St. Landry democrat., 1884-06-07
Artesian Wells.
NO. states.

A communication from Mr.. S. Howell
upon this subject appeared in the Dem
Ocrat yesterday which is suggestive of
some important facts in our possession
concerning the subject that may be. in7
| teresting to our readers.
What Mr.. Howell says of the Artesian
we'll bored on Canal street some 30
years ago and reaching the depth of 500
feet, is a matter of history which no
one will dispute. His suggestion that
/ there should be one Of these wells in
each of our public squares and in the
| Exposition grounds is an excellent one
and worthy of consideration. In conse-
| quences of the great improvement in
machinery and implements for boring
these wells it is estimated that the cost,
for we'll of 600 feet in depth would not
exceed $4,000. The experimental we'll
on Canal street, 500 feet deep, cost $780,
900.
But aside from the great advantages
afforded by these wells for an abundant
supply Of water is the facility they give
tor an effective system of drainage
This singular fact was discovered by
Col. +. A. Bartlett of the editorial staff
OF the States, who some years ago, while
a resident Of Covingt0n, had one of
these wells bored oD his premises. By
accident he fOuRd that the well could
not be reduced in quantity of water, and
even when water was poured into the
pump to start it the quantity diminished
all the time. leading to the belief that
there must be some subterranean outlet
for the water equal to the amount OF
supply. This phenomenon was the sub
ject of a number of articles by Col.
Bartlett, explaining fully the Temarka-
BILE fact that developed itself under his
observation.
We find that Col. John p. Fort, of
Georgia, has recently made similar
discovery, and, although not new, it is
still quite interesting as fully bearing
ont Col. Bartlett's original publication
to the world of this strange feature OF,
these deep wells.
Col. Fort has practically demonstrat-
ed the possibility OF using. Artesian
wells for the drainage of swamps and
stagDant ponds by running them off
through subterranean passages that are
known to exist at a distance of from
seventy to one hundred feet below the
surface.
The experiment which Col. Fort
made with so much success was upon a
pond on his plantation situated about
200 yards from his pioneer artesian we'll.
The pond covered an area of about two
acres, with depth of ten feet in the
centre. To drain it thoroughly an out
let must be made in the deepest part.
To accomplish this Col. Fort. bound
four substantial pieces OF timber togetll
er, flOated them over the centre of the
pond, and upon this foundation built
his raft or pen, which sank as it was
added to. When the raft had been
built, the foundation resting on the bot
tom of the pond, the platform was plac
ed across the top, ard on this platform
a derrick was set up. To this derrick a
boring apparatus was attached. At first
a pile driver was used, but when the=I
pipe had been driven down through the
bottom of the pond to depth of thirty
feet it rested on solid rock, and then the
work of drilling and boring was begun.
At a depth of fifty feet below the bottom
of the pond the drill struck an opening, |
and at once the water commenced to
sink with roar through the big pipe,
the top of which was only few inches
under water. The drill pipe was drawn
out, and the pond commenced to empty
itself as fast as the orifiGe that the drill
had made through the rocks would per-
NIT the water to flow. When the water
in the pond was level with the top of
the pipe a reamer was attached to the
drill pipe and sent down to open the
way for the big pipe to be sunk deeper.
In this way the pipe was sunk until q
joint of two sections was almost level
with the bottom of the pond, and there
it was unj0inted. Thus, within 200 feet
of each other, were two pipes, that of
the artesian well throwing up the purest
of drinking water and that in the mid
die of the pond sucking stagnant water
into the bowels of the earth and carry
ing it away. The experiment cost only
S75, while there was gained from it over
1000 tons of compost soil.