Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1881-03-19
Lecture on Artesian Wells at the Y. M G.
A. Meeting.

At the regular monthly meeting of the Y. N. G.
A ut the Lycculn on Thuudty evening The usual
reports were made by tho Committees op the Prison,
the Hospital, tho Chinese work. aud the Sunday
Evening Prayer Meeting The frensnfof WIS not
present, but II wHH understp nj that donations
pccted would pay pH all liabilities Of the Aaacia-
ton for the cnrtent year. The next meeting, the
annual meeting Tor the election Of officers IN to he
held according 10 usual custom ut the residence ~
the President Dr. j. NJ whitney, who will make
an address, aud open his house Ia a social gather
my Of the niombcrS and their lady friends. The
subject oi diHcussiOn for the evening was hrtaEihn
wells" Mr.. Pierce, the contractor first successful
III Mr. Marques we'll, giving his account and opin-
ions II various wells Oh which he hng been engaged
ut the Islands and elsewhere. Speaking first OF
the oil wells In penuAyyHniA he told If various
wells giving from 1000 to $500 barrels daily till the
sand rock from which they all drew their supplies
at depth Of 600 feet, WIS exhausted oi the oil.
Wells III Illinois. at Aurora, Chicago and other
places, are successful If the surface IL not
than 90 feet above the level of Lake Erie. At ~.
Louis the we'll dug for the Insane Asylum lacked
only ~ Of being 1000 feet deep. bu; WIS abandoned
after boring 1900 feet down into II bed OF red
granite, perfectly humog eneouH for that whole dis
lance and without one drop OF water. That ut the
Sugar Refinery, 200 feet deep, is strong with sui
phur At CreStpn, on the very summit Of the
Rocky Mountains, well was dug for the Pacific
Railroad and flowing water found Mt depth of
Ago feet. Near Sacramento well was dug 2p0
feet without encpuntering rock, and without get
ting water. Thirteen StunpS OF trees were bored
through ut depths varying fym 1910 10 2iSO feet.
III the well was covered over. u Jet OF gub would
pour out that lighted, famed seven feet high.
The wells at san Jose have failed not "petered
out" but "paul-ayed out In digging the we'll
1900 feet deep, at Rock Spring, Wyoming Terri
tory seam Of coal II feet deep struck four
feet from the surface-iJ different seams in ali
93 feet Of solid coal in digging 72S feet. well
1890 feet dug Mt the Hot Springs in California
At the depth of 1913 feet water WAS struck hot
enough to boil egg hard in four minutes
Various beds Of lava were pierced, and between
them lime stone that had been calcined 10y the
heat, changing il from the carbonate to hydrate
of lime. Water, ON touching this, gives OF heat,
as IN mortar bed. The springs are fuller and
hotter where there has been abundance of rain.
The wells around Honolulu get their water from Il
porous rock which IL below Il bed of clay, and has
very hard shell of % inches. The farther this
rock IL pierced the greater il the flow of water.
Flowing water can be got Oahu i'll artesian
wells provided the surface is not than 30 feet
above the level of the The Makiki Reservoir
Is too high to get a flowing well there The theory
IL, that this water-bearing porous lava rock is
made water-tisht by the clay above it, and the
water is prevented from flowing into the by
similar tamping of clay and coral rock all around
this Island, except where this tamping barrier is
broken, and natural springs flow out. The
artesian wells holes like those made i'll the
water pipes at the ice factory, and the water from
the porous rock down below spouts up. vote of
thanks heartily given to Mr. Pierce for his in
terestng talk.