The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1878-08-27
WATERING THE DESERT.
Irrigation by Artesian Wells---
How the Plan Works in Tulars
County, Cal.

a mile and half from Upton, in
Tularc county, is an artesian well. j.
II. Scupham, Assistant Engineer OF
the Central Pacific Railroad Compa-
ny, who has recently returned to the
city from that section of the
country, makes report concerning
the supply of artesian water, which
he regards as very important mat
ter in connection with the develop
ment of the land, and believes that
great reservoir undcrlies the whole
valley. He says he closely examined
the earth brought to the surface, as
certaincd the temperature of the wa
ter, and measured the capacity the
stream, and is convinced that CO.
pious streams of water flow beneath
the plain, which is 200 miles in
length and thirty-nine miles in
width. In boring, mountain debris
was pierced for "A depth of $50 feet,
and u good supply of water was not
reached until IA stream of sandstone
from four to six feet thick. lying upon
bed of quicksand. had been passed
through. The first flow was at the
rate of eight gallons minute from
Il seven-inch pipe one foot above the
surface. Then II iiye-inch pipe was
sunk thirty feet deeper, which
pierced n stratum Of blue clay, con-
tanning four separate layers of sand.
each of which contributed supply
of water. The low one gave out u
considerable volume of water. II
was decided to stop sinking at this
step to secure the water already dis
covered. The well at last accounts
was delivering $4,000 gallons II day
out of a tivc-inch pipe, four feet
above the surface of the plain,
and the supply is constantly in
crcasing instead of diminishing.
The water, according 10 the state
mcnt of Mr.. Scuphain, is very pure
and shows its identity with glacier
lakes. II has less than six grains of
solid matter to the gallon. The solid
substance is chloride of sodium,
which corresponds almost exactly
with the waters of Tahoe. The well
itself has the capacity for irrigating
100 acres, and its cost is from 800 to
$1,000. II is believed that water can
he obtained, by sinking wells TO the
depth of 800 or 100 feet. in any part
of the Tulare plains, and in the opin-
ion of Mr.. Scupham these wells
might be placed on every quarter
section of ground without the supply
being materially affected, or they
might have been sunk even closer to-
gethcr without decreasing the flow.
The temperature of the water is ~
, degrees, and the soil on the surface
needs nothing but water to render ii
fertile. A few years since 100000
eucalyptus trees We're planted in this
locality by the Central Pacific Com
pany, and rs per cent. of them are
now in thriving state. In five years
the trees will be big enough for ties
and telegraph poles, and worth $780,
600 to the company. The mountain
debris referred to is supposed to be
the ruins of extinct glaciers, which
eroded the Sierra TO their present
shape. Geologically speaking, this
debris was carried at very recent
period from the mountain slopes and
SUBMITS and deposited in the valley,
and it is Scopham's idea that the
main portion of the Sierra was at
one time more than 10000 feet high,
and the Hottest peaks were at least
1000 feet higher. From the aerial
currents from the West, heavily
charged with moisture from the
ocean, immense volumes ofrain were
condensed, and precipitated on the
mountain slopes toward the ocean,
which, flowing TO the plains, caused
IL great lake, which is now extinct.