The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-07-02
Artcsten Wells.
From The San Francisco Chr. nIcic,

From The San Francisco Chrs ncie.l
Artesian wells, the sinking OF which was
first practiced in the province OF Artois,
France. whence they derive their name. find
their fullest value in the arid plains Of Cali
iornia and in the California cities. And as
they find their fullest value here, here also
the sclcuce OF sinking them Is most rapidly
being brought 10 its perfection, and the ma
t,lral laws relsting to the source aud the sup
ply Of the water are being most exactly as
certained. or the more widely celebrated ar
tesian wells. one at Aire, in ArtuiS, France,
which was bored more than one hundred
years ago, has since then flowed steadily,
the water rising eleven feet above the suE-
face at the rate OF $50 a'!ons minute. A
we'll at Liliers. Bas-de- Calais, has flowed
without The diminution Of gallon IN the
hourly supply since it was bored in 1126,
or for a period OF nearly eight hundred
years. On February 26, 1S4l, tie famous
Grenelle well in the Paris basin. commenced
in 1888. penetrated at depth o! 1897 feet
the arch OF rocks over the suhterranean
waters, and In 4 few hours the waters
rose to the surface IN an immense volume
and with great violence. To check the sup
ply verlica pipe was raised many feet
INTO the air, in which the water rises and
flows over. The water is perfectly limpid
and flows at the rate of 100000 gallons in
hours. The wellat Passy fur
nishes 5,500,Q00 gallons per day. 4 well ut
Bourne, England. though but ninety-two
feet deep. yields $4,000 gallons OF pure
water per day. and the pressure is
sufficient to supply the town and force
a stream above the highest roofs. The
deepest wells in the United States are
in ST. Louis, Louisville, and Charles
ton. In the lower counties OF this State
they are now becoming very numerous. and
besides their perfect reliability in the mat.
ter OF nerer-iailiDg and equal supply,
making them valuable for all purposes, they
arc especially valuable for irrigation, in that
the wafer Is not only limpid and pure. but
also warmer than surface water. Within
tic boundaries Of San Francisco it is caicu-
lated that there are already no less than 900
wells. The effect that has invariably fol-
lowed in other localities, particularly that
OF Londcn, England, that the supply Of
each well in the basin decreases in exact
proportion to the increase of the number OF
such wells, has not been detected here. An.
other great advantage OF the ar.esian wells
of this city is the short distance at which
water is reached. One which supplies the
Commercial Hotel is only thirty-eight feet
deep. Silverstone's well, on Sixth street
between Bryant and Harrison, ninety
six feet deep, furnishes G,000 gallons
of water per day. SncedeFs we'll, on
Bryant street, in the immediate yicn.
lty OF the former ore, and OF the same
depth. furnishes an even greater supply,
and was an OVERLOOKING well. These are
both sevcn-nch wells. One of the best wells
get sunk in the city is that Of the candle.
works, on Eighth street. 1t is l6S feet deep,
anu lis supply is 10000 gallons per hour
1t is a twelye-inch well. That OF the Pacific
lron-Work niaety-fve deep, furnishes
$500 gallons per honr.