The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-07-15
.Artcslan wells.


The following article we cut from the
Marietta Express. published in Marshall co.,
lows. twill answer many questions diree.
ted to ns, concerning the Artesian wells Of
this town. aaa 9f 5'st
"The deepest Artesian well In the Uulssd
States is now being bored in St. Louis. BY
Belcher & Brothers. At last accounts, the
auger had been sunk in this we'll 70 the
depth OF 9,2oo feet, and the boring was still
continued. The next in depth, 10 perhaps.
the well in Louisville, KY, which is i,eos
feet deep. There Is well now being. bored
in the State House yard at Columbos, o..
which had at last accounts, reached depth
Of $40 feet. In other portions Of the eoun.
try. water has been found nearer the surface.
A Mr.. Startling, of Vermillion county, ILL.,,
recently bored for water, and at the din.
tance Of only % feet, obtained copious
and excellent supply, rising ten feet above
the surface Of the ground. We learn from
California paper, that in Santa Clara Co.,
10 that State, there ere over 400 Artesian
wells, of an average depth Of 100 feet Ten
or twelve OF these are from $50 to 400 feet
deep. These wells throw up jets from ten
to twelve feet high. From pipe seven
inches in diameter, 1000 gallons per min.
ute are discharged from those Cslifornis
wells.
Perhaps the most noted Artesian wells In
the United States are those at Bryan, the
county-seat Of Williams county, Ohio. In
that place the water is attained at the aver.
age depth of about s5 feet. The process Of
boring is eHsy, until within foot or twoof
the water, when what Is called " hard pan"
is reached, which is bed Of blue clay, 90
hard % to require a drill in many cases.
When the auger gets through the"bard pnn,"
It suddenly drops, some time to the depth Of
three or four feet, when the water rushes
up with great force, and for several days
throws up large quantities Of fine white
sand, after which, it ever runs clear ss crys-
tai. Bryan Is very properly called the
"Fountain City," for the cost Of one .of
these wells is go small that almost every
family has q beautiful and healthful foun-
tain playing in their door-yard. Al sevetal
places in the town, there are fountains
pouring forth treasure at an elevation Of l6
feet above the surface of the earth.
The most remarkable feature, however,
connected with the Artesian wells al Bryan,
is the fish that inhabit them. Where the
water is permitted to flow out without ths
obstruction Of pipes OR stocks, immense
swarms Of fish from one to four inches in
length. may at all times be seen spouting4in
the wells, but they are very seldom seen
beyond the circumference Of the we'll, and
have never been known to follow the streams
many rods from their subterranean homes.
These fish resemble the trout very much in
appearance, and are most beautifully mark.
ed with white and yelowish spots. In the
State Library Rooms at Columbus. O., may
be seen some pretty specimens Of these fish.
kept alive in glass jars. These little under
ground travellers, in consequence Of their
beauty, and the romance of their lives, have
been taken to many portions Of the Union,
to grace Offices and parlors Of the learned
and good. They are not blind like the fsh
found in the caverns Of the earth, but on
the contrary, are very sharp sighted. "-Bry.
an Democrat. ....