The weekly Arizona miner., 1873-01-11
Artesian Wells.

Perhaps no question of greater importance to tue Territory will claim your attention than that of deyising means to stimulate and aid the sinking of Artesian wells. There are vast tracts of land in Arizona as beautiful and capable of being made as fruitful as any that the sun has ever shone upon, by being supplied with water. With water, these dry lands would become alive with civilization farms and settlements would spring up on every hand and the plains would be covered with almost countless herds; without it, they must remain unoccupied by man or beast, and the silence of the grave must ever rest upon these tracts of country. I have given considerable time and thought to the study of this subject, and find that the na- ture of our climate, the geology and forma- tion of the country, combine to give assur- ance that in Arizona artesian water can be found at almost any point. I will state few facts pertinent to this subject as given by Professor Ansted who has paid great atten- tion to the matter. He says:
 "Thc most ancient of such wells that are known are to be found in the Fyrthern part of Africa. They appear to have been sunk through about eighty feet of clay mari by shaft, and then bored through three hundred feet of limestone. These wells are not less th'n four thousand years old. Others of n very ancient but unknown date, were sunk by the Chinese, who have long known and used the method with success. But the chief ar tesan wells and the oldest now in Europe are thUse in the north of France.
 The Artcsan wells of Artois date back certainly to the twelfth century, aud there is one in Siers said to have been sunk in ll26. to have yielded always, so far as is known, the same quaatity of water In Italy, at Modena and Bologna, and in Germany, at Vienna and elsewhere, ancient and successful wells of this kind exist but it is only since the commencement of the present century that they have become general in Europe.
 As specimen of the larger operations in artesian wells, may refer you to the sinking for the supply of the city of Paris which re- quired eight years to complete and was sunk 1900 feet and tapped water bearing strata which which began and continues Co give a supply of million gallon. per day.
 Great success has been attained in the sinking of Artesian wells in California, and also quite recently along the line of tue Un- ion Pacific railroad mention these facts to show the reasonable certainty of obtaining water on our own vast plains by means of these wells. The necessity for them is obyi- ous to any thoughtful man. There are large 'ract' of land in Texas, New Mexico, Cobra do, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California similar m character and situation with refer. ence to water as the dry lands of Arizona. II would therefore recommend that you memor. 'alize Congress upon this subject and ask tha, reasonable amount of land be given to al, persons who obtain water in this way. and that you also communicate with the I.cgisla. tures of the several States and Territorie, above named, and solicit their co operation to secure such donations
 ~.". Compilation of the Laws. By an Act of eho last Legislature. Hon. Coles Bashiord was entrusted with the duty of compiling aud procuring tue publication