Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-08-27
DOWN BELOW.
Measurements of Temperature at Va
rIous Points Beneath the Earth's
Surface.

y
the middle of the earth; and the Ger
mans, like philosophical people, are
now going to some expense In order
to find out how hot it IS Not that
we are without some of those clever
guesses called scientific inductions.
The French have their own views on
the subject, SO have the Austrians, so
have we. But In these cases the in
formation obtained, such as it IS, has
been arrived at in the pursuit of some
thing else 1t is more noble to so to
the cost OF obtaining knowledge for
It's own account; and it strikes us as
almost unfair to the Germans that the
heat indicated by their boriag should
be less than that calculated on any
other data.
It is generally held that at depth
of fifty feet an underground zone is
reached in which the temperature is
the same all over the world and at all
seasons of the year And this temper
allure is said to be so Cor, to be more
accurate, 50.5) degrees of the ther-
mometer of Fahrenheit, $50 of which
degrees measure the difference be
tween the temperature of boiling and
OF freezing water under ordinary con-
ditions.
4 well sunk to the depth of 1 ,S02
feet at GreRelle, a suburb Of Paris,
took seven years and two months OF
difficult labor to complete; and wi en-
the water-bearlng stratum was reach =
ed, the water rushed up with such
force as TO rise 100 feet above the sur,
face. This water was observed to
have a uniform temperature of 81 s
degrees Fahrenheit, showing an in
crease OF Temperature at the rate Of 1
degree of Fahrenheit for about every
Hf y feet below the nautical zone above
mentioned. At Kissingen, in Bavaria,
a brine well has been bored to a depth
Of 2, 600 feet. But the water has only
a temperature Of Sc degrees. IN Al
geria the temperature of 70 degrees
Fahrenheit is shown by water spring
ing from borings of not more than 300
feet. But this was said to be MIR
acle. The artesian wells In Chicago
are 700 feet deep, and have tenpera~
ture of only 81 degrees Fahrenheit.
Measurements of temperature not
absolutely dependent on the flow of
water are more consistent III their re
suits than the above. In the Cornish
mines the temperature increases one
degree for every 60 feet. In the
Dukinfield lead mine the increase is
one for every 60 feet. At R0sen bridge
near Wiga9, 3 temperature of 90 de-
grees Fahrenheit is found at a depth
of 2, 376 feet. At La Mouille bores,
ENpn1g7n+ OF as e.
the temperature recorded is ITO 2 de-
grees Fahrenheit. The new German
boring is made near Schladebach; the
depth reached is 4 566 feet, and the
temperature note 100 degrees Fahren-
heit. The respective increase Of
temperature in the last three cases is
a degree IN Sc, IN SO 5, and in 65 feet;
SO that either the earth is much cooler
near Schladebach than in England
and in France, or for some other rea~
son the result of the German boring
indicates a slower rate Of increase Of
temperature than either of the above
cases cited
At the Cornish rate of increase,
which is pretty nearly a mean Of the
various estimates, the temperature at
Which water boils will be prevalent at
a depth of less than two miles below
the surface. At a depth Of 81 miles,
which IS less than one seventeen part
of the distance to the center Of the
earth, the temperature of the combus-
ton Of ordinary coal must prevail if
the law Of the increase of temperature
with depth remains constant To go
any further, to indicate in degrees of
the thermometer the theoretic heat at
the center Of any point, is nothing but
scientific trifing. Nor is any great
practical good likely to result from
experiments to show whether, in any
given spot, temperature increases
with every So feet or with every IS
feet we burrow IN imagination below
the soil.
There is, however. certain object
in attempting to discover the approxi~
mate law Of increase of temperature
with depth. In 1871 q report was pre-
scented to parliament from ''cornmis>
sioners appointed to inquire into the
several matters relating to coal IN the
United Kingdom. The commission
ers took the eminently practical view
that, looking to possible expedients
which the future may elicit for reduce
ing the temperature, they considered
thai it might be fairly assumed that a
depth of at least 1000 feet might be
reacnedp At this depth the tempera-
ture probably exceeds 122 degrees
Fahrenheit. AS to it's reduction" it
is to be remembered that the heat,
whatever it be, is not that of the air
alone. but that Of the earth on and
within which the miner has to stand
or to lie; and that, as 20 reducing"
1t, is fed froa reservoirs of the capa-
city of the globe.
st the temperature of tie blood,
which IS SO degrees Fahrenheit, con-
tipuous exertion is impossible to the
European. This temperature is reach
ed apparently at depth Of about @,
$50 feet; which is 314 feet lower than
the deepest colliery 10 England. But
long before the impossible is attained
the costly and the difficult commence.
A temperature of so degrees F'ahren
heit is probable at q depth Of 1, 800
feet Far within this limit in the