The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1886-12-18
ARrEsIAN WELLS.

..,v fer IhsIr OutaOyv--B~asnt t0
,h. stats-Eac.
"a Duhrn, Civil Engineer, IN the Silver
state.
A Company is about 10 be organized
in Wiunemucca for boring artssisn
wells, expecting that the people of Me-
vndu, and especially ot Humboldt
county, are willing TO take shares
enough to furnish the necessary amount
of capital. The following will give
,ome idea IS to the possibility Of find
iup artesian veins, and the probable
benefit shareholder may expect by
his investment:
WHAT Is AN ARTEsIAN wELLi
An artesian vein requires pcrvious
stratum through which water can
readily pass. under and above which
the exlstcDcc Ot n water tight layer 10
necessary, which securely embraces
the porous stratum. Continue these
LAYERS in one direction to an elevated
region, where the porous bed eau ind
sufficient supply at water, pitch II
down on the other ~ considerable
depth, tap this water-vat bed nj some
unint laxct than the outcrOp or idun
tam head, aud the water viii tin~ out
nf The bore la n level with tht hrad,
allowing for fricl.nn and AIR pressure.
FORMATION oF THE ARTEsfAS VEIN.
The water finds lis WAY through the
strata by tan metiods: In ci"ss tex
turcd roeks II passes through llssures
formed lay fracture, ar tubular chan
nels, formed 10y solution; IN open tex
tured rouks II secps through the psres.
peImcatiBg the wholc bed. THESE
close texlured rocks belong chiefly to
the crystalline class. such as granltes
aud greenstones, and ths lImestones.
Our mines show how far VIC are justi
fled to hunt for water IN that class of
rocks. Tue spen textnr.d rucks con
stitute continuous waicr-tiiled sheets,
uadersprvading wide areas, and almost
certain To give artesian water at the
proper depths. To this class belong
beds of sand, gravel, sandstone, con
gipInerate and other rocks ut Loose
granular texture. Both formations
are extensively found in this State.
COMBINING BEDS
OF the combining impeIvIous beds,
the upper one is of the greatest i'm
portsnce. Suppose the lower one Wsre
lsasy, the consequence would bs that
that the water would run through 1t
till it come to an impervious layer
but it the upper one should bc pene'
trable, the water. un1er pressure from
the fountain-head, would escape, re-
lisVe the pressure, and prevent the
odiflow. The best impervious stratum
is formed 10y thick layer of hue un
hardened clay; next come strata oi
clayey shades, clayey lime and sand
stones; 1T last, but not least, water
itself. As the surface water rises and
falla with the land surface, the former
Will press just as much down AS the
latter will up, and extending generally y
higher than the artesian vein, will even
sdd to the supply of the vein.
SUPPLY ny RAIN AND SNOW.
There is without doubt an immense
quantity Of subierranean water in this
State, derived from some yet unknown
source. But not knowing how far this
will support the flow of an artesian
we'll. We have TO take into consIdsra
ton the annual rainfall of 10 inches
which would give about 224,00O gal
Ions to the acre. A well of 100000
gallons capacity per day would there
fore drain one acre of ground in on,
day, IT the rainfall were only one inch
but Ms the fountain-hcad is always or
that elevated reyion, where the fall o
ram and snow is considerable heavier
man In the flats, We can surely sAI
Ins' We can draw on a 15.inch supply
OI which Of course Onlv tho am aller mar