Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1858-03-04
Miscellaneous.
AFfeSian Wells.

By Col. Charles Whittlesey Of Cleveland, Ohio =
These wells are sunk, not with pick
and shovel, but consist of a small hole drill
led into the earth and rock by drill-chis-
ell, in the same way thai rocks are blown
by powder, only the weight of the appa-
tus does not require any blows. They are
the same in form and construction as the
borings for salt water or for coal. When
the drill chisel, with bitt of two and a
half or three inches across, is sunk a short
distance into the soil or surface rock, an
iron rod is attached bv screw, and this
it sinks into the earth. BY means of rods
and joints the hole may be sunk to any
depth, hundreds and thousands of feet. 1t
cannot be carried down, however, with
out water. Every few inches the rods
and chisei, or bitt, must be drawn out and
the crushed rock and dirt pumped up.
| This is done by an iron tube that is moved
up and down in the hole, with a valve in
the bottom through which the mud and
sand enters and is drawn up In this way
the well is closed, and the character of
the rocks passed through, is accurately
known. Holes have been bored of four
and five inches in diameter.
They are called "Artesian wells,' be-
cause they were first used to obtain fresh
water at Artois, in France. In that codn-
try they are common, and are becoming
so in the United States. One at the Foun-
tain of The Grenoble in Paris, is 1856
French feet in depth, and the water flows
over at 81 feet above the surface.
On the Kenhawa river borings for salt
water are carried down from 1900 to 1900
feet. AS the earth is everywhere satu-
rated with water, it is necessary in brine
springs to insert tube of tin or copper
from the surface of the ground to the
place where salt water comes into the
well. In Artesian wells proper, or those
intended to procure fresh water, there
should be sufficient quantity of good soft
water to flow over in continuous stream.
The mechanical principle which produces
this flow is considered to be simply hydro
static pressure. This pressure exists be-
meath the surface wherever there is a bed
of sand or clear gravel between beds of
clay or any impervious substance. The
same thing is observed where an open
and porous rocky stratum is overlaid and
underlaid by strata that are close-g: aind
and do not allow the passage of water.
The water comes into the porous bed
wherever it crops out to the day, and set.
ties through to the lowest part of the bed
1t is thus pent up, and when tapped a
low levels by the drill, will rise not with
reference to the surface of the country a
the well, but as high as the country where
it out-crops, perhaps at the summit Of {
range of hills or mountains.
They have been made with great sue
! cess in the red clays of Wisconsin, around
' Winnebago Lake. The water coming il
S when the auger passes into bed of sanC
or gravel, generally near the underlying
. lime rock. On the dry cretaceous ant
tertiary plains of Alabama and Missis
sippi. the water stratum is found with grea
regularity following the dip Of the rock,
: stratum
As they sink them more distant from
the outcropping edges of the sandy beds
they are obliged to go proportionably deep
: er, even to 5000 feet Water will fire
quentIy flow out that is not pure. Sucl
] in general is that from lime rocks ant
\ limestone gravel. Coarse sand and SAM
; rocks produce the most and the best wa
ter.
1t is not always possible to predic
where the water will be found, but clos
d study of the geological structure of tn
country will enable one to decide within
reasonable probability With the excep
ton of the. conglomerate that underlie
the coal measures of Ohio, the rocks ar
either close-grained sandstone, or shale
: and lime rock neither of which are ia
vorable. In some parts of the State tn
rocks are covered to a considerable dept
by dry clays and hard pan, between whic
and the rocky stratum beneath, there
Frequently thin layer of gravel like tha
at Lake Winnebago.
Here water may be expected, but nc
: of great purity.
C The cost of boring in clay is very small
:, much less than that of digging wells. 1
: rock hole of two and half inches i
diameter can be put down at seventy-fv
: cents per foot the first 80 feet-a dolla
q q for the next so feet, increasing about 2
Of cents per foot for each distance of ift
feet. i.
In fiat countries, which are necessaril
destitute of springs, and in dry times {
well water, supply is seldom wanting {
the bottom of the elays.
Legislatures and city authorities woul
be justified in making experiments upO
Artesian wells in many districts that no
: suffer for water for stock and domest
uses.
S, HIS FEET SLIPPED BENEATH HIM
A new sensation novel has the followin
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