rock.

Log of Gabbatt well, near Smithton, Pettis County.

Thickness.

Ft. in. 

20 0

15 0

75 0

65 0

8

23 0

1 4

15 0

Depth.

Ft. in. 

20 0

35 0

110 0

175 0

175 8

198 8

200 0

215 0
100 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

At Smithton is a well owned by James Eingen and drilled by George 

Yeager. The following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller 

and S. Sanford:

Log of Ringen well, Smithton, Pett'is County.

Soil ...............................................................................

Clay.....-..............................----...-.......----------.--.-..---------.

Crevice in rock; roar as if water running, but none was found.

Crevice; struck sand and plenty of water.

Thickness.

Feet. 

3

5

4

10

20

Depth.

Feet. 

3

S

12

40

. 50

70

RALLS COUNTY.

NADINB.

Three-eighths of a mile north of Nadine, Rails County, in sec. 26, 

T. 53, R. 6, is a well owned by George W. Col vert. The following 

log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Colvert ivett near Nadine, Rails County.

Slate. . ...........................................................................

Coal....................--.--.--..--....-----.--.--....---.---.------...--.-..-.-.

Thickness.

Feet. 

50

5

13

7

5

21

171

89

Depth.

Feet. 

50

55

68

75

80

S2i

100

189

Seven miles south of Perry, Rails County, is a well owned by G. W. 

Alien and drilled by W. H. La Due. The following log was received 

from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Alien well near Perry, Rails County.

Limestone rock ............................................. ........ .........

Brown lime rock .................... ...... . . . ........... .......

Lime rock. ........................... .... ........ ......

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

40

110

60

20

78

35

Depth.

Feet. 

40

80

190

262

OQO

360

» 395
BALLS AND KANDOLPH COUNTIES. 101

Six miles southwest of Perry is a well owned by John Clever and 

drilled by W. Smith. The following log was received from Messrs. 

M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Clever well near Perry, Rails County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

50

16

124

70

62

Depth.

Feet. 

50

66

190

260

322

At Rails is a well owned by J. A. Clark and drilled by W. H. La Due. 

The following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. 

Sanford:

Log of Clark well, Rails, Rails County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

20

25

305

48

15

15

5

Depth.

Feet. 

20

45

350

362

410

425

440

445

RANDOLPH COUNTY.

HIGBEE.

At Higbee, in sec. 17, T. 52, R. 14, is a well owned by the city. The 

following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of well at Higbee, Randolph County.

Soil...............................................................................

Clav... --..-....-...--..------ --.------....-..----------.-.----.---........-.-.---

Thickness.

Feet.

1

1

7

10

5

3

4

5

6

7

10

4

6

Depth.

Feet. 

1

9

3

10

20

25

28

32

47

53

60

70

74

80

The above beds all belong to the Des Moines group.
102 UNDEEGEOUND WATEES OF MISSOUEI.

MOBERLY.

At Moberly, Randolph County, are several deep nonflowing wells. 

One-half mile west of the city the water company sunk two of these, 

60 feet apart and 510 feet deep. The waters of these two wells are 

said to differ in composition and in amount. The deepest well in the 

immediate vicinity of these two is southwest of the waterworks and 

was drilled to a depth of 2,000 feet in search of oil. The writer is 

indebted to Mr. W. H. Jones, of Moberly, for the log of this well and 

other information. Mr. Jones states that salt water was struck 

between 800 and 900 feet. The percentage of salt steadily increased 

to a depth of 1,200 feet, below which the water became fresher. At a 

depth of 1,300 feet a hard magnesian water was struck, and at 2,000 

feet the salt could scarcely be tasted. At 900 feet 5 gallons of water 

yielded, on evaporation, 1 pound of salt.

The meager records obtained from various wells drilled in this 

vicinity seem to indicate that there is a buried channel having a 

northeast-southwest trend, as wells situated a few hundred feet 

apart demonstrate the existence of an ancient valley or trough in the 

rock.

The log of the Moberly well is as follows:

Log of deep well at Moberly, Randolph County.

Pleistocene (38 feet) :

Des Moines (79 feet) :

St. Louis limestone (19 feet):

Keokuk limestone (84 feet) :

Burlington limestone (75 feet) :

Kinderhook (212 feet):

Devonian (68 feet) :

" Niagara " limestone (95 feet) :

" Hudson group " (234 feet):

Gray sand. . ..................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

38

60

7

12

19

84

20

10

30

15

105

20

10

2

55

15

45

18

5

7

12

3

5

20

45

3

42

10

70

30

Depth.

Feet. 

38

98

105

117

136

220

240

250

280

295

400

420

430

435

437

492

507

552

570

575

582

594

597

602

622

667

670

712

722

792

822
RANDOLPH COUNTY.

Log of deep well at Moberly, Randolph County Continued.

103

" Hudson group" Continued.

" Trenton" limestone (131 feet):

White sand. ..................................................................

Joachim limestone (56 feet):

St. Peter sandstone (135 feet):

Undiflerentiated Cambrian (465 feet) :

Sand.........................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

8

10

20

4

5

10

15

8

2

28

18

80

5

55

15

35

10

52

8

15

15

10

72

19

27

5

12

31

42

17

163

12

40

310

Depth.

Feet. 

830

840

860

864

869

879

894

902

904

932

950

1,030

1,035

1,090

1,105

1,140

1,150

1,202

1,210

1,225

1,240

1,250

1,322

1,341

1,368

1,373

1,385

1,416

1,458

1,475

1,638

1,650

1,690

2,000

It is very probable that most of the sandstone in this record through 

the last thousand feet is really a siliceous limestone. Samples for 

study could not be obtained.

At 632 feet the largest amount of water, which was excellent for 

drinking purposes, was reached, in a white, transparent sandstone, 

the grains of which resembled granulated sugar. This was probably 

Devonian sandstone. At 870 feet salt water was reached; at 1,180 

feet magnesia water, and at 1,215 feet very salty water, probably 

from the St. Peter sandstone. Water stood within 70 feet of the 

surface.

RANDOLPH SPRINGS.

On the southern slope of a small valley adjoining an old salt lick, 

about 5 miles west of Huntsville, near the east fork of Chariton 

River, is a well owned by Charles Dameron. Depth, 965 feet; altitude above tide, about 708 feet; temperature of water, 59° F.; of 

air, 83.5° F.; flow, weak; date of completion, about 1869; surface 

formation, Des Moines.

A few feet from the well is a strong brine spring; about 200 feet to 

the south, and slightly higher, is a chalybeate spring; 100 feet southeast of the latter, and still higher, is a shallow alum well; this group 

IRK 195 07 8
104 TJNDEEGKOUND WATEKS OF MISSOUKI.

constitutes the Randolph Springs. At one time this was a popular 

resort. Considerable water was then shipped to various points, and 

as early as 1824 salt was manufactured. When the well was sunk 

a careful log was kept, but it has, apparently, been lost.

Mr. Jacob S. Hunter, a member of the original company that sunk 

this well, writes that he thinks a moderate flow of sulphur water came 

from the last 100 feet. It is interesting to note that the water of 

the deep well is much less saline than that of the enighboring brine 

spring. This well was sunk in the hope of finding oil. The water 

contains a small amount of sulphureted hydrogen, and deposits a 

white precipitate. The flow is about 120 gallons per hour.

Schweitzer 0 states that the temperature of the water was 58° F., 

and the air temperature 65° F. in 1892, this being 1° cooler than was 

noted by the writer in 1904. -The same author states: 0 "A partial 

analysis of the water of this well made more than ten years ago is 

printed in the appendix." On page 233 of the appendix he gives 

an analysis which must be referred to this well, but which he says is 

of water from the "salt spring." The following is a copy of this 

analysis:

Analysis of water from salt spring at Randolph Medical Springs.** 

[Partly analyzed in March, 1881.]

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4)........... 435

Chlorine (Cl).................... 3, 304

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2).................... 4. 5

Aluminum (Al)................. 144

Calcium (Ca).................. 248 

Magnesium (Mg)............... 52 5,793

Sodium (Na).................. 1, 606

In another place (pp. 81, 82) attention is called to the relation of 

some of these deep wells to adjoining springs and to the presence 

of calcium chloride as indicating fossil brines that were formed in 

basins shut off from the sea at an early period.

SALINE COUNTY.

MALTA BEND.

At Malta Bend is a well owned by the Saline Oil and Development 

Company. Its depth is 1,250 feet; altitude, 690 feet; casing, Siinch, 789 feet; flow, 320 gallons per minute; temperature of water, 

61° F.; of air, 82° F.; date of completion, July, 1903; driller, Walker 

Morton, Malta Bend. When this well was visited, in 1903, only a 

few samples of drillings from 900 to 1,250 feet^could be had for

a Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 3, 1892, p. 73.

& Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
SALINE COUNTY. 105

examination. The driller gave the missing data from memory, as 

follows:

Log of well at Malta Bend, Saline County. ,

chert or blue flint with calcite crystals .

calcite crystals and pyrite, dark gray.. .

Thickness.

Feet. 

19

100

230

300

100

100

50

30

225 

20

75

Depth.

Feet. 

19

119

349

649

749

849

899

929

1,154 

1,174

1,249 

1,250

Pleistocene (119 feet): 

Soil.

Quicksand, rounded flint bowlders at base 

Des Moines (230 feet):

Shale and sandstone..........

Mississippian (400 feet):

Limestone.....................

Softer, sandy limestone, and 10 feet bluish shale 

Devonian and Silurian (?) (190 feet):

Limestone...........................

St. Peter sandstone (80 feet):

Dark sand...........................

Soft, coarse white sandstone, with r< 

Jefferson City limestone (225 feet):

Siliceous'magnesian limestone, with < Roubidoux sandstone (90 feet+).

Reddish-white sandstone, rounded, ]

Siliceous magnesian limestone, with

Gray sandstone, fine rounded grains

No analysis of this water has been made. It is very strongly saline 

and highly charged with sulphureted hydrogen. It is one of the 

strongest flowing wells in the State.

At Slater, Saline County, a well was sunk in 1898 to a depth of 650 

feet. It was cased for 70 feet with 10-inch casing, and 400 feet farther 

with 6-inch casing. The water, which contains considerable iron, 

rises within 150 feet of the surface, the main supply coming from the 

sandstone at the bottom of the well. It is pumped and used for 

domestic purposes and protection from fire. The water level is 

slightly lowered after continuous pumping.

SWEET SPRINGS.

About a quarter of a mile west of Sweet Springs, on the banks of 

Black Water River, is a well about which the following information 

was obtained: Depth, 1,074 feet; altitude, about 670 feet; casing, 

8-inch, 29 feet to rock; temperature of water, 62° F.; of air, 84° F.; 

date of completion, 1902; driller, Jack Hume; cost, about $3,000; 

surface formation, Burlington limestone, under Pleistocene.

Log of'well at Sweet Springs, Saline County.

Pleistocene (29 feet): 

Soil...........................................................................

Mississippian (326 feet) :

White sandstone. ............................................................

Thickness.

Feet.

27

o

41

10

1

12

92

42

33

12

48

35

Depth.

Feet.

27

29

70

80

81

93

186

227

260

272

320

355
106 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Log of ivell at Sweet Springs, Saline County Continued.

Devonian and Cambrian (719 feet) :

Thickness.

Feet. ' 

4

Tf»

3

8

2

76

2

10

12

25

2

411

Depth.

Feet.

oon

399

400

478

480

539

661

1,074

According to the statement of the driller the first flow of water, 

which was weak, was struck at a depth of 300 feet, just above what is 

believed to be the Hannibal sandstone, this formation being found at 

depths of 320 to 355 feet. The St. Peter sandstone should be located 

either between 402 and 478 feet, which would give a thickness of 76 

feet; or, as is more probable, between 557 and 624 feet, which would 

give a thickness of 67 feet. At 564 feet the strongest flow of water 

was obtained, and at 604 feet the first strong saline water was found, 

facts which would seem to indicate that the St. Peter sandstone is the 

water-bearing horizon 'in this section. It is quite probable that some 

of the strata marked "sandstone" in the driller's record may have 

been siliceous limestone. This has been the case in a number of other 

instances where the writer lias had the opportunity of comparing the 

drillings with the log. Men who have been accustomed to drilling 

mainly in the sandstones and shales of the Pennsylvaiiian are very 

liable to confuse the siliceous limestones and cherts with sandstones.

The water gushes out with great force from an 8-inch pipe, which is 

15 feet high, with an elbow at the top. The flow is about 840 gallons 

per minute. When the well was first opened a pipe 44J feet long was 

attached, and the stream was carried with force above that height. 

The water is clear, strongly saline, and charged with sulphureted 

hydrogen. It deposits a white precipitate on pipe, stones, and soil. 

No analysis has been made.

WARREN COUNTY.

WARRENTON.

At Warrenton, Warren County, in sec. 28, T. 47, R. 2, there is a 

well 400 feet deep, at an altitude of 875 feet. It has a 6-inch casing 

for about 100 feet to rock. The well was completed in 1891. A 

small flow of water was struck at 150 feet, but the main supply was 

obtained at 360 feet. The water, which is rather hard, is used for. a 

steam mill and town supply. The cost of the well and pumping
WARKEN AND CAMDEN COUNTIES. 107

machinery was about $900. The following log, together with other 

information., was furnished by Prof. John H. Frick:

Log of well at Warrenton, Warren County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

80

16

50

1

13

40

108

44

48+

Depth.

Feet. 

80

«6

146

147

160

200

308

352

400

This well started in the Mississippian.

DECATURVILLE DOME DISTRICT.

The Decaturville dome district includes an area in Camden, Hickory, Miller, and Polk counties within a radius of about 30 miles from 

Decaturville, Camden County. The district is small and is somewhat 

arbitrarily denned. Flowing wells are located at or near the following places: Carver, Decaturville, and Hahatonka, Camden County; 

Aurora Springs and Iberia, Miller County; Cross Timbers and Pittsburg, Hickory County; Cliquot and Goodson, Polk County.

CAMDEN COUNTY. 

CARVER.

Two miles northwest of Carver, on the east side of the road between 

Climax Springs and Proctor, in sec. 29, T. 40, R. 18, in a valley about 

60 feet above Osage River, is a well owned by James Hildebrand, and 

drilled by John Hays, of Versailles, with a diamond-core drill. This 

well was completed in 1901. It is901J feet deep, with a 2-inch bore. 

The water, which is clear, soft, and rather warm, rises 30 feet above 

the surface. No variation in flow has been noticed. The well probably started in the Gasconade limestone.

DECATURVILLE.

At Decaturville, on the southern border of Camden County, the 

intrusion of a dike of pegmatite has greatly tilted the rocks for 10 to 

15 miles around, producing conditions favorable for artesian wells. a

Nine hundred feet west of Samuel Wheeler's place, near Decaturville, J. N. Kennett sunk a well 300 feet deep for mineral. A strong

o For further description of this interesting locality, see Shepard, E. M., The spring system of the 

Decaturville dome, Camden County, Mo.: Water-Sup, and Irr. Paper No. 110, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1905, 

p. 113.
108 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

flow was struck at a depth of 200 feet. This continued for several 

years, but gradually declined until all activity ceased. The mouth of 

this well is about 50 feet lower than Pegmatite Hill.

GTJNTERS.

The Rust and Scott wells are situated on the land of Tip Webster, 

1 mile west of Gunters, on the west side of Banks Creek, near its junction with Niangua River, and are separated from the Kellogg well by a 

ridge 200 feet high. These two holes were bored for mineral in 1900.

The Rust well, to the north, is 780 feet deep. The first flow of water 

was obtained at 680 feet. The temperature of the water is 59° F., 

and that of the air is 84° F. Colonel Scott states that the water, 

which is clear and sparkling, with a slight odor of sulphureted hydrogen, rises 30 feet above the surface. No decrease in pressure has been 

noted.

The Scott well is 740 feet deep, and is situated an eighth of a mile 

from the Rust well, on the same side of the branch and close to it. 

The first flow was struck at 680 feet. The original pressure was sufficient to raise the water 20 feet above the surface, but now (1905) it 

simply flows 'at the surface. The temperature and other physical 

characters are the same as in the Rust well.

Partial analyses of a number of wells and springs in this region, 

including Bennett's and Gunter's springs and the Lebanon well, show 

a similar character and composition in all, a fact which points to the 

deep-seated origin of all these waters, and seems to indicate a common 

source in the catchment basin around Pegmatite Hill. The presence 

in a number of these waters of a small amount of sodium carbonate 

apparently confirms this view, and shows that the pegmatite containing soda feldspar is of greater extent underground than at the surface.

HAHATONKA.

In 1902 Major Rush sunk a well in search of mineral on the southwest side of Hahatonka Lake, not far from the island and but a few 

feet above the level of the lake. It is 864 feet deep. The first flow 

of water was obtained at 840 feet. The water rose 36 feet above 

the surface. This well was started probably near the top of the 

Gasconade limestone and ended in 3 feet of soft sandstone, possibly 

of the Elvins formation. Unfortunately no record was obtainable. 

The flow has materially decreased. The temperature of the water 

is 63° F. with an air temperature of 87° F. The water is clear, but 

warmer than that of adjacent springs, and has a slight odor of 

sulphureted hydrogen.
DECATURVILLE DOME DISTRICT. 109

HICKORY COUNTY.

CROSS TIMBERS.

Five miles due west of Cross Timbers, in the bottom of a small 

stream valley, in the NW. i NW. J sec. 24, T. 38, R. 22, are three wells 

owned by G. W. Crudginton that were drilled in September, 1899, in 

prospecting for lead and zinc, to the depths of 75, 90, and 110 feet.- 

Water began to flow from a depth of 33 feet, and continued to do so 

all the way down. No perceptible change in the flow has ever been 

noted. The three wells are all within 50 yards of one another, and 

at about the same elevation, which is estimated, barometrically, as 535 

feet. It is difficult to determine the flow of these wells, as a large 

amount of water leaks out from the base of the pipes. The well 

with the strongest pressure has a flow, from a 2J-inch pipe, estimated 

at about 8 gallons per minute. These drill holes had originally a 

6-inch bore and were never cased. No log was kept, but it is stated 

that they passed through limestone all the way, probably starting in 

the Roubidoux. The following analysis of the water from the deepest 

of the three wells was made by Mr. E. E. Ellis, to whom the writer is 

indebted' for these notes.

Analysis of ivater from ivell No. 3 at Cross Timbers, Hickory County.

Parts per million.

Iron............................. Trace.

Calcium........................ 380

Total hardness................... 152.9

Total carbonates................. 470.4

Alkaline carbonates (normal) .... 0

Alkaline earthy carbonates (acid). 470.4

Parts per million. 

Sulphates....................... 88

Chlorides........................ 14.44

Temperature of air, 64.2° F. 

Temperature of water, 57.2° F. 

Color, clear. 

Odor, none.

The water has a slight odor of sulphureted hydrogen.

PITTSBURG.

In 1896 the discovery of zinc in a shallow well started a large 

amount of prospecting in the neighborhood of Pittsburg, and several 

flowing wells were obtained from these prospect holes. These wells 

seem to be located on the northwestern slope of a fold extending northeast and southwest through this region, and have been placed, for 

convenience of description, in the Decaturville dome district.

Pittsburg is situated in the southeast corner of sec. 25, T. 36, R. 22, 

at an altitude, barometrically, of 1,155 feet, or 90 feet above the town 

of Bolivar. The first flowing well was struck on the land of J. A. 

Williams, in the northwest corner of sec. 25, T. 36, R. 22. It was 

drilled by Mr. Busby, of lola, in August, 1901, with a 6-inch churn 

drill, to a depth of 100 feet, and cost $75. Water was encountered at
110 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

a depth of 20 feet, but the first flow came from near the bottom. 

The mouth of the well is a little less than 100 feet lower than the town 

of Pittsburg, and is probably in the Jefferson City limestone. No log 

was kept, but it is stated that the drill passed through limestone all 

the way. No variation has been noted in the flow, which is a small 

stream. The water is clear and odorless. The air temperature is 48* 

F., and the water temperature 53° F.

The well on the land of S. J. Martin, south of the center of the SW. J 

sec. 25, T. 36, R. 22, was sunk in October, 1901, to a depth of 100 feet, 

with a 6-inch churn drill. This well had at first a stronger flow than 

any other in this group, but the force has gradually diminished until 

the water stands 3 feet below the surface. v

The well on the land of Y. J. Petts, in the center of the W. J sec. 36, 

T. 36, R. 22, on the top of a hill, is 90 feet deep, and was made with a 

6-inch churn drill. The well was started in the upper part of the 

Burlington limestone about 8 feet thick, then passed through 10 feet 

of yellow rock (Chouteau limestone) and 20 feet of blue (Hannibal) 

shale. The remainder of the record was lost. The absence of the 

lower part of the Burlington all through this region is noticeable. 

The air temperature is 48° F., the water temperature 53° F.

A well near the center of sec. 14, T. 35, R. 22, owned by Len. G. 

Mallonnee, of Pittsburg, was sunk to a depth of 110 feet, in October, 

1901, with a 6-inch churn drill. This well was started in white, 

coarse-grained limestone (the upper part of the Burlington), 30 feet 

thick; it then passed through 30 feet of sandstone (Hannibal), 20 feet 

of blue shales (Hannibal), and flint to the bottom. It is noticeable 

that the Chouteau limestone is absent. The water is colorless and odorless. It was struck in the Hannibal sandstone, and did not flow until 

the sandstone was nearly passed through, after which the flow grew 

stronger until the bottom was reached.

MfLLER COUNTY.

AUKOKA SPRINGS.

A little to the southeast of Aurora Springs, Miller County, in sec. 19, 

T. 41, R. 15, a shaft was sunk to a depth of 140 feet, in prospecting for 

lead and zinc. The well is situated about 12 feet above the bottom 

of Little Gravois Creek. No water was struck until a depth of 100 

feet was reached; below this the well commenced to flow.

IBERIA.

Two and one-half miles northwest of Iberia, in the bottom of 

Baileys Branch, is a well on the farm of George Graves. A moderate flow of water was obtained at a depth of 60 feet, in the 

Gasconade limestone.
DECATUKVILLE DOME DISTRICT. Ill

POLK COUNTY. 

CLIQUOT.

Near Cliquot are two wells one owned by the St. Louis and San 

Francisco Railroad and the other by M. C. Shelton.

The railroad well, in sec. S,T. 34, R. 23, was drilled in 1901 by W. A. 

Hash, of Bolivar, to a depth of 262 feet, the first 196 feet with an 8-inch 

bore and the last 66 feet with a 6-inch bore. Water was struck at 40 

feet, and the flow increased slowly with the depth. The pressure is 

sufficient to raise the water in a pipe 15 or 20 feet above the surface. 

A pump is, however, used to force the water into a water tank for 

engine purposes. The water is clear., colorless, odorless, and cool. 

The well starts in what is probably the base of the St. Peter sandstone. 

The altitude of Cliquot is about 995 feet.

The Shelton well is situated in the center of sec. 17, T. 34, R. 23, 

three-fourths of a mile southeast of Cliquot, and probably 50 feet 

higher than the well at that point. It is only 10 feet deep, and 

passed through a tough yellow clay and shale., striking a hard rock 

at 10 feet, from which point the water rose and flowed out ai the surface. The shale was, undoubtedly, Hannibal shale, and the limestone either Louisiana or "Sac" limestone.

GOODSON.

Near Goodson post-office, 9 miles south and 3 miles east of Pittsburg, is a well that was originally a prospect hole for lead and zinc. 

It is 100 feet deep and has a good flow, the water rising 6 feet above 

the surface.

CLINTON-NEVADA DISTRICT. 

GENERAL ARTESIAN CONDITIONS.

The Clinton-Nevada district includes portions of Henry, Vernon, 

Cass, Bates, St. Clair, and Cedar counties. The wells in this district 

have their catchment basin in the Ozarks. The uniform dip of the 

strata to the west and northwest is continued in this district as in 

the districts to the north. In this district, however, the conditions 

are more favorable for flowing wells than farther north, as the altitude of the country to the west does not increase so rapidly.

The upturned edges of the Pennsylvanian rocks outcrop successively through this district. Fairly good water is obtained from the 

sandstones and limestones of the Pennsylvanian, but that from the 

shales is liable to be strongly saline. The Mississippian forms a fine 

water table, and a strong body of water is usually found when the drill 

reaches that series.

Large shallow ponds or lakes and swamps extend in a long narrow 

belt from a point southwest of Nevada for a distance of 40 miles to the 

northwest. Some of these bodies of water cover several hundred
112 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

acres and are never dry. The peculiar topography and conditions 

so far south of the glaciated area immediately impress the observer. 

It is said that these ponds contain fresh, pure water and are spring 

fed. It is also stated that a person wading in them can feel the cold 

jets of water that come up from many points all over the bottom. 

This belt of lakes and swamps seems to be c, flat, slightly depressed 

area with a somewhat abrupt eastern side that rises suddenly to a 

broad valley or plain from 40 to 60 feet above the lake valley. This 

outline suggests the possibility that the area has been undermined 

by the numerous springs brought up by artesian pressure, the phenomena being similar to those observed in the "sunk district" of 

southeastern Missouri. Flowing wells are found at the following 

places:. Clinton, Henry County; Nevada, Richards, Sheldon, and 

Stotesbury, Vernon County; and near Horse Creek, Barton County.

BARTON COUNTY.

HORSE CREEK.

In the middle of the N. \ sec. 2, T. 33, R. 29, just above the level of 

a little branch that flows into Horse Creek, is a well that was sunk' in 

1884 to a depth of 60 feet in search for mineral. It was started near 

the base of the Cherokee shales and stopped at the top of the Mississippian limestone. It flows a very small stream, which is piped laterally. The water contains a very small amount of gas. Its temperature was 64° F. when that of the air was 87° F.

BATES COUNTY. 

ADRIAN.

In sec. 30, T. 42 N., R. 30 W., is a well owned by the Lewder estate 

and drilled by R. J. Lawder. The following- Idg^ was received from 

Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford: . *

Log of Lawder -well, Adrian, Bates County.

Flint rock........................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

37

3

20

11

4

3

10

3

5

14

20

17

10

8

4

8

2

74

15

25

20

Depth.

Feet. 

37

40

60

71

75

78

88

91

96

110

130

147

154

164

172

176

184

186

260

275

300
BATES AND CASS COUNTIES.

ROCKVILLE.

113

In 1904 a well was drilled at Rockville to a depth, of 1,550 feet. 

The driller declined to give a full record, but from his statement it 

was learned that the St. Peter sandstone was reached at a depth of 

856 feet, with a strong body of saline water.

CASS COUNTY.

In Drexel, Cass County, is a drilled well 64 feet deep. It penetrated 

40 feet of limestone and 4 feet of carbonaceous shale, from which latter 

the water is derived. The water is pumped to the surface and has a 

temperature of 58° F.

Schweitzer, in his report on the mineral waters of Missouri,0 gives 

the following analysis:

Analysis of water from well at Drcxel, Cass County.b 

Parts per million.

9.9

Iron (Fe) ......................

Calcium (Ca) ....................

Magnesium (Mg) ............... 6.5

Sodium (Na) ................ - . . . 481

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) ..... 1, 059

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4) ........... 74

Chlorine (Cl). . .................. 103

Sulphur(S).. .................. 4.1

1,751.3

PLEASANT HILL.

At Pleasant Hill, Cass County, there is a well 150 feet south of the 

Missouri Pacific Railway. The log, for which the writer is indebted 

to Dr. G. C. Broadhead, is as follows:

Log of well at Pleasant Hill, Cass County.

Shales............................................................................

Blue limestone ...................................................................

Thickness.

Ft. in. 

30

2

43

3

2

9

5

7

2 6

28

3

17

3

3

10

Depth.

Ft. in. 

30

32

75

78

89

89

94

101

103 6

131 6

134 6

151 6

154 3

157 6

167 6

a Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 3, 1892, p. 182.

6 Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological Survey.
114 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Log of well at Pleasant Hill, Cass County Continued.

Clay..............................................................................

Shales................................ . .. . . ... ...........................

Shales .................................. ....... .................................

Shale. ...........................................................................

Thickness.

Ft. in.

7

15

2

1 6

2

10

2

3

1

80

1

9

3

18

2

31

1

3 6

1 6

5

10^

106

5

47

19

28

25

Depth.

Ft. in. 

174 6

189 6

191,- 6

193

195.

285

297

210

211

291

292

301

304

322

324

355

356

359 6

361

366

376

481

486

533

552

680

605

All but the last 25 feet of this section is Des Moines.

HENRY COUNTY.

At Clinton, Henry County (see fig. 5), the Clinton Light and Water 

Company has several wells." Well No. 1, south of the city, in the 

NW. 1 SW. 1 sec. 10, T. 41, R. 26, was drilled in the summer of 1887. 

Depth, 800 feet; altitude, 700 feet above tide; casing, 8-inch to 425 

feet, 5f-iiich to 800 feet; flow, 400 gallons per minute; Cost, about 

$2,500; surface formation, base : of Cherokee shales. The first flow of 

water noted, 75 gallons per minute, was obtained at a depth of 310 

feet in the St. Peter sandstone. At 425 feet the flow had increased to 

about 200 gallons per minute and the pressure was so strong that it 

was difficult to preserve the drillings. This water was charged with 

sulphureted hydrogen and was called sulphur water. At this depth 

the bore was reduced from 8 to 5f inches, and continued thus down to 

800 feet. The flow of water at 425 feet was cut off by casing, so that 

the two distinct flows could be obtained, that from the depth of 425 

feet issuing from around the inner casing, which brought up the water 

from 800 feet. The water from the bottom was probably derived

a Acknowledgment is hereby made to Dr. J. H. Britts, of Clinton, for the drill samples, which the 

writer has examined, for records and analyses of this interesting group of wells and for other valuable 

information.
HENKY COUNTY. 115

from the base of the Gasconade limestone and was fresh. The flow in 

both cases was measured and found to be about 200 gallons per

FIG. 5. Map of the Clinton artesian district, Henry County.

minute each, or a total of 400 gallons. The inner casing has since 

been removed, and the waters mix. The following is the record of 

this well:

Log of artesian well (No. 1), Clinton, Henry County.

Des Moines (< Blue shal< 

Keokuk and ] 

Chert and 

White che 

White che 

White sha 

Gray lime 

Blue magi 

Blue and i

Ofeet):

Jurlington (80 feet) :

ly limestone. ............... ..

stone and white chert ..................................

?ray siliceous limestone and chert .................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

10 

10 

20 

10 

10 

10 

10

Depth.

Feet. 

40

50 

60 

80 

90 

100 

110 

120
116 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Log of artesian well (No. 1), Clinton, Henry County Continued.

Chouteau limestone (70 feet): Feet. 

Light-gray crystalline magnesian limestone, little chert..................... 25

Blue splintery, compact magnesian limestone............................... 15

Blue splintery, shaly magnesian limestone................................... 'JO

Same, with more chert...................................................... 10

Devonian (40 feet):

Same, w.th more chert and s'liceous limestone............................... 10

Blue and gray shaly, s.Lceous magnesian limestone......................... 20

Gray siliceous magnesian limestone, some chert............................. 10

Joachim limestone (50 feet):

Light-gray " cotton rock," magnesian limestone ............................. 30

Same and some blue limestone............................................... 20

St. Peter sandstone (30 feet):

Fine-grained blue chalcedoiiic flint, siliceous limestone with marcasite crystals and iron-stained sand (rounded grains of quartz)..................... 10

Same, with flner rounded grains (probably St. Peter sandstone)............. 10

Coarser, more rounded grains of quartz, s liceous wh ; te magnesian Lmestone. 10

Jefferson City limestone (190 feet):

Quartz, flint, and s'liceous magnesian limestone, minute marcasite crystals. 10 

Flint and quartz gra'ns mixed with s liceous limestone...................... 10

Same, with minute marcasite crystals and iron sta'n........................ 10

Fine-grained siliceous dolomitic 1 mestone, with some fl nt.................. 30

Gray siliceous dolomite, white flint and marcas.te........................... 10

Gray siliceous dolomite, slightly coarser, no flint............................ 10

Dark-gray siliceous dolomite, with few coarse part.cles of flint.............. I 10

Flint, quartz, and siliceous limestone; flow of water very strong; sulphur 

water at 425 feet............................................................ 100

Roubidoux sandstone (25 feet):

Fine white sandstone (probably Second sandstone of Swallow); flow very 

strong..._............_._..........._...._..............._.........-......".. 25

Gasconade limestone (275-feet):

(From 525 to 670 feet no cuttings could be had owing to force of water)..... 145

Light bluish-gray dolomite, w th fine grains of white flint................... 30

Fine grains of quartz, white flint, and gray siliceous dolomite at bottom; 

fresh water................................................................. 100

Thickness. Depth.

145

160

180

190

200

220

230

260

280

290

300

310

320

330

340

370

380

390

400

500

525

670

700

800

The following analysis is taken from Schweitzer's report.0

Analysis of water from artesian well (No. 1), Clinton, Henry County. 

[Analyst, A. E. Woodward, 1892.]

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2).................... 12

Calcium (Ca).................... 117

Magnesium (Mg)................. 51

Sodium (Na).................... 419

Potassium (K)................... 16

Parts per million. 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3 )...... 375

Sulphate radicle (SO4)........... 110

Chlorine (Cl)................... 719

1,819

This is a distinctly saline water, with a small percentage of carbonates present. The sample for analysis was obtained by plunging a 

gallon bottle into the mouth of the standpipe and allowing it to fill 

with the water. The bottle was then stoppered and sealed with 

melted paraffin.

Well No. 2 is a few hundred feet south of well No. 1. Depth, 800 

feet; altitude above tide, 700 feet; casing, 5-inch to bottom; flow, 

about 200 gallons per minute ; c date of completion, 1891; surface formation, base of Cherokee shales. The log of this well is essentially 

the same as that of No. 1. It is a curious fact, however, that the

a Mineral waters of Missouri: Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 3, 1892, p. 86.

& Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological Survey. 

e Since the sinking of well No. 7 the flow of this well has decreased fully one-half.
HENKY COUNTY. 117

chemical composition of the water is decidedly different, as may be 

seen by a comparison of the accompanying analyses of the two.0 

This well was for a number of years the main source of water supply 

for the city of Clinton. The water is collected in large reservoirs and, 

together with that of several other wells more recently drilled, is 

pumped to the city.

Analyses of water from artesian well (No. 1) and waterworks well (No. 2), Clinton, Henry

County.b

[Parts per million.]

Carbonate radicle (C( >s >......-.................... ................................

Chlorine (Cl) .................................... .................................

Free H2S ......................................... ..............................

Artesian 

well.

116

51

420

17

184

110

717

1,615 

4.1

175

Waterworks 

well.

80

37

204

42

168

91

335

957 

1 1

147

111 connection with this comparison Woodward says:

Since the two wells are but a short distance apart and were both drilled to the 

same depth, a correspondence between the analyses of these waters is to be expected. 

A very considerable difference is found to exist, however. Thus, though both are 

characterized by a large percentage of sodium and chlorine, the water of this well 

[waterworks well] differ from the artesian-well water by containing larger amounts 

of carbonates and sulphates. These differences are produced probably by the mixing 

in the waterworks well of a greater quantity of surface waters with the chloride water, 

thereby decreasing the amount of total solids and .increasing at the same time the 

amount of alkaline constituents. * * * Results of analyses of other well or spring 

waters directly comparable to these Clinton waters are not easy to find. The Fort 

Scott, Kans., artesian water yielded 1,868 parts per million; the Clinton artesian, 1,615 

parts per million.

The following is a complete analysis of water from waterworks well

(No. 2): c

Analysis of'water from tvaterworlcs well (No. 2), Clinton, Henry County.b 

[Analyst, A. E. Woodward, 1892.]

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2)..................... 2.4

Calcium (Ca)................... 80

Magnesium (Mg>................ 37

Sodium (Na)................... 204

Potassium (K).................. 42

 Parts per million. 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3)...... 342

Sulphate radicle (S04)......:.... 91

Chlorine (Cl).................... 335

1.133.4

a Wood ward, A. E., Bull. Missouri Geol. Survey No. 3, 1890, p. 91.

6 Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological' Survey, 

c Schweitzer, Paul, Mineral waters of Missouri; Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 3, 1892, p. 120.
118 UNDERGEOUND WATERS OP MISSOURI.

About 1 mile north of the wells previously described, in the bottom 

of the same creek and similar in character to No. 2, is a well (No. 3) 

owned by Dr. J. H. Britts. Depth, 913 feet; altitude above tide, 715 

feet; casing, 8-inch to bottom; temperature of water, 64° F.; now, 

400 gallons per minute ; ffl date of completion, 1891; cost, $2,000; 

surface formation, base of Cherokee shale. The log of this "well differs 

slightly from those of the other wells in the first 60 feet, the first 40 

feet of Cherokee shales being followed by 20 feet of Graydon sandstone, a formation which does not appear in any of the other wells 

about Clinton. The following is an analysis of the water of the 

Britts well: 6

Analysis of water from Britts artesian well (No. 3), Clinton, Henry County. c 

[Analyst, Paul Schweitzer.]

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiOa).................... 14

Calcium (Ca)...:................ 106

Magnesium (Mg)................. 45

Sodium (Na).................... 353

Potassium (K)................... 19

Parts per million. 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3 )...... 431

Sulphate radicle (SO4)........... 91

Chlorine (01)................... 560

1,619

At the Clinton ice plant, about 1,000 feet northeast of the courthouse, at one of the highest points in the vicinity, are two nonflowing 

wells (Nos. 4 and 5), 10 feet apart. One was drilled in 1894 and the 

other in 1896. Both are 650 feet deep and their altitude is 780 feet, 

which is probably 80 feet more than that of the flowing wells in the 

valley. The bore of one is 8 inches and of the other 2 inches. 

Water rises within about 100 feet of the surface. The wells are 

equipped with two deep-well pumps having a capacity of 240 gallons 

per minute, and they would undoubtedly supply two or three times 

the capacity of the pumps. No analysis of the water of either of 

these wells has been made, but it is stated that it is alkaline with an 

appreciable amount of sulphureted hydrogen, and similar in character 

to that of the other wells. Marbut d gives the following log of these 

wells:

Log of wells at Clinton ice plant (Nos. 4 and 5), Clinton, Henry County.

Coal.... ..........................................................................

Shale.............................................................................

Thickness.

Ft. in. 

12 0

21 0

0 4

9 0

8 0

87 0

45 0

20 0

400 0

40 0

Depth.

Ft. in. 

12 0

- 33 0

33 4

42 4

50 4

137 4

182 4

202 4

602 4

" Since the completion of well No. 7, near Nos. 1 and 2, this well has ceased to flow. 

6 Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 3, 1892, p. 121.

e Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological Survey.

, C. F., Geology of the Clinton sheet: Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 12, p't. 2,1898, p. 101.
HENRY COUNTY. 119

About 200 feet west of well No. 2 is a well (No. 6), owned by the 

Clinton Light and Water Company. Depth, 500 feet; altitude 

above tide, 700 feet; casing, 8-inch to bottom; flow, 200 gallons per 

minute;" date of completion, 1897; surface formation, base of Cherokee shales. The water of this well is similar in composition to that 

of well No. 2, and the two wells have similar logs. The water is 

collected in settling basins for city service.

Near the northeast corner of the new settling basin of the Clinton 

water station about 150 feet north of well No. 2 is another well 

(No. 7), owned by the Clinton Light and Water Company. Depth, 

818 feet; altitude above tide, 700 feet; casing, 10-inch to bottom; 

flow, about 700 gallons per minute; date of completion, February, 

1902; cost of well, $2,000; surface formation, base of the Cherokee 

shales. The flow of this well surpasses that of all of the other wells 

combined, and its effect on the others, as has already been mentioned, 

has been marked. The water resembles that of No. 2 more closely 

than that of any of the other wells. It may be classed as an alkaline 

water, with some sodium chloride and with free hydrogen-sulphide 

gas. It is not, however, a combined sulphur water. This well is at 

present the main source of the city water, which it supplies in the 

greatest abundance, filling a reservoir 250 by 160 by 5 feet in twelve 

hours. The log is practically the same as that of the other Clinton 

wells, extending into the Gasconade limestone. The main source of 

water is probably in the Roubidoux sandstone. This well began to 

flow at about 375 feet and the water was comparatively soft with but 

little mineral salts and hydrogen-sulphide gas. The flow gradually 

increased with the depth of the well with a corresponding increase 

of mineral constitutents. The following analysis of this water was 

obtained:

Analysis of water from well Nb. 7, Clinton, Henry County.b

[Analyst, J. C. Draper, June 20, 1902.] 

Parts per million. ' Parts per million.

Sulphate radicle (SO4)......... 122

Chlorine (Cl)................... 122

Alkaline chlorides............. 1, 562

Silica (SiO2)....................... 6.4

Iron (Fe)......................... Trace.

Calcium (Ca) ..................... 147

Magnesium (Mg).................. 56

Carbonate radicle (CO3).......... 179 2' 194' 4

The Jordan well is located in sec. 19, T. 41, N., R. 25 W., about 3 

miles southeast of Clinton. It flowed feebly for a number of years 

after it was drilled and yielded a mildly chalybeate water, which was 

extensively used. It is now, however, abandoned and choked up. 

No log was kept and no analysis was made, but the water apparently 

had its source in the Cherokee shales.

a Flow has decreased since the sinking of well No. 7.

& Expressed by analyst in hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic form at United States 

Geological Survey.

IRE 195 07 9
120 UNDEKGEOUND WATERS OF MTSSOUET.

ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

APPLETON.

In 1891 the Appleton City Water and Power Company put down a 

well 1,190 feet deep in prospecting for oil, gas, or water. It is to be 

regretted that the greater portion of the record of this well has been 

lost. It was cased for 300 feet with 8-inch casing. A strong body of 

water was struck between 1,000 and 1,100 feet. It was decidedly 

saline, and contained a large amount of sulphureted hydrogen. The 

mouth of the well has an altitude of 760 feet; the well starts in Cherokee shales, and water stands 40 feet from the surface. Acknowledgment is made to Mr. T. C. Brown for the use of such drill samples 

as have been preserved. The well cost $2,000. At 50 and 150 feet 

small coal seams were struck.

From the cuttings that have been preserved, Mr. Ellis gives the 

following incomplete log:

Partial log of well at Appleton City, St. Clair County.

Grayish-brown compact Limestone containing numerous small, well-rounded

Finely crystalline dark-brown limestone, with some chert and many rounded

Thoroughly crystalline, fine-grained gray limestone, with small amounts of chert

Compact, crystalline grayish-brown limestone, with oolitic chert and sand. .....

Rather fine-grained sandstone, nearly white, iron stained, grains well rounded. .

Thickness.

Feet.

21

37

30

65 

50

10 

200

190

Depth.

Feet. 

587

608

645

675

740 

790

800 

1,000

1,190

The greater part of this section is probably Gasconade limestone.

Analysis of water from artesian well at Appleton City, St. Clair County. a 

[Analyst, Paul Schweitzer.]

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2).................... 40

Calcium (Ca).................... 369

Magnesium (Mg). ................ 161

Sodium (Na).................... 2, 589

Lithium (Li). .................. 10

Parts per million. 

Carbonate radicle (CO3).......... 12

Sulphate radicle (SO4).......... 272

Chlorine (Cl).................... 4, 939

8,392

This water was used by the city for two years, being pumped by a 

small engine, but it was finally discarded because of its highly mineralized character. It is stated that the water corroded iron and tin 

and killed neighboring vegetation.

« Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
ST. CLAIB AND VERNON COUNTIES. 121

In 1891 a well about 500 feet deep, with an 8-inch bore, was sunk 

in Osceola and cased 12 feet to rock. A strong vein of water was 

struck, which rose within 75 feet of the surface. The water is hard, 

and was pumped for general use. The cost of the well was $1,500.

Another well is now (summer of 1905) being drilled at Osceola for 

oil and gas by the Osceola Development Company on the farm of 

M. M. Love, 1 mile west of the Frisco Railway station, on the top of a 

hill having an elevation of 832 feet. The well was started in the base 

of the Des Moines, and the company expects to go to a depth of 1,800 

feet.

VEENON COUNTY.

Nevada, Vernon County, is, like Clinton, the center of a group of 

several flowing and nonflowing deep wells. The oil excitement in 

Kansas stimulated the boring of deep holes in this region, which 

^esulted in the finding of several valuable artesian wells in this county. 

The most important of these are the wells at Nevada, Sheldon, Stotesxury, and Walker.

In the suburbs of Nevada, a little over a mile from the railway station, is a well owned by Harry C. Moore. Depth, 800 feet; altitude, 

barometrically, 900 feet; casing, 6-inch; depth, unknown; temperature of water, 63° F.; of air, 69° F.; flow, 10,000 gallons per hour; 

date of completion, 1887; cost, $2,500; surface formation, base of 

Oherokee shales. The well is situated on the side of a valley at the 

''oot of a low ridge. The water rises through an iron pipe and flows 

into a basin, whence it is conveyed to two lakes covering 15 acres each. 

The water is strongly impregnated with sulphureted hydrogen and a 

deposit of white algse, the same as that at Clinton, covers the basin 

",nd its outlet. It is to be regretted that no record of the log of this 

 ^ell has been preserved. An analysis made by Schweitzer in 1892 a 

r^ here given:

Analysis of water of artesian tvell at Nevada, Vernon County. & 

[Analyst, Paul Schweitzer, 1892.]

Parts per million. 

riica(SiOa)...................... 14

Oalcium (Ca)...................... 80

7 fagnesium (Mg)................. 33

Podium (Na)...................... 307

^'"carbonate radicle (HCO3 )....... 342

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4) ............ 53

Chlorine (Cl) ..................... 423

1,252

o Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 3, 1892, p. 122.

6 Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

f *ates Geological Survey.
122 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP MISSOURI.

A number of deep nonflowing wells in this district have been sunk in 

the search for oil or gas. Among them may be mentioned the drill 

well of the Nevada Gas, Oil and Asphalt Company, 9 miles south of 

Nevada, at, an elevation of 821 feet above tide. The writer is indebted 

to Mr. George A. Pierson for the following record:

Log of drill well of Nevada Gas, Oil and Asphalt Company, 9 miles south of Nevada,

Vernon County.

Des Moines (294 feet ) :

Shale .........................................................................

Slate. ........................................................................

Coal ..........................................................................

Flint; at 180 feet strong water rose within 80 feet of top; well cased with

Mississippian (413 feet) :

Devonian and Joachim limestone (200 feet) :

St. Peter sandstone (100 feet) :

Jefferson City limestone (175 feet) : 

Hard sand limestone; at 1,092 feet water thrown out of pipe 30 feet high. . . . 

Eoubidoux sandstone (60 feet) :

Gasconade limestone (207 feet) :

Thickness.

Feet. 

4

50

30

50

6

3

18

33

100

60

100

100

100

100

100

100

175 

60

8

15

20

10

30

19

12

16

75

Depth.

Feet. 

4

54

84

134

140

143

161

194

294

347

407

507

607

707

807

907

1,007

1,182 

1,242

1,250

1,265

1,285

1,295

1,325

1,344

1,356

1,372

1,447

This record has been a very difficult one to summarize. Through 

the courtesy of the company the writer was allowed to examine some 

of the samples contained in glass tubes, and he feels little doubt that 

some of the material described as sandstone in the log is limestone. 

It is very common for drillers to use the term sandstone for a siliceous 

limestone. The correlations, while somewhat doubtful, as stated, are 

believed to be approximately correct and check fairly well with other 

more reliable data.

This company has just started another well west of Nevada, in the 

NE. J sec. 16, T. 35, R. 31. The altitude at the mouth of this well is 

821 feet.

The water supply of Nevada is derived from 2 wells, 1,001 and 869 

feet deep. The altitude of the water station, obtained barometrically, 

is 900 feet. The water of the deeper well is strongly impregnated 

with sulphureted hydrogen and deposits a white precipitate of 

Begatoria alba around the outlet. The temperature was 67° F. when
VEBNON COUNTY. 123

the air temperature was 69° F. The water stands 78 feet below the 

surface and is pumped into a large reservoir, from which it is distributed to the city. The-water station is about 80 feet above the park 

where the flowing well previously described is located. The following 

log of the deeper well is funjished by Mr. J. P. Stevenson:

Log of city waterworks well, Nevada, Vernon County.

Des Moines (170 feet) : Drift................................. . ...........

Trace of coal .................................................................

Mississippian (448 feet; :

Slate........................................... ... . .......................

Devonian and Joachim limestone (157 feet) :

St. Peter sandstone (43 feet) : White sand...................................................................

Lime rock. ........................... . . . . ...............

Sand .........................................................................

Flint.........................................................................

Jefferson City limestone (133 feet) :

Salt lime rock. ...............................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

8

52

10

3

48

49

* 150

15

60

40

25

35

123

20

22

35

40

40

10

45

23

15

32

30

20

31

20

Depth.

Feet. 

8

60

70

73

121

170

320

335

395

435

460

495

618

638

660

695

735

775

785

830

853

868

900

930

950

981

1,001

RICHARDS.

In the southwest comer of sec. 30, T. 36, R. 33, is a well owned by 

E. S. Weyand; depth, 650 feet; altitude, barometrically, 765 feet; 

flow, weak; casing, 6-inch; temperature of water, 62° F.; of air, 59° 

F.; date of completion, 1889; driller, John A. Young; surface formation, Cherokee shales. Like many others, this well was sunk during 

the oil excitement, and it was near enough to the Kansas oil fields to 

show some evidence of gas, which would burn for a short time, but 

which soon became exhausted. Now only a little gas comes up, intermittently, in small bubbles. There is a strong odor of sulphureted 

hydrogen and a thin white film is deposited around the outlet of the 

well. The owner informed the writer that before a rain storm the 

water becomes slightly milky in the trough. Washing one's hands in 

the water as it comes from the pipe also gives it a milky appearance 

a peculiar phenomenon which may, perhaps, be explained by the 

breaking up of the gas bubbles. This water has a larger, amount of 

sulphureted hydrogen than any other in the State, so far as known. 

It is stated that the water will rise in a pipe 15 feet above the surface.
124 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

SHELDON.

Six miles east of Sheldon, on the farm of L. C. Moore, in sec. 30, T. 

34, R. 30, on the western slope of an anticlinal fold having a northeastsouthwest trend, a well 17 feet deep was bored through the Graydon 

sandstone to the Mississippian. The water immediately rushed up, 

and a pipe was inserted through which it was conveyed to a tank. 

This is a very interesting example of the conditions favorable for artesian pressure. The limestone rocks of the Mississippian outcrop in 

strongly tilted ledges in the road not far away, running down the 

westerly slope of the anticline. The sandstone on the summit of the 

fold forms a catchment area through which the water penetrates to 

the Mississippian limestone or water table. When the reservoir is 

tapped low-down on the fold, the water rises to the surface. The 

water of the Moore well is chalybeate and leaves a yellow deposit.

The anticline just referred to is one of a series of such folds that run 

with a northeast-southwest trend over a considerable area, and in 

many places the ridges outline these folds. East-west roads crossing 

these ridges show in the gullies the outcrops of the tilted sandstones, 

shales, and limestones on the slopes of the folds. The extension of 

these folds to the north has affected the course of the rivers, especially 

the Missouri.

In July, 1903, the Vernon Oil and Mining Company, of Sheldon, 

began drilling a well for oil and gas4| miles northeast of Sheldon, oil 

the farm of Dr. C. B. Brand. This well was sunk to a depth of 1,306 

feet, when work was stopped in October of the same year. The cost 

of drilling was about $2.25 per foot. The following is a log of this 

well, with correlations that are believed to be approximately correct:

Log of the Vernon Oil and Mining Company's well in the SE. \ SW. \ sec. 37, T. 34,

R. 30, Vernon County.

Pleistocene (20 feet) : 

Soil ...........................................................................

Des Moines (95 feet) :

Shale.........................................................................

Burlington limestone (235 feet) :

Chouteau limestone (60 feet) :

Hannibal sandstone and shale (75 feet) :

Devonian (45 feet) :

St. Peter sandstone (30 feet) :

Jefferson City limestone (230 feet) :

Boubidoux sandstone (35 feet) :

Gasconade limestone (481 feet) : 

Limestone, with occasional chert layers; at 1,250 feet some finely crystal*

Thickness.

Feet. 

20

25 

30 

40

210 

25

25 

10 

25

25 

50

45

10 

20

230 

35

425

56

Depth.

Feet. 

20

45 

75 

115

325 

350

375 

385 

410

435 

485

530

540 

560

790 

825

1,250 

1,306
VEENON COUNTY. 125

STOTESBURY.

Just east of Stotesbury in the NE. J .NE. J sec. 28, T. 37, R. 33,

011 the south bank of Osage River, a well was put down by the Mis-

.souri Oil and Development Company in August, 1901. It has flowed

feebly ever since, except in very dry weather. The following log is

given:

Log of well No. 1 of Missouri Oil awl Development Company, near Stotesbury, Vernon

County.

Pleistocene (9 feet) : 

Soil...........................................................................

Dea \Ioines (269 feet) : 

"Soapstone "......................... ......... ., ....... .................

Coal..........................................................................

Coal.......................................... ...............................

MLssIssippiau Burliriftton limestone (67 feet) :

Thickness.

Feet. 

9

20

3

13

20

22

3

30

5

12

3

30

35

20

18

2

15

5

5

5

3

6

1

5

5

50

Depth.

Feet.

Q

29

32

45

65

87

90

120

125

137

140

170

205

225

243 'M5

260

265

270

275

278

284

285

290

295

345

Four miles west of Stotesbury, in a prospect hole for gas and oil, 

water rose and gently flowed over the surface.

Four miles northwest of Walker, on the farm of E. T. Litton, a 

well was sunk to a depth of 400 feet. The water obtained is strongly 

impregnated with sulphur, and the well has a rather strong flow, 

which has not materially decreased.

SOUTHWESTERN DISTRICT. 

GENERAL ARTESIAN CONDITIONS.

The southwestern district includes an irregular area in the southwestern portion of the State, in Barry, Christian, Dent, Greene, 

Howell, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Ozark, 

Phelps, and Texas counties. The conditions in this district are in 

general rather unfavorable for strong artesian pressure, although 

there are several good wells. The country is much broken by folding, 

faulting, and fissuring, especially in the lead and zinc region. Several
126 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP MISSOURI.

wells are found along the slopes of the larger folds. The general dip 

of the rocks L toward the west and southwest. In southern Christian 

County the dip is to the southeast. As the richest zinc mines in the 

world are located in this district a great many drill holes have been 

made and careful records of many of them have been kept. Flowing 

wells are found at or near the following places: Comet and Cony, 

Lawrence County; Carl Junction, Jasper County; Neosho, Newton 

County; Tiff City, Lanagan, Noel, and Wanda, McDonald County; 

Ash Grove, Greene County; and in Christian County.

BARRY COUNTY.

EXETER.

Northwest of Exeter, Barry County, is a well owned by the St. 

Louis and San Francisco Railroad, and drilled by E. F. Stanley. The 

following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanf ord:

Log of St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad well near Exeter, Barry County.

Sl&te. ..................................

Thickness. Depth.

Feet. Feet. 

65 65

230 295

23 318

507 825

44 869

CHRISTIAN COUNTY.

In Christian County, 15 miles south and east of Ozark, is a well 

owned by the New England Zinc Company. Depth, 225 feet; altitude, barometrically, 990 feet; casing, 10-inch; temperature of water, 

58° F.; of air, 86° F.; flows feebly over a pipe 2 feet high; surface formation, near base of Jefferson City limestone. This well was sunk as 

a prospect hole for zinc by the New England Zinc Company and is 

located on the east side of the highway near Bull Creek. The water 

has a slight odor of sulphur, and it has deposited an iron precipitate on 

the pipe, which is corroded at numerous points. The rocks dip 

decidedly to the southwest for several miles. As far as the writer 

could learn this is the only flowing well in southern Missouri on the 

south side of the Ozarks. The water supply probably comes from 

some sandstone-bed in the Gasconade formation. No log could be 

obtained and no analysis of the water has ever been made.
SOUTHWESTERN DISTRICT. 

DENT COUNTY.

SALEM.

127

Four miles southwest of Salem, Dent County, in sec. 3, T. 33, R. 6, 

is a well owned by Warren Bertrand and drilled by C. C. Gower. The 

following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Bertrand well near Salem, Dent County.

White flint, hard .................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

80

60

10

9

8

Depth.

Feet. 

80

140

150

152

160

Seven miles south of Salem, in sec. 18, T. 33, R. 5, is a well owned by 

George Bullock and drilled by C. C. Gower. The following log was 

received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Bullock well near Salem, Dent County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

20

75

40

4

18

Depth.

Feet. 

20

95

135

139

157

West of Salem in sec. 13, T. 34, R. 6 is a well owned by W. L. Hogh 

and drilled by C. C. Gower. The following log was received from 

Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Hogh well near Salem, Dent County.

Soil...............................................................................

White flint, hard .................................................................

White flint, hard .................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

4

36

5

5

5

9

16

Depth.

Feet. 

4

40

45

50

55

60

69

85
128 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

West of Salem, in sec. 13, T. 34, R. 6, is a well owned by George 

Stellman and drilled by C. C. Gower. The following log was received 

from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Stellman well near Salem, Dent Coiinty.

.

Thickness.

Feet. 

20

2

13

1

1

14

9

3

Depth.

Feet. 

20

22

35

36

40

41

56

57

60

One mile east of Salem, in sec. 18, T. 34, R. 5, is a well owned by 

J. A. Murray and drilled by C. C. Gower. The following log was 

received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford.

Log of Murray ivell near Salem, Dent County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

10

45

Depth.

Feet. 

10

GREENE COUNTY.

ASH GROVE.

About 1878 Judge Ralph Walker, then of Ash Grove, sunk a prospect hole 226 feet deep on the south line of sec. 28, T. 30, R. 24, on 

the Corum land and kept a very careful record of the strata passed 

through. The following log was furnished by him. This well is a 

particularly good one, and it is unfortunate that it was not sunk 

deeper.

Log of Walker drilled well, Ash Grove, Greene County.

Burlington limestone (136 feet):

son...........................................................................

Shaly. argillaceous. imnalDable powder . .....................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

10

30

4

12

5

6

11

4

8

12

24

10

Depth.

Feet. 

10

40

44

56

61

67

78

82

90

102

126

136
GEEENE COUNTY. 129 

Log of Walker drilled well, Ash Grove, Greene County Continued.

Thickness. Depth.

Chouteau limes tone (43 feet):

Greenish-yellow, coarser magnesian limestone...............................

Buff-colored argillaceous limestone, little chert.............................

Drab argillaceous magnesian limestone......................................

Dark-drab magnesian limestone, much white chert..........................

Shaly magnesian limestone, coarse grained, no chert........................

Gray magnesian limestone, caleite crystals, much chert.....................

" Sac " limestone« (14 feet):

Gray magnesian limestone, no chert.........................................

Bluish-gray magnesian limestone, with bluish-drab shale...................

" Eureka " shale & (23 feet):

Blue slate with bituminous shale and chert..................................

" King " limestone 6 (6 feet,):

Drab magnesian limestone, coarse grained, little shale, and ferruginous clay. 

Joachim limestone (4+feet):

Drab magnesian limestone, marcasito crystals...............................

Light-drab magnesian limestone, fine grained, no silica......................

Feet.

140

143

159

169

174

179

190

193

216

222

224

226

a Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 12, 

b Ibid., p. 67.

, p. 74.

In 1891 the Pennsylvania Mining Company sunk a shaft near the railroad track, not far from the middle of section 28 and close to the city 

of Ash Grove. The following section is taken from Winslow's report 

on lead and zinc deposits,* the correlations for the summary being 

made by the writer, who also visited the shaft during the process of 

sinking. The Devonian was determined from the finding of sha^k s 

teeth, Ptyctodus calceolus.

Section of Pennsylvania Company''s shaft, at. Ash Grove, Greene Ccunty.

Thickness. Depth.

Burlington (180 feet):

Surface debris................................................................

Limestone, white, crystalline, no chert; probably Burlington...............

Limestone, yellow, with claypockecs andperhaps'some chert; close text jred; 

an intercalated bed in the Burlington, frequently mistaken for Chouteau..

Limestone, dark colored, coarsely granular.......\..........................

Limestone, light gray, finer textured........................................

Limestone and chert'in very thin layers, limestone fine grained and dense... 

Chouteau limestone (40 feet):

Shale, drab, close textured, dense, slacks on exposure.......................

Devonian (25 feet):

Limestone, dark colored, coarsely granular, growing finer in texture and 

more arenaceous toward base, contains some pyrite.......................

Quartzite, calamine near top, somewhat dark cofored.......................

Sandstone or quartzite, white...............................................

Shale, dark, calcareous, passing upward into the sandstone.................

Shale, almost black, arenaceous in lower half; much water flowed from 

stratum....................................................................

Joachim limestone (25 feet):

Magnesian limestone, light gray and porous; p robably Silurian.............

Feet. Feet.

90

105

224

230

238

241

245

250

In the spring of 1906 the Ash Grove White Lime Association 

drilled a well just northeast of their lime kilns at Ash Grove. At a 

depth of 260 feet a strong flow of pure water was struck, with a pressure sufficient to carry it 30 feet above the surface. No record of 

drillings could be obtained, but it is probable that the water came

o Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 7, pt. 2,1894, p. <
130 UNDEBGBOUND WATEES OF MISSOUEI.

from the St. Peter sandstone. The well started in the Burlington. 

The following is the analysis of water from this well:

Analyses of water from ivell of Ash Grove White Lime Association, Ash Grove.

[Analyst, A. F. Shattuck, chief chemist, The Solvay Process Company, Detroit, Mich., December 5,

1905.]

SANITARY ANALYSIS. MINERAL ANALYSIS.

Parts per million. 

Total residue.................. 181.8

Loss on ignition............... 37. 8

Oxygen consumed............ .4

Albuminoid ammonia......... . 056

Free ammonia................ .08

Nitrites.................... 0

Nitrates....................... .09

Turbidity, none. 

Sediment, none. 

Color, none. 

Odor, none

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2).................. 9. 80

Oxide of iron and alumina

(Fe2O3+Al2O3 )............... Traces.

Calcium (Ca).................. 39.16

Magnesium (Mg)............... 19.02

Sodium (Na).................. 2. 87

Chlorine (Cl)................. 4.44

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )......... 15.97

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )....... 90. 98

The mineral constituents are probably combined as follows:

Hypothetical combination of minerals in water from well of Ash Grove White Lime Association, Ash Grove.

Silica (SiO2)......................................................... 9.80

Iron and alumina (Fe2O3 +Al2O3 ) ........................................ Traces.

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3 ).............................................. 94. 64

Calcium sulphate (CaSO4)............................................... 4.37

Magnesium carbonate (MgCO3 )......................................... 55.10

Magnesium sulphate (MgSO4)............................................ 15. 98

Salt (sodium chloride) (NaCl).......................................... 7.31

The water is slightly alkaline, as the analysis shows.

The carbonic acid was estimated by calculation from the remainder 

of the analysis, as the sample was not large enough to permit an accurate determination of it after the other determinations were completed. The carbonates are probably present as bicarbonates; that 

is, they are held in solution by an excess of carbonic acid over the 

amount necessary to form the normal carbonates.
GREENE COUNTY. 131

SPRINGFIELD.

At Springfield, Greene County, there are three wells from which a 

record of 1,000 feet has been partially obtained. The logs of the three 

wells are as follows:

Log of Springfield Traction Company drill well, corner Phelps avenue and Main street

Springfield, Greene County.

Thickness. Depth.

Burlington (250 feet): Feet. Feet. 

Limestone, soft, cherty...................................................... 50 50

Coarse-grained gray limestone, some chert................................... 70 120

Limestone, soft, cherty, gray, and white..................................... 50 170

Limestone, dark yellowish drab, clayey...................................... 20 190

Chert, drab and white, compact and coarse (Chouteau?).................... 20 210

Limestone, gray and dark brown, little chert................................ 40 250

Hannibal (30 feet):

Shale, dark drab; plasticclay................................................ 30 280

Louisiana (20feet):

Limestone, very compact, dense, dark gray, small quantity white knifeblade chert................................................................. 20 300

Devonian (40 feet):

Sandstone, well cemented, fine grained, white................................ 10 310

Limestone, compact, white or light gray, some gray chert and iron stains .. 10 320 

Limestone, compact, bluish gray, some iron stains; probably same as last; 

free from chert............................................................. 10 330

Same as last, but with peculiar brownish-gray tinge, apparently more magnesian...................................................................... 10 340

Joachim limestone (60feet):

Limestone, rather soft, white, earthy, free from chert, some iron stains..... 10 350

Limestone, cherty, yellowish, with light-gray sandstone and calcareous 

cement; iron stains numerous............................................. 10 360

Limestone, compact, light gray, few rounded quartz grains................. 10 370

Limestone, dark gray, dense, with a siliceous appearance, inclosing a few 

rounded grams of quartz; iron stain....................................... 10 380

Missing....................................................................... 20 400

St. Peter sandstone? (35 feet):

Sandstone, light color to grayish yellow, fine grained, with calcareous 

cement; iron stains........................................................ 20 420

Limestone, light gray, siliceous.............................................. 10 430

Sandstone, fine grained, light colored........................................ 5 435

No record is available from 435 to 617 feet, where the following log

begins:

Log of gas company well, Springfield, Greene County.a

[Record first preserved at 617 feet.]

Thickness. Depth.

Limestone, light gray, with little white chert...................................

Limestone, fine grained, brownish gray, crystalline, a little white chert........

Limestone, compact, gray; bluish-white chert; iron stains.....................

Limestone, compact, earthy, nearly white, free from chert; little iron stain.....

Limestone, dark, grayish, crystalline, with white chert 

- ' - tnte, - 

ite' 

pink limestone

Limestone, hard, white, earthy to brownish gray, crystalline; little iron stain., 

Similar, with white conchoidal chert, , some vein quartz, quart and a small quantity of 

Limestone, dark gray, compact, containing rounded grains of quartz and a little

chert.

Limestone, gray, crystalline, with numerous rounded quartz grains and some 

chert.

Sandstone, yellowish gray, with some calcareous matter and iron oxide........

Limestone, finely crystalline, gray, chert partly colitic, and quartz grains. 

Record missing...................................................................

Feet.

10

5

5

127

Feet. 

617 

620 

630 

640 

650

672

690

695

700

827

"Jefferson City limestone, Roubidoux sandstone, and Gasconade limestone constitute this log, but 

they can not be correlated.
132 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Log of Anheuser-Busch cold-storage well, Springfield, Greene County. 

[Record first preserved at 830 feet.]

Thickness. Depth.

Limestone, light gray, siliceous, with small proportion of iron oxide; mainly 

chert, part of which is oolitic...................................................

Limestone, light gray, less siliceous than above, and slightly dolomitic, with iron 

oxide and galena; cherty portion partly oolitic................................

Dolomite, gray, siliceous.'......................................-.'........---.....

Limestone, dolomitic, with iron oxide...........................................

Limestone, light gray to nearly white, fine grained; no oxide...................

Dolomite, fine gra.ned, gray, siliceous, with a little iron oxide...................

Chert, nearly pure white to light gray, with some iron-oxide stains.............

Limestone, light colored, finely granular, free from chert; some iron oxide......

Dolomite, dark-gray, rather finely crystalline, w^th a compact white chert resembling Burlington chert; iron-oxide sta'ns......................................

Limestone, light colored, with chert and iron stains.............................

Limestone, light colored, nearly white and comparatively pure; iron stains....

Limestone, fine grained, crystalline, gray, white calcite crystals, and pink dolomite; iron stains........'.............'.........................-.............-.

Limestone, compact to crystalline, with chert and some iron stains...............

Feet Feet.

830

835

850

860

865

870

883

895

910

920

930

935

1,000

The well of the Springfield Traction Company was put down in the 

summer of 1902 in order to supply water for the boilers of the power 

house. The drillings were carefully watched by the writer. A good 

flow "was obtained from the St. Peter sandstone, but the water was 

apparently impregnated with other water and very hard in consequence. The 35 feet of sandstone at 400 feet is, without doubt, the 

St. Peter sandstone, and is made up of rounded, waterworn quartz 

grains,.slightly iron-stained, and loosely coherent. It is greatly to be 

regretted that complete records of the gas company and cold-storage 

wells are not obtainable.

About 1870 the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad sunk a deep 

well for water at the car shops, north of Commercial street and Washington avenue, in what was then North Springfield. The drill record 

was not made public for many years. It is probable that the " sandstone" encountered from 610 to 645 feet in this well was a siliceous 

limestone. The writer had no opportunity to see the drillings, which 

were not preserved, but so many instances have occurred in which a 

limestone of this character has been mistaken for sandstone by the 

driller that this inference seems justifiable.

The water obtained from this well was clear and fine, though hard, 

and the temperature at the bottom of the well was 60° F. The well is 

situated on the crest of the great divide or watershed of the Ozarks, 

water to the north flowing into Sac, Osage, and Missouri rivers, and to 

the south into Wilson Creek, James, White, and Mississippi rivers. 

For this reason the water level is deep, being 225 feet. Considerable 

water was encountered at a depth of 325 feet, evidently from the 

"Phelps" sandstone. At 406 feet, in the St. Peter sandstone, the 

water was tested by pumping 500 gallons per hour, which lowered it
GREENE COUNTY. 133

50 feet. More water was struck at 540 feet. At 610 feet, in the Roubidoux standstone, 750 gallons per hour were pumped without lowering the level.

The following is the log of this well:

Log of well at car shops, Springfield, Greene County.

Burlington (250 feet):

Chouteau limestone (47 feet) :

Devonian (" Phelps " sandstonea) (4 feet):

Devonian (" Sac" limestone a) (29 feet):

Devonian (" King " limestone «) (6 feet):

Joachim Lmestone (54 feet):

St. Peter sandstone? (16 feet):

Jefferson City limestone (126 feet) :

Koubidoux sandstone (55 feet) :

Gasconade formation (138 feet):

Sand. ........................................................................

Thickness.

Ft. 

35 

118 

62 

35

30

17

4

17 

12

6

4 

7 

25 

3 

15

8 

8

29 

77 

10 

10

55

5 

8 

10 

10 

25 

33 

12 

8 

22

in. 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0

.0 

.0

.0

.0 

.0

.0

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0

.0 

.0

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0

.0

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.10

Depth.

Ft. 

35 

153 

215 

250

280 

297

301

318 

330

336

340 

347 

372 

375 

390

398 

406

435 

512 

522 

532

587

592 

600 

610 

620 

645 

678 

690 

698 

720

in. 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0

.0 

.0

.0

.0 

.0

.0

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0

.0 

.0

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0

.0

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.0 

.10

a Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 12, 1898, p. 67.

About 1888 the Frick Ice Company sunk several wells near Phelps 

avenue and Summit street. The water obtained was hard. The following is the log of one of the wells:

Log of well of old Frick ice factory, Springfield, Greene County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

100

40

40

144

16

5

27

34

50

Depth.

Feet. 

100

140

180

324

340

345

372

406

456
134 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP MISSOURI.

HOWELL COUNTY.

WEST PLAINS.

Three miles southwest of West Plains, Howell County, in sec. 35, 

T. 24, R. 8, is a well owned by the Frisco Ore Mining Company. The 

following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of well at West Plains, Howell County.

Red or yellow clay and chert, commonly known as 

Dolomite of irregular strata, carrying some iron ore all through from top to

Thickness.

Feet. 

60

340

Depth.

Feet. 

60

400

JASPER COUNTY. ^

CARL JUNCTION.

Three miles north of Carl Junction, near the Kansas City Southern 

Railway, in sec. 19, T. 29, R. 33, is a well on land owned by R. H. 

Grain, of Carthage. Three holes were drilled; the first two stopped 

flowing when the third was put down. These wells were sunk in 1900 

to a depth of about 200 feet each. They are cased with 5|-inch casing 

to bottom. They passed through alternating beds of limestone and 

flint all the way down. No log was kept, but the drilling was all the 

way in Burlington limestone.

The third well has flowed continuously since it was first put down, 

the water rising 3 feet above the ground and flowing over the pipe. 

The water is clear, cold, and hard. The drilling was done by Mr. 

Kilgore, of Webb City.

CARTERVILLE..

Mr. W. C. Glenn, superintendent of the American Lead and Zinc 

Smelting Company, furnishes the following data in regard to a well, 

799 feet deep, sunk on the company's land, at Carterville, Jasper 

County, in 1891. The principal vein of water was found at 700 feet, 

in sandy rock, and the water rises within 115 feet of the surface. It 

is used for boiler and drinking purposes. The drilling cost $1.10 per 

foot. No log was kept, but the following analysis of the water was 

obtained:

Analysis of water from deep well of the American Lead and Zinc Smelting Company, 

Carterville, Jasper County.a

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2).................... 11

Iron (Fe)........................ .08

Aluminum (Al).. ............... .11

Calcium (Ca).................... 53

Magnesium (Mg)................. 7.3

Sodium (Na).................... 24

Parts per million. 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3)...... 254

Sulphate radicle (SO4)......... 1.2

Chlorine (Cl)................... 5

355.69 

Total residue on evaporation.... 263. 5

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological Survey.
JASPER COUNTY. 135

CARTHAGE.

One of the deepest and most important wells in the southern half of 

the State is that at the Harrington dairy, near Carthage, at an elevation of 955 feet. This well is owned by Charles O. Harrington, proprietor of the Harrington Hotel. It was drilled, in 1890, to a depth of 

2,005 feet, with an 8-inch bore. So far as known this is one of the 

four wells in the State, outside of the granite area, that reaches the 

crystalline rocks. Water is obtained by pumping, and is used for 

domestic purposes and for the dairy. It is slightly hard, clear, pure, 

and cold. The cost of this well was $4,000, and $1,000 more was 

expended for pump and tanks. .

Log of Harrington deep well, near Carthage, Jasper County.

Thickness. Depth.

Burlington limestone (355 feet):

Soil and clay with chert fragments..........................................

Chert, buff and bluish white, somewhat coarse grained.....................

Limestone, gray and white, with layers of chert and with 10 to 15 per cent 

magnesia..................................................................

Chert, compact, white and buff colored, tittle limestone in lower half......

Chert and limestone, white and drab, two-thirds chert.....................

Chouteau (15 feet):

Limestone, shaly, with some chert..........................................

Hannibal (15 feet):

Shale, light drab and yellow..................................................

Devonian (65 feet):

Limestone, grayish-brown, siliceous, cherty and sandy (rounded grains of 

white quartz).............................................................

Joachim limestone (50 feet):

Dark-gray silico-magnesian limestone, with little chert (5 per cent)........

St. Peter sandstone (85 feet):

White sandstone, small rounded grains of quartz..........................

Sandstone, some chert and siliceous gray limestone.........................

" Potosi" and Saratogan (910 feet):

Dark-gray magnesian limestone, cherty....................................

Gray limestone with ciiert containing small sand grains....................

Fine-grained crystalline white limestone....................................

Same, with a little chert and considerable brownish-yellow material.......

Similar, but with more chert and limestone and less brown material.......

Magnesian limestone........................................................

Magnesian limestone, slate-colored, clayey..................................

Archean (255 feet1):

Fine dark-reddish porphyry grains with qiiartz sand........................

Same, darker and coarser, with light-colored dolomitic limestone and sand . I

Feet.

15

15

135

80

110

15

15

65

50

60

25

15

165

55

100

80

675

75

200

55

Feet.

15

30

165

245

355

370

385

450

500

560

585

600

765

820

920

1,000

1,675

1,750

1,950

2,005

CHITWOOD.

Mr. H. O. Ballard furnished the accompanying log of a deep well 

on the United Zinc Company's land at Chitwood, near Joplin, in sec. 

32, T. 28, R. 33, on lot 48. This well has a 6-inch bore and was 

drilled to a depth of 800 feet. Water rises within 100 feet of the 

surface, and pumping does not materially affect its level. The water 

is used for boiler and drinking purposes. The cost of drilling was

IRK 195 07- -10
136 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Log of deep well of United Zinc Company, Chitwood, Jasper County.

Shale .............................................................................

Chert ...-....--.-..--.-..---.-.--.-..-...----.----.-..-----..-.--.--.-.--...----..

Thickness.

Feet. 

18

35

95

25

40

10

16

6

73

5

15

10

3

°2

8

123

4

70

4

31

5

60

95

Depth.

Feet. 

18

45

80

175

200

240

250

266

272

345

350

365

375

378

400

408

531

535

605

609

640

645

705

800

DUENWEG.

Two miles northwest of Duenweg, Jasper County, is a well owned 

by S. D. Mitchell and drilled by S. N. Smith. The following leg was 

received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Mitchell well near Duenweg, Jasper County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

13

32

5

140

10

. 150

150

155

Depth.

Feet. 

13

45

50

ISO

200

350

500

655

JOPLIN.

The Missouri Lead and Zinc Company drilled a well in Joplin near 

the center of the NE. \ SW. i, sec. 11, T. 27, R. 33, at an elevation 

of about 1,018 feet above sea level. This well was drilled by Bailey 

& Waugh, and the following data were furnished by Mr. H. R. Conklin:

Log cf well cf Missouri Lead and Zinc Company, Joplin, Jasper County.

-

Flint .............................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

12

173

103

177

5

20

327

3

140

10

417

Depth.

Feet. 

12

185

288

465

470

490

817

820

960

970

1,387
JASPER COUNTY. 137

At 940 feet drilling was suspended and a pump piaced In well 151 

feet below the surface. The water level was 107.5 feet below the surface; capacity, 39 gallons per minute, and 35.3 gallons per minute 

after pumping twenty-three hours.

When the drill reached a depth of 1,387 feet the pump was again 

started. The water then rose within 110 feet of the surface; the 

capacity was 964 gallons per minute after pumping one-half hour, 

68 gallons per minute after pumping nine hours, and 68 gallons per 

minute after pumping twenty-three hours. In both tests the pump 

discharged all water furnished by the well due to the head pumped 

off, the pump being kept on air during the test. In November, 1903, 

the pump was lengthened to 211 feet. The water stood at a depth 

of 110 feet; the pump ran to a capacity of 125 gallons per minute 

without any indication of going on air.

The hole was drilled 13 inches in diameter to 400 feet, and cased to 

that depth with 1 Of-inch (inside) casing. From 400 to 1,105 feet the 

hole was drilled 8f inches, and from 1,105 feet to 1,387 feet 6| inches 

in diameter; All ground below the first 12 feet was hard enough to 

stand without caving.

The following are some analyses of the water from this well:

Analyses of water from weU of Missouri Lead and Zinc Company, JopHn, Jasper County. °

ANALYSES AT TIME OF DRILLING. 

[Analyst, Cleveland & Millar Analytical Laboratory.]

FIRST PUMPING, 940 FEET.

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2)..................... 14

Iron (Fv)....................... .83

Calcium (Ca)..................... 44

Magnesium (Mg)................ 22

Sodium (Na)..................... 23

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3 )...... 272

Sulphate radicle (SO4)........... 13

Chlorine (.01).................... 10

398.83 

Residue on evaporation.......... 263

SECOND PUMPING, 1,387 FEET.

Parts per million. 

Silica (Si02)..................... 10

Iron (Fe)........................ .90

Alumina (Al).................... .48

Calcium (Ca)..................... 37

Magnesium (Mg)................ 17

Sodium (Na)..................... 23

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3 )...... 224

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )........... 14

Chlorine (Cl).................... 12

338.38

ANALYSIS OF WATER TAKEN DECEMBER 7, 1903, FROM A TAP AT POWER HOUSE.

^Analyst, C. V. Miller.] 

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiOa)..................... 12

Iron (Fef....................... 1.7

Calcium (Ca)..................... 34

Magnesium (Mg)................ 14

Sodium (Na)...................... 7. 7

Parts per million. 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3 )...... 168

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )............ 16

Chlorine (Cl).................... 7

260.4

o Expressed by analysts in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
138 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

ANALYSIS OF WATER TAKEN MAY, 1904. 

[Analyst, J. II. Parsons Chemical Company.]

Parts per nullion. 

Silica (SiO2)...................... 9.9

Calcium (Ca)...................... 41

Magnesium (Mg)................. 18

Carbonate radicle (CO,)........... 98

Chlorine (Cl).

Parts per million.

175.7

The well pump is a Cornish-style lift pump, with barrel 7f inches in 

diameter, stroke 5'feet, operated by electric motor. Distribution 

system, 4-inch cast-iron pipe mains. Emergency steam pump, 14 

by 8| by 10 inches, duplex, supplied by reservoir of 1,000,000 gallons 

capacity, always ready for operation. Usual pressure, 40 to 80 

pounds; fire pressure to be 100 pounds. In ordinary operation the 

well pump delivers water direct to the mains and the pressure is 

equalized by a pressure tank 36 by 7 feet in diameter, containing an 

air cushion.

The Freeman well, near Fourteenth and Joplin streets, Joplin, was 

drilled in 1901, to a depth of 908 feet, 400 feet being cased with 

6f-inch casing and the remaining 508 feet with 5 f-inch casing. Strong 

flows were obtained at depths of 815, 860, 875, and 900 feet. The 

water, which rises within 120 feet of the surface, is soft and contains 

a little sulphur. It is used for the boilers of the Freeman Foundry. 

The cost of the well was $2,000.

A strong odor of gas was noticed with the first flow of water, at 815 

feet, and continued. When this depth was reached, seepage water 

rose in the case to 80 feet below the surface, but was easily bailed out. 

When the 815-foot flow was struck, the surface of the water in the 

well dropped to a depth of 119| feet, where it has remained ever since. 

Neither compressed air nor bailing lowers this level, and the removal 

of 300,000 gallons in twenty-four hours has had no effect. The well 

is now pumped at the rate of 20,000 gallons in twenty-four hours. 

The temperature of the water is 65° F.

The following is an analysis of water taken from the 815-foot level:

Analysis of water from Freeman Foundry deep well, Joplin, Jasper County.a 

[Analysts, Cleveland & Millar.]

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiOJ..................... 7.2

Iron and alumina oxides

(Fea08+Ala08)- ------------ -4

Calcium (Ca)................... 53

Magnesium (Mg)................ 16

Sodium (Na). .................. 26

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United 

States Geological Survey.

Parts per million. 

Potassium (K).................. Trace.

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) ..... 254

Sulphate radicle (SO4).......... 35

Chlorine (Cl)................... 7.0

398.6
JASPER COUNTY. 139

The following is a more recent analysis of the same water, October, 

1904:

Analysis of water from Freeman Foundry deep well, Joplin, Jasper County.a 

[Analyst, Harrison Hale.]

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2).................... 35

Iron and alumina oxides

(Al2O3+Fe2O3 )................ 9. 7

 Calcium (Ca)..........:........ 52

Magnesium (Mg)................ 5

Sodium (Na)................... 3. 5

Parts per million.

Carbonate radicle (CO3 ).......... 79

Sulphate radicle (SO4).......... 19

Chlorine (Cl)..................

Organic.......................

5 

2.5

210.7

Three and one-half miles southeast of Joplin, in sec. 7, T. 27, R. 32, 

is a well owned by the Rex Mining and Smelting Company and drilled 

by W. R. Burchell. The following log was received from Messrs. 

M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of-welt- of Rex Mining and Smelting Company near Joplin, Jasper County.®

Blue and white chert .............................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

230

5

472J

Depth.

Feet. 

230

235

707J

Water was struck at about 60 feet.

One-fourth mile south of Joplin is a well owned by Tim McCarty 

and drilled by H. W. Athertoii. The following log was received from 

Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of McCarty well near Joplin, Jasper Oounty.

Thickness.

Feet. 

20

35

5

40

200

Depth.

Feet. 

20

55

60

100

300

WEBB CITY.

At Webb City, Jasper County, the Missouri Zinc Fields Company 

sunk a well to the depth of 854 feet. The drilling was done by Crossman Brothers and was completed November 15, 1902. The altitude 

of the well is 940 feet. Strong flows of water were found at 795 and 

845 feet,, in limestone openings. Water rises within 100 feet of the 

surface. The cost of the well, piping, tanks, pumps, etc., was $2,150. 

The water is used for boiler and domestic purposes.

a Bttpressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionio 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
140 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

The accompanying analysis of water from this well was made hy 

Waring & Son, Webb City:

Analysis of water from ivell of Missouri Zinc Fields Company, Webb City, Jasper County.a

Parts per mLllLon. 

Silica (SiO2).................... 13

Calcium (Ca).................... 52

Magnesium (Mg)................. 18

Sodium (Na).................... 3.9

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )........... 120

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4)........... 4.8

Chlorine (Cl)..................... 5.9

Undetermined.................. 7.7

225.3

The following is the log of this well:

Log of well of Missouri Zinc Fields Company, Webb City, Jasper County.

Opening. ............................... .........................................

Thickness.

Feet.

fi7

9

1

45

24

14

4

41

80

1

60

55

20

1

68

12

5

98

189

1

40

9

1

9

Depth.

Feet. 

67

76

77

122

146

160

164

205

285

286

346

401

421

422

490

502

507

605

794

795

835

844

845

854

In a shaft, a short distance away, a stream yielding 1,000 gallons of 

water per minute was encountered. This water is highly charged 

with iron sulphate, which soon clogs the 6-inch pipe and which forms 

a cement binding the pebbles, etc., into a conglomerate where it flows 

out on the ground. The temperature is 64° F.

The Southwest Missouri Electric Railroad Company sunk a well 

to the depth of 826 feet, with an 8-inch bore, near its power plant at 

Webb City. The depth of the principal source of water is 815 feet 

and another vein was found at 250 feet. The water rises within 75 

feet of the surface and has a temperature of 50° F. The well cost 

$2,000 for drilling, and an additional $500 for pumping machinery. 

The following analysis of the water is given, the analyst and date 

being' unknown:

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
JASPER COUNTY. 141

Analysis of water from well of Southwest Missouri Electric Railroad Company, Webb

City, Jasper County.a

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2)...................... 3.7

Iron and aluminum oxides (Fe2O3 

+A12O3.......................... 5.0

Calcium (Ca).................... 28

Magnesium (Mg)................. 14

Carbonate radicle (CO3) .......... 76

Sodium and potassium carbonates

............... 3. 8

Parts per million. 

Sodium and potassium sulphates

(Na,S04+K2CO4 )............... 24

Sodium and potassium chlorides

(NaCl+KCl).................... 5.7

160.2

111 1899 the Center Creek Mining Company engaged H. B. Crossman, of Joplin, to sink a deep well in sec. 18, T. 29, R. 32. This well 

was drilled to a depth of 827 feet 6 inches and was cased with 8-inch 

casing for 315 feet. The principal source of water was found at 800 

feet, in a sandy formation. Another vein was found at 500 feet. 

The level of the water hi the well is 75 feet below the surface. The 

water is used for boiler and drinking purposes. The cost of drilling, 

with casing, was $2,300, with an additional $2,000 for pumping 

machinery.

Mr. W». C. Stewart, to whom the writer is indebted for this information, was secretary of the company, and states that the object of 

drilling was to get purer water for boilers and mines, and it was found 

to be so much better for drinking than the city water that four teams 

are engaged in hauling and selling it to various consumers. The 

accompanying analysis, furnished by Mr. Stewart, was made in December, 1899, by George Waring:

Partial analysis of water from deep ivell of Center Creek Mining Company, Webb City,

Jasper County. a

Parts per million. 

Calcium (Ca) .................... 63

Sodium (Na).. ......... ........... 2.2

Carbonate radicle (CO3 ) .......... 86

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ) ............. 15

Parts per million. 

Chlorine (Cl)...................... 3. 4

169.6

LACLEDE COUNTY.

LEBANON.

At Lebanon, Laclede County, in 1887, a well was sunk to a depth of 

985 feet. The elevation of Lebanon is 1,265 feet. The first water 

was found at a depth of 135 feet in a bed of gravel overlain by clay.

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
142 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

The force of the stream washed in the waterworn gravel and undermined the clay, thereby necessitating casing. At a depth of 427 feet 

the Roubidoux sandstone was reached and considerable water came 

in. The "Third" sandstone, or quartzite, was struck at the bottom 

of the well. From 500 to 600 feet the underground flow was so strong 

that drillings were obtained with great difficulty. From 680 to 960 

feet drillings could be obtained only at a few points between openings. 

These cavernous openings are remarkable and indicate a strong^underground current from the north. For further discussion of this subject 

the reader is referred to the writer's paper on the spring system of the 

Decaturville dome. a The first cavernous opening of 12 inches 

occurred at 615 feet; another at 633 feet; another of about 3 feet at 761 

feet; another of 3 feet at 830 feet; one of 1 foot at 850 feet, and one of 

li feet at 880 feet.

The water at present rises within 360 feet of the surface. It is very 

pure and is used for drinking, carbonating, and shipping, and also for 

boiler purposes. The well has a 6-inch bore and is cased to 135 feet. 

It is mainly used as a source of supply for the city of Lebanon. An 

analysis of the water is given on page 206. The following is the log of 

the well:

Log of city well at Lebanon, Laclede County.

St. Peter sandstone (10 feet) : 

SoU..........................................................................

Jefferson City limestone (417 feet):

White flint ...................................................................

White flint ........................... ...................... ................

White, chert. .................................................................

Roubidoux sandstone (32 feet) :

Gasconade limestone (521 feet) :

White flint.................................................. .. ... .

Opening ........................ . ......... ................ . . . . .

Pinkish limestone... ..........'............................................. .

Compact limestone ... , -.,,-----,

Thickness.

Feet. 

5

5

155

50

40

5

5

5

20

20

50

15

52

2

30

11

15

50

15

20

10

10

20

10

50

43

25

10

5

6

0

35

46

Depth*

Feet. 

5

10

215

255

265

270

290

310

360

375

427

429

470 485

535

550

570

580

610

620

622

715

740

750

761

764

799

' 845

a Water-Sup, and Irr. Paper No. 110, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1905, pp. 113-125.
LACLEDE COUNTY. 143

Log of city well at Lebanon, Laclede County Continued.

Gasconade limestone Continued. 

Coarse ferruginous limestone. . ........

Hard limestone ......................... ...... .... . .....

Compact yellowish limestone........ .............. . . ........ .. .......

Archean (5 feet):

Thickness.

Feet. 

12

10

30

20

8

6

42

5

2

5

Depth.

Feet.

857

867

897

917

925

931

973

978

980

985

In 1890 a well 442 feet deep was sunk by the St. Louis and San 

Francisco Railroad at it distance of 60 feet from the city well. The 

following is the log of the railroad well: a

Log of well of St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad at Lebanon, Laclede County.

Jefferson City limestone (430 feet) :

Chert...........................-----.-.........-----.......---.-.....---.....

Roubidoux sandstone (12+ feet):

Thickness.

Feet. 

30

35

20

22

24

19

18

27

30

5

20

40

35

10

30

22

20

18

5

12+

rep h.

Feet. 

30

65

85

107

131

150

168

195

225

230

250

290

325

335

365

387

407

425

430

442+

LAWRENCE COUNTY.

At Aurora, Lawrence County, the, deepest well, at present, is the 

drill well sunk by the Sphalerite Mining Company. This passed 

through an inclined ore body a part of the way, and the strata could 

not be correlated all the way down because of the secondary deposit 

^»f mineral. The well was put down in the summer of 1899. The 

following analysis was made by a Chicago chemist. The water 

was obtained after pumping for several hours.

a Acknowledgment is due to Mr. C. D. Purdon, engineer of maintenance of way of the Frisco System, 

for the logs of the city and railroad wells; also to Mr. M. W. Serl, of Lebanon, for many valuable notes 

on the city well and on the geology of Laclede County.
144 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Analysis of water from well of Sphalerite Mining Company, Aurora, Lawrence County. °

Parts per 

million. 

Silica (SiO2 ;....................... 16

Iron and alumina oxides (Fe2 O3 -fA1 2O3 )......................... 16

Calcium (Ca)...................... 131

Magnesium (Mg)................. 13

Sodium (Na)...................... 28

Parts per 

million. 

Carbonate radicle (CO2)........... 121

Sulphate radicle (SO4)............. 219

Chlorine (Cl) 21

565

The following is the log of the well:

Log of well of Sphalerite Mining Company, Aurora, Lawrence County.

Thickness.' Depth.

Burlington (356 feet): 

Soil.................

Flint, lime, and small calcite crystals. .. . ........ . ........ ......

Limestone and flint, with traces of marcasite, calcite, and copper and zinc ore. 

Coarse brecciated limestone and flint (ore body), with much zinc and calcite. 

Limestone and chert, with traces of calcite, marcasite, bitumen, and zinc ore.

Blue limestone, some chert and calcite. ......................................

Chouteau limestone (33 feet): 

Shaly dolomitic limestone... ........ . . .... ............................

Und.flerentiated (107 feet): 

Shaly blue magnesian limestone. ............................................

Feet. 

10

115

35

48 

6 

91 

15

10

6

2

6

4

12

17

6

2

8

13

6

2

4

2

38

8

12

6

Feet. 

10

125

160

208 

214 

305 

320

330

342

348

350

356

360

372

389

395

. 397

405

418

424

426

430

432

470

478

490

496

On the north bank of Sac River, just north of Comet post-office is 

a well owned by Clate Hargroves. Depth, 170 feet; altitude, barometrically, 890 feet; casing, 5f-iiich; flow, carries water to a height of 

17 feet in a 3-inch pipe; date of completion, April, 1900; driller, 

M. C. Gothard, Dadeville, Mo.; cost, $170; surface formation, Burlington limestone. This well was sunk by a Clinton mining company 

in prospecting for mineral. A flow of water was struck in white sand 

at a depth of 166 feet. The log, which follows, was furnished by Mr. 

Gothard.

a. Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations: recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.
LAWRENCE COUNTY. 145

Log of Hargroves's well, Comet, Lawrence County.

Soil....................................................................... -------

Devonian:

Thickness.

Feet, 

10

100

40

10

10

Depth.

Feet. 

10

110

150

1(30

170

a Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 12, 1*98, p. 74.

The water of this well is soft and pure.

CORRY.

Three small flowing wells are found near the Corry mines. They 

were shallow prospect holes for mineral. One of them is located 011 

the farm of John Woody, 2$ miles southwest of Cony, and is 100 feet 

deep. Water flows feebly to the surface. The two others are located 

on the old Jim Boyd place, one-fourth of a mile due north of Corry, 

and each is about 100 feet deep*

PIERCE CITY.

Three and one-half miles northwest of Pierce * City, Lawrence 

County, in sec. 7, T. 26, R. 28, is a well owned by J. L. Wight and 

drilled by Ira C. and W. P. Wight. The following log was received 

from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanf ord:

Log of Wight well near Pierce City, Lawrence County.

Water .............................................................................

Ledge of flint .....................................................................

Solid flint.. ......................................................................

Thickness.

Feet.

80

37

2

0

4

15

Depth.

Feet. 

80

117

119

121

125

140

Five-eighths of a mile north of Verona, Lawrence County, in sec. 8, 

T. 26, R. 26, is a well owned by G. H. Ruggles and drilled by F. Lechner. The following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and 

S. Sanford.

Log of Ruggles well, Verona, Lawrence County.

Opening, large amount of water, some lead ore was found in drill cuttings ......

Thickness.

Feet. 

43

37

4 

30

14

21

4

14

41

Depth.

Feet. 

43

80

84 

114

128

149

153

167

208
146 UNDEEGBQUND WATEES OP MISSOURI.

M'DONALD COUNTY.

LANAGAN.

At the railway station in Lanagaii, McDonald County, is a well 

owned by the Kansas City Southern Railway, of which the depth is 

about 600 feet; temperature of water, 58.1° F.; of air, 65.3° F.; flow, 

strong; surface formation, Burlington limestone. This is a very 

strong flowing well, filling the tank for locomotives and supplying a 

neighboring hotel. The water is probably carried 30 feet above 

ground. The record has been lost and the actual depth is unknown. 

The water is strongly charged with sulphureted hydrogen.

The Irvin Walker well is one-quarter of a mile southeast of Lanagan, 

on the south side of the road leading to Pineville. Its depth is 435 

feet; altitude, 865 feet; casing, 5f-inch, 18 feet; temperature of water, 

53° F.; flow, 8 to 10 gallons per minute; date of completion, December, 1901; driller, Irvin Walker; surface formation, top of Devonian 

shale. The following are analyses of this water:

Analysis of water from Walker well, Lanagan, McDonald County, January 17, 1903. a

[Analyst, J. C. Draper.]

Parts per million. 

Calcium (Ca)..................... 30

Magnesium (Mg)................ 8. 5

Carbonate radicle (CO3 ).......... 66

Alkaline chlorides . ............. 106

Parts per million. 

Organic matter................. 30

240. 5

Analysis of 'water from Walker ivell, Lanagan, McDonald County, May 15, 1905.

[Analyst, E. E. Ellis.]

Parts per million. 

Iron (Fe)....................... Trace.

Calcium (Ca)................... 77

Carbonate radicle (CO3 ).......... 112

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3 )...... 136

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4).......... Trace.

Chlorine (Cl)................... 26

Turbidity...................... None.

Color .......................... None.

On a hill one-fifth of a mile east of Noel, in sec. 14, T. 21, R. 33, is 

a well owned by the Noel Improvement Company.5 Depth, 880 feet; 

altitude above tide, 865 feet; casing, 5f-inch, 6 feet; temperature of 

water, 55° F.; flow; date of completion, January, 1903; driller, Irvin 

Walker, Lanagan; surface formation, lower part of Burlington. This 

well was put down by a company of Noel citizens for the purpose of 

supplying the town with water, and for this reason the hole was 

drilled on the top of a hill 90 feet above the railway station. At a

» Expressed by analyst in hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.

& The writer is indebted to Mr. Irvin Walker, of Lanagan, for notes on this well and the Walker well 

at Lanagan, and also for the privilege, accorded to Mr. Ellis, of examining a carefully kept set of drillings from this well.
M DONALD COUNTY. 147

depth of 350 feet water was struck which rose rapidly under artesian 

pressure, escaping, according to Mr. Walker's statement, in a crevice 

of the rock, 16 feet below the surface. The following is the log of this 

well:

Log of deep well at Noel, McDonald County.

Thickness. Depth.

Limestone, with layers of chert..................................................

Noncherty gray limestone.......................................................

Soft brown shale, slightly carbonaceous.........................................

Compact gray limestone, with semiopaque chert.................................

Gray and white limestone, with chert and fragments of black slate.............

Soft shaly gray magnesianlimestone............................................

Hard, compact gray limestone....................................................

Soft limestone....................................................................

Hard compact limestone, with some earthy limestone............................

Similar limestone, with band of hard, black slaty shale.................... ^.....

Hard, grayish-brown, finely crystalline limestone................................

Hard, compact brown shale......................................................

Gray limestone, generally earthy, with some slate..............................

Fine-grained crystalline.limestone, with much earthy limestone and no chert... 

Compact gray limestone, with a little chert......................................

Fine-grained gray limestone, with hard black shale..............................

Light-gray, finely crystalline limestone, with chert..............................

Light-gray compact limestone...................................................

Similar limestone, with considerable semiopaque compact chert.................

Feet.

95

36

59

25

115

15

5

10

45

10

5

5

40

177

24

99

10

35

70

Feet.

95 

1*1 

190 

215 

330 

345 

350 

360 

405 

415 

420 

425 

465 

642 

666 

765 

775 

810

SOUTHWEST CITY.

In Southwest City, McDonald County, is a well owned by Jacob 

Winters, and drilled by Sterner Brothers. The following log was 

received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Winters well, Southivext City, McDonald County.

Blue flint and white quartz rock, with small deposits of coal at 74 and 78 feet. . . .

Thickness.

Feet. 

48

30 

20

12

Depth.

Feet. 

48

78 

98

110

Three miles west of Southwest City is a well owned and drilled by 

Levi Shinn. The following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller 

and S. Sanford:

Log of Shinn well near Southwest City, McDonald County.

Surface soil ....................................... . ...........

Flint....................:............................ ............... . ....

Red sticky clay .................................................................

White chalk rock.............................. .

Thickness.

Feet. 

10

5

5

30

10

10

- 10

15

30

Depth.

Feet. 

10

15

 20

50

60

70

80

95

125

All of the above record is in the upper part of the Burlington.
148 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

TIFF CITY.

Three-fourths of a mile from Tiff City, in sec. 4, T. 23, R. 34, is a 

well owned by John Manning. Depth, 180feet; casing, 5-inch, to rock; 

flow, weak; date of completion, June, 1900; driller, T. W. Hutchinson; 

cost, $180; surface formation, Burlington limestone. This well is situated in a valley, 300 feet from a small stream. The principal water 

was struck at a depth of 150 feet in crevices which opened in the rock. 

The flow has not varied since drilling, and the water, which is slightly 

charged with sulphureted hydrogen, is used for drinking.

In the SE. | sec. 5, T. 24, R. 30, 1 mile northeast of Wanda postoffice and about 7 miles south and east of Granby, there is a well on the 

land of W. R. Moore. Depth, 144 feet; altitude, barometrically, 1,086 

feet; casing, 5f-inch, 20 feet; temperature of water, 57.2° F.; of air, 

66.2° F.; flow, 42 cubic feet per minute; date of completion, 1901; surface formation, base of Burlington limestone. This well was sunk as a 

prospect hole for mineral. The flow has been strong from the first 

and has not varied.

Another well, which had also a strong artesian flow, was sunk near by 

at the same time. The stream of water is said to have come from cavernous openings hi limestone. No log was kept, but the flow was probably from the base of the Devonian. The regional dip of the rocks in 

this district is toward the west.

NEWTON COUNTY.

DIAMOND.

Three and one-half miles west of Diamond, Newton County, in sec. 1, 

T. 26, R. 32, is a well owned by W. A. Parnell. The following log was 

received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Saiiford:

Log of Parnzll well near Diamond, Newton County. 

WELL NO. 1.

Blue flint .........................................................................

Blue flint. ........................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

IS

30

20

9

18

4

25

2

1Q

60

Depth.

Feet. 

18

48

50

70

72

on

94

119

121

140

200
NEWTON COUNTY. 149 

In this vicinity there are four other wells. Their logs are as follows:

Log of wells near Diamond, Newton County. 

WELL NO. 2.

Thickness. Depth.

Feet. Feet. 

Soil, clay, and flint bowlders: water, running stream at 14 feet.................. 14 14

Limestone........................................................................ 24

Blue flint ......................................................................... 6 44

Limestone........................................................................ 52 96

WELL NO. 3.

Clay and flint bowlders; water, not so strong as in other wells, at 35 feet....... 35 35

Limestone........................................................................ 35 70

WELL NO. 4.

Soil, clay, hardpan............................................................... 14 14

'' Soapstone;" water pretty strong, soft, at 40 feet .............................. 26 40

Clean "tiff"..........................._...._..._............................,.... 1 41

" Soapstone " and some black sand bowlders..................................... 54 95

" Burnt-looking limestone"...................................................... 3 98

Brownish-yellow sand rock...................................................... 6 104

Whitish flint rock................................................................ 8 112

"Soapstone;" did not penetrate................................................. 36 148

WELL NO. 5.

Clay and hardpan......................... ...................................... 15 15

Clay and flint; water, Soft....................................................... 20 35

White flint............................... ....................................... 15 50

Clay and flint..................................................................... 45 95

The above wells are all in the Burlington limestone.

One and one-half miles north of Diamond, in sec. 31, T. 27, R. 32, 

is a well owned by Leathers Brothers and drilled by W. H. Leathers. 

The following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. 

Sanf ord:

Log of Leathers well near Diamond, Newton County.

Thicknesa Depth.

Bed clay and flint.............

Lime and flint................

White flint and zinc...........

Lime and flint................

Soft white flint or water flint. 

Mississippi limestone.........

Feet. Feet.

45

128

130

160

210

217

All of the above record is in the upper part of the Burlington.
150 UNDERGROUND WATEES OF MISSOURI.

MOUNT PLEASANT MILL.

The Granby Mining Company has drilled a deep well on the north 

side of lot 15, in the SE. i SW. i sec. 31, T. 26, R. 30. The following 

record was furnished by Mr. Elias Gatch, president of the company:

Log of well of Granby Mining Company, near Mount Pleasant Mill, Newton County.

Thickness.

Red ferruginous sandstone....................................................

Blue clay, shale, and cherty flini......;......................................

Almost solid sheet of mundic, with very small vein of coal on top............

Mundic........................................................................

Black sand ....................................................................

Blue clay and black sand......................................................

Black sand....................................................................

Blue clay......................................................................

Gravelly flint..................................................................

Blue clay......................................................................

Flint..........................................................................

Blue shale and flint...........................................................

Solid flint.....................................................................

Mixed flint and lime, shines of blende.........................................

Limestone.....................................................................

Black flint.....................................................................

Flint bowlders and clay.......................................................

Flint, with a little clay.......................................................

Opening containing mud......................................................

Flint..........................................................................

Lime and flint.................................................................

Limestone.....................................................................

Siliceous magnesian limestone................................................

Lime and flint, flint largely predominating...................................

Limestone.....................................................................

Limestone, with a little flint..................................................

Limestone, with a band of white flint.........................................

Limestone and flint, with some zinc..........................................

Limestone.....................................................................

Blue flint......................................................................

Blue flint and limestone................................... v ..................

Limestone.....................................................................

Soft, shelly limestone.........................................................

Blue flint and clay.......... ^.................................................

Limestone.....................................................................

Flint and limestone...........................................................

Flint and limestone...........................................................

White flint....................................................................

Limestone.....................................................................

Limestone and flint, mostly flint..............................................

Limestone, with a little flint..................................................

Limestone.....................................................................

Granular quartz...........................................................

Limestone, with strata of white clay ......*...-.............................

Nearly pure limestone.........................................................

Limestone, with quartz in crevices............................................

Limestone, nearly pure.......................................................

Blue flint......................................................................

Nearly pure limestone.........................................................

Limestone, some flint, and dolomite crystals ..................................

Limestone......................................................................

Hard flint.....................................................................

Mainly limestone water channel; eat 1,014 feet water rose nearly to surface.. 

Limestone.....................................................................

Flint and limestone...........................................................

Limestone, with white sand..................................................

Limestone and sandstone.....................................................

Granular limestone...........................................................

Limestone and sandstone.....................................................

Granular limestone...........................................................

Hard blue flint................................................................

Granular limestone, with a little flint........................................

Limestone and flint...........................................................

Limestone.....................................................................

Limestone, with black shale and a little black flint...........................

Limestone, with black shale and mundic.....................................

Limestone.....................................................................

Black sandstone and limestone...............................................

Quartzite, lime, mundic, and tallow clay.....................................

Nearly all limestone...........................................................

o Probably error in driller's log; should be 43 fest.

21

3

4 

8 

16 

24 

6 

24 

11 

7

« 13 

3 

6

42

5

12

11

14

28

a 

8

25

99

36

30

25

17

8

2

18

16

40

4

6

7

21

41

40

26

12

11

35

10

1

17

14

5

19

14

17

166

7

11

9

12

9

4

23

29

10

52

33

27

14

9

13
NEWTON COUNTY. 151

Log of well of Granby Mining Company, near Mount Pleasant Mill, etc. Continued.

Very black limestone with odor of bitumen ......................................

Nearly all limestone ....................... ........ . ........................

Thickness.

Feet, 

g

10

38

15

16

4

8

1

21

14

Depth.

Feet. 

1,483

1,493

1,531

1,562

1,566

1,574

1,575

1,601

1,615

1,622

Hole abandoned and casing taken out.

There are several flowing wells near the city of Neosho. One is 

located on the east side of the railroad, two or three blocks south of 

the station. Depth, 300 feet; altitude, 1,018 feet; temperature of 

water, 58.1° F.; of air, 65.3° F.; flow, H gallons per minute; date 

of completion, 1899; surface formation, Burlington limestone. This 

well was put down with the hope of obtaining mineral water, and 

was used for several years to supply a public bath house. The water 

13 now used mainly for drinking purposes. It has a slight odor of 

sulphureted hydrogen. The following analysis was made by E. E. 

Ellis May 16, 1905:

Analysis of water of well at Neosho, Newton County.

Parts per million. 

Iron (Fe)....................... Trace.

Calcium (Ca)..................... 80

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3)...... 217

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4)............ 35

Turbidity...................... None.

Color .......................... None.

At the fish hatchery is a well put down by the United States Government. Its depth is 292 feet; altitude, 1,033 feet; casing, 5f-inch to 

22 feet; temperature of water, 59° F.; flow, very weak, less than 1 gallon per minute; date of completion, 1899; surface formation, Burlington limestone. The following is the log of this well:

Log offish-hatchery well, Neosho, Newton County.

Soil......................................................... .....................

Compact dark-gray chert, breaking with sharp edges, with a small mixture of

Very hard and compact light-gray limestone, earthy-looking chert of sari.e color.

Thickness.

Feet. 

10

48

7

8

85

4

16

64

Depth.

Feet. 

10

58

65

73

158

186

190 

212

228

292

IKE 195 07- -11
-152 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

The water has a slight odor and taste of sulphureted hydrogen, similar to that of the " Neosho " well. This well was drilled for the purpose 

of obtaining additional water for the fish hatchery, but work ceased 

when the water was found to be charged with sulphureted hydrogen, 

and at present the water is used only for drinking. The source of the 

water is probably at a depth of 150 to 160 feet, where openings were 

found. This well is probably all in the Burlington limestone.

OZARK COUNTY.

BAKERSFIELD.

One mile southwest of Bakersfield, Ozark County, in T. 22, R. 11, is 

a well owned by John Paris and drilled by W. L. Fowler. The following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Paris wdl near Bakcrsjidd, 0:ark County.

Thickness. Depth.

Feet. 

......................... 10

......................... 125

......................... 6

.........................! 15

...... ..................1 3

2

\

Feet. 

10 

135 

141 

156 

159 

161

PHELPS COUNTY.

EDGAR SPRINGS.

Two miles west of Edgar Springs, Phelps County, is a well owned by 

W. R. Denison and drilled by F. L. Cook. The following log was 

received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Denison well near Edgar Springs, Phelps County.

Dirt... ............................ ..... ....... ...............................

Thickness.

Ftft. 

40

108

30

Depth.

Feet. . 

40

148

178
PHELPS COUNTY. 153

HOLLA.

The cores from a well drilled at Rolla in 1905 were furnished by Dr. 

George E. Ladd, director of the Missouri School of Mines, and from 

them the following record was obtained:

Log of well at Rolla, Phelps County.

Jefferson City limestone (279 feet) : 

SoU........................... ................................................

Coarser grained light-gray siliceous dolomite, granular, some chert, with

Coarser grained gray siliceous dolomite, increase of chert and quartzite. .... 

Fine-grained dark-gray siliceous dolomite, some white chert and marcasite. .

Roubidoux sandstone (65 feet): 

Quartz sandstone, coarse, waterworn, little white chert and marcasite.. ....

Light-gray siliceous dolomite, with sandstone, white chert, and marcasite. . .

Gasconade limestone (256 feet):

Coarser blue and white chert, with some siliceous dolomite and grains of

Fine-grained gray siliceous dolomite, with magnesian shale, white chert, and

Fine-grained siliceous dolomite, with cherty quartzite and some marcasite. .

Fine-grained sandy dolomite, chert, and much marcasite ....................

Thickness.

Feet.

10

5

5

5

15

20

5

5

5

5

5

10

10

15

15 

20 

19

5

IT) C

25

20 

10

5

20

5

5

10

65

15

39

5

10

15 

65

5

Depth.

Feet. 

25

35

40

45

50

65

85

90

95

100

105

110

120

130

145

170

185 

205 

224

229

254

279

299 

309

314

334 

339

344

S54

419

434

473

478

503

513

528 

593

598

Six miles southeast of Rol 

is a well owned by J. W. Gower 

following log is furnished by

a, Phelps County, in sec. 28, T. 25, R. 7, 

and drilled by C. C. Gower. The 

Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Gower well near Rolla, Phelps County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

10

8

4

23

10

4

6

Depth.

Feet. 

10

18

90

45

55

59

65
154 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP MISSOURI.

WESTCOTT.

Two miles southeast of Westcott, Phelps County, in sec. 35, T. 33, 

R. 9, is a well owned and drilled by W. A. Corey. The following 

log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Corey well near Westcott, Phelps County.

Thickness.

Feet. 

48

32

Depth.

Feet. 

48

80

TEXAS COUNTY.

PLATO.

In sec. 28, T. 33, R. 12, 3* miles northwest of Plato, Texas County, 

is a well owned and drilled by F. L. Cook. The following log was 

received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Cook well, Plato, Texas County.

Clay ..............................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

GO

20

30

36

Depth.

Feet. 

60

80

110

146

ST. LOUIS BASIN DISTRICT. 

GENERAL ARTESIAN CONDITIONS.

The well-defined St. Louis basin district includes a small area, which 

is made up of St. Louis, St. Charles, the northern portion of Jefferson, 

and the northeastern portion of Franklin counties. It lies mainly on 

the slope of an anticlinal ridge which extends from Plattin, Jefferson 

County, through Pacific, in the northeast corner of Franklin County, 

and, crossing Missouri River at a point between Labadie and St. Albans 

on the south side and passing through Klondike on the north side, 

in St. Charles County, continues northeastward through Warren 

County. This fold is well outlined along its course by the outcropping of the St. Peter sandstone, cross sections of which are finely 

shown in the bluffs along the river at Klondike and at Currelbaums 

Rock, on the south side of the river about 1 mile south of Becker, 

where the crumpled and disturbed condition of the strata is well 

exhibited. In this locality the Missouri, meeting the soft and somewhat crumpled St. Peter sandstone elevated by this fold, was enabled,
ST. LOUIS BASIN DISTRICT, 155

probably, to cut its way into another channel and continue along a 

new route to the Mississippi. The early channel of the Missouri 

probably passed by Labadie and Grays Summit into the Meramec, 

near Pacific.

The strata dip with considerable uniformity to the northeast and 

continue so for some distance into Illinois. Throughout the northern 

part, of the State a general northeasterly dip from the Ozarks is 

characteristic of all the rocks but the Pennsylvania!! series, which seem 

to have been deposited in several basins more or less independent of 

each other. In the district under discussion, however, this general 

dip is slightly interrupted by the course of the anticlinal fold above 

described.

A number of deep wells have been sunk in the St. Louis basin district. The records of only two have been carefully preserved, but 

these are so remarkable in their accuracy and completeness as to 

compensate, in a great degree, for the loss of data regarding the 

others.

This artesian district lies in a cone-shaped basin. On the north 

side is the Cap au Greis axis (briefly outlined by A. H. Worthen 0), 

which brings the St. Peter sandstone to the surface in Cap au Gres 

Bluff, on Mississippi River. In describing this axis, Worthen says:

It intersects the Mississippi bluffs immediately below the high bluff of St. Peter 

sandstone to which the name of Cap au Gres, or sandstone headland, was given by the 

French voyageurs, and, with a trend of E. 10° S., it intersects the Muffs of the Illinois about, 2 miles below Monterey, crosses the bluffs on the eastern side of that 

stream about 5 miles above its mouth, and after intersecting an elbow of the river bluff 

for 3 or 4 miles is finally lost in the valley of the Mississippi.

It is stated by others that this axis within a short distance turns to 

the east and north and continues farther into Illinois.

The St. Peter sandstone outcrops in high bluffs between McLeans 

Creek and Sandy Creek, and at various points along this axis, which 

here takes a north by west course through Lincoln, Pike, and Rails 

counties, forming what is known as the Lincoln Ridge. Broadhead 

states that the northernmost point at which this axis is noted in 

Missouri is near Newark, Knox County.

The geologic map of this region (PI. I, p. 6) indicates that St. 

Louis is partially surrounded on the south, west, and north by two 

folds which show outcroppings of St. Peter sandstone. One of these 

is the Cap au Greis axis already described. The other, on the south, 

is the Pacific axis or anticline, extending from Crystal City and Plattin Rock, on the Mississippi, south of St. Louis, through Pacific and 

Klondike on the Missouri, and thence northward into Warren 

County. Within the area inclosed by these folds the cone-shaped St. 

Louis basin, having conditions highly favorable for artesian pressure,

a Geology ol Calhoun County: Geol. Survey Illinois, vol. 4,1870, p. 2.
156 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

is located. East of St. Louis the rocks dip gently at the rate of 10 to 

12 feet per mile.

There is little doubt that flowing wells might be obtained from the 

St. Peter sandstone along the Missouri and Mississippi valleys in 

the interior of this basin at an altitude not exceeding 450 feet. A 

summary of the thickness and depth of the St. Peter sandstone in 

this district is given in the following table.

Thickness and depth of St. Peter sandstone i.7i St. Louis basin district.

Locality.

St. Charles ......... .....! ..........._...._....._.._...._.._.........._._.. . . ......

Godfrey, Montieello, 111 ..........................................................

Thickness.

Feet.

133

138

100+

125

Depth.

Feet. 

1,000

1,145

1,475

1,452

1,450

1,500

1,500

1,525

1, 645

1,975

The catchment basin for these wells is probably largely along the 

Pacific anticline.

FRANKLIN COUNTY.

LUEBBERING.

One hundred yards east of Luebbering, Franklin County, in sec. 

29, T. 41, E. 2 E., is a well owned by F. A. Pilliod and drilled by L. 

Widman. The following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller 

and S. Sanford:

Log of Pilliod well, Luebbering.

Thickness. Depth.

Flint .............................................................................

Feet. 

100

5

10

35

Feet. 

100

105

115

150

SULLIVAN.

Iii sec. 34, T. 42, E. 2, W., is a well on the farm of Thomas Rutherford; depth, 1,550 feet; altitude above tide, 641 feet; casing, 10-inch 

to 100 feet; 8-inch to 600 feet; 6-inch to bottom; temperature of 

water, 63.5° F.; of air, 87.8° F.; flow, 8 gallons per minute; date of 

completion, 1896; surface formation, base of Jefferson City limestone. 

This well does not strictly belong to the district in which it is placed, 

as it lies on the west side of the Pacific fold and probably derives its 

water directly from the Ozarks. It is described here for the sake of 

convenience. It was sunk in a series of interbedded hard sandstones 

and cherty limestones, and water is said to have come from a pure white
JEFFEESON AND MADISON COUNTIES. 157

sandstone, the principal flow being from the bottom 1,550 feet. 

Water rose at first, it is said, to a height of 40 feet, but the pressure 

has since considerably decreased. It has been impossible to obtain 

the log of this well. Keyes a states that granite is said to have been 

encountered 1,100 feet from the surface in Franklin County, the reference being probably to this well. The water is good and contains 

some sulphur.

JEFFEESON COUNTY.

KIMMSWICK.

One-fourth of a mile north of Kimmswick, Jejfferson County, in sec. 

6, T. 42, R. 6, is a well owned by the Columbia Excursion Company 

and drilled by F. J. Miller. The following log was received from 

Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of wdl near Kimmswick, Jefferson County.

White limestone. . .................................................... .[ ..........

Blue flint .............................................................. i ..........

Thickness.

Feet. 

38

18

14

25

35

11

Depth.

Feet. 

38

56

70

95

130

141

MADISON COUNTY, ILL.

GRANITE CITY.

The following log of a well at Granite City, 111., was obtained by 

E. E. Ellis from George S. Reed, the driller. Altitude, about 435 feet,

Log of well at Granite City, III.:

'

Li^at-gray to white soft sandstone; at 1,050 feet the hole filled with mineral

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

50

23

382

60

30

63

87

50

15

20

20

50

30

55

50

145

330

130

15

125

15+

Depth.

Feet. 

40

90

113

495

555

585

648

735

785

800

820

840

890

920

975

1,025

1,170

1,500

1,630

1,645

1,770

1,785

a, Missouri Geol. Survey, vol. 8, 1835, p. 334.
158 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

The St. Peter sandstone was struck at 1,650 feet. After going 

through 125 feet of this sandstone the drill penetrated 15 feet farther 

into yellowish Jefferson City limestone. The well was cased to 500 

feet, and a vein of water found between 600 and 700 feet; cased again 

at 800 feet, and water found between 975 and 1,025 feet. It was next 

cased with 8J-inch casing to 1,035 feet. At 1,770 feet several efforts 

were made to case the water off, but all of them failed.

ST. CHARLES COUNTY.

ST. CHARLES.

At St. Charles a 6-inch well was sunk at Charles Shibi's brewery, 

5J Clay street, to a depth of 1,475 feet. Saline water with a temperature of 56° F. rose within 80 feet of the surface. The record 

of this well is lost, but it is stated that water was struck in a white 

sandstone. The brewery is situated about 100 feet above the river. 

The altitude at the Wabash Railway station at St. Charles is about 

490 feet, which is probably 50 feet above the lower part of the city.

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILL.

MONKS MOUND.

Four miles northeast of East St. Louis, 111., in Brook's pasture, near 

Monks Mound, St. Clair County, is a well owned by the Cahokia 

Development Company, of St. Louis, Mo. It was drilled by O. S. 

Willson and the record was furnished by S. L. Shellenberger, of Atoka, 

Ind. T. Altitude, about 450feet; diameter of well, 12 inches to depth 

of 150 feet; date of completion, January, 1905.

Log of Cahokia Development Company's well near Monks Mound, III.

Soil, sand and silt .................. ... . . . . .... ........

Grayish, limestone. . ..............................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

°0

10

SO

55

15

15

70

10

ro

35

30

50

15

20

10

183

62

«135

30

7

18

Depth.

Feet. 

40

eo

70

150

205

220

235

305

315

375

410

440

490

505

535

718

780

1,015

1,045

1,052

1,070

"Probably error in driller's rocord; should be 235 feet.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY. 159

Log of CahoMa Development Company's wtll near Monks Mound, 111. Continued.

Hard clay "slate".............. .......

Chocolate-colored limestone..................... ............ ........... ...

Thickness.

Feet.

10

30

35

25

15

15

5

25

60

20

155

40

445

u.

Depth.

Feet. 

1,095

1,105

1,135

1,170

1,195

1,210

1,225

1,230

1,255

1,315

1,335

1,490

1,530

1,975

2,100

The first vein of water was struck at a depth of 205 feet. Salt 

water was obtained at 365 and 825 feet. At 1,490 feet a little oil 

and gas were encountered. When the well reached a depth of 2,100 

feet a small stream flowed at the surface; the water came undoubtedly 

from the St. Peter sandstone. This record shows a gentle dip of the 

strata from Missouri eastward into Illinois.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY.

BRIDGETON.

Thirteen miles northwest of St. Louis, near Bridgeton, in T. 46, 

R. 6, is a well owned by C. D. Garnett and drilled by H. W. Steinsick. 

The following log was furnished by Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford.

Log of Garnett well near Bridgeton, St Louis County.

Alternate sands, limestones, shale and fire clay, all inclined to cave liadly. ......

Thickness. Depth.

Feet. Feet. 

2CO 260 

45 305

10 315

115 430

70 500

18 518

ST. LOUIS.

At the corner of Main and O'Fallon streets, St. Louis, on the bank 

of Mississippi River is a well owned by the Belcher Water, Bath and 

Hotel Company. Depth, 2,199 feet; altitude above tide, 420 feet; 

temperature of water, 70° F.; flow, 75 gallons per minute; date of 

commencement, April, 1849; of completion, March 12, 1854; cost, 

$10,000; surf ace formation, Pennsylvanian.
160 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP MISSOURI.

The following is a portion of the description of the Belcher well, as 

given by Litton: a

Carbureted hydrogen was first perceived in passing the thin shale at a depth of 457 

feet, and was found to increase in penetrating the soft shales at the depth of 650 feet 

and the red marl beneath, to augment in passing the shale at the depth of 885 feet, and 

to be evolved most abundantly in passing the bituminous marl at the depth of 950 feet. 

This stratum of marl was found to be very bituminous and the borings when heated 

evolved much carbureted hydrogen, leaving a clay covered by the oxide of iron. At 

the depth of 1,090 feet the quantity of gas was found to diminish, and this diminution 

continued to the depth of 1,135 fpet. At the depth of 1,183 feet it began again to 

increase, and became still more abundant at the depth of 1,222 feet. At the depth of 

1,270 feet it diminished in quantity; but at 5 fpet below it began again to increase, 

while at the depth of 1,301 feet its quantity was observed to diminish.

Sulphureted hydrogen was first observed at the depth of 1,510 feet, and the water 

was then found to be strongly impregnated with it.

At the depth of 610 feet the water was first discovered to have a saline taste, and at 

849 feet this property was found to be more marked, the water at that depth, upon 

evaporation, leaving a residue of If per cent of solid constituents. At the depth of 

1,015 feet the quantity of these was found increased to 2J per cent. At 1,187 feet the 

percentage of salts in solution was found to have diminished, 1 pound of water on 

evaporation leaving only 148 grams, but at the depth of 1,230 feet the percentage was

found 

*******

to be about 3.

The observations made during the sinking of the well showed that the main supply 

of water was obtained in the soft white sandstone at the depth of 1,515 feet; and from 

experiments since made by Mr. Holm, by passing a tube to the depth at which the 

main supply of water was obtained, he thinks there is no water which rises to the surface below this sandstone. This Saccharoid sandstone is very porous and is exposed 

in the counties to the west and south of St. Louis, at which points the general dip of

the rocks 

*******

is to the east and north.

The ratio of the increase of the earth's temperature as we descend, deduced from the 

data furnished by the artesian well at St. Louis, does not agree with that calculated 

from observations made at other artesian wells. The water as it flows from the well at 

the refinery has a constant temperature, and according to my observation, made with a 

thermometer graduated to one-fifth of a degree, it is 23° C.=73.4° F. The mean annual 

temperature of St. Louis, deduced from the observations of Doctor Engelmann, 

continued daily during twenty-two years, is 55.22° F.=12.9° C. Taking the depth 

from which the water at the well comes to be 1,515 feet, this would give an increase of 

1° F. for every 83.3 feet of descent; and for an increase of 1° C., a descent of 71.8 feet; 

but for an increase of 1° C. requires, according to the observations at Grenelle, a descent 

of 104.6 feet; at Monsdorf, a descent of 97 feet; at Neusalswerk, a descent of 95.7 feet;

at Pregny, 

*******

near Geneva, a descent of 97.3 feet.

Five hundred grams of the water, to which had been added 1.981 grams pure carbonate of soda, were evaporated in a platinum capsule to dryness, and heated to 150° C., 

gave for total weight of solid constituents 4.3955, in which was found 0.0012 gram of 

silica.

a Litton, A., Trans. St. Louis Acad. Sci., vol. 1, 1860, pp. 82-86.
ST. LOUIS. 161

Analyses of water from Belcher well, *SV. Louis.a

[Analyst, A. Litton.]

No. 1.

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2).................... 2.4

Iron (Fe) ..................... 4. 5

Calcium (Ca).................... 495

Magnesium (Mg)............... 180

Sodium (Na) .................. 2, 472

Potassium (K)................. 84

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )........ 132

Sulphate radicle (SO4) ......... 576

Chlorine (01)................... 4,706

Free sulphureted hydrogen (H2S) 14 

Free carbon dioxide (CO2)...... 55

No. 2.

Parts per million.

...... 2.3

...... 4.4

Silica (SiO2 )....................

Iron (Fe)...-.....------- ......

Calcium (Ca).................. 474

Magnesium (Mg)............... 172

Sodium (Na) .................. 2, 365

Potassium (K)................. 81

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )........ 126

Sulphate radicle (S04 ).......... 551

Chlorine (CD .................. 4, 500

8, 275. 7

8, 720. 9 

Residue on evaporation ........ 8, 791

No determinations of otlier gaseous constituents than carbonic acid and sulphureted 

hydrogen were made for want of an accurate endiometer.

Log of Belcher well, St. Louis.b

Thickness. Depth.

Carboniferous (628 feet): Feet. Feef.

Limestone.................................................................... 27 27

Shale......................................................................... 3 30

Limestone.................................................................... 230 260

Cherty rock.................................................................. 15 275

Limes'tone.................................................................... 75 350

Shale......................................................................... 27 377

Limestone ..................................................................... 78 455

Shale .......................................................................... 3 458

Limestone.................................................................... 37 495

Shale......................................................................... 8 503

Limestone.................................................................... 125 628

Chemung < (90 feet):

Red marl..................................................................... 17 045

Shale......................................................................... 30 075

Red marl..................................................................... 43 718

Hudson River, Trenton, and Black River (699 feet):

Shale......................................................................... 42 760

Limestone.................................................................... 119 879

Shale......................................................................... 67 946

Bituminous marl............................................................. 20 966

Shale......................................................................... 75 1,041

Limestone.................................................................... 138 1,179

Chertyi ock.................................................................. 60 1,239

Limestone.................................................................... 133 1,372

Shale......................................................................... 18 1,390

Limestone.................................................................... 27 1,417

Magnesian limestone, undifferentiated (782 feet i:

Shale......................................................................... 47 1,464

Limestone.................................................................... 38 1,502

White, soft sandstone......................................................... 138 1,640

Sandstone with much iron................................................... 187 1,827

Sandstone with clay......................................................... 192 2,019

Sandstone with linie and clay................................................ 13(i 2,155

Unrecorded.................................................................. 44 2,199

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic form 

and parts per million at United States Geological Survey. 

6 Trans. St. Louis Acad. ScU vol. 1, 1860, pi. 5. 

f Probably Devonian. E. M. S.
162 UNDEKGKOUND WATEES OP MISSOUEI.

The company has recently built a fine large hotel and bath house 

at the corner of Fourth street and Lucas avenue, to which point the 

water from this well has been piped. The water is aperient.

About 6 miles southeast of the Belcher well is the insane-asylum 

well, depth, 3,S43ifeet; altitude above tide, 600 feet; temperature of 

water (Broadhead), 105° F.; date of commencement, March 31, 1866; 

date of completion, August 9,1869; surface formation, Pennsylvanian.

The following log of this well was published by G. C. Broadhead in 

1878.a The work was superintended by Mr. C. W. Atkinson, who collected specimens every few feet and carefully arranged them in boxes, 

which were stored away in the asylum. He also filed with the county 

clerk a section and record of the work.

Log of insane-asylum well, St. Louis.

Thickness. Depth.

Clays of '' Bluff'' [Pleistocene] (40 fnet): Feet. Feet. 

Clay.......................................................................... 40 40

Pennsylvanian (80 fpet):

Tumbled masses of limestone................................................ 4 44

Red clay..................................................................... 5 49

Limestone.................................................................... 8 57

Red clay..................................................................... 4 61

Coal...'....................................................................... 5 66

Fire clay..................................................................... 2 68

Light-colored limestone; bottom of dry well................................. 3 71

Blue and drab clay, slightly calcareous...................................... 9 80

Cherty limestone.".........'................................................... 6 86

Dark and bluish-gray shales, slightly calcareous............................. 21 107

Cherty limestone...'.................'......................................... 4 111

Coal.......................................................................... 1 112

Light-blue clay............................................................... 8 120

Mississippian (670 feet I:

Hard cherty limestone, upper part fine grained, lower part coarse........... 139 259

Blue shales*................................................................... 3 262

Drab and gray limestone, generally hard and cherty........................ 176 438

Alternating limestone and shales.'.................'......................-.... 98 536

Hard blue cherty limestone.................................................. 92 628

Very hard chert, coarse bluish-gray to buff and drab cherty limestone...... 75 703

Sandstone, very fine grained................................................. 6 709

Mostly light gray or drab limestone; chert and limestone at 721 and 732 feet. 81 790

Chouteau'group (93 feet):

Red limestone................................................................ 10 800

Light-drab and gray limestone, some chert.................................. 35 835

Argillaceous limestone....................................................... 5 840

Light-gray limestone, some chert............................................ 43 883

Trenton, with Black River and Birdseye (421 feet):

Mostly a light-gray or blue clay.. .\.......................................... 67 950

Dark clay.................................................................... 16 966

Blue clay alternating with thin limestone layers............................. 56 1,022

Blue and drab limestone, with probably some magnesiau layers at 1,139 feet; 

cream-colored limestone at 1,216 feet....................................... 194 1,216

Light-blue cherty limestone; salt water at 1,220 feet......................... 9 1,225

Light-colored limestone...................................................... 27 1,252

Dark limestone............................................................... 52 1,304

First Magnesian limestone [Joachim] (148 feet):

Light-drab cherty limestone................................................. 49 1,353

Yellowish-gray limestone.................................................... 17 1,370

Dark limestone from 1,402 feet............................................... 78 1,448

Light-colored limestone...................................................... 4 1,452

^iccharoidal sandstone [St. Peter] (133 feet):

Mostly pure white sandstone, clear rounded grains, contains sulphur water; 

lower portion somewhat brown............................................ 133 1,585

Second Magnesian limestone [Jefferson City] (517 feet):

Buff-brown and drab cherty limestone'....................................... 61 1,646

Buff and drab cherty magnesian limestone.................................. 456 2,102

Second sandstone [Rouliidoux] (82 feet):

Hard and mostly pure sandstone, with some limestone beds with chert, 

brown or reddish-gray.......'.............................................. 82 2,184

a Trans. St. Louis Acad. Sci., vol. 3, No. 2, 1878, p. 216.
ST. LOUIS. 

Log of insane-asylum well, St. Louis Continued.

163

Third Magnesian limestone [Gasconade] (838 feet):

Limestone and chert, drab, buff, and gray; chert beds probably include onehalf the series.........................'............................._.......

No chert from 2,671 to 2,735 feetr sand often abundant......................

Mostly sandstone with a little lime in upper part............................

Limestone, mostly free from chert and sand.................................

Third sandstone (98 feet):

Sandstone, dirty to blue and reddish-gray...................................

Fourth Magnesian Limestone (384 feet):

Dark magnesiaii slate........................................................

Yellowish-drab or gray magnesian limestone, hard, with little sand; the 

lower 66 feet is thin bedded and dirty reddish-gray, with some sandy beds. 

Potsdam sandstone (54 feet):

Mostly hard, thin-bedded sandstone, dark olive-gray in color, consisting of 

white and black grains.....................................................

Sand and limestone..........................................................

Mostly granite (285J feet):

Brown sandstone near upper part, the lower mostly granite; the lower 40 

feet is a hard red rock and is certainly powdered granite.................

Thickness.

Feet. 

487 

172 

37 

142

13

371

285i

Depth.

Feet. 

2.671 

2.843 

2.880 

3,022

3,120

3,133

3,504

3,545

3,558

3,843J

Broadhead says:0

When the borings began, the water in the well stood at 40 feet below the surface; at 

134 feet an 8 or 10 inch opening was struck and the water sank in the well to a depth 

of 128 feet. Salt water was obtained at 1,220 feet. At 1,225 and 1,262 feet from the 

surface a strong petroleum smell was recognized. Sulphur water was reached at 2,140 

feet. At 2,256 the water in the sand pump indicated 3 per cent of salt; at 2,957, 4| 

per cent; at 3,293, 2 per cent; at 3,367, less than 2 per cent; at 3,384 feet, 3 percent, 

and below 3,545, 7 to 8 per cent.

Experiments with a Fahrenheit registering thermometer indicated the following:

Temperature at different depths in insane-asylum well, St. Louis.

Depth.

Feet.

3,127

3,129

3,264

3,376

3,473

3,533

Temperature.

0 F.

106

107

106

106

105

105

Depth.

Feet.

3,604

3,641

3,728

3,800

3,837

Temperature.

o p

105

104.5

105. 5

105

105

It is to be regretted that no tests of temperature were made above these indicated 

depths.

Inhering to the depth of 833 feet the drill was often observed to be highly magnetized, 

but after passing that depth no further influence was observed.

a Op. cit., p. 221.
164 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

At the comer of Forest Park boulevard and Vandeventer avenue 

is a well owned by the Welle-Boettler Baking Company and drilled by 

Ed. Meloy and A. W. Dickinson. The following log was furnished 

by Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Welle-Boettler Baking Company well, St. Louis.

.

j Thickness.' Depth.

Limestone, gray, hard ...........................................................

Shale, Mack, soft: little oil ...."...................................................

Pert. 

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

100

20

5

15

55

60

35

20

10

15

5

20

20

35

35

20

30

Fett. 

20

40

60

SO

100

120

140

240

260

265

280

290

345

405

440

460

470

485

490

510

530

565

600

020

650

a, 490 to 565 feet probably Kinderhook.

The St. Louis Transit Company sunk six deep wells at the corner 

of Park and Vandeventer avenues, four in 1899 and two in 1900. 

These varied from 500 to 800 feet in depth. 0 No records were preserved. One well was sunk to a depth of 500 feet, and later, in 

December, 1904, it was continued to 700 feet, when it was "shot" 

with 100 pounds of dynamite in the hope of obtaining gas. The 

water from all these wells was strongly saline and impregnated with 

sulphureted hydrogen. As it corroded the boilers, the wells were 

abandoned. Water stands within 100 feet of the surface.

In 1895 the same company drilled a well at its station near the 

power house, on the corner of Jefferson street and Geyer avenue, to a 

depth of 1,400 feet. Strong sulphosaline water rose within 6 or 8 

feet of the surface.

The following analyses were furnished by Mr. Edward D. Smith, 

the analyst and date being unknown.

a, The writer is indebted to Messrs. Edward D. Smith and Charles P. Gregory for information relating to these wells.
ST. LOTUS. 165

Analyses of water from wells of St. Louis Transit Company, Park and Vandeventer

avenues, St. Louis.a

WELL BACK OF OFFICE.

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO3)..................... 18

Iron and alumina oxides

(Fe2O3+AL03 ) .............. 5.2

Calcium (Ca)................... 134

Magnesium (Mg)................ 28

Sodium (Na)................... 25

Carbonate radicle (C03 ).......... 173

Parts per million.

Sulphate radicle (SO4).......... 163

Chlorine (01)................... 39

585.2 

Residue cm evaporation......... G70

Residue < >n ignition. ............. 530

WELL SOUTH OF RAILROAD TRACK.

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO') ................... 12

Iron and alumina oxides

Parts per million.

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ).......... 113

Chlorine (01)................... 28

Calcium (Ca) ................... 104

Magnesium (Mg) ................ 19

Sodium (Na) ................... 20

Carbonate radicle ( CO,) .......... 138

438.4 

Residue on evaporation ......... 490

Residue on ignition.............. 400

DEEP WELL SOUTH OF RAILROAD TRACK.

Parts per million. 

Silica (Si02 )................... 13

Iron and alumina oxides

(Fe3 08 +Al303 ).--...----.-.-.- Trace.

Calcium (Ca)................... 118

Magnesium (Mg)................ 23

Sodium (Na)................... 20

Carbonate radicle (CO3 ).......... 145

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ).......... 146

Chlorine (Cl)................... 32

497 

Residue on evaporation ......... 533

Residue on ignition.............. 415

Suspended matter. .............. 210

In 1903 the St. Louis Athletic Club sunk a well to the depth of 580 

feet. No record was kept, and no analysis of the water has been 

made. It is stated that drilling stopped in a soft yellow sandstone. 

The water, which is saline, is pumped into the club's large swimming 

pool by a Worthington pump.

Numerous other wells have been sunk in St. Louis and vicinity 

to depths varying from 200 to 1,800 feet. In all cases saline water 

was obtained, and the largest supply came from the St. Peter sandstone at a depth of about 1,500 feet.

The Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company has two wells which have 

been abandoned, because of the con'osive action of the water 011 the 

boilers. At the Grone brewery, Twenty-third street and Clark avenue, water was found in the St. Peter sandstone at a depth of 1,450 

feet. In June, 1904, the Belz Packing Company sunk a well on its 

property at 3600 South Broadway, and found water in the St. Peter 

sandstone at a depth of 1,500 feet.

a Expressed hy analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic formam} parts per milKouat United 

States Geological Survey,
166 UNDEBGBOUND WATEBS OP MISSOUBI.

One and one-half miles southwest of St. Louis, in block 2136, St. 

Louis County, is a .well owned by the Bambrick Construction Company and drilled by H. Steinsick. The following log was received 

from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Bambrick Construction Company well, near St. Louis.

Light-gray limestone, with much chert . ......................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

180

80

44

71

23

18

30

27

173

78

Depth.

Feet. 

180

260

304

375

qoQ

446

508

C9

786

ST. FRANCIS MOUNTAINS DISTRICT.

The St. Francis Mountains district includes the southeastern part 

of the State, with the exception of the swampy region. Portions of 

the following counties are within its borders: Jefferson, Washington, 

St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Iron, Keynolds, Madison, Perry, Cape 

Girardeau, Bollinger, Wayne, and Carter, The catchment area for 

most of the flowing wells in this district is in the St. Francis Mountains. Flowing wells are located at or near the following places: De 

Soto, Jefferson County; Bismarck, St. Francois County; Pilot Knob 

and Ironton, Iron County; Fredericktown, Madison County; Pocahontas, Cape Girardeau County, and Grandin, Carter County.

CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY.

BUEPORD VILLE.

In Burfordville, Cape Girardeau County, in sec. 32, T. 31, R. 11, 

is a well owned by J. H. Estes and drilled by Henry Bresuke. The 

following log was received from Messrs. M. L. Fuller and S. Sanford:

Log of Estes well, Burfordville, Cape Girardeau County.

Soil ...............................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

30

3

10

Depth.

Feet. 

30

33

43
CAPE GIEABDEAU AND GAETEE COUNTIES. 167

POCAHONTAS.

In Pocahontas, near the center of sec. 31, T. 33; R. 13, is a well 

owned by Thomas D. Hope. Depth, 62 feet; casing, 6-inch; flow, 

weak; date of completion, May, 1903; drillers, Steimel & Eeid, Jackson; cost of well, $100; surface formation, Hudson group. The 

water flowed from a clay opening immediately under 50,feet of solid 

limestone. No variation in pressure has been noted, and pumping 

merely stops the surface flow. The water is hard, cool, agreeable to 

the taste, and is used for all purposes.

CARTER COUNTY.

Four wells were drilled in Grandin on the land of the Missouri 

Lumber and Mining Company, in sec. 11, T. 25, R. 2 E, on low ground 

and near a stream. Through the courtesy of Mr. C. C. Sheppard, 

superintendent of the company, the writer received a set of drill 

samples and data from well No. 3 of this group, from which the accompanying log was obtained. One of the wells flows, and the other 

three stand full. Well No. 3 is 206 feet deep; altitude above tide, 

about 580 feet; casing, 8-inch, 18 feet to rock; date of completion, 

1900; cost of well, about $400; surface formation, probably Bonneterre limestone. The principal source of water was reached between 

140 and 160 feet, in a limestone rock that was much seamed and 

fissured. This and the other wells of the group were drilled to supply good water for boiler purposes. Each well will furnish about 

50,000 gallons when pumped for twenty-four hours, and the supply 

is not diminished. The water is hard, pure, and cold. One of the 

wells was sunk to a depth of 320 feet, but the record was not preserved.

Log of well No. 3, Grandin, Carter County.

Pink siliceous limestone (dolomite), with mammillary quartz cavities iinrt soue

Similar, but finer grained, more angular particles, with increase of v/hito chert

Decided change; large angular fragments of light-gray, highly siliceous dolomite;

Gray, coarse siliceous dolomite, with irregular cavities that are sli^iitly iron

Finer grains of highly siliceous pink dolomite merging into pink qua,rtrite ......

Feet. 

04

130

30

10

10

10

10

20 

15

Feet. 

64

101

131

141

151

1C1

171

191

106

This well is all in one formation, and probably near the base of the 

Bonneterre limestone or Fourth Magnesiau limestone of Swallow.

IRR 195 07 12
168 UNDEBGBOUND WATEES OF MISSOUKI.

IRON COUNTY.

IRONTON.

The records of two nonflowing wells at Ironton, Iron County, are 

as follows:

The Ironton Manufacturing Company well was drilled by T. J. 

Lemaster, of De So'to, in 1902, to a depth of 300 feet, with a 6-inch 

bore. The main source of water was found at 100 feet, but other 

water-bearing beds were found at 15, 75, 150, and 200 feet. The' 

water, which contains iron and sulphur, rises within 5 feet of the surface, whence it is pumped to a feed boiler. The well cost $350.

The Clark Manufacturing Company has a well, drilled in 1900, 

which is situated in a valley. It has a 6-inch bore and is 305 feet 

deep. The main source of the water was found in the rock at 301 

feet. Water rises to the surface, but does not flow. It is hard, contains a little sulphur and iron, and is used for boiler purposes. It is 

lowered 20 feet by pumping.

PILOT KNOB.

Several prospect holes sunk by the Iron Mountain Company near 

Pilot Knob with a l^-inch diamond drill, about 1890, have resulted 

in flowing wells. The first one of these is located half a mile north of 

Ironton, close to the west side of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and 

Southern Railway. It has a feeble flow of slightly chalybeate water, 

with a temperature of 56° F. when the air temperature is 78° F. 

Another well about 1,000 feet north of this one raises the water about 

2 feet above the surface, whence it is conveyed to a public watering 

trough. About 1,000 feet still farther north is another well that 

raises the water about 4 feet above the ground and also supplies a 

watering trough. The temperature of this water is 59° F. when the 

air temperature is 78° F. One-half mile west of the last-named well, 

and just west of the Old Fort, is another feebly flowing well of chalybeate water. A quarter of a mile northeast of this is the last well of 

the group. All records of depth have been lost. The rocks dip to 

the west from Pilot Knob.

JEFFERSON COUNTY.

The town of'De Soto is situated in a valley near the head of Joachim 

Creek, at an altitude of 498 feet. Its main street runs parallel with 

the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, and a number 

of deep wells are sunk along both sides of this street. The owners, 

location, and depths are as follows:

1, James Hopson, No. 1, Pratt and Second streets, 265 feet; 2, Electric Light Company, Main street, about 200 feet; 3, Sherlyck's mill, East Second and Clement streets,
JEFFEESOlSr COUNTY. 169

about 200 feet; 4, Crawford lumber yard, East Clement ancl East Third streets, 235 

feet; 5, Hammel Lumber Company, Boyd and Second streets, 310 feet; 6, John Hopson, Main and Plattin streets, 185 feet; 7, James Hopson, No. 2, Main and Miller streets, 

225 feet; 8, Packing house, East Third and Miller streets, 190 feet; 9, R. M. Booth, 

East Main and Pratt streets, 200 feet; 10, S. W. Crawford, Main and Easton streets, 

200 feet; 11, G. Hammel, Main and Williams streets, 300 feet; 12, John L. Rouggly, 

Main and Stone streets, 300 feet; 13, 14, City Water Company, pump house, 300 feet; 

15, W. J. Manthes, 265 feet; 16, Commercial Hotel, Main street, about 200 feet; 17, 

.Herman Hammel, Main street between Clement and Mineral streets, about 200 feet; 

18, Dr. H. E. Zorn, Main and Mineral streets, 200 feet; 19, George Mann laundry, Main 

and Stewart streets, 200 feet; 20, Herman brickyard, three-fourths mile north of city, 

about 200 feet; 21, Electric-light plant, 185 feet.

These wells are nearly all 6-inch drill wells, generally cased with 

4-inch casing to a depth of about 150 feet. No. 3 has ceased to flow, 

the water probably wasting, as the casing is only SO feet deep. No. 

10, the Crawford well, and No. 11, the Gus Hammel well, have both 

ceased to flow, owing to the fact that other wells seem to have tapped 

their source. No. 12, the Rouggly well, supplied the drinking water 

for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Nos. 13 and 14, the City 

Water Company wells, flow about 70,000 gallons in twenty-four 

hours, and these, when pumped, cause a number of other wells in 

the neighborhood to stop flowing. Nos. 16, 17, 18, and 19 have all 

ceased to flow.

James Hopson sunk his first well in 1886, on the corner of Pratt 

and Second streets, in the endeavor to find soft water for the boiler 

at his mill. The first flow was obtained at a depth of 100 feet; the 

second, which raised the water ] 7 feet above the surface, was reached 

at a depth of 225 feet. The temperature was 58° F. when the air 

temperature was 83° F. This well and mill are now owned by 

Henry Lupp.

One well was sunk on a hill 97 feet above Main street to a depth of 

328 feet. Water rose within about 80 feet of the surface, a level 

corresponding to that of the flowing wells which are situated at a' 

lower point. The third well sunk in the city was the packing-house 

well. The surface at this point is about 10 feet below the general 

level of the town. A strong flow was struck at 115 feet, with a second flow at 190 feet. These two flows are separated by two pipes. 

The first comes from a sandstone, probably the Roubidoux, and the 

second from the Gasconade limestone. The surface formation is the 

Jefferson City limestone.

The flow of all the wells in this vicinity, included in a valley about 

a mile long and half a mile wide, is affected, in one way or another, by 

various causes. For example, the John Hopson well, No. 6, situated 

about 1,200 feet northwest of the. waterworks wells, stops flowing 

when the latter are being pumped. As soon as the pumping is discontinued the Hopson well flows a°;ain at an abnormally rapid rate. 

When the Crawford well, No. 10, was sunk, it had a good flow, but
170 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

when the Gus Hammel well, No. 11, was put down, the Crawford 

well stopped flowing until the Hammel well was shut off, the latter 

being 12 feet higher than its neighbor. The wells in the southern 

part of the town have the strongest flow, and since so many have 

been sunk in this vicinity most of those to the north have ceased 

flowing.

The regional dip of the rocks in this district, from Bismarck to 

De Soto, is from the St. Francis Mountains to the northeast. This 

fact, together with the peculiar phenomena connected with the flowing of the wells, seems to indicate that the catchment basin for this 

De Soto group is in the St. Francis Mountains.

One mile up Joachim Creek from De Soto is a large spring which 

conies to the surface with a strong flow, bringing with it fine white 

sand, and it is probable that this spring is one of the natural outlets 

of the artesian pressure from the Roubidoux sandstoneAll the wells in the De Soto basin show signs of decreasing pressure. 

This is undoubtedly because of the escape of waters through crevices 

in the rocks, due to bad casing, and because so many wells have been 

sunk within the limits of so small an area. The expense of drilling 

in this region varies from $1.50 to $2 per foot; generally about $1 

for the first 100 feet, $1.50 for the next 100, and $2 for the third 100 

feet. The water is clear, cool, and pure, containing a little iron. 

The temperature varies from 56° to 57° F. That of the waterworks 

well is 56° F. when the air temperature is 80° F. The city is replacing the old waterworks plant with one. more modem, to supply which 

two wells a few feet apart, both with a 10-inch bore, have been sunk. 

A pump house has been erected and a pump is being placed for the 

purpose of raising the water to a reservoir that is being built on a 

hill 220 feet above the. city. This will provide De Soto with one of 

the best and purest water supplies in the State. No analysis of these 

waters has ever been made.

It is stated that at Hematite, 8 miles north of De Soto, a prospect 

hole drilled to a depth of 300 feet struck flowing water.

MADISON COUNTY.

FREDERICKTO WN.

On the. farm of Mrs. Emma Copeland, in the NW. i sec. 2, T. 33, 

R. 7, near Mine La Motte, is a diamond-drill well sunk about 1900 

to a depth of 300 feet. The water flows feebly about 3 feet above 

the surface. It is clear and cold, and is used for stock purposes.

Four wells were bored on the Sheldoii estate, in sec. 25, T. 34, 

R. 7, to a depth of about 300 feet each, by Mr. H. R. Amling, of 

Fredericktowii. They all had a strong flow, but when the casing 

was pulled out they filled up and stopped flowing.
PEEEY AND -ST. FRANCOIS COUNTIES. 171

On the farm of F. M. Griffin, in the NW. J sec, 14, T. 33, R. 7, a 

well was bored in March, 1905, to a depth of 304 feet. Water rises 

5 feet above the surface. It is clear and cold, and is used for stock 

purposes.

In the NW. J of sec. 16, T. 33, R. 7, a well was sunk by the North 

American Mining Company to a depth of 300 feet. It has a feeble 

flow.

All the wells at Fredericktown are situated on the west side of a 

dividing ridge of the St. Francis Mountains, and the rocks dip to 

the southwest.

PERRY COUNTY.

PERRYVILLE.

The Perryville Ice Company completed a well to a depth of 386 

feet, with a 6-inch bore, cased to the bottom. This is located a quarter of a mile east of Perryville. Water was obtained in an opening 

at a depth of 60 feet, probably an underground stream. Pumping 

does not change the level. The water is soft, and is used for boiler 

purposes and in making ice. Rock was struck at a depth of 14 feet, 

and with the exception of the crevice opening at 60 feet, solid limestone continued to a depth of 300 feet.

ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY.

BISMARCK.

Bismarck is situated in a basin with outcroppings of porphyry on 

the west, south, and east. Several flowing wells are located in or 

near the town. The catchment basin for the group is in the porphyry hills to the west and south.

One of the Tullock wells is situated in sec. 16, T. 35, R. 4. It is.313 

feet deep and flows about 3 gallons per minute. It was drilled by 

Ben Hosldns, of Central, in 1901, and is 120 feet below the railway 

station at Bismarck, according to the barometer. The water is clear, 

fairly soft, and has a temperature of 56° F., the air temperature being 

75° F. This is a diamond-drill well, with a IJ-inch bore, and was 

drilled by the Iron Mountain Company. It goes 20 feet into granite. 

Mr. Tullock's second well was sunk in 1891, by the same company, 

in sec. 17, T. 35, R. 4, to a depth of 240 feet. It is 15 feet higher than 

the first well, according to the barometer. The casing was drawn 

out of this well, and the water wastes away at the surface. The rocks 

in both cases dip to the west, away from the porphyry hills. Neither 

the logs nor the analyses of these wells have been preserved. They 

probably obtain water from the Bonneterre limestone.

The Stephen Fine well is situated 1^ miles west and a little north 

of Bismarck in a little valley close to a gmall branch, about 115 feet
172 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP MISSOURI.

below the town.by barometric measurement. It is about 180 feet 

deep, and has the strongest flow of any in the group, raising the water 

about 12 feet above the surface. The water is clear, pure, and cold, 

having a temperature of 56° F., when the air temperature is 80° F. 

This well, like the two preceding, probably obtains water from the 

Bonneterre limestone. The rocks dip to the west. About 150 feet 

distant from this well is another which flows feebly in wet weather.

The John Neujus wells are situated in the NE. J lot 2, sec. 5, T. 35, 

R. 4. They were drilled in 1894 and 1901 with a IJ-inch diamond 

drill. Barometrically, they are at the same altitude as the town of 

Bismarck. They are about 250 feet deep, cased a few feet to rock, 

and have a feeble flow reaching only about 4 feet above the surface. 

The water commenced to flow at a depth of 90 feet. It is clear, pure, 

soft, and cold, with a temperature of 57° F., the air temperature being 

80° F. The wells are sunk within a few feet of each other in a little 

swamp. Mr. Neujus stated that there are thirteen small springs 

within a radius of 13 feet of the wells. He has built a fish pond 

which is fed by these springs. Several other drill holes were sunk 

in the immediate vicinity, at a surface altitude of 6 to 8 feet higher 

than the wells just described. In them water stands but a few inches 

from the surface. The Neujus wells are all probably in the Elvins 

formation, and the rocks dip to the north.

A diamond-drill well, with a IJ-inch bore, was sunk to a depth of 

300 feet on the farm of William Gruner, one-eighth of a mile south of 

the Neujus wells. It flows only a part of the time, and then but 

feebly.

It is stated that two prospect holes sunk on Flat River, near Central, flowed for a time.

SOUTHEASTERN SWAMP DISTRICT. 

GENERAL ARTESIAN CONDITIONS.

The most interesting artesian district in the State, that of the southeastern lowlands, includes but a portion of the true swamp district, 

which extends into the adjoining States of Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. This Missouri portion embraces 

the following counties: Scott, Mississippi, New Madrid, Stoddard, 

Butler, Dunklin, and Pemiscot.

The only flowing wells in the embayment region in Missouri are 

those at Morehouse, New Madrid County, and Campbell, Dunklin 

County, on the north and east sides of the embayment.

Attention has been briefly called to the fact that the Missouri lowlands occupy the northwest corner of the great Mississippi embayment. Into this cone-shaped trough empties the drainage of the 

southeastern flanks of the Ozarks from Missouri, bringing a vash
. SOTTTHEASTEKlSr SWAMP DISTRICT. 173

quantity of water, n<f>t only over the surface by means of the rivers 

and smaller streams, but also through those porous aquifers, the 

Cambro-Ordovician sandstones, cherts, and porous limestones, which 

have a strong southeasterly dip into this basin. That these rocks are 

loaded with water is shown by the immense springs and underground 

streams that everywhere abound in this region. In fact, some of 

the largest springs in the world are found in close proximity to this 

district. From the north comes the drainage from (he southern 

flanks of the St. Francis Mountains and southern Illinois, the volume 

of which is indicated by the interesting phenomena discussed in the 

consideration of the well at Benton, Scott County (p. 179). From the 

east is received the drainage from the plateau of western Kentucky 

and Tennessee, the rocks all dipping strongly westward from the 

central catchment basin of these two States.

This embayment region, which was largely eroded during later geologic time, has been gradually filled from the south by Cretaceous, 

Tertiary, and Quaternary deposits consisting, as is shown by the well 

records of this district, of alternating layers of incoherent sands and 

thick, tenacious clays, forming perfect water bearers separated by 

impervious beds. These well records and cross sections also show 

that the beds not only dip strongly toward the center of this basin 

from each side, but that they thicken and dip strongly to the south. 

Into these great deposits of sand a vast volume of water pours from 

the west, north, and east, causing an. immense artesian pressure; and 

when it is remembered that the alternating impervious layers are not 

solid rock, but thick beds of flexible, tenacious clay, underlain by 

water-logged, incoherent sands, it is not difficult to understand why 

this is a district of unstable equilibrium, subject to the disturbances 

manifested in the frequent slight earthquake shocks which have produced numerous fissures and fault scarps throughout the entire region.

Flowing wells are confined entirely to the outer margin of the 

embayment, as at Cairo and Mound City, 111.; Hickman, Ky.; Dyersburg and Memphis, Term.; and Campbell, Morehouse, and Grandin, 

Mo. Numerous deep wells near the center of the embayment do not 

flow. This interior region of nonflowing wells is saturated with water 

which is constantly coming to the surface in lakes., swamps, and 

streams, and which is continually renewed from a deep-seated source 

a living supply, supporting the finest game fish. The escape of this 

volume of water through fault cracks and fissures relieves the pressure 

below, and thus tends to preserve an equilibrium and at the same time 

creates conditions unfavorable to the existence of flowing wells.

The logs given on pages 175 and 177 indicate the frequent occurrence 

of iron, iron pyrites, and lignite, which in decomposing produce in 

the water such impurities as iron, sulphur, and small amounts of gas. 

Chemical analyses show that water taken from wells near the edge of
174 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP MISSOURI.

the basin is, as a rule, purer than that from those farther in, for the 

reason that the water in the outer wells, being nearer its source, has been 

in contact with these substances for a shorter time, and consequently 

is less impregnated with impurities than the waters that ere obtained 

farther from the catchment area.

BUTLER COUNTY.

POPLAR BLUFF.

At Poplar Bluff, Butler County, W. F. Alfrey sunk a well to a depth 

of 517 feet. He states that the water rose within 15 feet of the surface, and that a 12-horsepower pump could not lower it an inch. He 

further gives the interesting fact that in 1892, after an earthquake 

shock, the well was nearly ruined, there being at times hardly enough 

water to run the factory. It is to be regretted that no log has been, 

preserved, either of this or of other wells at Poplar Bluff.

The ice factory has a well about 400 feet deep, the Oil Well Supply 

Company one about 200 feet, the Missouri Pacific Railway one about 

200 feet, and the Palmer Company one about 250 feet deep.

Mi\ W. S. Randall, postmaster at Poplar Bluff, who furnished the 

above data, also stated that in the bottoms, at a depth of less than 

30 feet, the water is hard, impregnated with iron, and comes from a 

black to reddish quicksand. Below 30 feet good water is obtained 

from a white quartz sand. Most of the sand in the vicinity has wellrounded globular grains. In this surface stratum of iron-bearing 

sand are mounds of sand about 3 feet high and from 10 to 20 feet in 

diameter, which are termed "sand blows." It is claimed that pipes 

put down in these sand blows give a better quality of water a significant fact. This condition is very general through the Missouri 

portion of the embaymeiit district, the best water being obtained in 

the white sand beneath the reddish surface sand. It is the custom in 

this region to drive a galvanized-iron pipe with a conical strainer at 

the end down into this white sand, from which a good water supply 

may be pumped.

DUNKLIN COUNTY.

CAMPBELL.

At Campbell, Dunkliii County, a well is located on the land of the 

Campbell Lumber Company. Depth, 960 feet; elevation above tide, 

about 310 feet; casing, 4-inch, to 910 feet; temperature of water, 

72° F.; flow, 16 gallons per minute; date of completion, September, 

1902; drillers, Johnson & Fleming, Memphis, Tenn.; cost, $3,000. 

The principal source of water was found at 940 feet in sand, and 

another water-bearing horizon was found at 145 feet. The water is 

somewhat soft, though rather saline, and contains sulphureted hydro-
DUNKLIN AND NEW MADKID COUNTIES. 175

gen. The following log of this well was furnished by Mr. Wm. B. 

Johnson," of Memphis, Tenn.:

Log of well of Campbell Lumber Company, Campbell, Dunklin County.

Thickness. Depth.

Loess? (112 feet):

Yellow clay, a little darker than that on Crowleys Ridge....................

Lafayette (43 feet):

, Orange sand and gravel; the saud has many white, loamy clay nodules mixed 

in it...................................................r....................

Lagrange foraiation (785 feet):

Very hard black and brown clay or marl, with numerous very hard strata 

from 1 to 23 inches thick, composed largely of iron pyrites. At some point 

between 700 and 750 feet a bed of logs 10'or 12 feet thick was penetrated. 

This clay differed from any other bed struck in the bottoms in containing 

no sand strata, and not even a trace of the "gray sand" found in other 

wells was noted............................................................

Ripley sands (20 feet):

Very fine black sand, with a large percentage of mica in small grains. Water 

headed about 7 feet ahove surface and flowed 16 gallons per minute' had 

brackish taste..............................................................

Feet.

112

43

785

Feet.

112

155

940

9tiO

The water from this 'well is used for boiler and drinking purposes. 

It is probable that the bottom of the well is not far from bed rock.

NEW MADRID COUNTY.

MOREHOUSE.

In Morehouse, New Madrid Comity, in sec. 31, T. 26, R. 13, is a 

well owned by the Himnielberger-Harrison Lumber Company. 

Depth, 780 feet; altitude above tide, about 330 feet; casing, 10-inch 

pipe at top, 6|-inch casing at bottom; flow, 200 gallons per minute; 

date of completion, summer of 1902. This well was drilled through 

the estuary deposits to solid limestone. The pressure raises the 

water 18 feet above the surface, and no variation has ever been 

noted. Though the water is somewhat saline, it js used for drinking. 

The accompanying log and some samples of drillings for study were 

furnished by Mr. John H. Himmelberger:

Log of well at Morehouse, New Madrid County.

Loess (30 feet) : 

Clay................................................ . .......................

Lagrange (218 feet) :

Gravel- ............................... ... ..... . . .................

Porters Creek (Eocene) (218 feet) :

Rock....... ....................................... . .......................

Ripley sands (Cretaceous) (224 feet):

Cambrian (probably Gasconade limestone) (90 feet):

Thickness.

Feet. 

30

110

10

40

40

10

8

197

1

20

224

40

15

35

Depth.

Feet. 

30

140

150

190

230

240

248

445

446

466

690

730

745

780

o The writer is indebted to Mr. Johnson for many favors and much valuable information in regard to 

the wells of this district. The work of the geologist would be greatly facilitated if other drillers would 

take as much interest in preserving data as has been shown by Mr. Johnson.
176 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

The 30 feet designated as probably loess and the 110 feet of coarse 

sand included in the Lagrange formation are doubtfully so placed. 

The 90 feet of limestone and sandstone penetrated at the bottom is 

a light-gray, highly siliceous, shaly rock, probably the Gasconade 

limestone. This well record is a particularly valuable one, as it gives 

the thickness of the estuary deposits at this point.

Morehouse is situated in what was probably one of the early channels of Mississippi River, and the 140 feet of sand and clay at the 

surface may have had its origin as a river deposit. Mr. Himmelberger, in a personal letter, states that in going through the white 

sand above the limestone, fragments of charred and decayed wood 

were brought to the surface. He furnishes an analysis of the water 

of this well, made at the Missouri State University.

Analysis of water from u>dl at Morehouse, New Madrid County.0

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2 )...................... 12

Calcium (Ca).................... 208

Magnesium (Mg)................. 55

Sodium (Na).................... 649

v Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )........... 123

Chlorine (Cl) .................... 1,437

2,484

The following log of this well, furnished by Mr. Otto Kochtitzky, 

of Cape Girardeau, varies slightly from that given by Mr. Himmelberger:

Log of well at Morehouse, New Madrid Comity.

Thickness.

Feet. 

66

40

35

9

22

65

20

22

148

269

90

Depth.

Feet. 

66

106

141

150

172

237

257

279

427

696

786

NEW MADRID.

A well was sunk at New Madrid by the Mississippi River Commission in 1881. About 20 borings were made in the vicinity, two of 

which extended to a depth of over 200 feet, but none of them resulted 

in flowing wells. Mr. Henry Moss, who was a member of the Commission, stated that a great many wells were sunk all along the river 

from Listers Island, 20 miles north of New Madrid, to Fort Pillow,

« Expressed in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic form and 

parts per million at the United States Geological Survey.
NEW MADBID AND PEMFSCOT COUNTIES. 177

near Osceola, 90 miles south of New Madrid. Most of these were 

about 200 feet deep, and none of them less than 125 feet. Whenever 

these drill holes penetrated through the clay layer into the deep sand, 

water and sand would shoot up to a height of 30 or 40 feet in the 

pipe, the sand clogging the pipe in the bottom. The following is 

the log of well No. 9, a at New Madrid, which was begun about 12 

feet above high-water mark:

, Log of well near New Madrid, New Madrid Cdnnty.

Alluvium and possibly some Lafayette (64.3 feet) :

Lagrange (149.7 feet) :

Clay........:.................................................................

Sand, yellowish and reddish, interstratified with thin layers of yellowish

Thickness.

Feet. 

4

31.6

9.4

19.3

5

17.3

24.3

20.3

40.2

10. S

17.6

1.4

13

Depth.

Feet. 

4

35.6

45

64.3

69.3

86.6

110.9

131

171.2

182

199.6

201

214

.Another well sunk to a depth of 207 feet had a similar section. A 

strong body of water was found in the lowest gravel, below 192 feet.

PEMISCOT COUNTY.

CAEUTHEESVILLE.

The city waterworks well at Caruthersville, Pemiscot County, is 

located in sec. 13, T. 18, R. 12; depth, 428 feet; altitude above tide, 

280 feet; casing, 5-inch to bottom; temperature of water, 60° F.; date 

of completion, March, 1903; drillers, Johnson & Fleming, Memphis, 

Term.; cost, with pumping machinery, $2,500. Water was struck at 

25 feet, but the principal supply was found at 268 feet, from which the 

water rose within 10 feet of the surface. It is pumped into a standpipe 100 feet high by two Gardner pumps and distributed by 4 A miles 

of 4, 6, and 8 inch mains. The pressure is 75 pounds, which may be 

increased to J20 pounds for fire purposes. A daily consumption of 

500,000 gallons does not affect the supply. The water contains a large 

amount of iron and is objectionable to some on account of the yellow 

precipitate. The mouth of the well is 25 feet above Mississippi River, 

just north of the city, and the water level is influenced by the rise and 

fall of the river, although it is normally higher than he river level.

Miss. River Comm. Rept. of Progress, 1881, p. 180.
178 UNDERGBOTJND WATEES OF MISSOUEI.

Two analyses of the water from this well have been made. The one 

here given was furnished by Doctor Byers, mayor of the city, who 

has also supplied other valuable data in rejgard to this region:

Sanitary analysis of Caruihersville city water.

[Analyst, Pr. K. B. H. Gradwohl,; St. Louis.]

Parts per million. 

Nitrogen as f ree ammonia ........ 0. 06

Nitrogen as albuminoid ammonia.. . 082 

Nitrogen as nitrites............. 0

Nitrogen as nitrates.............. .22

Parts per million. 

Oxygen Consumed ............... 2. 5

Ohlorine. .............4.......... 6

Alkalinity...................... 100

Total solids................... 120

The test for iron shows but a trace about 3 parts per million. This represents a 

fairly good drinking water.

The amount of iron given in this analysis is manifestly incorrect. 

The water probably stood for some time, which allowed the iron to 

precipitate. Doctor Byers states that another analysis, now lost, 

gave over 34 parts of iron per million.

A well at the oil mill in Caruthersville, 385 feet deep, furnishes water 

that is apparently of the same character as that from the preceding 

well and is used for steam purposes.

The ice-factory well was first sunk to the depth of 715 feet. The 

casing was afterwards pulled up and a strainer put on at 416 feet, 

much better water being obtained. The log of the well given befow 

is furnished by Mr. W. B. Johnson, who states that the formations in 

all the Caruthersville wells are uniform:

Log of ice-factory well, Caruthersville, Pemiscot County.

Rand and gravel, practically same as river sand- (gravel mostly large) ...........

Thickness.

Feet. 

19

154 

32

175

335

Depth.

Feet. 

19

173 

205

380

715

Mr. Johnson states that drilling was stopped in this gray sand at 715 

feet, and that as no change was found the pipe was pulled back and 

the strainer put on at 416 feet. The well yields 400 gallons per minute 

by pumping.

RIPLEY COUNTY.

NAYLOR.

A deep well is reported near Naylor, Ripley County, in sec. 33, T. 22, 

R. 4 E., on the property of the Doniphan Lumber Company. This 

was sunk to a depth of 990 feet. The log was not preserved. An 

abundance of water was found all the way down, and all efforts to 

case it off proved futile. The well was drilled for gas. When it was 

abandoned the water stood at the surface.
SOUTHEASTERN SWAMP DISTRICT. 179 

SCOTT COUNTY.

In the northeast corner of the public square in Benton, in sec. 13 , 

T. 28, R. 13 E., is a well owned by the county. Depth, 1,500 feet; 

altitude above tide, 470 feet; casing, 6-inch, to 160 feet; temperature 

of water, 60° F.; of air, 80° F.; elate of completion, December, 1904; 

driller, Charles S. Wise, St. Louis; cost, with pumping machinery, 

$10,000. This well was put down by the county court in order to 

provide water for the court-house and jail. Benton is situated 

more than 100 feet above the level of the swamp country an isolated 

elevation that was formerly joined to Crowleys Ridge. The principal supply'of water was found between 1,200 and 1,500 feet. One 

of the very interesting peculiarities of this well is the fact that though 

drilling was very hard between the limits just mentioned, not more 

than a quart of the cuttings could be secured. The water supply 

seems to come from crevices in the rock, and the last cuttings obtained 

were from a depth of 1,440 feet, though the well is 1,500 feet deep. 

Evidently a very large body of water flowing through these crevices 

carried off the drillings. This strong flow is from the north toward 

the artesian basin, as is shown by the dip of the rocks in. the surrounding region a significant fact, that is again referred to on page 173. 

Other water-bearing beds were found at depths of 150, 180, 480, and 

600 feet. The water stands in the well at about 120 feet from the 

surface, and a 4-inch pump, worked continuously for three days, did 

not affect the level.

The writer is indebted to Mr. Albert De Reign, water commissioner 

of Scott County, for a carefully kept record of this well, for samples 

of drillings, and for much information resulting from his close observation of artesian conditions in this locality. With reference to the 

height of the water in this well, he states that the tubing, with a rubber packer, was first inserted at 600 feet. It was then raised and a 

test made at every joint, i. e., every 20 feet, resulting in no perceptible 

difference in the height of the water. Then 1,460 feet of 2-inch 

tubing was inserted in the same way. At this depth the packer was 

sprung and all water from above satisfactorily cut off. After about 

thirty minutes a test was made with a plumb line and the height of 

the water carefully measured, both in the interior of the 2-inch tubing 

and on the outside. This test showed that the water had risen 10 

feet. Similar tests were then made as the tubing was raised at intervals of 20 feet. At no joint, however, did the water rise higher than 

at the 1,460-foot level. The present depth of water from the surface 

is the same as when the first test was made, viz, 120 feet. It was 

very difficult to control the water above 1,460 feet, from the fact that 

there were several perpendicular and diagonal crevices, as well as
180 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

cavities, leaving no smooth wall against which the packer at the end 

of the tube could find lodgment to conipletely shut off other water.

From samples of drillings that were carefully preserved by Mr. 

De Reign and sent to the writer, the following log of the well is given. 

It is noticeable that no sandstone occurs below 475 feet, which 

makes it very difficult to correlate the section. It is very probable, 

however, that sandstone beds may have occurred, the drillings from 

which were washed away in the last 300 feet, as already suggested.

Log of well at Benton, Scott County.

Thickness.

Tertiary (158 feet):

Iron ore, yellow bowlders, soft .........

Quicksand and metamorphic sandstone 

"Richmond" and Kimmswick ? (272 feet):

Limestone, brown, medium; strong ode 

Limestone, brown-buff, medium, with s 

St. Peter sandstone (45 feet):

Jefferson City limestone (225 feet) :

Trenton limestone, brown, medium; ga

"Gypsum" (caleite?), white, soft; here 

within 100 feet of top. ... .............

Roubidoux and Gasconade (540 feet ) :

Upper Elvins or lower Gasconade (200 feet i

Elvins (60 feet):

200 gallons of water per minute rose

Feet.

10 

30 

36 

9 

18

22 

50 

200

8 

9

 8

95 

30 

30

20 

5 

45

135 

195 

' 60 

82 

8 

20 

40

80 

30 

15 

50' 5 

20

60

Depth.

Feet. 

55 

65 

95 

131 

140 

158

180 

230 

430

438 

447 

475

570 

600 

630

650 

655 

700

835 

1,030 

1,090 

1,172 

1,180 

1,200 

1,240

1,320 

1.350 

1,365 

1,370 

1,420 

1,440

1,500

The last record was taken at about 1,440 feet, no drill cuttings 

being obtainable during the remaining 60 feet, although the drilling 

was hard.

A sample of the water from the Benton well was sent to Prof. Harrison Hale, of Drury College, who made a partial analysis, which is 

given below. The water was taken from the well after continuous 

pumping for three weeks.
WELLS OUTSIDE OF MISSOURI. '181

Partial analysis of water from well at Benton, Scott County, «

Parts per million.

Calcium (Ca) 6..................... 77

Sodium (Na)...................... 22

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )...... t ...... 144

Chlorine (Cl)....................... 31

Iron (Fe).......................... 0

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )............. 0

274 

Temporary hardness................ 260

Permanent hardness. 0

WELLS OUTSIDE OF MISSOURI.

CAIRO, ILL.

Several flowing wells have been sunk in the city of Cairo and immediate vicinity. The writer is indebted to Mr. Otto Kochtitzky for 

th.3 following record of the well at the Halliday Hotel:

Log of flowing well at Halliday Hotel, Cairo, III.

Thickness. Depth.

Alluvium (109 feet): Feet. \ Feet.

Sand and clay.................................. ............................. 50 50

River sand..'................................................................. 59 ; 109

Lagrange (237 feet): ; Sand and gravel.............................................................. 10 ] 119

White sand................................................................... 176 | 295

Kaolin; first artesian water at 608 feet.......................'................ 6 j 301

Gravel and sand, mixed with iron. .... ..................................... 45 340

Porters Creek (187 feet):

Yellow clay.................................................................. 5 351

Kaolin....................................................................... 27 378

Shale................................. ....................................... 155 ! 533

Ripley sands (45 feet):

Sand and cement gravel...................................................... 45 ' 578

Mississippian (276 feet): I

Flint rock............... ......................... .......................... 19 [ 597

Sand and cement gravel...................................................... 13 I 610

Flint rock.................................................................... 50 660

Sand andgravel.............................................................. 20 | 680

Gray lime rock; second artesian water at 792 fert............................ 174 j 854

HICKMAN, KY.

At Hickman, Ky., is a well 917 feet deep, owned by H. A. Tyler. 

It is 130 feet above the railroad and 133 feet above the high-watermark 

on the Mississippi River gage. The following record was furnished 

and the correlations made by Prof. L. C. Glenn, of Nashville, Term. :

Log of Tyler well, Hichnan, Ky.

Thickness. Depth.

Loess (80 feet): Feel. Ft ft. 

Yellow clay........................................... j...................... 80 RO

Lafayette (10 feet):

Soft sand..................................................................... 10 90

Lagrange (627fept):

Soft blue clay ................................................................ 460 550

Very fine sand................................................................ 6 556

Tough blue clay .............................................................. 144 700

Sand ........................................................................ 17 717

a Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey. 

&CO3 given equals 192, calculated as all CaCOs.
182 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

The section of a near-by hole, which is 850 feet deep, shows that 

the lowest sands mentioned in the above log extend to a depth of at 

least 830 feet.

DYERSBURG, TENN.

Messrs. Johnson & Fleming report the following section at Dyersburg, Tenn.:

Log of well at Dyersburg, Tenn.

Lafayette (90 feet):

Lagrange (538 feet) :

Coarse white sand, considerably lighter in color than the Memphis sand, but

Thickness.

Feet. 

42

48

430

80

Depth.

Feet. 

42

90

520

600

The elevation of the well mouth is 1 foot above high water in 

Mississippi River, 1897. The water-rose to a height of 12 feet above 

the surface and flowed 102 gallons per minute at the surface. It 

was analyzed by Dr. Felix Paquin, city chemist, Memphis, and 

pronounced very good and practically the same as the Memphis 

water, though to the writer it seemed to contain more iron.

JONESBORO, ARK.

Deep wells have been reported at Jonesboro, Ark., where it is 

said that rock was struck at ?, depth of 1,200 feet, which gives the 

depth of the embayment deposit. It is unfortunate that the logs 

were not preserved.

MARKED TREE, ARK.

At Marked Tree, Ark., is a well owned by the Chicago Mill and Lumber Company, of Blytheville, Ark. The following record is furnished 

by Mr. W. B. Johnson:

Log of wtil ct, Marked Tree, Ark.

Alluvium and Lafayette (?) (220 feet):

Lagrange formation (clay, 146 feet):

Lagrange formation (sand, 32 feet):

Thickness.

Feet. 

27

193

n

C3

71

32+

Depth.

Feet. 

27

220

232

295

366

398+
WELLS OUTSIDE OP MISSOURI. 183

This is one of three wells made by Mr. Johnson at this point, all of 

which had similar logs. When the gray sand was struck, water rose 

within 3 feet of the surface. Three gallons per minute were pumped 

on a test, this being the full capacity of the pump. The water has 

been analyzed as follows, and reported excellent, with about the same 

amount of iron as the Memphis water.

Analysis of water from fell at Marked Tree, Ark. a 

[Analyst, Felix Paquin.]

Parts permillion. 

Silica (SiO2 )........................ 2.4

Calcium (Ca)....................... 9.4

Magnesium (Mg).................. .89

Sodium (Na) ..................... 3.5

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )........... 13

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4)............ 4.7

Chlorine (Cl).................... 5.3

39.19

MEMPHIS, TENN.

At Memphis, Tenn., there are 141 artesian wells, most of them flowing, mainly connected with the city waterworks system, which is one 

of the best in the country. The following condensed information and 

log, as well as samples of drillings, were furnished by Messrs. Lanhan 

and Davis, engineers at the waterworks. Both the engineers state 

that in these wells there is a continuous flow of fine sand, brought to 

the surface by artesian pressure, from depths ranging from 450 to 600 

feet. A brass strainer, with openings one one hundred and fiftieth of 

an inch in width, is placed in the bottom of each well, and these are so 

rapidly worn by the sand that they have to be replaced in from three to 

five years, and every precaution has to be taken to keep this sand 

from the valves and piston rods of the pumps. These wells are tapped 

at depths varying from 40 to 60 feet and the water conveyed by brick 

tunnels to a central reservoir at the pumping station. It is necessary 

occasionally to clean the sand out of these tunnels. Recently one was 

found nearly filled with it. A variation of 12 feet in the level of the 

water in the wells has been noted between the wet and the dry seasons. 

The temperature of the water varies from 60° to 62° F.

The section given below is the log of the deep well on Quinby street, 

near Robinson, in which the water rises within 14 feet of the surface.

a Expressed by analyst in hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.

IRE 195 07 13
184 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Log of deep well No. 109 at Memphis, Tenn.

Loess (45.4 feet) : 

Yellow clay .......................... ... ... ... ... . . . . ...........

Slightly soft brown clay. ....................................................

Lafayette (18 feet):

Lagrange formation (clay, 213 feet ) :

Stifl blue clay . . ..............................................................

Stiff blue clay .............................................. .................

Stiff blue clay. ...............................................................

Do. ........................... .....^... ..................................

Lagrange formation (sand, 724 feet):

Porters Creek (Cretaceous) (147.55 feet):

Thickness.

Feet.

27

10

8.4

4

14

12.5

3

4.4

2.6

1

9

1.5

15.5

15.1

1

4

1.3

1

6.7

61

18

9

53

35.4

41.6

10

17

10

15

42

2.6

6.6

.8

6

2 3

17.7

25

38.2

16.8

8

o

195

17

53

31

30

24

50

25.6

.5

121.4

Depth.

Feet.

27

37

45,4

49.4

63.4

75.9

78.9

83.3

85.9

86.9

88.9

90.4

105.9

121.

122

126

127.3

128.3

135

196

214

223

276

303

338.4

380

390

407

417

432

474

476.6

483.2

484

490

492.3

510

535

573.2

590

598

600

795

812

865

896

926

950

1,000

1,025.6

1,026.1

1, 147. 5

This well was a failure, so far as obtaining a satisfactory flow of 

water was concerned, for the reason that no sand was found sufficiently 

coarse to be checked by the strainer. This unusual condition is sometimes encountered. Water flows more freely from coarse than from 

fine sand, and, furthermore, coarse sand is less likely to pass through 

the strainer than the fine, which seriously injures the pumping apparatus.

The Lagrange formation consists of intercalated irregular alternating lenses of sand and clay, the clay predominating above and the 

sand below. As a rule coarse sand is obtained in the Memphis district at depths of 350 to 560 feet. Generally the sand is finer above
WELLS OUTSIDE OF MISSOURI. 185

and below this water-bearing layer. The water company is considering the question of sinking through the Porters Creek formation, 

which is mainly clay, into the tlipley below, which is a water-bearing 

sand. The following is a summarized section of the strata in this 

southern part of the embayment:

Strat-a in embayment region in loestern Tennessee.

Lagrange formation : 

Clay.......................................^............................................

Sand ....................................................................................

Thickness.

Feet. 

15- 27

&- 40

160-200

800

250

200-300

200-350

250

The last three members of this section belong to the Cretaceous. 

The Lagrange sands outcrop in the Tennessee hills east of Memphis 

and form the catchment basin for the greater part of this area. The 

main source of water in this belt is the bed near the middle or base of 

the Lagrange sands. The water here is very pure, while farther west 

and northwest it becomes less so, being impregnated with iron and, 

in some places, with sulphur. At Jackson, Miss., a stronger flow of 

still purer water was struck, which comes, it is stated, from the Ripley 

sands below the Lagrange. The engineers at Memphis are confident 

that a better quality and a stronger flow of water are characteristic of 

the Ripley.

It is interesting to note in the above summary the alternation of 

the impervious beds with the water bearers. The loess and the 

Lagrange, Porters Creek, and Selma clays alternate with the porous 

Lafayette gravel and Lagrange, Ripley, and Eutaw sands. It is 

stated that the water from the Eutaw is always impure. The water 

derived from these different formations is purer in proportion to the 

nearness of the well to the catchment basin.

MISSISSIPPI COUNTY, ARK.

The following analyses of water from shallow driven wells in Mississippi County, Ark., were furnished by Mr. W. B. Beckman, manager 

of the Chicago Mill and Lumber Company, of Blytheville, Ark. They 

are valuable in that they show the uniform character of the water 

throughout this part of the embayment region. The wells are located 

in sec. 9, T. 14, R. 9, at the foot of Big Lake.
186 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Analysis of water from 30-foot well near Big Lake, Arkansas .a

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2 )...................... 40

Iron and alumina oxides (Fe3O3 -fA13O3)........................... 1.5

Calcium (Ca)...................... 12

Magnesium (Mg)................... 3.4

Sodium (Na)6..................... 8. 2

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )............ 17.

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )............ 24

Chlorine (Cl)...................... .7

Loss, etc.......................... .8

113.9

Parts per million. 

Free ammonia................. '.... 0.04

Albuminoid ammonia............. .06

Nitrogen as nitrates...............Trace.

Nitrogen as nitrites............... 0

Chlorine as chlorides.............. 7.26

Oxygen consumed................. 2

Appearance, good. 

Color, none. 

Odor, none.

Appearance of residue, white; no color on 

heating.

This water is considerably better than the average for use in a steam boiler. It will, 

of course, deposit some scale, which is prone to be quite hard, etc. There is a very 

slight tendency to corrosion.

From a sanitary point of view the above analysis shows this water to be of a sufficient 

purity to warrant its use as a drinking water.

Analysis of water from 40-foot driven well near Big Lake, Arkansas. a

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2).................... 38

Iron and alumina oxides (Fe2O3+ 

AlaO3)......................... 4.8

Calcium (Ca).................... 22

Magnesium (Mg)................. 5.8

Sodium (Na)&................... 9

Carbonate radicle (CO3 )........... 41

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )........... 21

Chlorine (Cl)..................... 7

Loss, etc......................... 1.6

150.2

Parts per million. 

........ 0. 04

........ .05

Free ammonia ......

Albuminoid ammonia .

Nitrogen as nitrates. ............ Trace.

Nitrogen as nitrites. ............. 0

Chlorine as chlorides. .......... 7. 26

Oxygen consumed. . ............. 1. 8

Appearance, slightly turbid. 

Color, none. 

Odor, none.

Appearance of residue, white; no color 

on heating.

The action of the water when used in a steam boiler will be of the same nature as 

that from the 30-foot well, but the amount of scale formation will be about 38 per 

cent greater in quantity.

As regards the use of this sample for drinking purposes it is equally as good as the 

sample from the 30-foot well. While the sample is slightly turbid, it is due to a 

slight amount of mineral matter in suspension and in no way affects the quality. 

While the analysis shows a very slight difference, the two samples are virtually the 

same from a sanitary standpoint.

« Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey. 

b Sodium and potassium calculated as sodium.
DEIFT-WELL DISTEICT. 187

TERRELL, ARK.

In sec. 29, T. 9, R. 8, is a well owned by the Baker Lumber Company. It was sunk in 1901 and cased with 6-inch casing to 86 feet 

and 4-inch casing to the bottom. The water, which is warm, rises 

within 12 feet of the surface. The following log was furnished by 

Mr. W. B. Johnson:

Log of well at Terrell, Ark.

Alluvium and Lafayette (182 feet) :

Lagrange formation (clay, 658 feet) : 

Blue clay with enough fine sand to make sinking by hydraulic process easy;

Lagrange formation (sand, 24 feet) :

Thickness.

Feet. 

16

166

658

24

Depth.

Feet. 

16

182

840

864

When drilling in this well was stopped at 864 feet it was still in 

sand. The water has been analyzed and found excellent, with a little 

more iron than the Memphis water.

DRIFT-WELL DISTRICT.

Wells that obtain water from the drift are numerous in Iowa, 

Illinois, and the other Northern States, but have few representatives 

in Missouri, and these are almost entirely confined to the northwest 

corner of the State.

ATCHISON COUNTY.

Tarkio is situated in the extreme northwestern part of the State, 

on Tarkio Creek. In May, 1890, a company was organized for the 

purpose of obtaining a city water supply, and later a number of 

wells were sunk in the district. The first one of these was put down 

at the edge of town, in sec. 14, T. 65, R. 40. Owner, Tarkio Water 

and Electric Light Company; depth, 210 feet; altitude above tide, 

943 feet; casing, 8-inch; flow, strong; date of completion, May, 1890; 

driller, John Kain.

The following log of this well was furnished by Prof. J. C. Adair, 

of Tarkio College, to whom the writer is also indebted for the table 

of wells on page 190 and for partial water analyses, many of them 

made especially for this report.
188 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Log of Tarkio Water and Electric Light Company-well (No. 11), Tarkro, Atchison County.

Rock...........

Thickness.

Feet. 

30

40

100

10

10

20

Depth.

Feet. 

30

70

170

180

190

210

The water from this well flows in a stream from an 8-inch pipe 6 

feet above the ground, and is conveyed to a reservoir 30 feet in diameter and 30 feet deep. Thence it is forced by a Dean surface pump, 

with a capacity of 1,000,000 gallons per day, to a standpipe 50 feet 

high and 12 feet in diameter, which stands on a hill 100 feet above 

the well. There is a normal pressure of 75 pounds from the standpipe 

and a fire pressure of 150 pounds. The well is also provided with a 

Cook deep-well pump of the same capacity. The water is hard, clear, 

and cold. The flow from the pipe varies a little, being not quite as 

strong now as it was at first. Other wells sunk at a lower level 

have to a slight degree lessened its head. A surface well 40 feet 

deep was also sunk by this company into the bowlder stratum given 

in the log. A feeble flow was obtained from this well, and the water 

is softer and better suited for boiler purposes. The population of 

Tarkio is 2,500, and it is estimated that the water supply is sufficient 

for a city of 10,000. At present the city uses about 150,000 gallons 

per day.

There seem to be two aquifers or water bearers in this district. 

The upper one varies from 7 to 10 feet in thickness and is usually 

found at a depth of 40 to 60 feet. It consists of either rounded 

bowlder material or gray, sharp, angular, coarse sand. The water 

from this bed is soft and is excellent for boiler use. The bed is 

usually overlain by 25 to 40 feet of yellow clay, forming the impervious layer.

The main water-bearing stratum and the one having the strongest 

pressure is a bed of 20 feet or more of sand which is made up of 

rounded grains and is called the " artesian sand." This is overlain by 

an impervious layer of dark-blue clay from 140 to 160 feet thick, 

the lower half of which contains small round pebbles the size of 

walnuts and numerous pockets of sand.

Tarkio Valley is from 2 to 3 miles wide and is inclosed by low, 

rounded hills which rise from 50 to 100 feet above Tarkio Creek, a 

rapid stream that frequently overflows its low banks. The channel 

has been straightened through the town, where it is confined to a deep 

ditch running between dikes, which partially control the floods. 

When visited in July, 1904, the whole valley was sodden with water
ATCHISON COUNTY. 189

R.4-0 W

as a result of long-continued rains. The cornfields were swamps, 

although miles of drainage tiles had been laid through them. This 

condition certainly suggests that the 

water must rise from the first sand 

layer under such pressure as to keep 

the land unusually damp.

Fig. 6 shows the location of the wells 

referred to in the accompanying table. 

They extend for a distance of 14 

miles, beginning 5 miles north of 

Tarkio and continuing for 9 miles 

south, to Fairfax. Mr. James Chambers, who has sunk some wells in this 

region, states that there is apparently 

an ancient buried channel in this valley and that the flow in this channel 

is from the northwest. He has noted 

that in sinking wells on the extreme 

sides of the valley only 2 or 3 feet of 

the "artesian sand" were passed 

through, while nearer the center of 

the valley this sand layer is 40 or more 

feet thick. Mr. Chambers states that 

in drilling these wells he uses an auger 

and that frequently good veins of water are found in the yellow clay. If 

such a vein is tapped there is no necessity of going deeper, as a shallow 

well of living water is thus assured. 

Wells bored in this way are quickly 

and cheaply obtained, 80 to 90 feet being the maximum day's work.

The following is the log of well No. 17, a salt well:

Log of Rarikin well (No. 17), Tarkio, Atchison County.

FIG. 6. Map showing location of the Tarkio 

artesian wells, Atchison County.

Blue clay ................................... . . .............

Thickness.

Feet. 

30

40

110

15

10

15

50

Depth.

Feet. 

30

70

180

195

205

220

270

This well contains 5,400 parts of chlorine per million, while well No. 

11, 2 miles to the north, gave only 111 parts, and Nos. 15 and 16, a 

little over a mile to the northeast, 128 and 120 parts, respectively. 

Well No. 18, at Fairfax, is also a salt well, with about 5,400 parts of 

chlorine per million, or about 3 ounces of salt to the gallon.

The accompanying table, prepared by Prof. J. C. Adair, gives condensed data in regard to the wells of this district:
Statistics of well in TarJcio district, Atchiso

No. in 

fig. 6.

1

2

3 

4 

5

6

7

8 

9 

10 

11

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19

Owner of land.

B. J. Jones.......... . 

D. West.............

E. Lindstrom... .....

Stevenson & McPherson. 

G. D. Gordon........

Tarkio Water and 

Electric Light Co. » 

Dr. S. R. Andes. .....

W. 8. Wood.........

.....do...............

W. P. Green.........

Tarkio Water and 

Electric Light Co. a

Driller.

R. C. Van Leuvan.. 

.....do..............

.....do.............. 

.....do..............

.....do..............

.....do..............

.....do..............

. ....do. ........ ....:

R. C. Van Leuvan. .

R. C. Van Leuvan.. 

Jas. Chambers. .....

Location.

Township.

66 

66 

6li 

65 

65 

65 

65

fi.5 

65 

65 

65

65 

65 

65 

65 

65 

65 

64

Range.

40 

40 

40 

40 

40 

40 

40

40 

40 

40 

40

40 

40 

40 

40 

40 

40 

40

Section.

23 

36 

36

2

2 

1 

3

10 

12 

11 

14

14 

23 

24 

25

26 

34

22

Elevation of 

well 

mouth

(feet).

933 

925 

925 

921 

920 

920 

925

917 

915 

915 

943

913 

905 

905 

901 

900 

896 

876 

943

Date 

drilled.

1894 

July, 1894

July, 1901

1893

1891 

May, 18BO

May, 1891

Sept. 1890 

Mar. 1891 

June, 1891

Depth

(feet).

130

140 

140

143

148 

165 

210

175

170 

170 

220

40

(

p

Surface well; used for boiler supply, also by l
ATCHISON COUNTY. 191

The diameter of all these wells is 3 inches, with the exception of 

No. 11, which is 8 inches. The temperature of the water is 12° C.

Several of the wells flowed for a short time, but when others were 

put down they ceased to flow and are now being pumped. The depth 

to the " artesian sand " seems to increase to the south. In well No. 14, 

in the extreme eastern part of the basin, rock was reached without 

finding the sand. To the west the surface is much higher, and 

though the sand is reached the wells do not flow. Seven miles west of 

Tarkio, at Rockport, a well was drilled to a depth of 700 feet without 

finding water. It is probable that the western side of the buried 

channel is but a few miles west of Tarkio Creek. This ancient channel was undoubtedly cut during the extension and retreat of one of the 

great northern ice sheets. The vast quantity of water set free by the 

melting front of this ice sheet found its outlet through the valleys 

toward the south, in which they left their load of sand and gravel. 

These deposits were in turn covered by impervious clays from the 

moraines of subsequent ice sheets, a condition which probably 

occurred more than once.

Professor Adair has called attention to the large amount of ammonia, both free and albuminoid, contained in the waters of these 

wells. It is also interesting to note the great variation in the composition of water in wells very near to each other, a fact to which 

attention has already been called. A series of partial analyses made 

by Professor Adair shows a constant variation of ammonia in the 

same well during a period of years. So excessive an amount of 

albuminoid ammonia as is contained in some of these wells would 

ordinarily condemn the water at once as being subject to sewage 

contamination; but there could be no possibility of such contamination in this district, and it is a well-established fact that many 

other drift wells contain large amounts of this substance. Norton 0 

mentions its occurrence in the waters of the drift wells of Iowa, and 

suggests several theories for its presence. One of these theories is 

that these artesian waters were originally storm and surface waters, 

which have taken ammonia from the atmosphere and soil and kept 

it imprisoned in these basins. Another and a more probable hypothesis is that the ammonia originated from the decomposition and 

breaking up of the fossil organic remains contained in these sedimentary deposits. Just as the ammonia of commerce is manufactured 

from the products resulting from the distillation of coal, so it is possible that the ammonia in the water may be derived from the nitrogen 

of the lignite and carbonaceous shales which are so often present in 

the drift a view which, according to Norton, is supported by the 

association of the ammonia with the hydrogen sulphide of these 

waters.

oNorton, W. H., Artesian wells of Iowa: Ann. Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 6,1897, pp. 358-361.
192 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

A well not far from the salt well at Fairfax is highly charged with 

iron and sulphur.

HOLT COUNTY.

MOUND CITY.

In sec. 29, T. 62, R. 38, on the farm of James A. Vandeventer, is 

a shallow well flowing about 3 gallons per minute, with no apparent 

variation. The water is clear, cold, and soft, with some iron, and 

leaves a reddish coating on pipes and ground. It is derived from a 

sand layer under a blue clay. It is highly esteemed as a chalybeate 

water. An artificial lake and a grove of native forest trees render 

the locality of the well an attractive pleasure ground.

CITY WATER SUPPLIES.

GENERAL DISCUSSION. 

SOUECE OF SUPPLY.

The tendency toward the concentration of population in cities and 

towns has caused a growth that has outdistanced all calculations 

made when most waterworks systems were originally established. 

Moreover, the increase in the per capita use of water has been very 

great and cities are everywhere forced to seek new sources of supply. 

Lakes, rivers, and springs have heretofore been the main dependence; but these are so generally becoming polluted by sewage, manufacturing wastes, and in other ways, that the problem of pure water 

is yearly more and more serious.

This problem is more difficult of solution for the larger cities 

because of the thickly settled districts which surround them. New 

York City consumes 340,000,000 gallons of water per day. An 

increase in population of 100,000 per year, which has been the case 

for the last decade, means necessarily a large addition to the water 

supply in order to keep pace with such tremendous growth. This 

city is now looking to the Catskill Mountains as apparently the only 

available source from which the present supply can be increased. 

To bring the water of this distant region to the doors of the New 

York consumers will entail an expenditure of $150,000,000. The 

present system has already cost $100,000,000.

The problem is even more serious for some foreign cities. Paris 

has for many years taken from the Seine water for all purposes, but 

now finds it suitable for street sprinkling and industrial uses only. 

Other cities of France have secured control of all the available mountain lakes and streams, leaving the capital to contemplate the advisability of establishing filtration plants to make possible the use of the 

sewage-laden river water.
CITY WA.TEE SUPPLIES. 193

Many cities, apparently ideally located so far as water supply is 

concerned, have difficulties to overcome. Chicago, for example, 

situated on a great fresh-water lake, has had to expend millions of 

dollars, not only in extending the intake of its water supply farther 

into the lake, but also in building a great drainage canal to carry 

into the Mississippi River the sewage that would otherwise pollute 

the water.

Cleveland has been compelled to go far toward the center of Lake 

Erie for an intake free from pollution. Philadelphia, procuring water 

from Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, which are badly polluted, as is 

shown by the epidemics of typhoid fever so common in that city, is 

now planning to spend $20,000,000 in the construction of a sand 

filtration plant for the purification of this water.

London, England, has under consideration a project for bringing 

from Wales water sufficiently pure for drinking purposes, and Manchester obtains its supply from the lakes of Scotland.

Many southern cities are largely dependent on cisterns for water for 

domestic purposes. These cisterns are open to contamination from 

many sources and can not be considered suitable for a permanent 

supply.

ARTESIAN WATER AS A SOURCE OF SUPPLY.

As a knowledge of the dangers existing in natural water supplies is 

more widely disseminated, the advisability of seeking in deep wells a 

source of city water is being more seriously considered. Some degree 

of uncertainty is connected with the sinking of such wells, not only as 

regards the quantity of water to be obtained, but also with respect to 

the quality. Both of these questions are geologic in their nature and 

can be intelligently considered only in the light of a knowledge of the 

structure of'the rocks which underlie the region and of the nature of the 

water which characterizes the different geologic formations. It is one 

purpose of this report to show, so far as available knowledge of the 

stratigraphy and geologic structure of Missouri goes, the possibility 

of obtaining in various localities not only flowing wells, but also a sufficient quantity of wholesome water from deep, nonflowing wells.

The city of Memphis, Term., has solved its own water problem in a 

highly satisfactory manner. Formerly having one of the highest 

death rates in the country, and frequently visited by terrible epidemics of cholera and yellow fever, it is now one of the healthiest cities 

in the United States; and it is not saying too much to claim that this 

new sanitary condition is largely the direct result of the development 

of a magnificent system of artesian wells.
194 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP MISSOURI.

CHARACTERISTICS THAT AFFECT THE VALUE OF WATER FOR PUBLIC SUPPLY.

The value of water for a public supply may be discussed under two 

heads: (1) Its potability; (2) its suitability for domestic and manufacturing purposes.

POTABILITY.

A drinking water may be injurious from two causes from the 

amount of injurious mineral constituents, and from pathogenic bacteria. A good drinking water should be clear and palatable, and 

should not have an excess of such mineral matter as the salts of lime 

and magnesia, which are claimed by many to produce or aggravate such 

diseases as rheumatism, urinary calculi, goiter, and cretinism. The 

best authorities recommend the avoidance of very hard waters by 

people over fifty years of age. The presence of iron gives a peculiar 

taste to the water, which is in such cases known as chalybeate. 

While this is not injurious to health, except when the iron is in excess 

of 1 part per million, and is often considered beneficial as a mineral 

water, it is objectionable for a public supply and general use both 

because of the taste and the fact that, on standing, a precipitate usually forms that discolors the water and the containers.

Whatever difference of opinion may exist in regard to mineral impurities, there can be no dispute concerning the danger connected with 

organic impurities existing as a result of contamination from sewage 

and many other sources. It must be made clear, however, that it is 

not the dead organic matter or sewage that renders the water dangerous, but the living pathogenic bacteria that can thrive only in 

waters containing such impurities. Typhoid fever, for example, 

often has its source in the use of polluted water. This is also believed 

to be true, to a large degree, of such diseases as cholera and dysentery. 

Abundant statistics could be given relating to the great decrease of 

these diseases in cities that have changed from a polluted to a pure 

water supply.

Great care should be taken of the water after it is derived from the 

ground, particularly in the reservoir, where it is stored to await distribution. A standpipe is far better than an open reservoir for such 

a purpose. The latter is liable to become infected "by dust, by the 

intrusion of animals, and by depredations committed by thoughtless 

or malicious individuals. Even the standpipe is not wholly free from 

contamination unless properly protected. As an illustration of this, 

it may be stated that after an outbreak of typhoid fever in one of the 

cities of a neighboring State, it was discovered that while the water 

at its source was pure, the tap water contained typhoid bacilli. An 

investigation of the standpipe, which was over 100 feet high, revealed 

the fact that it contained an accumulation of over 2 feet of dead
CITY WATER SUPPLIES. 195

English sparrows that had flown against the inner wall and had 

drowned. All standpipes should be covered with wire gauze to prevent similar pollution.

HARDNESS.

For domestic supply water should not be too hard that is, it should 

not contain too large an amount of the salts of lime, magnesia, and 

iron. If such is the case, it is objectionable for cooking purposes. 

Very hard waters are .said to affect the taste of foods cooked in them. 

If too much iron is present, it unites with the tannin of tea and coffee 

to form a black precipitate. An excess of iron is also objectionable 

for laundry use, as it is likely to form rust spots on clothing. But one 

of the most serious objections to hard water from the standpoint of 

domestic use is the large amount of soap that it requires to produce a 

lather. Turneaure and Kiissell,a quoting from Parks, state that the 

city of Glasgow, Scotland, saves $180,000 annually in the cost of soap 

used since the introduction of the soft water from Loch Katrine as a 

city supply. Soap is a combination of soda with some of the fatty 

acids. Pure water, such as rain water, dissolves soap perfectly and 

forms a lather at once. But water containing certain mineral salts in 

solution notably the carbonates and sulphates of lime, magnesium, 

and iron does not do this, because these salts form insoluble precipitates with the soap. If it takes a great deal of time to produce a 

lather with soap, the water is hard, and it will be seen that the amount 

of soap required before the water will lather gives a test of the relative 

amount of salts which cause the hardness of the water.

That quality of water called "hardness" is usually referred to as 

"total," "temporary," and "permanent," the last being, perhaps, the 

most important of the three, since it represents the sulphates, chlorides, 

and nitrates of lime and magnesia. By "total hardness" is meant the 

natural hardness of the water that is, the aggregate amount of earthy 

salts and free carbon dioxide. The "temporary hardness" is that 

which disappears on boiling, and the "permanent hardness" is that 

which is unaffected by boiling. Clark's scale of hardness is expressed 

in degrees, 1° being equivalent to the hardness produced by 1 grain of 

calcium carbonate per gallon. In American practice the hardness is 

expressed in terms of parts of calcium carbonate per million. To convert degrees of hardness to parts per million, multiply by 14.3. In a 

general way, if a water has a total hardness of less than 85 parts per 

million, it is soft; at 115 parts per million it is moderately hard; at 

230 parts per million it is very hard, and above that it is objectionable.

The waste of soap and extra labor entailed by the use of very hard 

water make the subject of hardness of very great importance. Every

a Turneaure, F. E., and Russell, H. L., Public Water Supplies, 1901, p. 143.
196 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

grain of carbonate of lime in water decomposes 10 grains of soap, and 

thus, for example, the hardening matter contained in 100 gallons of 

water such as is supplied to the city of London, where the water has 

a total hardness of 230 parts per million, will destroy 35 ounces of 

soap that is, the first 35 ounces of soap added to 100 gallons of 

water will disappear without forming any lather or having any 

cleansing effect.

For manufacturing purposes, perhaps the most important use for 

water is in the production of steam, and here the question of hardness 

is of paramount importance. The term "scale" is applied to the 

harder matter deposited on boilers from the decomposition of certain 

mineral salts. The term "sludge," or "mud," is applied to the softer 

or loose precipitates, such as calcium and magnesium carbonates. 

These form the temporary hardness of water and are, as before stated, 

more easily removed from boilers than .the scale, which represents the 

permanent hardness and is made up mainly of calcium and magnesium 

sulphates. This scale involves considerable loss of energy. It is estimated that an incrustation one-sixteenth of an inch thick, being a nonconductor of heat, causes a loss of energy of 15 to 20 per cent of the 

coal used. Waters that have a temporary hardness produce a friable 

scale that may be blown out; while those that have a high permanent 

hardness form a scale which can be removed only with great difficulty. 

This scale not only results in the loss of energy, but tends to corrode 

the iron and is frequently the cause of boiler explosions. Edwards 0 

estimates that the extra expense due to the use of hard waters on the 

railway engines of the Middle and Western States amounts to about 

$750 per year for each engine.

At a session of the American Association of Railway Chemists at 

Buffalo, N. Y., in 1887, a system of rating for boiler waters was suggested, which, as slightly modified by Norton,6 is as follows:

Ratings for boiler waters.

Eating.

(b) Good. ......................................................................

(d ) Poor .......................................................................

(el Bad. .......................................................................

Amount of incrusting 

solids.

Grains per 

gallon.

0- 8 

8-15 

15-20 

20-30 

30-40 

40+

Parts per 

million.

0- 98 

95-255 

255-340 

340-515 

515-685 

685+

a Practical Steam-Engine Guide, 1894, p. 120.

6 Norton, W. H., Artesian wells of Iowa: Ann. Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol .6, 1897, p. 406.
CITY WATER SUPPLIES. 197

The pfoblem of scale is very serious and many methods of obviating this difficulty have been proposed.a A careful quantitative analysis must always be made to determine the nature of hard water and 

the treatment necessary to render it suitable for use. In some cases 

waters that contain a large amount of scale-forming material carry 

also enough alkaline salts to supply their own remedy. In Oklahoma, as reported to the writer by Mr. C. D. Purdon, engineer of 

maintenance of way of the Frisco System, the water used to supply one 

tank contains a large amount of scale-producing salts, while that of 

another but a few miles distant contains the remedy for them, and a 

mingling of the two waters produces results so good that engineers 

find no difficulty in their use.

The mineral salts that occur in water and that are objectionable in 

the manufacture of steam are described in the following paragraphs:

Calcium carbonate is the most common form in which lime occurs. 

It is but slightly soluble in distilled water, but when carbon dioxide 

is present, as is generally the case, it is easily soluble and forms lime 

bicarbonate. Heat decomposes this lime bicarbonate in boilers, 

driving off the carbon dioxide and precipitating the lime. This 

forms a scum on the water which prevents the free escape of steam 

and, if in excess, frequently causes "foaming." It is also precipitated in the form of scale, some of which is carried by the steam into 

the piston and cylinders, where it has a most injurious effect. The 

lime does not form a hard scale unless mixed with other salts which 

cement it to the sides and flues of the boiler.

Calcium sulphate forms the hardest scale known, sometimes almost 

as hard as porcelain. When the boiler pressure is at 50 pounds, 

this substance is almost entirely precipitated from the water.

Calcium chloride is occasionally present in water. It does not 

form scale, but is highly corrosive. If lime or magnesium sulphates 

are present, under heat and pressure an interchange of acids takes 

place and calcium or magnesium sulphates, which do form a scale, 

are produced.

The action of magnesium carbonate is similar to that of calcium 

carbonate, but only the magnesium bicarbonate is soluble. It is a 

fine nonconductor of heat, for which reason it is frequently used on 

the outside of boilers and pipes.

Magnesium chloride is frequently present in water and, if in considerable amounts, is very injurious. At 310° F. it is decomposed, 

reacting, with water, to form magnesium oxide and hydrochloric 

acid, which latter corrodes the boiler, especially at the water line. 

Alien states that certain amounts of sodium chloride may prevent

« An excellent article on this subject is given by Turneaure, F. E., and Russell, H. L., Public Water 

Supplies, 1901, p. 481.
198 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

this decomposition, the two chlorides uniting to form a stable double 

salt. Norton" says:

In contact with boiler plates, calcium and magnesium carbonates of the scale are 

changed to caustic oxides by the intense heat, and, according to Lewes, if magnesium 

chloride is present the same result may be reached by reaction with calcium carbonate. So long as heated these oxides remain anhydrous, but are changed to hydrates by 

access of water on cooling.

A small amount of magnesium chloride, even a grain or two to the 

gallon, is considered objectionable in boiler waters.

Magnesium sulphate is one of the most soluble of all the mineral 

salts. In itself it does not produce scale, but when superheated in 

the presence of other lime salts it breaks up, and new and injurious 

combinations are produced.

Sodium sulphate and sodium chloride' are not scale producing, 

but are liable to produce "foaming" when present in large amounts. 

The same is true of sodium carbonate. Sodium chloride is highly 

corrosive.

Iron bicarbonate, having a weak hold on the carbon dioxide, is 

easily decomposed and forms ferrous oxide, which, uniting with oxygen and water, forms the hydrated sesquioxide, the yellow precipitate commonly noticed in chalybeate waters. Iron sulphate is 

frequently present in waters that have their source in the Pennsylvanian rocks, and it is very corrosive in boilers.

The presence of carbon dioxide, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites is 

probably objectionable, but how much so has not been fully determined. Some of these, especially the nitrates, are, without doubt, 

corrosive when present in large amounts.

Silica usually occurs in so small amounts as to be of little importance in this connection.

CITY WATER SUPPLIES IN MISSOURI.

STATISTICS.

The accompanying tables give a list, as complete as it has been 

possible to make, of the 103 cities and towns in Missouri that have a 

public water supply, with statistics relating to each and analyses of 

many of the waters. In connection with the capacity of the various 

systems, it is interesting to note the daily consumption in different 

cities and the possibilities of providing for future needs.

In preparing these tables, the writer has supplemented his own 

notes by reference to Baker's Manual of American Waterworks. 

The following table gives the per capita consumption of the largest 

cities in the world.

a Norton, W. H., Artesian wells of Iowa: Am. Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 6,1897, p. 402.
CITY WATEK SUPPLIES. 199 

Daily per capita consumption of -water in various cities.

Gallons. 

Paris.............................. 37

London........................... 45

Berlin............................. 50

Kansas City....................... SO

Gallons. 

Brooklyn........................... 90

New York......................... 125

Chicago ........................... 180

Philadelphia....................... 236

In calculating the amount of water necessary for a city supply, at 

least 100 gallons per capita per day should be estimated. In artesian districts it is very easy to estimate either the flow or the pumping capacity of wells. Norton a suggests that where a number of 

wells are sunk, they should be aligned at right angles to the dip of 

the water-bearing strata, so as to tap a larger area. The distance 

between flowing wells should be as great as is consistent with the 

other factors considered in their disposition. If the flow is weak, 

"shooting" will frequently increase the pressure.

a Norton, W. H., Artesian wells of Iowa: Ann. Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 6, 1897, p. 410. 

IEB 195 07 14
Statistics of city waterworks in Missouri, a

City.

Bolivar............

Brookfleld .........

Butler.............

Cape Girardeau. . . . 

Carrollton .........

Carterville. 6 .......

Caruthersville ..... 

Charleston.........

Clarence. ..........

County.

Polk............ 

St. Francois....

Pike............

Cape Girardeau. 

Carroll.........

Mississippi .....

Shelby..........

Population 

(1900) .

2,025 

6,191 

2,093 

1,869 

4,500 

4,377

1,902 

5,484

1,403

3,158

2,979 

2,365 

4,815

9,4i6 

2,315

1,893 

6,905

1,184 

5,061

5,651

588

889 

5,611

1,862

Source.

Well.......:......

Creek

Big run........... 

Missouri River. . . .

Well..............

Pond for drainage.

Mississippi River. 

Driven well. ......

River and wells. . . 

Well..............

Artesian wells. . . .

Well..............

Well..............

Date .es-tablished.

1892

1894 

1894

1887 

1883

1890 

1894 

1891

1895

1888

188°

1903

1887

1886 

1893

Cost.

$79,000 

30,000 

11,267

"""89," 500

33,500 

13,500 

75,000

30,000

26,000

225,000

93,000

System.

Pump to reservoir 

and standpipe; 

gravity.

Pump to standpipe 

and direct pressure. 

Pump to standpipe 

and direct. 

Pump to reservoir 

and standpipe and 

direct .

Pump to standpipe 

and direct .

Pump to standpipe 

and direct. 

.....do................

Pump to standpipe 

and direct.

Pump to standpipe 

and direct. 

Pump direct from 

ponded reservoir. 

Windmill, tanks, and 

mains.

Windmill and direct 

pressure.

n

P
Excelsior Springs.. 

Farmington .......

Ferguson ..........

Holden............

Huntsville.........

Jefferson City......

Kansas City and 

Westport.

Lamar. ............

Lexington .........

Clay............ 

St. Francois....

St . Louis .......

Worth.........

Bandolph ......

Cape Girardeau. 

Cole............

Clark...........

Barton. ........

Lafayette ......

1,881

1,778 

2,717

1,015 

4,883

1,780 

1,672

1,406 

12,780 

1,575 

1,151 

2,791

2,126 

1,805

6,974

1,658 

9,664

2,623 

1,818 

163, 752 

5,966

2, 825 

2,737 

2,125

4,190

Deep well (not 

used.)

Well..............

Missouri River . . .

Well..............

Mississippi River.

Deep well

Ponded reservoir.

Missouri River . . .

Missouri River . . .

Deep well (509) . . . 

Missouri River. . .

Deep well (1,300 

feet) and Chariton River.

Creek. ............

Artesian well 

(1,000). 

Missouri River . . .

cl903

1889

1895

1896 

1880

1891

1887

1884

1888

1880

1902 

1873

1894 

<*1903

1890

1885

10,000

7,500 

172,000

15,000 

65,000

100,000

140,000

185,000? 

3,000? 

3,000,000? 

60,000

100,000?

Filter and pump to 

reservoir.

Pump to standpipe; 

system of shallow 

weirs being developed.

Gravity to reservoir 

and direct pumping.

Pump to standpipe 

and direct.

Pump to reservior....

Pump to reservoir 

and direct. 

Pump to standpipe 

and direct.

Pump to settling 

basin and thence to 

standpipe. 

Standpipe and direct. 

Pump to reservoir 

and thence to 

standpipe. 

Pump to reservoir and 

direct.

Pump to reservoir. . . .

Pump to reservoirs 

and repumping direct.

.....do................

.....do................

Pump to settling 

tanks and thence to 

stand pipe.

a This table has been compiled from notes obtained by the writer from Baker's Manual of American Wa

6 See Webfo City. 

c Incomplete. 

& In progress.
Statistics of city waterworks in Missouri Co

City.

Marshall ...........

Meramec Highlands

Montgomery City. . Mound City.. ...... 

Mount Vernon .....

Oregon ............

Pacific.............

County.

Pike............

Saline..........

Montgomery . . . 

Holt............

Holt............

St. Clair. .......

Franklin .......

Population 

(1900).

5,131 

4,068 

1,462

5,086 

4,577

2, 195 

110

5,099

8,012 

3,115

2,026 

1,681 

1,206

2,725 

7,461

1,032 

1,037

830 

1,213

Source.

Mississippi River 

Chariton River. ..

Wells.............

One Hundred and 

Two River.

Meramec River. ..

Artificial lake and 

deep well (1,000 

feet).

Ponded creek and 

two deep wells 

(500 feet). 

Well.....:........

Wells.............

Deep wells and 

Marmaton 

River. 

Well..............

Meramec River...

Date es-tablished.

.1888 

1891 

al897

1885 

1886

1893

1885

1885 

1892

1897 

1891 

1885

Cost.

30,000

85,000 

140,000

13, 000 

80, 000

100,000? 

15,000

14,000 

15,040 

50,000 

150,000?

22,000

& 15, 000

System.

Pump to reservoir 

and direct gravity. 

Direct pumping from 

ponded reservoir.

Pump from river to 

reservoir and thence 

to standpipe and direct gravity.

Pump to tank and direct. 

Pump to reservoir and 

direct.

Pumps. ....... ......

Standpipe ............

Pump to standpipe. . . 

.....do................

Pump to reservoir and 

direct.

Pump to tower and 

tank.

n

P
Vpriffi

Prfneeton .......... 

Rich Hill..........

Richmond .........

St. Charles.........

St. Louis..........

QlQi-ar

Unionville .........

Webb City and 

Carterville.

Webster Grove. . . . Westport <*.........

Mercer. .........

Ray............

St. Charles .....

St. Louis.......

Putnani ........

Johnson ........

St. Louis.......

Howell .........

1,397

931 

2,151 

4,321

1,575 

4,053

3,478

1,080

7,982

102,979

575,238 

15,231

2,502 

23, 267 

2,654

714 

1,080 

1,901

5,396

744

2,050 

750 

4,724 

3,015

J 9,201 

1 4,445

1,895

1,078

Well..............

Driven wells ......

Missouri River . . . 

.....do............

Mississippi River. 

Artesian wells....

Deep well (650 

feet).

Artesian well. ....

Grand River and 

wells. 

Bornbois River . . .

Springs........... 

Missouri River. . .

Well..............

1888 

1895 

1896 

1883

1897

1892

1881

1880

1831 

1871

1883 

1893

1891

1886 

1896

1897 

1894 

1894

1889

1890

1891 

1890

23,000

45,230 

25,000 

16,500 

130,000?

42, 102

17,000 

80,000

13,345,000 

578,000

475,000

78,200 

10,000

15,000 

30,000? 

150,000? 

65,000

150,000

( c)

16,000

voir and standpipe 

direct. 

Standpipe and direct 

pressure.

Gravity to standpipe.

Pump from river to 

weU and direct 

pumping. 

Pump to reservoir and 

standpipe. 

Pump to standpipe. . . 

Pump to settling 

tanks and thence to 

standpipe and direct.

Reservoirs and standpipes. 

Pump to standpipe 

and to reservoir.

Pump to reservoir and 

tanks.

Pump to standpipe 

and direct. 

.....do................

Pump to reservoir 

and direct.

Pump to settling reservoir and thence to 

standpipe and direct. 

{Gravity to well and] 

then pumped to> 

standpipe. J

Open for bids. b Estimated. c In Kansas C
204 TINDERGKOUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

ANALYSES OF WATERS OF PUBLIC SUPPLIES.

ANALYSIS 1. Aurora city water, January 15, 1904- a

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2)..................... 8. 2

Iron (Fe)....................... .86

Aluminum (Al).................. .08

Calcium (Ca)..................... 54

Magnesium (Mg)................ 2. 5

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ).......... 26

Chlorine (Cl).................... 3. 5

95.14

Parts per million. 

Residue on evaporation.......... 100

Residue on ignition.............. 91.8

Free ammonia................... .16

Albuminoid ammonia............ .15

Nitrogen as nitrates............. .23

Nitrogen as nitrites.............. 0

Oxygen consumed............... 3.04

Color, very clear. 

Odor, none.

ANALYSIS 2. Bowling Green city 'Water, January 17, 1904 (partial analysis).

Parts per million. 

Residue on evaporation........ .. 572

Residue on ignition.............. 409

Free ammonia................... .08

Albuminoid ammonia............ .15

Nitrogen as nitrates............. 12

Nitrogen as nitrites.............. Trace.

Oxygen consumed............... 2

Color, clear. 

Odor, none.

ANALYSIS 3. Brool-field city water (open -well), March 12, 1904.a

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2K. -......-......----- 4

Iron (Fe)..................

Aluminum (Al) . ............

Chlorine (Cl).. .............

..... 1.6

. . . . . .37

..... 114

. . . . . 36

. . . . . 48

. . . . . 49

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2 )..................... 17

Iron (Fe)....................... 1.9

Aluminum (Al).................. .15

Calcium (Ca)................... 6.8

Magnesium (Mg)................ 14

Sulphate radicle (SO4)........... 59

Chlorine (Cl).................... 17

115. 85

Parts per million. 

Residue on evaporation. ....... 417

Residue 011 ignition............. 396

Free ammonia.................. .12

Albuminoid ammonia........... .22

Nitrogen as nitrates............ .5

Nitrogen as nitrites............. . 018

Oxygen consumed.............. 3.2

Color, none. 

Odor, none.

ANALYSIS 4. Cairollton rity water, April 7, 1904. a

 Parts per million. 

Total residue after evaporation... 450 

Oxygen consumed............... 7. 95

Free ammonia................... .24

Albuminoid ammonia............ .18

Parts per million. 

Nitrogen as nitrates............. 0.35

Nitrogen as nitrites.............. .05

Color, slightly amber. 

Odor, none.

ANALYSIS 5. Carthage city water, March 7, 1904- a

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2 )..................... 16

Iron (Fe)....................... 2.4

Aluminum (Al).................. .1

Calcium (Ca)................... 50

Magnesium (Mg)................ 4.2

Sulphate radicle (S O4 )........... 25

Chlorine (Cl) ................... 4. 2

Parts per million. 

Residue on evaporation........ . 178

Residue on ignition............. 166

Free ammonia.................. .05

Albuminoid ammonia........... .17

Nitrogen as nitrates............ .63

Nitrogen as nitrites............. . 007

Oxygen consumed ............. 2.9

101.9

a Bull. Missouri State Board of Health, vol. 1, No. 4, 1904. Recomputed to ionic form at United 

States Geological Survey.
ANALYSES OF WATERS OF PUBLIC SUPPLIES. 205

ANALYSIS 6. ChillicolJie city water, February 6, 1904- a

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2 )..................... 20

Iron (Fe)....................... 6.1

Alumina (Al).................... .14

Calcium (Ca)................... 3.6

Magnesium (Mg)..........'...... 6.8

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ).......... 26

Chlorine (Cl).................... 5

67.64

Parts per million. 

Residue on evaporation........ . 183

Residue on ignition............. 166

Free ammonia.................. .24

Albuminoid ammonia........... .33

Nitrogen as nitrates............

Nitrogen as nitrites.............

Oxygen consumed ............. 7

Color, slightly turbid. 

Odor, none.

26

055

ANALYSIS 7. Excelsior Springs city water (river).

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2)...................... 22

Iron and alumina oxides (Fe2O3+ 

A12O3)........................ 3.5

Calcium (Ca) ........'............ 85

Magnesium (Mg)................. 7.7

Sodium (Na) <"..................... 6. 8

Carbonate radicle (CO3).......... 115

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )........... 50

Chlorine (Cl).................... 11

301

Parts per million. 

Free ammonia................... .02

Albuminoid ammonia............ .07

Nitrogen as nitrates............. Trace.

Nitrogen as nitrites.............. Trace.

Chlorine as chlorides............. 53.05

Oxygen consumed .............. 3.1

Color, somewhat turbid. 

Odor, none.

This river water is filtered through a layer of coke 5 feet thick, then through 28 

inches of sharp sand and 12 inches of fine gravel, after which it gathers in a large well, 

whence it is pumped to the reservoir.

ANALYSIS 8. Fulton city water, a 

Parts per million.

Residue on evaporation......... 520

Residue on ignition............ 435

Free ammonia................. .01

Albuminoid ammonia.......... .03

Nitrogen as nitrates............. 0

Nitrogen as nitrites............ .96

Chlorine........

Hardness........

Color, clear. 

Odor, none. 

Reaction, alkaline.

Parts per million. 

....... 11

....... 386

ANALYSIS 9. Higgi.nsmlle city -water, January 28, 1904- °

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2)................... 18

Iron (Fe)..................... 2

Alumina (Al).................. .15

Calcium (Ca)................... 51

Magnesium (Mg)................ 8

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ).......... 27

Chlorine (Cl).................. 23

129.15

Parts per million. 

Residue on evaporation........ 362

Residue on ignition........... 338

Free ammonia................ .03

Albuminoid ammonia.......... .2

Nitrogen as nitrates............ Trace.

Nitrogen as nitrites ........... . 004

Oxygen consumed............ 2

Color, clear. 

Odor, none.

a Bull. Missouri State Board of Health, vol. 1, No. 4,1904; recomputed to ionic form at United States 

Geological Survey.

& Expressed *by analyst in grains per gallon and hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic 

form ana parts per million at United States Geological Survey.

c Sodium and potassium calculated as sodium.
206 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

ANALYSIS 10. Joplin city water.

Parts per million. 

Residue on evaporation ........ 148

Free ammonia................ . 005

Albuminoid ammonia......... . 062

Nitrates....................... 2.65

Nitrites..........

Oxygen consumed. 

Chlorine.........

.001

Parts per million. 

Iron............................ .02

Alkalinity..................... 96

Permanent hardness............ 11

Free CO,........................ 1

Bacteria per cubic centimeter, 5. 

Bacillus coli communi, none.

ANALYSIS 11. Kirksville city water, April 4, 1904. a

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2).................... 11

Iron (Fe).. .................... 2.6

Alumina (Al).................... .06

Calcium (Ca).................... 34

Magnesium (Mg)................. 8.1

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )........... 35

Chlorine (Cl)................... 4.3

95.08

Parts per million. 

Residue on evaporation. ........ 188

Residue on ignition ............ 171

Free ammonia................. .12

Albuminoid ammonia.......... .50

Nitrogen as nitrates............. .31

Nitrogen as nitrites............ 0

Oxygen consumed ............. 7. 6

Color, clear. 

Odor, none.

ANALYSIS 12. Lebanon city water (artesian well, 1,000 feet).

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2 )................... 11

Iron (Fe)....................

Aluminum (Al)............... 1.7

Calcium (Ca)................... 33

Magnesium (Mg)................ 16

Sodium (Na)................... 13

Carbonate radicle (CO^ ........ 203

A very fine water.

Parts per million. 

Sulphate radicle (SO4 ).......... 4.8

Chlorine (01).................. Trace.

H, bicarbonate

Free CO,

3.4

285.9

70

ANALYSIS 13. Marshall city water, January 27, 1904. c

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiOa). ................... 11

Iron (Fe)...................... 3. 3

Aluminum (Al)................. .9

Calcium (Ca).................... 156

Magnesium (Mg)................. 24

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )........... 191

Chlorine (Cl)................... 464

850.2

Parts per million. 

Residue on evaporation...... 1, 202

Residue on ignition......... 1,119

Free ammonia.......

Albuminoid ammonia. 

Nitrogen as nitrates... 

Nitrogen as nitrites. . . 

Oxygen consumed . . . 

Color, very clear. 

Odor, none.

.342 

.13

Trace.

Trace. 

1.95

a Bull. Missouri State Board of Health, vol. 1, No. 4,1904. 

6 Analysis by L. G. Eakins. Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 60, p. 172.

c Analysis by Missouri State board of health. Recomputed to ionic form at United States Geological Survey.
ANALYSES OP WATEES OF PUBLIC SUPPLIES. 207

ANALYSIS 14. Moberly city 'water (reservoir). a

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2)...................... 32

Iron (Fe)........................ 15

Calcium (Ca)...................... 15

Undetermined.................... 21

Odorless, tasteless.

Slightly turbid, and of yellowish tint.

83

It contains the merest trace of chlorine and ammonia; no nitric acid; no albuminoid ammonia. The only life that could be determined was represented by specimens of cyclops and vesabia, appearing to the naked eye as moving specks.

ANALYSIS 15. Monett city water, March 2, 1904. b

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiOa).................... 11

Iron (Fe). ..................... 1.3

Aluminum (Al)................. .05

Calcium (Ca).................... .64

Magnesium (Mg)................. 7.5

Sulphate radicle (SO4)........... 50

Chlorine (Cl)................... 8. 2

Parts per million. 

Residue on evaporation. ........... 237

Residue on ignition............... 212

Color, clear. 

Odor, none.

142.05

ANALYSIS 16. Nevada city water, April 4, 1904- c

Parts per million.

Silica (SiOa)................... 10

Iron (Fe)..................... 1. 7

Aluminum (Al)................. .1

Calcium (Ca)................... 86

Magnesium (Mg)................ 39

Sulphate radicle (SO4)..'........ 86

Chlorine (Cl).................. 576

798.8

Parts per million. 

Residue on evaporation.......... 1, 319

Residue on ignition............. 1. 297

Color, very clear. 

Odor, none.

ANALYSIS 17. Oregon city water, May 25, 1899. c

Parts per million. 

Carbonate radicle (C03 ).. ........ 235

Sulphate radicle(SO4 )............. 14

Chlorine (Cl) .................... 16

436.6

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO2)...................... 8. 6

Iron and alumina oxides (Fe2O3 + 

A12O3 )......................... 16

Calcium (Ca)..................... 90

Magnesium (Mg) ................. 40

Sodium (Na)<* .................... 17

a Analysis by Paul Schweitzer. Expressed by analyst in grains per gallon; recomputed to ionic 

form and parts per million at United States Geological Survey.

6 Bull. Missouri State Board of Health, vol. 1, No. 4, 1904. Expressed by analyst in hypothetical 

combinations; recomputed to ionic form at United States Geological Survey.

c Expressed by analyst in hypothetical combinations; recomputed to ionic form at United States 

Geological Survey.

d Sodium and potassium calculated as sodium.
208 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

ANALYSIS 18. St. Joseph city water.

Parts per million.

Albuminoid ammonia............ 0.55

Free ammonia................... .04

Nitrogen as nitrates .............. .35

Nitrogen as nitrites ............... 0

Chlorine ........................ 11

Oxygen consumed ............... 25

Parts per million. 

Total solids...................... 5970

Iron............................ 5.1

Alkalinity....................... 104

Permanent hardness. 

Sulphuric acid.......

Carbonic acid........

60

0

Appearance, muddy; odor, none; color, 250 F. F. M.

ANALYSIS 19. Slater nty irater. January 29, 1904. a

Parts por million, a

Silica (SiO2 ).................... 5 2

Iron (Fe).................-.-.-.. 1.7

Aluminum (Al)................. .05

Calcium (Ca)................... 83

Magnesium (Mg)................. 29

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )........... 67

Chlorine (Cl)................... 166

Parts por million.« 

Residue on evaporation............. 726

Residue on ignition ................ 598

351.95

Color, very clear; odor, none.

ANALYSIS 20. Springfield city water. May, 190,5.

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiOo)..................... 9.4

Iron (Fe)......................... 1.4

Aluminum (Al).................. .1

Calcium (Ca) .................... 57

Magnesium (Mg).. ............... 4.2

Sodium (Na)..................... 2.6

Potassium (K) .. ................ Trace.

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3 )....... 191

Sulphate radicle (SO4)............ 5.8

Chlorine (Cl).. .................. 3. 9

275.4

Parts per million.

Oxygen consumed ............. 0. 072

Free ammonia................. .1

Albuminoid ammonia.......... . 124

Nitrogen as nitrates ............ Trace.

Nitrogen as nitrites ............ 0

Temporary hardness . .......... 165. 7

Permanent hardness........... 13. 6

Total hardness................. 179. 3

Total dissolved solids .......... 214.411

Color, very clear; odor, none.

ANALYSIS 21. Tarkio city water,

DEEP WELL.

Parts per million. 

Temporary hardness . ............ 259

Permanent hardness . ............ 367

Total solids....................... 1,442

Parts per million. 

Chlorine............................ Ill

Free ammonia..................... 8

Albuminoid ammonia .............. 10

Total hardness.................... 626

a Bull. Missouri State Board of Health, vol. 1, No. 4, 1804. Recomputed to ionic form at United 

States Geological Survey.

6 Bull. Bradley Geol. Field Station, No. 11, Drury College. Chemical analysis by Miss Kate Lyman; 

sanitary analysis by Miss Etta Little. Recomputed to ionic form at United States Geological Survey.

e Analyses by Prof. J. C. Adair, of Tarkio College. See p. 191 for comments 011 the large amounts of 

albuminoid ammonia.
ANALYSES OF WATEES OF PUBLIC SUPPLIES. 209

SURFACE WELL.

Parts per million. 

Chlorine ....................... 1. 6

Albuminoid ammonia........... .06

Total hardness.................. 182

Parts per million. 

Temporary hardness . .............. 142

Permanent hardness............... 40

ANALYSIS 22. Trenton city water, February 27, 1904. a

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiO3 ).... j................. 5. 5

Iron (Fe).....-.-.-................ 8.6

Aluminum (Al)................... 1.4

Calcium (Ca)..................... 22

Magnesium (Mg).................. 5.3

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )............. 33

Chlorine (Cl)..................... 3.1

78.9

Residue on e 

Residue on ifjnition 

Oxygen cons 

Free ammoni 

Albuminoid 

Nitrogen as n 

Nitrogen as nitrites

Parts per million, 

aporation........ 202

....... 175

nied.............. 10.3

nimoma. 

trates ...

.6

.32

.0714

Odor, none.

ANALYSIS 23. Warrensbwg city water, Febriary 6, 1904. a

Parts per million. 

Silica (SiOa). ..................... 8. 8

Iron (Fe). ^......... ............... 2.3

Aluminum (Al) ................... .5

Calcium (Ca) ..................... 36

Magnesium (Mg) .................. 8.5

Sulphate radicle (SO4) ............. 35

Chlorine (Cl). . ................... 6. 1

Residue on e~ 

Oxygen const 

Free ammoni: 

Albuminoid i 

Nitrogen as n 

Nitrogen as n

Parts per million. 

....... 168

....... 3.4

....... .8

....... .3

....... .237

....... 0

97.2 

Color, clear; odor, none.

ANALYSIS 24. Webb city and Cartermlle city water, February 26, 1904. a

Parts per million.

Silica (SiO2 )..................... 76

Iron (Fe)......................... 2

Aluminum (Al).................. .4

Calcium (Ca).................... 95

Magnesium (Mg)................. 7.3

Sulphate radicle (SO4 )............ 202

Chlorine (Cl).................... 4.8

387.5

Color, clear; odor, none.

ignition

Residue on e 

Residue on i 

Oxygen consumed 

Free ammoni 

Albuminoid 

Nitrogen as n 

Nitrogen as n

Parts per million. 

raporation......... 412

.......... 381

.......... 1.15

.......... .096

ammonia.......... .22

trates............ 1.56

trites............ 0

MINERAL WELLS.

The water of many wells is so highly charge 

to be objectionable for general use, though 

extremely valuable from a medicinal standpoin 

sior Springs, Canton, Lagrange, St. Louis, an<

I with mineral salts as 

[ some of them it is 

The wells at Excelin other parts of the

a Bull. Missouri State Board of Health, vol. 1, No. 4, 1904. Recomputed to ionic form at United 

States Geological Survey.
210 UNDEKGEOUND WATEES OF MISSOUEI.

State belong to this class. In regard to their value as therapeutic 

agents, Dr. Crook 0 makes the following statement:

There exists among medical practitioners in the United States a wide-spread skepticism regarding the medicinal value of mineral waters. This incredulity is, no doubt, 

based to a considerable extent upon a somewhat justifiable prejudice; but may it not 

be due, in a much greater degree, to a want of correct information? We are all acquainted with the mineral springs advertising circular. * * * "When the intelligent practitioner reads that a certain water is positively curative in an imposing list of 

diseases set forth in divers pages of testimonials from renovated statesmen, restored 

clergymen, and rejuvenated old ladies, and then learns from the analysis that it contains 2 or 3 grains of lime salts to the gallon, with the remaining ingredients requiring 

perhaps a third or fourth decimal figure to express, he can hardly be blamed for tossing 

the circular into his waste-basket, with an objurgation upon quacks generally, and mineral-springs quacks in particular. Yet the conservative physician will find a safe and 

dignified position between that of the pretentious advertisement which claims everything and that of the medical skeptic who will believe nothing.

There is 110 doubt that much benefit is derived from mo'lt of the 

health resorts connected with mineral springs or wells; and while a 

great deal of it is undoubtedly psychic, some is unquestionably due to 

the use of the waters. People who are broken down from overwork 

or who are troubled with many incipient diseases find at these resorts 

rest, which they perhaps can not get elsewhere; a change of air; a new 

environment; possibly a change in climate or altitude; pleasant associations; distractions from trouble; and they use, both internally and 

externally, perhaps a much larger amount of water than has been 

their custom at home; these, together with faith in the curative qualities of the water (since every wise physician recognizes faith as a helpful element in cure), form a stimulus to nature in the restoration of 

normal action to the functions of the body.

The following constituents are more or less common in the evaporated residue of the waters of mineral wells and springs in Missouri. 

They are derived from the action of percolating waters in dissolving 

out many of the varied substances of the rocks through which they 

pass:

Silica. 

Alumina.

Ferrous bicarbonate. 

Ferrous sulphate. 

Manganous bicarbonate. 

Calcium bicarbonate. 

Calcium sulphate. 

Calcium sulphydrate. 

Calcium chloride. 

Calcium phosphate. 

Magnesium bicarbonate. 

Magnesium sulphate.

Magnesium chloride. 

Potassium bicarbonate. 

Potassium sulphate. 

Potassium chloride. 

Potassium bromide. 

Sodium carbonate. 

Sodium chloride. 

Sodium sulphate. 

Lithium chloride. 

Oxygen.

Carbon diexide. Hydrogen sulphide.

Mineral Waters of the United States, 1899, p. 34.
MINEKAL WELLS. 211

The therapeutic action of the individual elements is discussed by 

Hessler. a

Sodium chloride, or common salt, is found in all mineral waters in 

amounts varying from a mere trace up to several thousand grains per 

gallon. It is present in almost every tissue of the body, and a certain amount is required to keep the organs in a healthy condition. 

It "regulates absorption, nutrition, and secretion." Internally, "it 

may produce an increase of the gastric juice, bile, pancreatic juice, and 

intestinal fluids, promoting the appetite and assisting digestion." b It 

has a slight aperient effect on the bowels and probably tends to prevent intestinal decomposition. Its presence in water, in a nonsaline 

subsoil, is ordinarily an indication of sewage contamination as the 

only source from which it could be derived, since practically all of the 

salt taken into the animal body is passed out through the secretions.

Sodium sulphate, or Glauber salts, is a common and frequently 

abundant constituent, derived from the Pennsylvania!! rocks and the 

Hannibal shales in Missouri. It is unessential in the healthy body. 

Hessler says : c

Small doses stimulate the intestinal and urinary secretions, larger doses are laxative, 

and still larger doses are cathartic. * * * This salt is useful in some disordered 

conditions of the digestive tract gastric, hepatic, and intestinal. * * * In certain 

dropsical conditions, as that dependent on some forms of heart disease, it may give 

relief by helping to abstract the accumulated fluid. * * * In a number of diseases 

the use of water containing much of this salt must be avoided.

Sodium sulphate occurs in considerable quantities in the B. B. mineral spring, the Lineville well, and the Alien well, at Versailles.

Sodium carbonate is found in the human body in the blood and 

saliva, both of which are alkaline in character. When taken into the 

system, these alkaline salts neutralize the free acids, and they are considered valuable in some cases of acid dyspepsia and the treatment 

of gallstones. According to Hessler d

The bicarbonate is usually prescribed. It is useful in certain affections marked by 

acid conditions, among which may be mentioned some of the fevers, rheumatism, gout, 

and irritable bladder, particularly if this irritation be due to the acidity of the urine, 

the latter becoming alkaline under its use. In uric-acid conditions the potassium 

bicarbonate is to be preferred.

The presence of sodium carbonate in water may sometimes aggravate certain diseases. The excessive use of soda will almost, invariably derange the digestive system.

Potassium sulphate is a rare constituent of the mineral waters of 

Missouri. It somewhat resembles, in its action, sodium and magnesium sulphate.

a Hessler, Robert, The medicinal properties and uses of Indiana mineral waters: Twenty-sixth and 

twenty-seventh Ann. Repts. Indiana Dept. Geology and Nat. Res., 1903, pp. 159, et seq. 

t> Hessler, Robert, op. cit., p. 167. 

c Op. cit., pp. 167-168. 

d Op. cit., p. 168.
212 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

Calcium, carbonate is the most common of all the mineral constituents of waters of the State, being derived from the solution of the 

limestone in which it is found. It is "chiefly antacid and diuretic."

Calcium sulphate is a very common constituent of hard waters. It 

is usually present, in small amounts, as it is not readily soluble. 

It has no especial action on the system.

Magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) is characteristic of the waters 

from the Pennsylvanian rocks and the Hannibal shale. It is milder 

in its action and more agreeable to the taste than sodium sulphate or 

Glauber salts, and has a similar effect on the human system.

Magnesium carbonate is usually found in small quantities in the 

waters of the magnesium limestones (dolomites) that are so common 

through the central and southeastern parts of the State. It is an 

antacid.

Iron, usually the bicarbonate, is almost always present in water, 

either in minute traces or in small appreciable amounts. In the latter 

case it forms the important constituent of chalybeate springs and 

wells. The importance of iron as a tonic need not here be emphasized. "In many affections, notably in alterations of the blood, iron 

waters may be of decided benefit." a

Iron sulphate is sometimes found in the waters derived from the 

shales of the Pennsylvanian series. It is less palatable and more 

astringent than the bicarbonate, and when in excess is an objectionable 

constituent.

Aluminum sulphate is found but rarely, and in water derived from 

the Pennsylvanian shales. The water from the Versailles alum well, 

in Morgan County, contains 1,275 parts per million. It also occurs in 

one of the springs of the Graydon group, in Polk County. Alum is a 

very strong astringent, but has no other definite therapeutic character.

Carbonic acid gas is frequently found in mineral waters in small 

amounts. It has a soothing effect on the mucous membrane of the 

stomach and tends to allay nausea.

Hydrogen sulphide is a gas having the odor of rotten eggs and is a 

common constituent of the so-called sulphur waters. It is doubtful 

if this gas, especially when the amount usually ingested with the 

water is considered, has any influence oil the body or is of any marked 

benefit in diseased conditions. Used externally, it may have some 

influence in certain skin diseases.

Warm sulphur baths may be useful in chronic lead poisoning, as that of painters. 

Many of the famous sulphur waters are hot or thermal springs, and their virtues, aside 

from that of their accompanying constituents, are often due to the manner in which 

they are used. 6

oHessler, Robert, op. cit., p. 171. & Op. cit., p. 172.
UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI. ' 213 

BLOWING WELLS.

There is a blowing well in Camden County, near Decaturville, and 

one of greater interest on the farm of J. B. Murphy, near Raymoiidville, Texas County. This well, which is on a hill, was drilled in 1899 

to a depth of 187 feet. Soft water was struck at the bottom and rose 

7 feet in the well. In. a dry time, especially in the winter, the well 

becomes dry. In drilling it, a cave 3 feet high was struck at a depth 

of 100 feet. When the well is dry, if there is a long prevailing wind 

from the north, a current of air rushes from the pipe strong enough 

to blow the cap from the tubing. This fact illustrates the honeycombed and cavernous nature of the rocks in this region. About 10 

miles to the north, in the valley of Ashley Creek, is what Schoolcraft 

described in the account of his trip through this region in 1818 as " the 

valley of caves." Here in the eroded bluffs may be seen numerous 

caves which testify to the great amount of underground drainage, and 

through which probably the prevailing winds are sucked underground 

and carried for long distances.

The traveler passing south from the crest of the Ozark plateau, 

crosses a belt throughout which sink holes prevail, a fact noticed 

by Schoolcraft, who refers to the locality as "the prairie of little 

lakes." The large amount of water that soaks into the catchment 

basin of the Ozark dome quickly begins its work of solution by forming underground cavernous waterways, manifested at the surface in 

numerous places by sink holes, many of which form ponds. The 

gradual evolution of valleys by the cutting out of strata and the merging of these sink holes into continuous gorges can not be fully discussed here, but it is a most interesting phase of underground drainage. In some cases a section of the barrier between two sink holes 

resists erosion and an arch is left which forms a natural bridge. A 

beautiful illustration of this kind of erosion is found on Sinking Creek, 

Shannon County, where the large stream runs through a tortuous 

gorge formed by the undermining and washing out of a chain of sink 

holes. In one part of its course it meets a barrier of which only the 

lower portion is removed, and thus is formed the unusual natural 

feature of a stream running under a mountain and continuing its 

course through an eroded gorge on the other side. The channel of 

this stream is 40 feet deep, and one may easily ride in a boat through 

its course under the mountain. The accompanying illustration (PI. 

VI, B, p. 80) shows this underground channel.

Where normal valleys cut at right angles across the line of drainage, 

as in "the valley of caves," there may be had a glimpse of a cross section showing the vast amount of underdrainage along the south slopes 

of the Ozarks. Farther south,in Shannon and adjoining counties, are
214 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF MISSOURI.

some of the outlets of this deeper system of underground drainage, 

manifested in springs which are probably the largest in the world. 

The enormous deeper seated drainage passes underneath the embaymeiit area and helps to form the artesian basin.

The numerous cases of cold-air drafts from caves, springs, and 

drill wells are easily explained when the geologic structure of the 

region is studied.
INDEX.

A. Page.

Acknowledgments to those aiding.......... 2

Adair County, rainfall in.................. 7

well in, record of....................... 55

Adrian, well at, record of................... 112

Albany, water supply at................... 200

Algonkian rocks, nonoccurrence cf......... 26

Alluvium, character and distribution cf.... !25

Aluminum sulphate, occurrence of......... 212

Andrew County, rainfall in................ 7

Appleton, wells at.......................... 120

well at, record of....................... 120

water of, analysis of................ 120

Arcadia (Kans.)-Memphis (Tenn.) section,

description of................... 34-35

plate show'ng.......................... 30

Archean rocks, Lh«. ter a .; distribution cf 12-13 

Archean time, history of................... 26

Arkansas, wells in.................... 182,185-187

wells in, record of..................... 182,187

water of, analysis of.............. 183,185

Artesian, meaning and loose application of.. 3 

Artesian districts, descriptions of......... 43-192

list of................................... 43

Artesian wells, conditions requisite for..... 3-5

conditions requisite for, figure showing. 4 

distribution of.......................... 1

flow of.................................. 5-7

history of............................... 2-3

location of, map showing............... 6

pressure in.............................. 5

uses of.................................. 6,193

water of, minerals in.................... 4,5

Artois, France, " artesian'' derived from... 2 

Ash Grove, well at....................... 128-129

well at, record of..................... 128-129

rocks in............................. 34

Ashley Creek, caves on..................... 213

Atchison County, rainfall in............... 7

wells in............................... 187-192

location of, map showing........... 189

records of......................... 188,189

Audrain County, rainfall in................ 7

well in.................................. 72-73

record of............................ 72

water of, analysis of................ 73

Aurora, spring at........................... 200

water supply at........................ 200

analysis of.......................... 204

well at................................ 143-144

well at, record of....................... 144

water of, analyses of................ 144

Aurora Springs, well near.................. no

IRB 195 07 15

B. Page.

Bailey limestone, character and distribution

of............................... 12,18

Bainbridge limestone, character and distribution of....................... 12,18

Bakersfleld, well at, record of.............. 152

Ball, S. H., and Smith, A. F., on Miller

County wells................... 92

Barry, 111., well at, rocks in................ 43

Barry County, rainfall in................... 7

wells in................................. 126

record of........................... 126

Barton County, rainfall in................. 7

wells in............................... 112-113

record of............................ 112

Basins, artesian wells in.................... 4-5

artesian wells in, figure showing........ 4

Bates County, rainfall in................... 7«

rocks in................................. 23

Benton, wells at.......................... 179-181

wells at, record of...................... 180

water of, analysis of................ 181

Benton County, rainfall in................. 7

Bethany, water supply at.................. 200

well at.................................. 61

well at, record of....................... 61

Big Lake, Ark., wells at, water of, analyses

of............................... 186

Big Salt Spring, description of............. 81

view of... ^............................. SO

Birdsville formation, character and distribution of.................... 12,18,22

Bismarck, springs at....................... 172

wells at............................... 171-172

Blowing wells, occurrence and description

of............................. 213-214

Bluff formation, correlation of............. 25

Bluff Spring, well at........................ 95

Boilers, effect on, of hardness in water..... 196-198

Bolin Creek member, correlation of........ 15

Bolivar, water supply at................... 200

Bolivar sandstone, correlation of........... 16

Bollinger County, rainfall in............... 7

Bonneterre, water supply at............... 200

Bonneterre limestone, character and distribution of....................... 12,14

water in................................ 14

Boone County, rainfall In.................. 7

well in, record of........................ 73

Booneville, water supply at................ 200

Boonslick, spring at........................ 81-83

spring at, water of, analysis of......... 82

wells at................................. 78-83

215
216 INDEX.

Page, Page.

Boonslick, wells at, record of............ 37,79-80 Canton, water supply at................... 200

wells at, water of, analysis of .......... 80,82 well at.................................. 45-46

Bowling Green, water supply at............ 200 rocks in............................. 42

water supply at, analysis of............ 204 water of, analysis of................ 44,46

Braymer, well near, record of.............. 56 Cap au Gres sandstone, correlation of...... 16

well near, rocks in...................... 33 Cape Girardeau, water supply at........... 200

Bridgeton, well near, record of............. 159 Cape Girardeau County, rainfall in......... 7

Brine wells, conditions for.................. 4-5 rocks in................................. 27

occurrence of........................... 31 well in, record of........................ 166

Broadhead, G. C., on Missouri wells... 31,lt>2-lfi3 Caps Creek, view on........................ 20

Brookfleld, water supply at................ 200 Carbonic-acid gas, occurrence of............ 212

well at, record of....................... 66 Carboniferous rocks, character and distribuwater of, analysis of................ 204 tion of.......................... 18-24

Brunswick, water supply at................ 200 Ca rboniferous time, history of............. 27-28

wells at................................. 75-76 | Carl Junction, wells at..................... 134

rocks in........................... 31,33.76 ' Carroll County, rainfall in.................. 7

water of, analysis of................ 76 wells in................................. 57-58

Brunswick (Mo. i-Glenwood (Iowa) section, records of........................... 57,58

description of................... 29-31 rocks in............................. 30

plate showing.......................... 30 Carrollton, water supply at................ 200

Buchanan County, rainfall in.............. 7 well at, record of....................... 57

Burfordville, well at, record of............. 1(36 water of, analysis of................ 204

Burlington Junction, well at............... 70-71 Carter County, rainfall in.................. 7

well at, record of.................... 30,70-71 rocks in................................. 12

Burlington limestone, caves in............. 21 well at.................................. 167

character and distribution of.. 12,18,20-21.28 record of............................ 167

deposition of........................... 28 Carterville, spring at...................... 203

view of................................. 20 water supply at...................... 200,203

water in.............................. 4,20-21 analysis of.......................... 209

Butler, water supply at.................... 200 well at . . r ............................... 134

Butler County, rainfall in.................. 7 well at, water of, analysis of........... 134

rocks in................................. 12 Carthage, section through, description of. 38-40

wells in................................. 174 section through, plate showing......... 36

	water supply at........................ 200

C. analysis of.......................... 204

	well at.................................. 135

Cairo, 111., wells at, record of.............. 30,181 ] record of........................... 40,135

wells at, rocks in....................... 24 ' Caruthersville, water supply at............ 200

Cairo (Ill.)-Doniphan (Mo.) section, de- wells at............................... 177-178

scription of..................... 35-36 wells at, record of...................... 178

plate showing.......................... 36 rocks in............................. 25

Calcium salts, occurrence of................ 212 Carver, well near........................... 107

Caldwell County, rainfall in................ 7 , cags County, rainfall in.................... 7

well in, record of.-.....-...-....-..---.- 56 rocks in................................. 24

rocks'in............................. 33 wells in............................... 113-114

California, wells near....................... 92-93 record of.......................... 113-114

wells near, record of.................... 93, water of, analysis of................ 113

Callaway County, rainfall in............... 7 ^ Cedar City, well at......................... 74

rocksin................................. 22 ( Cedar County, rainfall in................... 7

wells in................................. 74-75 i rocks in................................. 18,22

records of........................... 74-75 , C«dar Gap, rocks at........................ 34

water of, analysis of................ 75 ! Chariton County, rainfall in................ 7

Callaway limestone, character and distribu- wells in................................. 75-77

tion of.......................... 12,18 rocksin.......................... 31,33,76

Cambrian rocks, character and distribution | water of, analysis of................ 76,77

of............................ 12,13-14 j Charleston, water supply at................ 200

Cambrian time, history in.................. 26-27 I Chattanooga shale, character and distribuCambro-Ordovician rocks, character and tion of....................... 12,18,27

distribution of.................. 14-17 [ Cherokee shale, character and distribution

Cainbro-Ordovician time, history of........ 26-27 , of............................... 12,23

Cainden County, rainfall in................. 7 correlation of ........................... 21

rocks in.............................. 13,15,27 coal in.................................. 23

wells of............................... 107-108 Chester group, character and distribution

Cameron, water supply at.................. 200 of............................ 12,18,22

Campbell, well at......................... 174-175 Chicago, water supply of................... 193

well at, record of....................... 175 Chillicothe, water supply at................ 200

rocksin............................. 24,25 water supply at, analysis of............ 205
INDEX. 217

Page. 

Chillicothe, well near, record of ............ 30,67

Chitwood, well at......................... 135-136

well at, record of....................... 136

Chouteau limestone, character and distribution of....................... 12,18,20

water in................................ 20

Christian County, rainfall in............... 7

rocks in................................. 22,28

wells in................................. 126

City water supplies, consumption of........ 199

descriptions of........................ 198-209

quality of............................. 194-198

sources of............................. 192-193

use of artesian water for............... 193

See atso Water. 

Clarence, water supply at................... 200

Clark County, rainfall in.................... 7

wells in................................. 44-45

record of............................ 44

Clay County, rainfall in.................... 7

wells in ................................. 58-60

record of............................ 60

water of, analysis of................ 59

Clear Creek chert, character and distribution of .......................... 12,18

Cleveland, water supply of................. 193

Clinton, artesian district at, map of........ 115

water supply of........................ 200

wells at............................... 115-119

records of.................. 39,115-116,118

water of, analysis of.............. 116-119

Clinton County, rainfall in.................. f

Clinton-Nevada district, underground water

in............................. 111-112

wells in, by counties................. 112-125

Cliquot, wells near.......................... Ill

Coal, occurrence of...................... 23,28,30

Cole Camp sandstone, correlation of........ 14

Cole County, rainfall in..................... 7

wells in................................. 77-78

record of............................ 77

Columbia, water supply at................. 300

well near, record of..................... 73

Columbia clay, character and distribution

of............................... 12,25

Comet, well at............................ 144-145

well at, record of....................... 145

Commerce, water supply at................ 200

Coneordia, water supply at................. 200

Conglomerate, occurrence and character of. 25,28 

Cooper County, rainfall in.................. 7

Corry, well at............................... 145

Crawford County, rainfall in................ 7

rocks in................................. 12

Cretaceous rocks, character and distribution

of............................... 24

Crook, James R., on mineral waters........ 210

Cross Timbers, wells near.................. 109

wells near, water of, analysis of........ 109

Crowleys Ridge, topography of........... 9,10,34

Crystal Oty sandstone, correlation of...... 16

Cypress sandstone, character and distribution of....................... 12,18,22

water in................................ 22

D. Page.

Dade County, rainfall in. ................. 7

rocks ia ................................. 22

Dallas County, rainfall in. ................. 7

rocks in................................. 15

Daviess County, rainfall in ................. 7

well in. ................................. GO

Dawn, well near. ........................... 30

De Soto, water supply at ................... 200

wells at ............................... 16S-170

Decaturville, blowing well near. ............ 213

wells at and near. .................... 107-108

rocks in ............................. 32

Deeaturville dome district, wells of, by

counties ...................... 107-1 1 1

Decaturville limestone, correlation of...... 14

Dekalb County, rainfall in. ................. 7

Dent County, rainfall in........... ......... 7

wells in............................... 127-128

records of ......................... 127-128

Des Moines group, character and distribution of ....................... 12, 22-24

water in ................ .".-, ............. 31

Devonian rocks, character and distribution

of............................... IS

Devonian time, history of .................. 27

Dexter, water supply at .................... 200

Diabase, dikes of ........................... 13

Diamond, wells at, records of ............ 148-149

Districts, artesian, descriptions of ........ 43-192

list of ................................... 43

Districts, topographic, descriptions of. .... 7-11

locations of, map showing. ............. 8

Doniphan (Mo. (-Cairo (111.) section, description of ..................... 35-36

plate showing. ......................... 36

Doniphan (Mo.)-Hickman (Ky.) section,

description of ................... 35

plate showing .......................... 30

Douglas County, rainfall in ................ 7

rocks in. ................................ 15

Drainage, description of .................... 8-10

Drexel, well at. ............................. 113

well at, water of, analysis of. .......... 113

Drift-well district, wells of, by counties. . 187-192 

Duenweg, well at, record of ................ 130

Dunkin County, rainfall in ................. 7

wells in ............................... 174-175

records of ........................... 175

Dyersburg, Tenn., well at. ................. 182

well at, record of ....................... 182

E. 

Earthquake, sand vented by ............... 25

Edgar Springs, well near, record of ........ 152

Eldorado Springs, water supply at. ........ 201

Elvins formation, character and distribu-

' tion of .......................... 12, 14

Encrinital limestone, correlation of ........ 21

Epsom salts, occurrence of ................. 212

Eudora Springs, sandstone at, view of. .... 20

Eugene, well near, record Of ................ 77

Excelsior Springs, water supply at. ........ 201

water supply at, analysis of ............ 205

wells at................................. 58-59

water of, analyses of . ......... 59
218 INDEX.

F. Page.

Farmington, water supply at.............. 201

Faulting, artesian conditions due to....... 5

Fayette, water supply at................... 201

well at.................................. 83-84

record of............................ 83

rocks in............................ 37

water of, analysis of................ 84

Ferguson, water supply at................. 201

Finley limestone, correlation of............ 16

First Magnesian limestone, correlation of.. 17 

First sandstone, correlation of............. 16

Folley limestone, correlation of............ 17

Forest City, well at, record of........... 33,62-65

Forest City-St. Louis section, description of. 33-34 

plate showing........................... 30

Fort Scott limestone, correlation of........ 23

Fortuna, wells at and near................. 94-95

wells at and near, location of, plan

showing......................... 94

record of............................ 95

Fossils, occurrence of....................... 14,28

Fourth Magnesian limestone, correlation of. 14 

Franklin County, rainfall in................ 7

wells in............................... 156-157

record of............................ 156

Fredericktown, wells at.................. 170-171

Fredericktown dolomite, correlation of..... 14

Fuller, M. L., work in charge of............ 2

Fulton, water supply at.................... 201

wells at................................. 74-75

wells at, records of..................... 74-75

water of, analysis of............... 75,205

G.

Gallatin, water supply at.................. 201

well near............................... 60

Gas wells, comparison of artesian wells and. 3 

Gasconade County, rainfall in.............. 7

Gasconade limestone, character and distribution of.................... 12,14-15

water in................................ 15

Gentry County, rainfall in................. 7

well in, rocks in........................ 30

Gentryville, well at, rocks in............... 30

Geologic history, account of................ 26-29

eras of.................................. 11

Geologic map of Missouri................... 6

Geologic sections, descriptions of.......... 29-43

plates showing.......................... 30,36

Geology, account of........................ 11-43

See also Geologic history; Rock formations; Geologic sections; Geologic map.

Girardeau_ limestone, character and distribution of....................... 12,17

Glasgow, water supply at.................. 201

Glauber salts, occurrence of................ 211

Glenn, L. C., on Porters Creek formation... 25 

Glenstead, well at.......................... 95

Glenwood, Iowa, well at, record of......... 29

Glen wood (Iowa)-Brunswick (Mo.) section,

description of................... 29-31

plate showing.......................... 30

Godfrey, III., well at, rocks in.............. 41

Goodson, well near......................... Ill

Granby, water supply at................... 201

Page. 

Grandin, well at............................ 167

well at, record of....................... 167

Granite City, 111., well at................ 157-158

well at, record of....................... 157

Grant City, water supply at................ 201

Graydon sandstone, character and distribution of.................... 12,22-23,28

view of................................. 20

water in................................ 23

Greene County, rainfall in.................. 7

rocks in.............................. 19,22,28

wells in................................. 128

records of................. 128-129,131-133

water of, analysis of................ 130

Greenville (Ul.)-Pacific (Mo.) section, description of..................... 41

plate showing.......................... 36

Grundy County, rainfall in................. 7

Gunter sandstone, correlation of........... 14

Gunters, wells near......................... 108

H.

Hahatonka Lake, well near................ 108

Hale, well at, rocks in...................... 30

Hannibal, water supply at................. 201

wells at................................. 48-50

wells at, records of..................... 42, 49

water of, analyses of............... 49,50

Hannibal formation, cha racter and distribution of.................... 12,18,19-20

deposition of........................... 27

water in.............................. 4,19-20

Hannibal-Higginsville section, description

of............................... 37-38

plate showing.......................... 36

Hardness, causes and effects of........... 195-198

Harrison County, rainfall in............... 7

well in.................................. 61

record of............................ 61

Haworth, Erasmus, on Iron Mountain porphyry. .......................... 13

Henrietta limestone, character and distribution of.......................... 12,23

water in................................ 23

Henry County, rainfall in.................. 7

wells in............................... 114-119

records of..................... 115-116,118

water of, analyses of............. 116-119

Hermann, water supply at................. 201

Hessler, Robert, on mineral waters...... 211,212

Hickman, Ky., well at, record of.......... 35,181

rocks in............................. 25

Hickman (Ky.l-Dpniphan (Mo.) section,

description of................... 35

plate showing.......................... 30

Hickory County, rainfall in................ 7

wells in............................... 109-110

water of, analysis of................ 109

Hickory Hills, wells near................... 78

Higbee, water supply at.................... 201

well at, record of....................... 101

rocks in............................. 33

Higginsville, water supply at............... 201

well at.................................. 86-87

record of......................... 32,38,87

water of, analysis of............... 205
INDEX. 219

Page. 

Higginsville-Hannibal section, description

of............................... 37-38

plate showing.......................... 36

Holden, water supply at................... 201

Holt County, rainfall in.................... 7

well in.................................. 192

record of............................ 62-65

rocks in............................. 33

Howard County, rainfall in................ 7

springs in............................... 81-83

wells in................................. 78-84

records of........................ 79-80,83

rocks in............................. 37

water of, analyses of............ 81,82,84

Howell County, rainfall in.................. 7

rocks in................................. 28

well in, record of........................ 134

Hughesville, well at, record of.............. 95

Huntsville, water supply at................ 201

Hydrogen sulphide, occurrence of.......... 212

I. 

Iberia, well near............................ 110

Igneous rocks, character and distribution of 12-13 

Illinois, wells in...................... 157-159,181

wells in, records of......... 36,157,158-159,181

Independence, water supply at............. 201

Iron County, rainfall in.................... -7

rocks in................................. 12

wells in................................. 168

Iron Mountain porphyry, character and

distribution of.................. 12,13

Iron salts, occurrence of.................... 212

Ironton, wells at........................... 168

J.

Jackson, water supply at................... 201

Jackson County, rainfall in................. 7

wells in................................. 84-86

records of........................ 84-85,86

rocks in............................. 31-32

Jasper County, rainfall in.................. 7

rocks in................................. 19

Jefferson City, water supply at............. 201

Jefferson City'limestone, character and distribution of............... 12,14,15-16

view of................................. 14

water in................................ 16

Jefferson Co'unty, rainfall in................ 7

wells in............................... 168-170

record of............................ 157

Joaquim limestone, character and distribution of....................... 12,14,17

Johnson County, rainfall in................ 7

well in, record of....................... 86

Jonesboro, Ark., wells at................... 182

Joplin, water supply at..................... 201

wells at............................... 136-139

record of.......................... 136,139

water of, analyses of......... 137-139,206

K.

Kahoka, water supply at................... 201

well at.................................. 44-45

record of............................ 44

Kansas City, water supply at.............. 201

wells at and near, records of........ 31,84-85

Page. 

Kansas City-Lebanon section, description

of............................... 31-32

plate showing.......................... 30

Kearney, well at, record of................. 00

Kentucky, wells in....................... 181-182

wells in, record of....................... 181

Keokuk, Iowa, well at, record of........... 42

Keokuk (lowa)-St. Louis (Mo.) section, description of..................... 41-43

plate showing.......................... 36

Keokuk limestone, character and distribution of.................... 12,18,21,28

deposition of........................... 28

water in................................ 21

Key sandstone, correlation of.............. 16

Keyes, C. R., on Archean rocks............ 12-13

on St. Louis limestone.................. 22

Kimmswick, well at, record of.............. 157

Kinimswick limestone, character and distribution of..................... 12,17

King limestone, occurrence of.............. 19

Kirksville, water supply at................. 201

water supply at, analysis of............ 206

well at, record of....................... 55

Kirkwood, water supply at................ 201

Knob Lick granite, character and distribution of.......................... 12,13

Knox County, rainfall in................... 7

L.

La Motte sandstone, character and distribution of....................... 13-14

Laclede County, rainfall fn................. 7

wells in............................... 141-143

records of......................... 142-143

Lafayette County, rainfall in............... 7

rocks in................................. 23

wells in................................. 86-87

record of............................ 87

Lafayette gravel, character and distribution

of............................... 12,25

deposition of........................... 29

Lagrange, well at........................... 46-48

well at, records of...................... 47

rocks in............................. 42

water of, analyses of............. 44,47,48

Lagrange formation, character and distribution of....................... 12,25

water in................................ 25

Lamar, water supply at.................... 201

Lanagan, wells at.......................... 146

wells at, water of, analyses of.......... 146

Lawrence County, rainfall in............... 7

rocks in................................. 19,22

wells in................................. 143

records of......................... 144,145

water of, analysis of................ 144

Lebanon, water supply at.................. 201

wells at............................... 141-143

records of...................... 32,142-143

rocks in............................. 16

water of, analysis of................ 206

Lebanon-Kansas City section, description

of............................... 31-32

plate showing.......................... 30

Leeton, well in, record of.................. 86
220 INDEX.

Lewis County, rainfall in................... 7

wells in................................. 45-48

records of........................... 47

rocks in............................. 42

water of, analyses of............. 46,47,48

Lexington, water supply at................ 201

Lincoln County, rainfall in................. 7

rocks in................................. 16,42

wells in................................. 48

water of, analysis of................ 48

Lincoln Ridge district, location of, figure

showing........................ 8

topography of.......................... 10-11

Line ville well near......................... 08

well near, record of..................... 68

water of, analysis'of................ 69

Lingulella lamborni Meek, occurrence of.... 14

Linn County, rainfall in.................... 7

wells in, records of...................... 66

Lithographic limestone, correlation of...... 18

Litton, A., on well at St. Louis........... 160-162

Livingston County, rainfall in.............. 7

wells in......................:.......... 67-68

record of............................ 67

rocks in............................. 30

water of, analysis of................ 68

London, England, water supply of......... 193

Louisiana, water supply at................. 202

well at.................................. 52-53

record of............................ 52

rocks in............................. 37,42

water of, analyses of............... 42,53

Louisiana limestone, character and distribution of.................... 12,18-19

Louisiana-Pleasant Hill section, description of.......................... 36-37

plate showing.......................... 36

Louisville, Ky., artesian well at............ 3

Luebbering, well at, record of .............. 156

M.

McDonald County, rainfall in.............. 7

wells in................ ............ . 146-148

records of........................... 147

water of, analyses of............... 146

McGee, W J, on Macon well................ 88-89'

Macon, water supply at.................... 202

wells at................................. 91-92'

record of............................ 91

rocks in............................. 39

Macon County, rainfall in.................. 7

wells in................................. 88-91'

records of........................ 89,90,91

rocks in............................. 39

Madison County, 111., well in............. 157-158

well in, record of........................ 157

Madison County, Mo., rainfall in........... 7

rocks in................................. 12

wells in............................... 170-171

Magnesium salts, occurrence of............. 212

Maiden, water supply at................... 202

Malta Bend, weu at...................... 104-105

well at, record of...................... 38,105

Manchester, England, water supply of..... 193

Maquoketa shale, character and distribution of....................... 12,17,27

Page. 

Marais des Cygnes shale, correlation of..... 23

Marbut, on Crowleys Ridge................ 10

on Des Moines group................... 23

Maries County, rainfall in.................. 7

rocks in................................. 15

Marion County, rainfall in................. 7

rocks in................................. 19,20

wells in................................. 48-50

record of............................ 49,51

rocks in............................. 42

water of, analyses of............. 49,50,51

Marked Tree, Ark., section at, record of.... 35

well at................................ 182-183

record of............................ 182

water of, analysis of................ 183

Marshall, water supply at.................. 202

water supply at, analysis of............ 206

Marshfield sandstone, correlation of........ 16

Mary ville, water supply at................. 202

well at.................................. 71

Matherly Bluff, view of..................... 14

Memphis, Tenn., water supply of......... 193,202

wells at............................... 183-185

record of............................ 184

rocks in............................. 25

Memphis (Tenn,)-Arcadia (Kans.) section,

description of................... 34-35

plate showing.......................... 30

Meramec Highlands, water supply at....... 202

Mercer County, rainfall in.................. 7

rocks in................................. 24

wells in................................. 68-70

records of........................... 68,70

water of, analysis of................ 69

Mesozoic time, history of................... 28-29

Mexico, water supply at.................... 202

well at, record of....................... 33,72

water of, analysis of................ 73

Miller County, rainfall in................... 7

rocks in.............................. 15,22-23

wells in....................... 77-78,91-92,110

record of.._....................--... 91

Mineral salts, occurrence of, in artesian

water........................... 4,

5,19,31,44,59,81-83,103,104,209-212 

Mineral springs, occurrence of... 59,81-83,103,104 

Mississippi County, Ark., wells in........ 185-187

wells in, water of, analyses of.......... 186

Mississippi County, Mo., rainfall in........ 7

Mississippian rocks, character and distribution of.......................... 18-22

Missouri, growth of........................ 1

rainfall in............................... 6-7

wells of............----..---..-..-.--.-. 1

Missouri group, character and distribution

of............................ 12,22,24

water in................................ 31

Missouri River, development of............ 29

Moberly, water supply at.................. 202

water supply at, analysis of............ 207

well at................................ 102-103

record of....................... 39,102-103

Moberly-Nevada-Carthage-Springfield section, description of............. 38-40

plate showingf.......................... 36

Monett, water supply at................... 202

water supply at, analysis of............ 207
INDEX. 221

Page. 

Moniteau County, rainfall in............... 7

wells in................................. 92-93

records of........................... 93

Monks Mound, III., well at............... 158-159

well at, record of..................... 158-159

Monroe County, rainfall in................. 7

Montgomery City, water supply at......... 202

Montgomery County, rainfall in............ 7

Moreau sandstone, correlation of........... 15

Morehouse, well at....................... 174-175

well at, records of................. 35,174,175

rocks in............................. 24,25

water of, analysis of................ 175

Morgan County, rainfall in................. 7

rocks in................................. 15

wells in................................. 94-95

record of............................ 95

Mound City, water supply at............... 202

Mount Pleasant Mill, well near, record of. 150-151 

Mount Vernon, spring at................... 202

water supply at........................ 202

Municipal water supplies. See City water 

supplies.

N.

Nadine, well near, record of................ 100

Naylor, well near........................... 178

Nelsonville, wells at........................ 50-51

wells at, record of...................... 50,51

Neosho, water supply at................... 202

wells near............................. 151-152

record of............................ 151

water of, analysis of................ 151

Nevada, section through, description of.... 38-40

section through, plate showing......... 36

water supply at........................ 202

analysis of.......................... 207

well at............ ................... 121-123

record of.......................... 122,123

rocks in............................. 40

water of, analysis of................ 121

Nevada district. See Clinton-Nevada district. 

New Madrid, well at...................... 176-177

well at, record of....................... 177

rocks in............................. 35

New Madrid County, rainfall in............ 7

wells in............................... 175-177

records of..................... 175,176,177

water of, analysis of................ 176

New York, water supply of................ 192

Newton County, rainfall in................. 7

wells at............................... 148-152

record of.......................... 148-151

water of, analysis of................ 151

Nodaway County, rainfall in............... 7

wells in................................. 70-71

record of............................ 70-71

Noel, well at.............................. 146-147

well at, record of....................... 147

North-central prairie district, geology and

underground waters of......... 55

location of, figure showing............. 8

topography of.......................... 8

wells of, by counties.................... 55-71

Page.

Northeastern district, geology and underground waters of............... 43-44

wells of, Ijy counties.................... 44-54

Northwest plateau district, location of, figure showing.................... 8

topography of.......................... 7-8

Norton, W. H., onartesian wells........ 2-3,199

on scale in boilers....................... 198

Oakwood, well at........................... 51

well at, water of, analysis of........... 51

Ohio shale. See Chattanooga shale.

Glean, wells at and near.................... 91-92

wells near, record of.................. 91

Orange :iand, correlation of................ 25

Ordovician rocks, character and distribution of.......................... 17

Ordovician time, history in................ 27

Oregon, water supply at................... 202

water supply at, analysis of........... 207

Oregon County, rainfall in................. 7

Orric, well at, rocks in...................... 32

Osage County, rainfall in................... 7

Osage limestone, correlation of............. 14

Osceola, water supply at................... 202

wells at................................. 121

Ozark, water supply at..................... 202

well near................................ 126

Ozark border district, location of, figure «

showing........................ 8

topography of.......................... 9

Ozark County, rainfall in................... 7

rocks in................................. 15

well in, record of........................ 152

Ozark Mountains, formation of............ 28

Ozark-gt. Francis dome district, location of,

figure showing.................... 8

topography of......................... 8-9

OzarMa, definition of....................... 27

rocks of................................. 27

P. 

Pacific, rocks at............................ 41

water supply at........................ 202

Pacific (Mo.)-Greenville (111.) section, description of..................... 41

plate showing.......................... 36

Pacific sandstone, correlation of............ 16

Palmyra, spring at......................... 203

water supply at........................ 203

well at.................................. 51

water of, analysis of................ 51

Paris, France, artesian well at............. 3

water supply of......................... 192

Paris, Mo., water supply at................ 203

Pawnee limestone, correlation of........... 23

Pegmatite, occurrence and character of.... 13

Pemiscot County, rainfall in............... 7

wells in............................... 177-178

record of............................ 178

water of, analysis of................ 178

Pennsylvanian rocks, character and distribution o"....................... 22-24

water in....... ........................ 4

Perry, wells near, records of.............. 100,101
222 INDEX.

Page. 

Perry County, rainfall in................... 7

rocks in..........................( ....... 21,27

well in.................................. 171

Pettis, well at, record of.................... 66

Pettis County, rainfall in................... 7

rocks in................................. 20

wells in................................ 95-100

records of.......................... 95-100

water of, analysis of................ 98

Phelps County, rainfall in.................. 7

rocks in................................. 15

wells in, records of.................... 152-153

Phelps sandstone, deposition of............ 27

occurrence of........................... 19

Pierce City, spring at....................... 203

water supply at........................ 203

well at, record of....................... 145

Pike County, rainfall in.................... 7

rocks in................................. 20

well in................................... 52-53

record of............................ 52

rocks in............................. 37,42

water of, analyses of................ 53

Pilot Knob, wells at."....................... 108

Pittsburg, wells at and near.............. 109-110

Platte County, rainfall in.................. 7

Plattin limestone, character and distribution of.......................... 12,17

Pleasant Hill, well at, record of.......... 113-114

well at, rocks in........................ 32,36

Pleasant Hill-Louisiana section, description of.......................... P.G-37

plate showing.......................... 36

Pleasanton shale, character and distribution of.......................... 23-24

water in................................ 23-24

Pleistocene time, history of................ 29

Pocahontas, well at........................ 167

Polk Bayou limestone, character and distribution of ....................... 12,17

Polk County, rainfall in.................... 7

rocks in.............................. 19,22,28

wells in................................. Ill

Poplar Bluff, water supply at.............. 203

wells at................................. 174

Porters Creek formation, character and

distribution of............... 12,24-25

Potability of water, data on............. 194-195

Potassium sulphate, occurrence of......... 211

Potosi limestone, correlation of............ 14

Power, derivation of, from artesian wells... 6 

Princeton, water supply at................. 203

well near, record of..................... 70

Proctor limestone, correlation of........... 14

Pulaski County, rainfall in................. 7

rocks in................................. 15

Putnam County, rainfall in................ 7

Quaternary deposits, character and distribution of ....................... 25

Quaternary time, history of................ 29

R.

Rainfall, adequateness of, for artesian supply.............................. 3

Page. 

Rails County, rainfall in.................... 7

rocks in......>............._......._..._ 16

springs of............................... 81

wells in......................... 53-54,100-101

record of....................... 53,100,101

water of, analysis of................ 54

Randolph County, rainfall in............... 7

springs in............................. 103-104

water of, analysis of................ 104

wells in............................... 101-103

records of......................... 101-103

Randolph Springs, springs at............ 103-104

springs at, water of, analysis of ........ 104

well at.................................. 103

Ray County, rainfall in..................... 7

Raymondville, blowing well near........... 213

Raytown, well at, rocks in ................. 32

Regent Springs, water of, quality of....... 59

Rensselaer, well at ......................... 53

well at, record of....................... 53

Reynolds County, rainfall in............... 7

Rich Hill, water supply at................. 203

Richards, well at........................... 123

Richmond, water supply at................ 203

Ripley County, rainfall in.................. 7

well in.................................. 178

Ripley sand, character of................... 24

water in................................ 24

Rock formations, description and distribution of....................... 11-25

fist of................................... 12

occurrence of, in wells. See particular

wells. 

Rockport, water supply at................. 203

Rockville, well at........................... 113

Rolla, wells at and near, records of......... 153

Roubidoux sandstone, character and distribution of.................. 12,14,15

water in................................ 15

Sac limestone, occurrence of................ 19

Sac River, view on......................... 14

Saccharoidal sandstone, correlation of..... 16

Safford, J. M., on Porters Creek formation. 25 

Sahara Desert, artesian well in _...___...... 3

St. Catherine, well at, record of............ 66

St. Charles, water supply at................ 203

well at.................................. 158

St. Charles County, rainfall in.............. 7

well in.................................. 158

St. Clair County, 111., well in............. 158-159

well hi, record of..................... 158-158

St. Clair County, Mo., rainfall in........... 7

rocks in................................. 18-19

wells in............................... 120-121

record of............................ 120

water of, analysis of................ 120

St. Francis Mountains, rocks of............ 11,26

St. Francis Mountains district, underground water of................ 166

wells of, by counties.................. 166-172

St. Francois County, rainfall in............ 7

rocks in................................. 12,13

wells in............................... 171-172

St. Joseph, water supply at................ 203

water supply at, analysis of............ 208
INDEX. 223

Page. 

St. Joseph, well near, rocks in ............. 32

St. Joseph limestone, correlation of........ 14

St. Joseph-Versailles section, description

of............................... 32-33

plate showing.................... t ..... 30

St. Louis, water supply at................. 203

wells at............................... 159-166

record of............... 41,159,161-164,166

rocks in............................. 34

water of, analyses of................. 161,165

temperature of................. 163

St. Louis basin district, geology and underground water of.............. 154-156

wells of, by counties.................. 1.56-166

St. Louis County, rainfall in............... 7

rocks in................................. 21

wells in............................... 159-166

records of................. 159,161-164,166

rocks in............................ 34

water of, analyses of............. 161,165

temperature of................. 163

St. Louis-Forest City section, description of 33-34 

plate showing.......................... 30

St. Louis (Mo.)-Keokuk (Iowa) section,

description of................... 41-43

plate showing.......................... 36

St. Louis limestone, character and distribution of................. 12,18,22,28

deposition of........................... 28

water in................................ 22

St. Peter sandstone, character and distribution of............. 12,14,16-17,156

deposition of........................... 26

view of................................. 14

water in............................ 3-4,16-17

Ste. Genevieve County, rainfall in.......... 7

rocks in.............................. 12.i9,21

Ste. Genevieve limestone, character and dis- 

' tribution of............... 12,18,22,28

deposition of........................... 28

water in................................ 22

Salem, wells near, records of ............. 127,128

Saline County, rainfall in................... 7

spring in................................ 81

wells in............................... 104-106

records of......................... 105,106

Salisbury, well at........................... 76-77

well at, water of, analysis of........... 77

Salt, occurrence of...... ................... 211

Schoo'lcraft, H. E., on sink holes........... 213

Schoolcraft River, course of and sediments

in................................ 28

Schuyler County, rainfall in................ 7

Scott County, rainfall in................... 7

wells in............................... 179-181

record of............................ 180

water of, analysis of................ 181

Scotland County, rainfall in................ 7

Second Magnesian limestone, correlation of. 15 

Second sandstone, correlation of........... 15

Sections, geologic, descriptions of.......... 29-43

Sedalia, section at.......................... 97

water supply at........................ 203

waterworks wells at, diagram showing. 96 

wells at and near.............. ........ 96-99

Page. 

Sedalia, wells at and near, record of.. 32,39,97,98

wells at and near, water of, analysis of. 98 

Shannon County, rainfall in................ 7

rocks in................................. 12

Shelby County, rainfall In.................. 7

Sheldon, wells near......................... 124

wells near, record of.................... 124

Shoal River, view on....................... 20

Silpam Springs, location of................. 59

Silurian rocks character and distribution of. 17-18 

Silurian time, history of.................... 27

Sinking Creek, description of............... 213

view of...................-.---...-.---- SO

Slater, water supply at..................... 203

water supply at, analysis of............ 203

well at.................................. 105

Smith, A. F. See Ball and Smith.

Smithton, wells at and near............... 99-100

wells at and near, record of............ 99,100

Sodium salts, occurrence of................. 211

South-central district, geology and underground water of................ 71-72

wells of, by counties...............:... 72-107

Southeastern lowlands district, location cf,

figure showing.................. 8

topography of.......................... 9-10

Southeastern swamp district, geology and

underground water in........ 172-174

wells of, by counties.................. 174-187

Southwest City, wells at, records of........ 147

Southwestern district, geology and underground water in.............. 125-126

wells of, by counties.................. 126-154

Spalding, Mo., early artesian well at....... 3

well at................................. 54

water of, analysis of............... 42,54

Spergen limestone, character and distribution of................. 12.18,21-22,28

deposition of........................... 28

water in................................ 22

Springfield, water supply at................ 202

water supply at, analysis of............ 208

well at................................ 131-133

record of................... 40,131-132,133

rocks in............................. 16,34

Springfield-Carthage-Nevada-Moberly section, description of............. 38-40

plate showing.......................... 36

Springs, occurrence of..................... 59,

81-83,103-104,172,200,202,203

Springs, mineral, occurrence of.. 59,81-83,103-104 

Stanberry, water supply at................. 203

Stoddard County, rainfall in............... 7

Stone County, rainfall in................... 7

rocks in................................. 28

Stotesbury, well near....................... 125

well near, record of..................... 125

Sullivan, spring at.......................... 203

water supply at........................ 203

well at.................................. 157

Sullivan County, rainfall in................ 7

Sulphur waters, occurrence of.............. 212

Sweet Springs, water supply at............. 203

well at................................ 105-106

record of....................... 36,105-106
224 INDEX.

T.

Taney County, rainfall in.................. 7

Tarkio, water supply at.................... 203

wells at and near..................... 187-192

location of, map showing........... 189

records of......................... 188,189

water of, analyses of............. 208-209

Tchihatchef, on artesian wells.............. 2

Tennessee, section in....................... 186

wells in........................... 182,183-185

record of.......................... 182,184

Terrell, Ark., well at........................ 187

well art, record of....................... 187

Tertiary rocks, character and distribution

of............................... 24-25

Tertiary sands, water in................... 4

Tertiary time, history of................... 28

Texas County, rainfall in................... 7

rocks in................................. 15,28

well in, record of........................ 154

Thayer, rocks at............................ 34

Thespian Spring. See Louisiana, well at.

Third sandstone, correlation of............ 14,15

Tiff City, well near......................... 148

Tina, wells at, record of.................... 30,58

Topography, description of................ 7-11

figure showing........................... 8

Trenton, water supply at.................. 203

water supply at, analysis of............ 209

Tribune limestone, character and distribution of....................... 12,18,22

Troy, well at............................... 48

well at, water of, analysis of............ 48

Typhoid fever, transmission of........... 194-195

U.

TJlrich, E.G., identification of rocks by ... 14

on Jefferson City limestone............. 17

on Louisiana limestone................. 19

on Maquoketa shale.................... 27

on Ordovician rocks.................... 17

on OzarMa............................. 27

on St. Peter sandstone................. 16

on Warsaw formation.................. 21

Underground waters, description (if, by

districts....................... 43-192

Union, water supply at..................... 203

Utica, well near............................ 67-68

well near, rocks in...................... 30

. water of, analysis of................ 68

V. 

Vandalia, well at........................... 73

Vermicular sandstone, correlation of....... 19

Vernon County, rainfall in.................. 7

wells in............................... 121-125

records of......................... 122-125

water of, analysis of................ 121

Verona, water supply at................... 203

well at, record of....................... 145

Versailles-St. Joseph section, description

of............................... 32-33

plate showing.......................... 30

W. Pago. 

Walker, well near.......................... 125

Wanda, wells near.......................... 148

Warren County, rainfall in................. 7

wells in............................... 106-107

record of............................ 107

rocks in............................. 34

Warrensburg, springs at................... 203

water supply at........................ 203

analysis of......................... 209

Warrenton, well at....................... 106-107

well at, record of....................... 107

Warsaw formation, character and distribution of.................... 12,18,21,28

deposition of ........................... 28

water in................................ 21

Washington, water supply at.............. 203

Washington County, sainfall in............ 7

rocks in................................. 12

Wasson Creek. See Linevilie.

Water, contamination of................... 194

hardness of.......................... 195-198

potability of.......................... 194-195

quality of............................. 194-198

Water supplies, municipal. See City water

supplies. 

Waters, underground, description of, by

districts....................... 43-192

Wayne County, rainfall in.................. 7

rocks in................................. 12

WebbCity, springs at...................... 203

water supply at........................ 203

analysis of.......................... 209

well at................................ 139-141

record of............................ 140

water of, analysis of.............. 140,141

Webster County, rainfall in................ 7

rocks in................................. 19,20

Webster Grove, water supply at........... 203

Wells, classes of............................ 3

descriptions of. See particular places,

counties, etc.

records of. See particular places, counties, etc. 

preservation of..................... 2

See also Gas wells; Artesian wells; Brine 

wells; Mineral salts; Blowing 

wells.

Wells, gas and artesian, comparative conditions requisite for............. 3

West Plains, well at, record of............. 134

Westcott, well at, record of................ 154

Westport, water supply at............... 201,203

Williams, I. J., on catchments for underground water................... 3,5

Willow Springs, water supply at........... 203

Winfield limestone, correlation of.......... 15

Winoka gravel, correlation of.............. 29

Winslow, Arthur, on artesian wells........ 31-32

well sections by........................ 40,44

Worth County, rainfall in.................. 7

Wright County, rainfall in................. 7

Wyaconda well. See Lagrange, well at.
CLASSIFICATION OF THE PUBLICATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL

SURVEY.

[Water-Supply Paper No. 195.1

The publications of the United States Geological Survey consist of (1) Annual 

Reports, (2) Monographs, (3) Professional Papers, (4) Bulletins, (5) Mineral 

Resources, (6) Water-Supply and Irrigation Papers, (7) Topographic Atlas of United 

States folios and separate sheets thereof, (8) Geologic Atlas of United States 

folios thereof. The classes numbered 2, 7, and 8 are sold at cost of publication; the 

others are distributed free. A circular giving complete lists can be had on application.

Most of the above publications can be obtained or consulted in the following ways:

1. A limited number are delivered to the Director of the Survey, from whom they 

can be obtained, free of charge (except classes 2, 7, and 8), on application.

2. A certain number are delivered to Senators and Representatives in Congress 

for distribution.

3. Other copies are deposited with the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, 

D. C., from whom they can be had at price's slightly above cost.

4. Copies of all Government publications are furnished to the principal public 

libraries in the large cities throughout the United Slates, where they can be consulted 

by those interested.

The Professional Papers, Bulletins, and Water-Supply Papers treat of a variety of 

subjects, and the total number issued is large. They have therefore .been classified into 

the following series: A, Economic geology; B, Descriptive geology; C, Systematic 

geology and paleontology; D, Petrography and mineralogy; E, Chemistry and physics; F, Geography; G, Miscellaneous; H, Forestry; I, Irrigation; J, Water storage; 

K, Pumping water; L, Quality of water; M, General hydrographic investigations; 

N, Water power; O, Underground waters; P, Hydrographic progress reports. This 

paper is the one hundred and sixteenth in Series B and the sixty-ninth in Series O, 

the complete lists of which follow: (PP=Professional Paper; B=Bulletin; WS= 

Water-Supply Paper).

SERIES B, DESCRIPTIVE GEOLOGY.

B 23. Observations on the junction between the Eastern sandstone and the Keweenaw series on

Keweenaw Point, Lake Superior, by R. D. Irving and T. C. Chamberlin. 1885. 124 pp., 17

pis. (Out of stock.)

B 33. Notes on geology of northern California, by J. S. Diller. 1886. 23 pp. (Out of stock.) 

B 39. The upper beaches and deltas of Glacial Lake Agassiz, by Warren Upham. 1&87. 84 pp., 1 pi.

(Out of stock.) 

B 40. Changes in river courses in Washington Territory due to glaciation, by Bailey Willis. 1887. 10

pp., 4 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 45. The present condition of knowledge of the geology of Texas, by R. T. Hill. 1887. 94 pp. (Out

of stock.)

B 53. The geology of Nantucket, by N. S. Shaler. 1889. 55 pp., 10 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 57. A geological reconnaissance in southwestern Kansas, by Robert Hay. 1890. 49 pp., 2 pis. 

B 58. The glacial boundary in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, by G. F.

Wright, with introduction by T. 0. Chamberlin. 1890. 112 pp., 8 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 67. The relations of the traps of the Newark system in the New Jersey region, by N. H. Barton.

1890. 82pp. (Out of stock.)

B 104. Glaciation of the Yellowstone Valley north of the Park, by W. H. Weed. 1893. 41 pp., 4 pis. 

BIOS. A geological reconnaissance in central Washington, by I. C. Russell. 1893. 108 pp., 12 pis.

(Out of stock.)

I
II SEEIES LIST.

B 119. A geological reconnaissance in northwest Wyoming, by U. H. Eldridge. 1894. 72 pp., 4 pis. 

B 137. The geology of the Fort Riley Military Reservation and vicinity, Kansas, by Robert Hay. 1896.

35 pp., 8 pis. 

B 144. The moraines of the Missouri Coteau and their attendant deposits, by J. E. Todd. 1896. 71

pp., 21 pis. 

B 158. The moraines of southeastern Sovith Dakota and their attendant deposits, by J. E. Todd. 1899.

171 pp., 27 pis. 

B 159- The geology of eastern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, by B. K. Emerson. 1899. 139 pp.,

9 pis. 

B 165. Contributions to the geology of Maine, by H. S. Williams and H. E. Gregory. 1900. 212 pp.,

14 pis. 

WS 70. Geology and water resources of the Patrick and Goshen.Hole quadrangles in eastern Wyoming

and western Nebraska, by G. I. Adams. 1902. 50 pp., 11 pis. 

B 199. Geology and water resources of the Snake River Plains of Idaho, by I. C. Russell. 1902. 192pp.,

25 pis. 

PP 1. Preliminary report on the Ketchikan mining district, Alaska, with an introductory sketch of

the geology of southeastern Alaska, by A. H. Brooks. 1902. 120 pp., 2 pis. 

PP 2. Reconnaissance of the northwestern portion of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 1902.

70pp., 11 pis. 

PP 3. Geology and petrography of Crater Lake National Park, by J. S. Diller and H. B. Patton. 1902.

167pp., 19 pis. 

PP 10. Reconnaissance from Fort Hamlin to Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, by way of Ball, Kanuti, Alien,

and Kowak rivers, by W. C. Mendenhall. 1902. 68 pp., 10 pis. 

PP 11. Clays of the United States east of the Mississippi River, by Heinrich Ries. 1903. 298 pp., 9 pis.

(Out of stock.)

PP 12. Geology of the Globe copper district, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1903. 168 pp., 27 pis. 

PP 13. Drainage modifications in southeastern Ohio and adjacent parts of West Virginia and Kentucky, I / W. G. Tight. 1903. Ill pp., 17 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 208. Descriptive geology of Nevada south 01 the fortieth parallel and adjacent portions of California,

by J. E. Spurr. 1903. 229 pp., S pis. (Out of stock.)

B 209. Geology of Ascutney Mountain, Vermont, by R. A. Daly. 1903. 122 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 78. Preliminary report on artesian basins in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by

I. C. Russell. 1903. 51 pp., 2 pis. 

PP 15. Mineral resources of the Mount Wraugell district, Alaska, by W. C. Mendenhall and F. C.

Schrader. 1903. 71 pp., 10 pis. 

PP 17. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one hundred

and third meridian, by N. H. Darton. 1903. 69 pp., 43 pis. 

B 217. Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by I. C. Russell. 1903.

83 pp., 18 pis.

B 219. The ore deposits of Tonopah, Nevada (preliminary report), by J. E. Spurr. 1903. 31 pp., 1 pi. 

PP 20. A reconnaissance in northern Alaska in 1901, by F. C. Schrader. 1904. 139 pp., 16 pis. 

PP 21. The geology and ore deposits of the Bisbee quadrangle, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1904. 168

pp., 29 pis. 

WS 90. Geology and water resources of part of the lower James River Valley, South Dakota, by J. E.

Todd and C. M. Hall. 1904. 47 pp., 23 pis. 

PP 25. The copper deposits of the Encampment district, Wyoming, by A. C. Spencer. 1904. 107 pp.,

2 pis. (Out of stock.) 

PP 26. Economic resources of the northern Black Hills, by J. D. Irving, with contributions by S. F.

Emmons and T. A. Jaggar, jr. 1904. 222 pp., 20 pis.

PP 27. A geological reconnaissance across the Bitterroot Range and Clearwater Mountains in Montana and Idaho, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1904. 122 pp., 15 pis. 

PP 31. Preliminary report on the geology of the Arbuckle and Wichita mountains in Indian Territory

and Oklahoma, by J. A. Taff, with an appendix on reported ore deposits in the Wichita

Mountains, by H. F. Bain. 1904. 97 pp., 8 pis. 

B 235. A geological reconnaissance across the Cascade Range near the forty-ninth parallel, by G. O.

Smith and F. C. Calkins. 1904. 103 pp., 4 pis.

B 236. The Porcupine placer district, Alaska, by C. W. Wright. 1904. 35 pp., 10 pis. 

B 237. Igneous rocks of the Highwood Mountains, Montana, by L. V. Pirssoii. 1904. 208 pp., 7 pis. 

B 238. Economic geology of the lola quadrangle, Kansas, by G. I. Adams, Erasmus Haworth, and

W. R. Crane. 1904. 83 pp., 1 pi. 

PP 32. Geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains, by N. H. Darton. 1905.

433 pp., 72 pis. 

WS 110. Contributions to hydrology of eastern United States, 1904; M. L. Fuller, geologist in charge.

1905. 211 pp., 5 pis. 

B 242. Geology of the Hudson Valley between the Hoosic and the Kinderhook, by T. Nelson Dale.

1904. 63 pp., 3 pis. 

PP 34. The Delavan lobe of the Lake Michigan glacier of the Wisconsin stage of glaciation and

associated phenomena, by W. C. Alden. 1904. 106 pp., 15 pis.
SERIES LIST. Ill

PP 35. Geology of the Perry Basin in southeastern Maine, by G. O. Smith and David White. 1905

107 pp., 6 pis.

B 243. Cement materials and industry of the United States, by E. C. Eckel. 1905. 395 pp., 15 pis. 

B 246. Zinc and lead deposits of northeastern Illinois, by H. F. Bain. 1904. 56 pp., 5 pis. 

B 247. The Fairhaven gold placers of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by F. H. Mofflt. 1905. 85 pp., 14 pis. 

B 249. Limestones of southwestern Pennsylvania, by F. G. Clapp. 1905. 52 pp., 7 pis. 

B 250. The petroleum fields of the Pacific coast of Alaska, with an account of the Bering River coal

deposit, by G. C. Martin. 1905. 65 pp., 7 pis. 

B 251. The gold placers of the Fortymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska, by L. M.

Prindle. 1905. 16pp., 16 pis. 

WS 118. Geology and water resources of a portion of east-central Washington, by F. C. Calkins. 1905,

96 pp., 4 pis. ' 

B 252. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of central Oregon, by I. C. Russell.

1905. 138 pp., 24 pis. 

PP 36. The lead, zinc, and fluorspar deposits of western Kentucky, by E. O. Ulrich and W. S. Tangier

Smith. 1905. 218 pp., 15 pis.

PP 38. Economic geology of the Bingham mining district of Utah, by J. M. Boutwell, with a chapter 

on areal geology, by Arthur Keith, and an introduction ongeneral geology, by S. F. Emmons. 

1905. 413 pp., 49 pis. 

PP 41. The geology of the central Copper River region, Alaska, by W. C. Mendenhall. 1905. 133 pp.,

20 pis. 

B 254. Report of progress in the geological resurvey of the Cripple Creek district, Colorado, by

Waldemar Lindgren and F. L. Ransome. 1904. 36 pp. 

B 255. The fluorspar deposits of southern Illinois, by H. Foster Bain. 1905. 75 pp., 6 pis. (Out of

stock.) 

B 256. Mineral resources of the Elders Ridge quadrangle, Pennsylvania, by R. W. Stone. 1905.

85 pp., 12 pis. 

B 257. Geology and paleontology of the Judith River beds, by T. W. Stonton and J. B. Hatcher, with

a chapter on the fossil plants, by F. H. Knowlton. 1905. 174 pp., 19 pis.

PP 42. Geology of the Tonopah mining district, Nevada, by J. E. Spurr. 1905. 295 pp., 24 pis. 

WS 123. Geology and underground water conditions of the Jornada del Muerto, New Mexico, by

C. R. Keyes. 1905. 42 pp., 9 pis. (Out of stock.)

WS 136. Underground waters of Salt River Valley, Arizona, by W. T. Lee. 1905. 194 pp., 24 pis. 

PP43. The copper deposits of Clifton-Morenci, Arizona, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1905. 375 pp., 25 pis. 

B265. Geology of the Boulder district, Colorado, by N. M. Fenneman. 1905. 101 pp., 5 pis. 

B 267. The copper deposits of Missouri, by H. F. Bain and E. O. Ulrich. 1905. 52 pp., 1 pi. 

PP 44. Underground water resources of Long Island, New York, by A. C. Veatch, and others. 1905,

394pp., 34 pis.

WS 148. Geology and water resources of Oklahoma, by C. N. Gould. 1905. 178 pp., 22 pis. 

B 270. The configuration of the rock floor of Greater New York, by W. H. Hobbs. 1905. % pp., 5 pis. 

B 272. Taconic physiography, by T. M. Dale. 1905. 52 pp., 14 pis. 

PP 45. The geography and geology of Alaska, a summary of existing knowledge, by A. H. Brooks,

with a section on climate, by Cleveland Abbe, jr., and a topographic map and description

thereof, by R. M. Goode. 1905. 327 pp., 34 pis. 

B 273. The drumlins of southeastern Wisconsin (preliminary paper), by W. C. Alden. 1905. 46 pp.,

9 pis. 

PP 46. Geology and underground water resources of northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas, by

A. C. Veatch. 1906. 422 pp., 51 pis. 

PP 49. Geology and mineral resources of part of the Cumberland Gap coal field, Kentucky, by G. H.

Ashley and L. C. Glenn, in cooperation with the State Geological Department of Kentucky,

C. J. Norwood, curator. 1906. 239 pp., 40 pis.

PP 50. The Montana lobe of the Keewatin ice sheet, by F. H. H. Calhoun. 1906. 62 pp., 7 pis. 

B 277. Mineral resources of Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: Gold fields of the Turnagain Arm region, by

F. H. Mofflt; and the coal fields of the Kachemak Bay region, by R. W. Stone. 1906. 80 pp.,

18 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 154. The geology and water resources of the eastern portion of the Panhandle of Texas, by C. N.

Gould. 1906. 64 pp., 15 pis. 

B 278. Geology and coal resources of the Cape Lisburne region, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 1906. 54

pp., 9 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 279. Mineral resources of the Kittanning and Rural Valley quadrangles, Pennsylvania, by Charles

Butts. 1906. 198 pp., 11 pis. 

B 280. The Rampart gold placer region, Alaska, by L. M. Prindle and F. L. Hess. 1906. 54 pp., 7 pis.

(Out of stock.)

B 282. Oil fields of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coastal Plain, by N. M. Fenneman. 1906. 146 pp. 11 pis. 

WS 157. Underground water in the valleys of Utah Lake and Jordan River, Utah, by G. B. Richardson.

3906. 81 pp., 9 pis. 

PP 51. Geology of the Bighorn Mountains, by N. H. Darton. 1906. 129 pp., 47 pis.
IV SERIES LIST.

\VS 158. Preliminary report on the geology and underground waters of the Roswell artesian area,

New Mexico, by C. A. Fisher. 1906. 29 pp., 9 pis. 

PP 52. Geology and underground waters of the Arkansas Valley in eastern Colorado, by N. H. Barton.

1906. 90 pp., 28 pis. 

WS 159. Summary of underground-water resources of Mississippi, by A. F. Crider and L. C. Johnson.

1906. 86 pp., G pis. 

PP53. Geology and water resources of the Bighorn basin, Wyoming, by Cassius A. Fisher. 1906

72 pp., 16 pis.

B 2S3. Geology and mineral resources of Mississippi, by A. F. Crider. 1906. 99 pp., 4 pis. 

B 2?6. Economic geology of the Beaver quadrangle, Pennsylvania (southern Beaver and northwestern

Allegheny counties), by L. H. Woolsey. 1906. 132 pp., 8 pis. 

B 287. The Juneau Gold belt, Alaska, by A. C. Spencer, and a reconnaissance of Admiralty Island,

Alaska, by C. W. Wright. 1906. 161 pp., 37 pis. 

PP 54. The geology and gold deposits of the Cripple Creek district, Colorado, by W. Lindgren and

F. L. Ransome. 1906. 516 pp., 29 pis.

PP 55. Ore deposits of the Silver Peak quadrangle, Nevada, J. E. Spurr. 1906. 174 pp., 24 pis. 

B 289. A reconnaissance of the Matanuska coal field, Alaska, in 1905, by G. C. Martin. 1906. 36 pp.,

5 pis. 

WS 164. Underground waters of Tennessee-and Kentucky west of Tennessee River and of an adjacent

area in Illinois, by L. C. Glenn. 1906. 173pp., 7 pis. 

B 293. A reconnaissance of some gold and tin deposits of the southern Appalachians, by L. C. Groton,

with notes on the Dahlonega mines, by W. Lindgren. 1906. 134 pp., 9 pis. 

B 294. Zinc and lead deposits of the upper Mississippi Valley, by H. Foster Bain. 1906. 155 pp.

16 pis. 

B 295. The Yukon-Tanana region, Alaska, description of Circle quadrangle, by L. M. Prindle. 1906.

27 pp., 1 pi. 

B 290. Economic geology of the Independence quadrangle, Kansas, by Frank C. Schrader and

Erasmus Haworth. 1906. 74pp., G pis. 

WS 1H1. Geology and water resources of Owens Valley, California, by Willis T. Lee. 1906. 28 pp.,

6 pis. 

B 297. The Yampa coal field, Routt County, Colo., by N. M. Fenneman, Hoyt S. Gale, and M. R.

Campbell. 1906. 96pp., 9 pis. 

B 300. Economic geology of the Amity quadrangle in eastern Washington County, Pa., by F. G.

Clapp. 1906. 145 pp., 8 pis. 

B 303. Preliminary account of Goldfield, Bullfrog, and other mining districts in southern Nevada, by

F. L. Ransome; with notes on Manhattan district, by G. H. Garrey and W. H. Emmons.

1907. 98 pp., 5 pis.

B 304. Oil and gas fields of Greene County, Pa., by R. W. Stone and F. G. Clapp. 1907. 110 pp., 3 pis. 

WS 188. Water resources of the Rio Grande Valley in New Mexico and their development, by W. 1.

Lee. 1906. 59pp., 10 pis. 

B 306. Rate of recession of Niagara Falls, accompanied by a report on the survey of the crest, by

W. Carvel Hall. 1906. 31 pp., 11 pis. 

PP 56. Geography and geology of a portion of southwestern Wyoming, with special reference to coal

and oil, by A. C. Veatch. 1907. pp., 26 pis. 

B 30 <. A geologic reconnaissance in southwestern Nevada and eastern California, by S. H. Ball. 1907.

218 pp., 3 pis. 

B 309. The Santa Clara Valley, Puente Hills, and Los Angeles oil districts, southern California, by

G. H. Eldridge and Ralph Arnold. 1907. 266 pp., 41 pis. 

PP 57. Geology of the Marysville mining district, Montana, a study of igneous intrusion and contact

metamorphism, by Joseph Barrell. 1907. 178pp., 16 pis. 

WS. 191. The geology and water resources of the western portion of the Panhandle of Texas, by C. N.

Gould. 1907. 70 pp., 7 pis. 

B 311. The green schists and associated granites and porphyries of Rhode Island, by B. K. Emerson

and J. H. Perry. 1907. 74 pp., 2 pis. 

WS 195. Underground waters of Missouri, their geology and utilization, by Edward Shepard. 1907.

224pp., 6 pis.

SERIES O, UNDERGROUND WATERS.

WS 4. A reconnaissance in southeastern Washington, by I. C. Russell. 1897. 96 pp., 7 pis. (Out of

stock.) 

WS 6. Underground waters of southwestern Kansas, by Erasmus Haworth. 1897. 65 pp., 12 pis.

(Out of stock.)

WS 7. Seepage waters of northern Utah, by Samuel Fortier. 1897. 50pp., 3 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 12. Underground waters of southeastern Nebraska, by N. H. Darton. 1898. 56 pp., 21 pis. (Out

of stock.) 

vVS 21. Wells of northern Indiana, by Frank Leverett. 1899. 82 pp., 2 pis. (Out of stock.)
SERIES LIST. T

WS26. Wells of southern Indiana (continuation of No. 21), by Frank Leverett. 1899. 64pp. (Out

of stock.) 

WS 30. Water resources of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, by A. C. Lane. 1899. 97pp., 7 pis. (Ou1

of stock.)

WS 31. Lower Michigan mineral waters, by A. G. Lane. 1899. 97 pp., 4 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 34. Geology and water resources of a portion of southeastern South Dakota, by J. E. Todd. 1900.

34 pp., 19 pis. 

WS 53. Geology and water resources of Nez Perces County, Idaho, Pt. I, by I. C. Russell. 1901.

86 pp., 10 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 54. Geology and water resources of Nez Perces County, Idaho, Pt. II, by I. C. Russell. 1901.

87-141 pp. (Out of stock.) 

WS 55. Geology and water resources of a portion of Yakima County, Wash., by G. O. Smith. 1901.

68 pp., 7 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 57. Preliminary list of deep borings in the United States, Pt. I, by N. H. Barton. 1902. GO pp.

(Out of stock.) 

WS 59. Development and application of water in southern California, Pt. I, by J. B. Lippincott. 1902.

95 pp., 11 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 60. Development and application of water in southern California, Pt. II, by J. B. Lippincott.

1902. 96-140 pp. (Out of stock. I 

WS 61. Preliminary list of deep borings in the United States, Pt. II, by N. H. Darton. 1902. G7 pp.

(Out of stock.)

WS 67. The motions of underground waters, by C. S. Slichter. 1902. 106 pp., 8 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 199. Geology and water resources of the Snake River Plains of Idaho, by I. C. Russell. 1902. 192

pp., 25 pis.

WS 77. Water resources of Molokai, Hawaiian Islands, by Waldeinar Lindgren. 1903. 62 pp., 4 pis. 

WS 78. Preliminary report on artesian basin in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by I. C.

Russell. 1903. 53 pp., 2 pis. 

PP 17. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one hundred

and third meridian, by N. H. Darton. 1903. 69 pp., 43 pis. 

WS 90. Geology and water resources of a part of the lower James River Valley, South Dakota, by

J. E. Todd and C. M. Hall. 1904. 47 pp., 23 pis. 

WS 101. Underground waters of southern Louisiana, by G. D. Harris, with discussions of their uses for

water supplies and for rice irrigation, by M, L. Fuller. 1904. 98 pp., 11 pis.

WS 102. Contributions to the hydrology of eastern United States, 1903, by M. L. Fuller. 1904. 522 pp. 

WS 104. Underground waters of Gila Valley, Arizona, by W. T. Lee. 1904. 71 pp., 5 pis. 

WS 106. Water resources of the Philadelphia district, by Florence Bascom. 1904. 75 pp., 4 pis. 

WS 110. Contributions to the hydrology of eastern United States, 1904; M. L. Fuller, geologist in

charge. 1904. 211 pp., 5 pis. 

PP 32. Geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains, by N. H. Darton. 1904.

433 pp., 72 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 111. Preliminary report on underground waters of Washington, by Henry Landes. 1"04. 85 pp.,

ipl. 

WS 112. Underflow tests in the drainage basin of Los Angeles River, by Homer Hamlin. 1904.

55 pp., 7 pis. 

WS114. Underground waters of eastern United States; M. L. Fuller, geologist in charge. 1904.

2S5 pp., 18 pis. 

WS 118. Geology and water resources of east-central Washington, by F. C. Calkins. 1905. 9.1 pfi.,

4 pis. 

B 252. Preliminary report on the geology snd water resources of central Oregon, by I. C. Russell.

1905. 138 pp., 24 pis. 

WS 120. Bibliographic review and index of papers relating to underground waters, published by the

United States Geological Survey, 1879-1904, by M. L. Fuller. 1905. 128 pp. 

WS 122. Relation of the law to underground waters, by D. W. Johnson. 1905. 55 pp. 

WS 123. Geology and underground water conditions of the Jornada del Muerto, New Mexico, by

C. R. Keyes. 1905. 42 pp., 9 pis. (Out of stock.)

WS 136. Underground waters of the Salt River Valley, by W. T. Lee. 1905. 194 pp., 24 pis. 

B 264. Record of deep-well drilling for 1904, by M. L. Fuller, E. F. Lines, and A. C. Veatch. 1905.

106 pp. 

PP 44. Underground water resources of Long Island, New York, by A. C. Veatch and others. 1905.

394 pp:, 34 pis. 

WS 1 37. Development of underground waters in the eastern coastal plain region of southern California.

by W. C. Mendenhall. 1905. 140 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 138. Developmentof underground watersin the central coastal plain region of southern California,

by W. C. Mendenhall. 1905. 162 pp., 5 pis. 

WS 139. Development of underground waters in the western coastal plain region of southern California,

by W.' C. Mendenhall. 1905. 105 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 140. Field measurements of the rate of movement of underground waters, by C. S. Slichter. 1905.

122pp., 15 pis.
VI SERIES LIST.

WS 141. Observations on the ground waters of Rio Grande Valley, by C. 8. Siichter. 1905. 83 pp.,

5 pis.

WS142. Hydrology of San Bernardino Valley, California, by W. C. Mendenhall. 1905. 12t pp., 13 pis. 

WS 145. Contribntions to the hydrology of eastern United States; M. L. Puller, geologist in charge.

1905. 220 pp., 6 pis.

WS 148. Geology and water resources of Oklahoma, by C. N. Gould. 1905. 178 pp., 22 pis. 

WS 149. Preliminary list of deep borings in the United States, second edition, with additions, by

N. H. Darton. 1905. 175 pp. 

PP 46. Geology and underground water resources of northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas, by

A. C. Veatch. 1906. 422 pp.. 51 pis.- 

WS 153. The underflow in Arkansas Valley in western Kansas, by C. S. Slichter. 19C6. 90 pp., 3 pis.

(Out of stock.) 

WS 154. The geology and water resources of the eastern portion of the Panhandle of Texas, by C. N.

Gould. 1906. 64 pp., 15 pis. 

WS 155. Fluctuations of the water level in wells, with special reference to Long Island, New York,

by A. C. Veatch. 1906. 83pp., 9 pis. 

WS 157. Underground water in the valleys of Utah Lake and Jordan River, Utah, by G. B. Richardson.

1906. 81 pp., 9 pis. 

WS 158. Preliminary report on the geology and underground waters of the Roswell artesian area,

New Mexico, by C. A. Fisher. 1906. 29 pp., 9 pis. 

PP52. Geology and underground waters of the Arkansas Valley in eastern Colorado, by N. H.

Darton. 1906. 90 pp., 28 pis. 

WS 159. Summary of underground-water resources of Mississippi, by A. F. Crider and L. C. Johnson.

1906. 86 pp., 6 pis. 

PP 53. Geology and water resources of the Bighorn basin, Wyoming, by C. A. Fisher. 1906. 72 pp.,

16 pis.

WS 160. Underground-water papers, 1906, by M. L. Fuller. 1906. 104 pp., 1 pi. (Out of stock.) 

WS 163. Bibliographic review and index of underground-water literature published in the United

States in 1905, by M. L. Fuller, F. G. Clapp, and B. L. Johnson. 1906. 130 pp.

WS 164. Underground waters of Tennessee and Kentucky west of Tennessee River and of an adjacent area in Illinois, by L. C. Glenn. 1906. 173 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 181. Geology and water resources of Owens Valley, California, by W. T. Lee. 3906. 28 pp., 6 pjs.

(Out of stock.)

WS 182. Flowing wells and municipal water supplies in the southern portion of the Southern Peninsula of Michigan, by Frank Leverett and others. 1906. 292 pp., 5 pis. 

WS 183. Flowing wells and municipal water supplies in the middle and northern portions of the

Southern Peninsula of Michigan, by Frank Leverett and others. 1906. 393 pp., 5 pis. 

B 298. Record of deep-well drilling for 1905, by M. L. Fuller and Samuel Sanford. 1906. 299 pp. 

WS 184. The underflow of the South Platte Valley, by C. S. Slichter and H. C. Wolff. 1906. 42 pp. 

WS 188. Water resources of the Rio Grande Valley in New Mexico and their development, by

W. T. Lee. 1906. 59 pp., 10 pis.

WS 190. Underground waters of Coastal Plain of Texas, by T. U. Taylor. 1907. 73 pp., 3 pis. 

WS 191. Geology and water resources of the western portion of the Panhandle of Texas, by C. N.

Gonld. 1907. 70 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 195. Underground waters of Missouri; their geology and utilization, by Edward Shepard. 1907.

224 pp., 6 pis.

The following papers also relate to this subject: Underground waters of Arkansas Valley in eastern 

Colorado, by G. K. Gilbert, in Seventeenth Annual, Pt. II; Preliminary report on artesian waters of a 

portion of the Dakotas, by N. H. Darton, in Seventeenth Annual, Pt. II; Water resources of Illinois, 

by Frank Leverett, in Seventeenth Annual, Pt. II; Water resources of Indiana and Ohio, by Frank 

Leverett, in Eighteenth Annual, Pt. IV; New developments in well boring and irrigation in eastern 

South Dakota, by N. H. Darton, in Eighteenth Annual, Pt. IV; Rock waters of Ohio, by Edward 

Orton, in Nineteenth Annnal, Pt. IV; Artesian-well prospects in the Atlantic coastal plain region, by 

N. H. Darton, Bulletin No. 138.

Correspondence should be addressed to

THE DIKECTOR,

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUKVEY,

WASHINGTON, D. C. 

JULY, 1907.

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