The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-07-02
Artesisn Wells for Dallas.

DALLAS, July L. Editor HERALD.
An editorial in THE HERALD yester-
day morning relating TO the arteslan
well recently completed at Now Or
leans, and stating that au abundant
supply OF water at a shallow depth was
obtained, induces me To say q few
things With regard 10 artesian wells at
Dallas.
The first thing 10 ba considered is
with regard TO the geological structure
OF tho earth's strata at Dallas, Ia it
suoh as Will warrant the belief that ar
tesian water can be obtained? Ireplv
thar IL is. The conditions necessary
in tho strata 10 give artosian water
are that there shall be a Stratum of
sand or gravel inclosed between two
BEDS OF clay or stone, which are i'm
poryious - water, and that they shall
como to the surface at
some place baromotrically higher
than the place where the well is 10 be
sunk, and that tho strata shall DO un-
broken from tho place where this oc
ours at the sur(sce to whore the water
10 wanted. The same conditions must
exist rs between the standuipe of the
WaJerWorks and tho mains along the
streets OF tho city. The bed Of sand
IN winch artesian water will be found
az Dallas reaches the surface alonT the
eastern edge Of the upper Cross Tim
bers," and belongs 10 the lover crefa-
csous measures which overlap tbe
clay beds of tho carboniferous lorna.
tons. This water bed has been pene
trated at Fort Worth and other places
along The eastern side of the carbon
| ferrous formation in Texas. Thore ia
| no break in tho formations between
this and Fort Worth. The Lower
Gross Tint 9rs belong to the
tertiary period and are of
more recent origin than
the country on either side OF them, but
1t Is not OF sufficient depth 10 reach
and break through the bed Containing
the water. Another supply of water
Will be found in the carbopIferons
measures, which are about 40 feet bC
low the bed OF water mentioned above
as occurring In the cretacious forna
ton.
The fact OF the possibility of arte-
sian water being established, the next
| question u be determined Is: At about
what depth can it be obtained? This
queation cannot DO definitely answered
Tor the want Of sufficient information
on the Sc illogical structure of the coun-
NY. ~ ~ not known how much hioher
Dallas Is sc logically than fort
worth, ~ must 30 remembered that
barometzical height and geological
height have no relation 10 Zach
other. Pslo Pinto is much lower
goologically than Dallas. ana vet Il is
a known fact that Palo Pinto is much
higher barometrically. When the
sand was deposited making tho stra.
tum OF tho lower oretacious above
mentioned, the country very soon
thereafter became dry land while the
sea continued to cover the stratum of
sand at Dallas, and other rocks and
cl0ys were deposited upon IL. Just how
thick that formation OF rock and CLAW
is above the sand bed could not be es.
timated without making a special 90
illogical examination of the country
from here to tho outcrOp in the upper
Cross Timbers. l am of the opiniop
however, that II is less than l,Oj } feot
The quality of the water when Oh,
tanned will DO comparatively pure, but
will be warm In proportion to the
} depth at which it is roach.
OIL. Heat increases at the
rate of one degree for every 81 feet OF
depth from the surface. The supply OF
water can only be determined by act.
ual experiment, as the pressure caus,
ing the flow is dependant upon sew.
eral facts that can only be determined
in that way. Should a supply of water
not DO found in the lower cretaceous
measures, and the carboniferous
measures be penetrated, tho water
therein is table, TO be largely impreg.
mated with minerals, but would lie
abundant. The cost OF an expert.
mental we'll would not be very great,
and one well anywhere In the city
would determine whether q supply OF
water could be obtained in that way
for city purposes or not.
w. +. 0UMMINs.