The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1867-08-31
Fnfnrn,ation.
A-,e.inm Wells.

A~tesinm Wells.
Ar.es;an Wells, aside from being subject OF
local interest Just now. here in Ottawa. are re
c~iying considerable attention the part OF those
who are anxious 20 them i'll operation on oui
Western prairies.
Thinking the people generally do not under
stA,ol a.. inoius operandi If constructing these
wells or q cir vast utility to agriculture, anu
Alto TX raising, We propose briefly u give our own
personal observations in the matter, and make
some suggestions with reference to their general
nse Geological Investigations, and experiment
tai research have established the fact, that there
are innunerablc streams OF water traversii'e 'ie
earth in various direction below its surface. IL
ia supposed that these streams are suP(leu ana
fed by mountain springs and lakes' "nioi'' -" :
ing 10 their elevation. give the re4uir'si power
at the fountain. to force the water hundreds ot
miles over vast sections of country, apd wherev-
err tapped the water finding an outiet VIII con-
tinue u, flow without interruption, with force
depcndinv upon the elevation of tie fountain.
In proof OF the st. tcInent that these wells are
fed from mountain lakes, We have observed. dur
inc residence OF several years i'll California,
where every Householder Iii the valley has his
Artesian we'll, that in The tail W the year. When,
the rams have commenced Ia the mountain dis
tricts and before drop of water has fallen i'll
the valleys, tle wells commence flowing with
greater iorce and continue 50 to de-, until the
RI n cease in the spring, and the vast body OF
SNOW neits away on the mountains, when they
again suOsdc, tle flow becoming gradually less,
until the mountain storms AGAIN renew the
waste. In the valley of the San Jose there are
IA "A fair estimate. one Thousand Artesian wells
believe,,to be fed by lakes located in the Sierra
Nevada Mountains. some three hundred miles
away About one-haif of these wells are flowing,
the otacr half are worked by windmill pumps
The iepth of sinking Artesan wells to secure
flowing water varies in different sections of
country In the valley before alluded to, from
one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty
feet is The usual distance. The plan adopted
there in sinkin, n well, is to force down a tube,
average diameter about seven inches,) with lev.
erage, and remove The dirt with auger from
the tlpe az the same time. Two tubes or pipes
are used. one fitting closely over the other and
no put together as to br. * joints These tubes
are constructed of sheet 'ron firmly riveted, and
when once properly forced into the ground, will
last many years. The cost of the wells vary
from two hundred to five hundred dollars.
That these wells can he successfully put in OPP
Grafton on the prairies we have not a doubt, and
when once secured, their benefit would be ines
tim,hls. The experiment has been tried in Chi
cago and proved successful In last Mondays
issue the Tribune in speaking of the wells in
that city says
The first we'll sunk ia III feet in depth, and
five inches diameter AZ the surface. contracting
to four and one-ei ghth inches at the bottom of
the bore. II was commenced in February, 1864.
AMI completed in the fall of the same year The
second well is Goa feet il. depth, and Ave inches
i'll diameter all the way from the surface to the
bottom The daily yield of the two wells is
about 100000 gallons The ground upon which
IL. II a.. R~zk
above the level of Lake Michigan. The water is
now discharged ffty-fvc feet above the surface,
or eighty-sevcn feet above the level Of the lake,
and can be carried still higher il required"
Every farmer and stock raiser can, with lit
tie expense have stream of pure flowing water
upon their premises The tools necessary for
boring purposes would not cost more than three
hundred dollars. Let q township or neighbor.
hood unite in the purchase Of these and hire two
men to use them.
We do not apprehend that it would be neces.
sary III this section to sink over three hundred
feet u secure Aow OF water The two men
would be able. in any ordinary soil. to sink that
distance in twenty days In this way these wells
could he put down ut = comparative small outlay.
In California, there are men VIII, make it bus
mess to sink wells, and the usual price paid them
is one dollar foot exclusive of tho tubing
Many in that State prefer not to 90 deep enough
for flow Of water, but when the first water il
reached at depth Of about twenty-five feet, aud
which will rise u near tho surtAoe, TO attach Q
windmill pump. and with On elevated reservoir
holding from two ~ three Thousand gSllona. keep
q continual supply Of water on hand. II ia .
beautiful sight every afternoon when the Wind
blows regularly down the San jon valley 70 sec
hundreds Of these mills in operation rzising va
ter to be used for irrigating purposes. In that
State where rain never falls from the middle of
May 70 the middle Of November, and vegetation
dies during the summer months, these wells arc
Indispensable TO the fruit grower and gardener.
but they srs just ~ essential in Illinois and the
other Western States, for the stock raiser and
frmer. and We hope To ace them in successful
operation here ct no distant day.