Waco evening news. (Waco, Tex.) 1888-1889, 1888-07-28
ARTESIAN WATER !!
THE EARTH BENEATH US GIVES
UP ITS SECRETS
A Great Subterranean River
Flows Beneath this City.

Yesterday evening at few minutes
before eight o'clock, the drill at Jas.
I. More's artesian we'll was plodding
away at depth of IT'S or 1l79 feet,
at eight o'clock at depth ::of 1lSO feet
the drill struck not rock but water.
The water rose steadily till the top
Of the we'll was reached and still
higher and ran down the side of the
hill, and the question of artesian
wells under Waco was settled. On
one of the highest hills about the city
this morning stream Of water Is rum
ming from the very bowels of the earth
from subterranean river which has
its headwaters in the GRANTEES and
porphyries of the great Rocky Noun
tain range, a big thousand miles away,
and its mouths far beneath the Gulf
of Mexico. The Importance of the
discovery is such that it is not Sec
ondary to railroads or factories, and
If Waco were to declare holiday and
celebrate with flags and banners, pro-
cessions and music the celebration
would still fall below the merits of
the occasion. With plenty of water
Texas is the grandest state in the
Union, and the artesian system is
pregnant with promise to yet supply
what too often the heavens deny.
Ten years ago Mr.. Jas. I. Moore
was impressed with the Importance
of artesian wells and formed the re-
solve to bore for artesian water, but
hold the resolution in allegiance till a
suitable place was secured. The old
McClelland place has for many years
been in his mind as the place which
suited him for home and with the
purchase of that place came the old
desire to try for artesian water. With
in twenty-four hours after the deed
was made to that place he was nego.
tiating for the boring of an artesian
well. Warned by some failures he
sought out parties who knew the bus
mess to perfection and made con-
tract for fifteen hundred feet at two
dollars per foot unless water should
be reached at less depth and with a
proviso to go deeper if required. The
parties with whom the contract was
made W ere experts and had the most
improved machinery, the we'll went
down with great rapidity, at depth of
about a thousand feet artesian water
was struck with a moderate flow, at a
greater depth a stream of sulphur
water, and last night the great
stream which this morning has trans
formed hole in the ground worth
nothing into flowing artesian we'll.
The water is believed to be pure, fresh,
freestone water, although this cannot
be definitely determined as the salt
water stream, for the want of casing,
is mixed with it. Neither is the flow
of the stream determined, though
there is good reason to believe it is a
large one. For several days the we'll
drillers have been troubled with cav
ing. in of "a loose slate rock which
has filled the bottom of the we'll to
the depth of hundred feet with mud
and slate which efforts yesterday to
penetrate with the drill packed al
most solid. The water is now flow
Ing over the top which makes it
flowing we'll, and it is being forced up
through one hundred feet of tight
packed mud and slate which shows
such power in the flow that when
the mud Is removed it Is confidently
believed tina: 1t will flow with a six
inch stream. If this hope should be
realized and the water proves to be
good the value of the we'll is incalcu-
liable. 1t is situated on one of the
highest hills overlooking the city and
can be collected in reservoir and
distributed over the city by natural
pressure, besides making the large
grounds Of the owner q paradise by
irrigation. Casing is being put down
to-day which will stop the flow OF salt
water and a new drill is expected this
evening so that early next week the
mud WILDE removed and drilling con-
tinued and the capacity of the we'll
determined.
TO the successful discoverer of ar
tesian water too much praise cannot
be awarded. A man of large means
who employs share of his honestly