Morning journal and courier., 1884-05-05
A RemarkabIe ArtesIan wei

From the San Francisco Bulletin.l
Guitar Salmon lives near French Camp, q
small settlement not far from Stockton, Cal.
Others have been boarding. artesian wells, and
he determined to try his luck. He sunk a
well with seven-inch tube to the depth of
| about $40 feet, and struck q copious stream
Of excellent water. Desiring to learn whether
he could increase his flow by going deeper,
size he might injure tbs quality of the upper
strata of water Mr.. Salmon hit on the plan
of sinking four inch tube inside of a seven
| inch one, and then making what might be
called an experimental well. four inches in
| diameter. This inner one he bored to the
depth of L $50 feet and then came to water
again. This lower stream came to the sur
face and, indeed, rose in a tube twenty-five
feet above the ground. The last water found
was unfit for drinking, and but for an acct
dental discovery of its wonderful properties
might have been considered a nuisance, as
4 many things are, the uses of which we do not
know. It was found that there was large
amount of gas in the water from the lower
depth. This came bubbling to the surface,
making one think of gigantic soda foun-
tain.
Some one suggested the idea of seeing ii
| the gas would burn. A coal-oil can was put
over the top of the tubing, and having few
| holes punched in it, an improyised gas fixture
was at hand. Only match was required to
complete the preparations. The match was
/ lighted and applied to hole in the can, and
/ fame shot up three or four feet into the
l air and burned steadily. The gas wo uld burn.
Mr.. Salmon had fire and water coming out
l of the same hole in the ground. The tube OF
| the outer WELL that which was $40 feet deep.
l and furnished the good water, was tapped,
/ and sufficient water for all domestic uses and
4 for the stock etc. was led off in pipes to the
| house and other localities. A curbing was
| built around the twin wells in such away that
l it formed reservoir for the water from the
! l, 25O-foot level, and that portion from above
| which was not conveyed away in the pipes.
| All through this water in the reservoir came
| bubbling up the gas, generated somehow,
| somewhere down below. When Mr.. Salmon
| next went to Stockton he had q gasometeI
1 made with stop-stock in tho top, and this he
took home and fastened.over his. " ellis. The be
tom was beneath the surface of the water in
the reservoir, and the gas speedily filed the
bellshaped receiver, The next thing was to at.
tach gas pipe and connect his homemade
gas machine with his house.
He put pipe perforated with small holes
| across his large open fire place turned on the
gas, applied match, and the problem OF
| cheap fuel was instantly solved. After the
gas-pipe was put into the fre-box of the
kitchen stove and now the meals are prepared
with the new fuel. Mr. Salmon has also used
this gas for illuminating, but it does not seem
to entirely fill the bill, although it is grea
Improvement on the tallow dip. It has beer
suggested that, as this gas seems to be almost
pure hydrogen, it might be carbu retted and
and it's Illuminating quality improved. Blu
poor light or good, Mr. Salmon is certainly
lucky man that he gets his fuel SO easily. Tht
gas throws off great amount of heat, and
without doubt such we'll would supply
large number of families with the means O
warming their houses and preparing theil
food. Colonel Orr states that he has ex
amined this wall carefully and thinks Their
is gas enough issuing from it to run a twent,
| horse Dnwer anoine