Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-11-25
NEW KIND OF FLORIDA WATER.
Artesian Wells Expected to Heat
Buildings and iiun Machinery.

81. Augustine Ftd.J specialize Neao York World.
A novel and interesting experiment In
well boring is about to be tiled here In
connection with the Ponce de Leon Hotel
which is to be opened next season. An
attempt will he made to sink twelve
inch artesIan woll to a depth sufficient to
obtain water hot enough TO heat buildings,
pure enough for all domestic purposes
and with pressure enough to run heavy
machinery. If these results can be Sc
cured it requires only an ordinary
Imagination to see the benefit that will
come to the State OF Florida. Her build
ings can be heated with little cost or
trouble beyond the original investment,
the hot water can be turned 20 accountin
a hundred and one different ways, and
she can become pre-eminent as manu-
featuring as we'll as farming State. The
Northern manufacturer has to hunt
around for a stream with sufficient
'head" to turn his water-wheels. Under
the new scheme the Florida manufacturer
might select any site for his factory and
then proceed to bore for his power. He
would have no dams to repair. Neither
would he have to close his factory on &C.
count OF drought, or see his properly
swept away by freshet.
Can this pretty picture be realized?
That is the question. MIR. William Ken
nish, who has charge OF the hotel work
here, thinks 1t can. Having become
specially interested in the subject of arte-
sian wells, personally inspecting many
whose boring offered anything in the way
of discovery, and, collecting data from
various parts of the world, he believes
that II well be sunk deep enough bot
water will be reached and Of sufficient
force to run machinery. There are those
who shake their heads at this theory, but
Mr.. II. NJ. Fiagler, who is building the
hotel, is willing to test the theory In the
boring Of an unusually large well
What are the facts which bear out the
theory In the first place water can be
secured in any part OF Florida by boring
about $50 feet, while many OF the wells in
the North have to be sunk to q depth of
thousand feet or more before water is
reached. The Florida water is generally
saturated or lmpregnated with sui
| phureted hydrogen gas, part of which
! escapes on reaching the surface, enough
remaining to give 1t decided sulphur
flavor. Unlike the majority OF the North
| ern wells, the artesian water OF Florida
| has considerable force or pressure. In st.
| Augustine the average we'll, sunk not
| more than 200 feet, sends u stream into
the air about three feet, and il confined
| in a pipe, to a height OF thirty-five
feet, representing pressure OF fourteen
| jacksonville, sunk to depth of 600 feet,
| sends the water UP fOrty-tive feet when
| piped, and to the profound satisfaction of
! those who believe in the experiment the
! temperature OF the water from this well
| is decidedly warm. The value of the
pressure of the st. Augustine wells may
be better understood perhaps when it is
explained that the height to which it
naturally ascends after leaving the
| yvh ut f.
would call "a head' of thirty five feet, or
enough when properly directed to run
pretty heavy machinery. The theory is
that the greater the depth of the
we'll the greater the pressure and
| the greater the value OF the we'll as
motive power. 1t may be interesting to
! say that it 10 part of the theory that the
water gets its pressure from the presence
of the sulphureted hydrogen gas, the same
as the water in the soda fountain is made
to come out with a "fzZ" on account of
the carbonic acid gas that is in it, and
that this gas ls generated somewhere
down below by subterraneau fires that.
to quote the graphic language of Prof.
Maggie, of New Orleans, make the supplies
OF the Cult Stream ''boil and seethe and
| flow from caldrons and over lgneous,
rock-ribbed furnaces where the volcanic
+, fires Of earth are never quenched
AS kindred to the subject and showing
the extent and permanence Ofthis supply
which has been so generously tapped
already, 1t may be said that some scien-
lists and some sea captains are of the
opinion that the Gulf Stream is caused by
the overflow into the Gulf of Mexico Of
immense bodies of this sublerrauean
fresh water. The fact that all around
the peninsula of Florida, near the coast in
some places and several miles distant at
others, great fresh water springs boil up
from the depths below with such force as
to sway vessels from their course when
they attempt to sail over their cones,
shows that the whole OF Florida Is under
laid with vastand inexhaustible su pply
| OF fresh water.
The question OF running heavy ma
chinery by artesian well power is by no
means purely eXperimental--it is done in
many locations in France ALREADY, and
the experience OF the French shows that
the deeper the well the greater the pres
sure and the higher the temperature. At
Grenelle, France, for instance, well
sunk TO the depth of ], S02 feet and flowing
daily 100000 gallons, has pressure OF 90
pounds to the square inch, Just double
that of the 600-foot well at Jacksonville,
and the water from This Grenele well is
so hot that 1t is used for heating the hos
pItalsiu the vicinity. At Pestb. Hungary,
the engineers deliberately bored for hot
water anu got III at depth OF ,l20 feet,
the Thermometer showing 100 degrees
Fahrenheit. These figures will be better
understood II 1t is remembered that the
hot-bath temperature is 50 degrees, while
that OF boiling water is PIP.
Surely there Is reasonable ground for
the experiment which il about to be m ade.
and il it shall be shown that the theory is
we'll founded, the people OF Florida will
have reason tor being grateful TO those
by whom it has been demonstrated.