Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1888-03-24
ARTESIAN WELLS.

F of Montana where water cannot be readily
obtained for farm use. Even in the
neighborhood of rivers and creeks it is
great gain for the farmer to have an
abundant supply of water on his own
ranch, for cattle and domestic use. In
California, and later still in Dakota, con.
slant supplies Of pure water are obtained
by means of such wells, which bring to
| the surface water held in great natural
reservoirs beneath it. In California,
where the source and extent of artesian
wells has been the subject of careful in
quiry, the San Francisco Chronicle gives
some interesting information on the sub
ject. where does the water come
from?" it asks. TT comes, Of course,
from the ground into which the borers
penetrate, but its scource, with rare ex-
ceptions, is in the melting SHOWS of the
Sierras. Naturally q vast quantity of the
melting snow runs down over the surface
into the creeks and canyon streams that
feed the great rivers of the valley, but a
very large amount of it soaks into the
ground, percolates here and there, and
finds its way into the many subterranean
streams which cross the valley, or which
flow into subterranean lakes, as the case
may be. Whether these buried rivers
and lakes are fed directly from the perez
lations of the melted snow, or whether
they are supplied from vast water caves
hidden in the heart of the Sierras, cannot
be definitely stated, The probability,
however, is that they are fed from buried |
reservoirs, and that these reservoirs are
found within the Sierras at an almost uni
form elevation, that Of just 800 feet"
The next problem is to bore hole
through the earth to this water, so that it
may flow to the surface in accordance
with the natural law that water seeks its
own level. Of this operation we read:
The method of boring artesian wells in
the San Joaquin valley is comparatively
easy matter. AS has been stated, no stone
is encountered in the work and there is
nothing that offers more resistance than
stiff clay and occasionally stratum of
indurated sand For this reason no such
tools are required as are found necessary
IN other localities. The sets of tools most
frequently met with are hand tools. They
consist Of half-round auger, fastened to
The end OF twenty-foot pole or piece of
5aspipe, and worked by the men by means
u cross handle that can be slipped upon
he pole as fast as the auger goes down.
As the we'll deepens, and other poles are
needed, they are coupled or screwed to-
gether in the same manner as a pipe.
When the auger is filled, it is hoisted with
wire cable and horse power. When
working in sand and water an instrument
called a sandpump is used. This consists
II tube eight or ten feet long, in the
bottom of which is large valve. BY
'hurning the sandpump up and down it
soon fills and is then hoisted to the top
md emptied. This is rather slow pro-
less and other means have been of late
escorted to to enable parties to bore with
greater facility. The best of these is :
hydraulic machine, which is generally re-
yarded as an improvement on the hand
ools.
This machine uses boring rods made
entirely Of gaspipe, and the auger is only
lsed to stir up the sand and water into a
hlck mud. By forcing a stream of water
loWn through the gaspipe, the mud and
water are forced up between the gaspipe
nd sheet-iron we'll casing, and the cas-
ng is showed down as fast as the auger
legends by a couple of hydraulic Jacks.
The hand outfits shove their casing
Town with long levers, the casting being
generally made Of heavy sheet iron tubes,
made about the same length as Joints Of
tovepipe and fitted together in much the
anne way. Occasionally the casing gets
tuck and cannot be showed down When i
his difficulty occurs, a casing pipe an
nch smaller is sent down and used the
est of the way. By this means it some
lines happens that a we'll started with an
light inch casing ends with four-inch
me.
Throughout Montana there are forma- Va
ions like that described above. Of course
where there is rock as in parts Of Great
Falls, stronger machinery such as is en-
ployed in Denver'is needed. The rock is
bored there by drilling, which is done
with the7aid ola portable steam engine.
1t is common to sink wells in the middle
Of street and then connect them in the
houses by pipes. @
Regarding the outlay the Chronicle OBJ.
serves that 'the cost of an srtesian we'll
cannot be definitely ascertained until the
work is done. The rates usually charged
for the work are as follows: For the first
l0O feet, $50; for the second 100 feet. $76:
for the third 100 feet, 800, and proper
donate increase for each 100 feet. The
casing ordinarily costs from So to so cents
per foot, and the owner of we'll is ex-
pected to board three men while the
work is being done, which takes from
three to five weeks, according to the num-
Der OF accidents that happen during the
work, these accidents arising mainly
rom quicksand choking the pipe ana
aiming of the casting. It may safely be
calculated that the cost OF completed
we'll will be from $500 to $780,"
1Artesian wells are no longer an ex-
M ,nv1t II, ~