New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1855-11-30
NEW ORLEANS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, \

| NEW ORLEANS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
| MONDAY, November 10, 1856
| At regular meeting Of the Academy, helG
this evening, the President, Prof j. l. Riddell
in the chair, the Committee on the Artesial
Well presented a report which was read ani
adopted
On motion Of Messrs Gordon and Gsyerre, ii
was unaniomusly resolved that q copy Of there.
port be presented to the Common Council of thu
/ city Of New Orleans.
N. B. BENEDICT,
i Recording Secretary, N. o. A. S.
To the President and Fellows of the New
i orlsana Academy of Sciences
1 Gentissns's-The Committee on the Ariesian Well
(which i now in progress il, Canal street, in obedi-
ence to the resolution of this Academy, adopted Oct
22th, 1855, have the honor TO submit the following
REPORT
i Water perfectly adapted TO the wants of man. us a
common drink, is one q the great deside.at Of life;
abundant and unfailing supply. The inhabitants OF
New Orleans have no such supply. They are depend
ant for this element of vital necessity upon two
sources aone-the river and the rain The FIRST par
tally distributed, enormously expensive, and apt 10
produce unpleasant and occasionally fatal ef.
ecs on those unccusomed 10 It's use; the other, un-
wholesome, precarious, at times failing entirely-as
happened during the past spring. when much sick.
ness prevailed in consequence. Our ordinary wells
do not deserve the name they unfit for use and
the most prolific source of mosquitoes. These cond-
tions affecl alone New Orleans, but ull the low
lands of This region The subject therefore, Is of such
general interest and concerns The health and the
tori Of 50 many persons to merit the utmost consid
eraton The annual cost Of the river water the in
dlvidnai inhabitants of New Orleans, amounts TO one
hundred thousand dollars; yet mnltitudes mol sup
piled with il ALL The residents of the rear of the
city dependent exclusively on rain water and are
often subjected 10 great distress BY the failure of The
supply.
Impelled byihese considerations The Common coun.
cf oalfxy tbDrtr Az.
we'll, in the center of Canal street, which was com
menced in the winter of 1854. and which has new
reached depth Of nearly six hundred feet By com
municalon from the Common Council dated Feb. 9Th,
1850, this Academy was requested io appoint COM
miitee 10 attend TO the work. Such committee was
forthwith appointed and its members, as we'll as the
Academy large, have watched with unceasng inter-
est The progress of The enterprise its commence
Ment 10 the present hour Nota blow has been struck
thai has not been duly chroniced; stratum PEN
eiated, nor particle of matter brought up, which
ample specimens have mol been carefully preserved,
IN due time it is the purpose of your committee TO
make fn and detailed report Apart from The value
Of plentiful supply of wholesome water the geologi.
cal interest of such work is inestimable to every
dweer in this portion of Stale, and to every en-
terprse of civil engineering, no less than 10 the man
o. science Already has the exploring a1gur refuted
and forever stlenced host of traditions aud apprehen
sions as 10 the stability of the foundation which our
city rests by seeking Truth In her favorite hiding
place. That foundation = to employ only common
sand and shells, which disposed of in distinct lay.
ers or 6 s,raia.n The tsstrafiedn arrangement is
Indispensable to the existence of Artesian wells The
water is contained in basin-shaped stratum, conn
posed OF sand, SO coarse TO rander perfectly per-
yons audit is imprisoned by other strata of similar
form composed of mpervous clay rock, and situa-
led above and below the water-bearng stratum, like
series OF bowls placed one Within another The diam
selef of these basins may vary from a few hundred
yards to thousands Of miles. Rains, falling upon The
surface OF the earth where covers the outcrop or
edge of this sandy basin sink into 1t and keep il all
ways full On penetrating TO this reservoirs al any
point its whole area the water necessarily rises
10 the hghesteve ofthat impr soned within the reser
yor II was stated in this Academy, in June last by
rfof David Chrisy, of Ohio, that the region furnishing
Aresian wells in Alabama and Mississippi is not DIS
posed in the basin FORM but in that of am immense plain
q genue Inclination, starting from the southwest
corner Of Kentucky Savannah Tennessee, Tusealoo-
ST. ana Centtevile, Ala, and on, and extending
through Florida to the Gulf of Mexico. In the strata
mus disposed, The waters for untold ages coursng
their silent way the vicinity OF the Florida coast
have gained force by accumulation and burst upwards
m springs SO vast as 10 form navgable rivers their
very source But admitting The facts TO be stated,
pam as merely the northern side of basin so vast
that Its southern side should be sought for in the other
hemls Phere. Prof e e. Forshey has described the
general Slope from New Orleans to the BRACES as so
UNIFORM that far outin the waters of the Gulf it is
easy TO determine The depth OF water without
meas urement merely by knowing the distance from
shore. We are all familiar with the popular reports
referred 10 at the first discussion in This Academy
Inlay sad ie5s, Of prpgs Of fresh spouting up
IN Inc midst OF the salt waters of the Gulf Ii The re-
porls be rue those are natural Aresian wells and in
dictate the existence of the geological conditions neces
sary to such wells.
In the we'll in Canal street. wafer a risa ,,,;,,;
few inches of the surface from every stratum nene
rated This was TO be expected; and The water DIFF
tered IN no Wise from the worthless common wells
until the depth of 1886 feet was reached From thaii
epth, however, the Goth March last water ever
me Top othe tubing, elevated several feet above
me eve OF Inc river and the country the rate OF hal
2 gallon minute. On the 23d Of April from tbe
depth OF 800 feet, the flow had Increased 10 gallon
MI W. ING stratum o. peryious sand which furnishes
every additional foot penetrated the flow Of
augmenled until y $50 feet amounts 10 six gallons
minute or 800 gallons hour. The exstenee mere
81 me geological conditions Indispensable u
wis, Us therefore no longer doubifnl-t is demon
safasdi and all that remains insure a supply of
Water rs, 70 penetrate 10 lower stratum The inhin
mas Jus been driven down through The
stratum 50 as to rest at $50 feet upon an n,nervnnss
T. and me fow Of water is, consequently
no W shut OFT The clay brought up is of fne ouavs
and very firm II is Impossible 10 CONJECTURE ,s ,hick
ness IN an exploration Of lG0feet Tor $50 feet from
ny ~ y eSnelssno change, with the exception
Vi hete Hahe OF sand al 500 feet and the hone in ear
nestly indused that II may continue without interrun
.on through one or two hundred more; for we are
now confident OF great increase of wafer ,yheneyer
that be pierced possibly so grea
enough TO complete the triumph of The enternrise
rom an me iofeRong facts and Deductions ape g,ay
soHnt upon an unlimited supply of aodtsr az
point "a this eicinify by means of 4rtesia assus AZ
moderate depth-probably under fifteen bundled feet
~ , Is nnaeisso9d mat he original appropriation Of
or some lime exhausted and that owing to un freeeen
accidsns which have retarded the work the death Of
"hlSu iof lille suspended and the
aYoI cast upon the project by some Of the public
prlnts no farther appropriation is likely to be made
inless Inc true state Of the shall come knew
edge o. Inc Common Council There can he no donht
y 20 ,he oera disposition of that body in II matters
calculated 10 advance The general good hut tits wall
hoWn mat me hnances of the city are in an embar-
assed condition and that the popular clamor ia for re-
renchmenis Your committee have duly weiphed these
circumstances. and they'are convinced that The aban |
ohmeht OF ms enterprise would be mis- fortune fRr
.an could be compensated by any other appro.
f,suoh OF the amount necessary 10 its complexion
For obvious reasons, the earliest expenses of sncb
,, r LIKING are Out OF all proportion those that
blow The patterns for the various castings Of tnbmg
M ts attachments, and the implements Of every le.
cripuon which Were prepared ex pressIy far his we
ave rapidly exhausted the original APPROXIMATION =
nose expenses, however, will not REQUIRE 10 he in
urred second time. Indeed, it may be 9con6dentlv
sserled That the cost of penetrating Ia An additinat
epth OF one thousand feet cannot Exclusive Of nm
'rsseen aecidensl exceed The cost Of The frat NO
iour hundred teel So sanguin are your COMMITTEES
mi useess o. ne work, that sooner than see Ii
panaoheo, they would advocate the Tasing3 FL he !
ecessary sum by voluntary contribution. ana naaaa
ienseises individually 10 bear their part f Nse
me estimated depth and cost of wells here will ~,
Win Inc aveIage of wells else wherr IN
ngland they are from 600 TO 800 fee dee NJ In a
wy Y 9oo IN China from 1900 10 i 5o0 in Ger
aiy, from io16 TO 2,385; in Missouri Is one AT son.
NJ ~ WestPhalia one of 1900, which il ia Intended 1
oontlnue 70 the depth of 5000, 10 obtain bol water
Jug wen AZ ereneiie, near Paris, was eight wears in
,,hs, ana cost over Two hundred thousand dollars;
A. i IN Germany, which sponts water at
hH'eignt leel above the surface consumed seven
eaIs, anu cost thiriyfye thousand dollars; thai nj
lohaofi, 2,sSe feel deep twenty-five Thousand
'ihfsi Well IN England 900 fear dse,, !. ,r,,,a,a