Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-08-11
ARTESIAN WELLS.
Article No. ?, On Surface Water.


The surface water of the city of
Richmond is vile. 1t is obtained from
springs and wells. DR.. William II.
Taylor, State Chemist and Professor of
the Medical College Of Virginia. has
analysed the fluid from eleven of these.
His results have been published in de-
tail. His descriptive remarks are clear
and energetic, and his language, if not
ornamental and complimentary, is plain.
lie says Most of these waters are
well known, and all are extensively
used. Under the influence of we'll
recognized hallucination affecting the
citizens Of Richmond, in common
with the rest Of humanity, which i'm
pels one to believe that the water he is
accustomed to drink is surprisingly ex-
cellent, the proprietors of some Of the
worst Of these waters were loud in their
praise, and they will doubtless be
shocked to hear that they are drinking
urine-a little weak, perhaps, but gen.
uine as far as it goes"
The Doctor admits three exceptions
Hollywood, Buchanan, and BlOody-Run
springs.
There is a reason for this bad quail
ity apart from the contamination Of
| city sewage.
Professor William b. Rogers, in his
geology of the Virginias, remarks " On
Governors hill, in Richmond, a
stratum of the same kind is
exposed. Like the
CLAWS and sands formerly described as
associated with the miocene, this con-
tains sulphate Of iron Tor cOpperas),
sulphate of alumina, and sulphur in
uncombined condition. So large a
proportion of these substances is some
times present as to render the water
obtained from the strata in which they
exist absolutely unfit for use."
The stone wall on Governor street
prevents the miocene formation from
coming into view. In addition to the
communications named by Professor
Rogers, the miocene contains the debris
of marine animals and other substances.
The miocene is the middle bed Of the
tertiary formation. The material Of
which it is composed is not at all ia
vorable in this locality fer the purity
of water. The Church-Hill tunnel
runs through the miocene, and it I'M
derlies a large section of Richmond.
Shockoe creek and its valley is below
the level Of the miocene. The upper
formation of the tertiary, the pliocene,
is wanting at Richmond, so the quar-
ternary, our surfsce-bed, rests upon
the miocene. The quarternary is COM
posed Of red sand and gravel mixed
with ferruginous clay. Professor Ro-
gers calls it "diluvium. 1t varies
in thickness, and in many places has
been thinned in the process Of grading
streets and lots. Where undisturbed
its normal depth is about twenty-five
feet.
When well is dug in the quarter
nary it is not probable that water will
appear until the miocene is reached, I'M
less an intervening hard-pan collection
is struck. A gentleman living on Leigh
street near Ninth sunk a well about
twenty-five feet deep in his yard. He
abandoned the use Of river water. We
made cursory examination of this
water and found that he was drinking a
mild solution Of epson salts and gyp-
sum.
Toward the western part ofour city the
tertiary disappears, beds of brick-clay
come to the surface, and at Hollywood
the quarternary rests on the primary
rock. Here you may place one foot on the
Oldest formation and the other on the
last. Hollywood spring, and on tbs
same line Buchanan spring, both yield
very good water. Bloody-Run spring
is east Of the city.
Chemistry says the surface-water Of
Richmond is unwholesome. Geology
says no wonder. Topography says
it can hardly escape sewage contamina.
ton.
Can we, by boring, obtain any other
than surface water! In our next we
will inquire. ii. B.