The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-07-07
CAPTAIN POPE'S ARIESIAN WELL EYPE-
DIITON--DISCOVERY OF SPRINGS. 0s

An official report bearing the date of June 1853.
has been received at the War Department giving nfor-
nation that exploring party sent from Captain Pope
camp the Pecos river, near the mouth of Delaware
creek has discovered large number Of springs on the
summit of the Lano Estacado, fifty miles east of the
camp and about half way between the Pecos and the
" Mustang Springs tho emigmnt road There is a
hard gavely road along the whole distance very much
shorter than the emigrant route
The following description of the springs is extracted
from Capt Popes report
Two hundred of these springs-some of them thirty
Yards in circumference been found extending IN n
direction north and south over space of nine miles
Everywhere in the neghbohood of the water are found
groves of willow trees thirty feet high and from four to
six inches in diameter. I
Commencing about three miles north of the SOD par
ael of latitude, and fifty miles of the Pecos at this
camp s range of abrupt white sand hills seventy or
eighty feet higher than the surface Of the plain which
extends in direction little east of south for about
fifty miles To the east west, and north the country
descends rapidly from the summit back bone of these
sand hills which is the highest line for ten or fifteen
miles in any direction. Along the very summit of this
ridge issue the springs have mentioned bubbling up
through beds of loose white sand of indefinite or rather
undetermined depth They are not at all affected by
surface rains there is not the slightest evidence on the
banks Of their ever rising or falling and the surface
drainage Is from them in all directions As have stated
the line of these springs pools has been traced for nine
miles toward the south, exhibiting in this distance
two hundred considerable pools of water. In most
cases tho pools are from three to four feet in
DEPTH but in some Of the larger ones the depth
ia six feet Tho water is perfectly transparent, and
free from impurities. There to have been origi
nally considerable stream of running water resembling
Delaware creek In character that H. of deep
pools, connected by swift running stream feet
wide and with perpendicular banks about three feet high
The sand to have dred before the violent winds
along the of the stream until has entirely COW
cred the small narrow stream connecting the ponds This
could have readily been done the flags bulrshes and
grew thick and matted along threads
of water completely to overlap each other from both
Sides that even along Delaware creek the stream
connecting the large pools is altogether invisible from the
summit OF the bank. ~ ra at tsqt.4
This seems the only way to account for the peculiar
character Of these sings, I'D still further CON
med in this opinion from fc fact that holes dug
in several places between the springs into which water
from depth Of several feet and overownE the
face Immediately ran oil in small stream into the spring
to the south tst aaT b ~ f2
bHa 80 se ~ g.
a." Tho lines of survey heretofore made tho LA
no Estacado pan only few miles 10 the north and
south Of this limo of springs and certainly there il ev
Nsnoe Of the exapce Of waor In the midst of these bare
snpd hills until you directly in thu middle of them
r8 tsss izzz..e.sr--..mnn4zu<H1sR -.
lHs FLORIDA HAlLRoAp. The Tallahassee Sentinel
earns that the Florida Railroad Company have been
LEVIED OF their difficulties and and that
The work will now go forward with renewed energy