Omaha daily bee., 1883-02-16

Artesian Wells on the Union Pacific.
saIt Lake Tribune.
All through the great west the
question of water for domestic use,
irrigation, supply of steam engines
and locomotives, lie one of great i'm.
portsnoe, and with the rapid settle.
ment of the country becomes one of
still greater interest. The Union Pa.
ciic, after having spent large sums of
money In putting in long pipe lines to
bring water from elevated springs,
substituted windmills and steam en-.
gines for raising water In other places,
have since adopted q system Of arte.
sian wells at several points along the
line.
At Harper, located in the Horse.
shoe bend of the road, east of Rock
Creek, a well was bored 400 feet,
which furnishes plenty of water. At
Rawlins a flow of wa'er was struck
at q oepth of 400 feet, which rises five
feet above the surface, and Is said to
DO chemically pure. Tbis we'll was
drilled through loose sand to a depth
of 800 feet, when 1t changed to hard
granite. At Thayer, west of Rawlius,
a well was drilled to a depth of $50
feet, tapping a good quality aud large
quantity of water. AT Fillmore,
twenty.one mites west of Rowling, a
we'll Was drilled 1,400 through soft
rock, which caved badly. Tubing is
used in this to pump water from a
depth of 400 feet below tho surface,
but the quslity is good. AT Table
Rock, stil farther west, q depth of
/ 450 feet was reached through soft
rock all the way, which caved badly,
requiring to b. cased, and the qualify
Of the water Ia not good. AZ Red
Desert q nice well 200 feet deep furn-
ishes a good supply of excellent water.
AT Salt Wells q depth of $500 feet
was reached. Salt water wal tapped
at a depth of 500 feet, and 1t was all
dry below, so the we'll was abandoned.
A Rock Springs q we'll was drilled
some years ago to a depth of over 800
feet, which passed through about
twenty seems of coal, making an aggre.
gate Of
EIGHTY OR NINETY FEET OF COAL.
The we'll was used for several years,
yet the water was bad.
Another we'll has gone down to the
depth of 1,575 feet, of which casing
raj usei 1,O35 feet. As the water Ia
unfit to use, this casing will be pulled
out and the we'll abandoned. Those
familiar with tho Union Pacific will
recognize the fact that all these wells,
except the ones at Rswlins and Har-
per, are In the Bitter creek country,
the most desolate on the road, and q
locality which has been noted for It's
bad water, slkali, and poverty of
everything good ever since the days of
overland emigration. For years after
the railroad wss built the Union
Pacific kept water trains running to
supply the ergines and persons along
this portion or the road. Even now
they run water trains to supply the
town of Rock Springs and all the
piners there, making a total of 1000
Or l 500 people.
The wells OF the company have been
drilled at comparatively light cost to
the company, because they have the
best tools and machinery and employ
men who are expert in this class Of
of work.
But one of the most interesting ex.
periments in artesian wells Ia that
lately made on the Oregon Short Line,
in the lava plaiLs, eighteen miles
west of American Falls. During the
past season, contractors making the
grade between American Falls and
Wood River have had q hard time to
keep men and animals supplied with
water. Theroute goesius an air line over
the lava plains, a distance of eighty
miles, with no water between the riv.
ers. This well penetrated 1876 feet
through lava, thirty.fge through dark
sand and five through hard sand,
striking a good supply of water. In
sinking this well the drill would strike
crevices In the lava, causing the hole
to be crooked, making it more diff.
cult to sink, and yet It went down at
the rate of twenty feet per day. TIC
test the we'll Is was pumped at the