Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-28
GREAT ARrEsIAN WELL
Boring 1900 Feet for water I'm Flo
ri1a.

The Engineering NetCs has the fol-
lowing: Florida abounds in lakes.
rivers. and springs OF great volume OF
discharge, fed mainly by su6terranean
reservoirs OF unknown extent IN the
rotten limestone formation which under
lies considerable part OF the peninsula.
Some Of the springs in this State are OF
enormous discharge. and among the
more important may be mentioned the
following The Silver Spring. which
supplies very considerable portion OF
the flow Of the St. Johns river
and tho Homosassa river on the west
coast, which flows from a rocky
basin about eighty feet in diameter
and forms a river over fifteen miles
long, flowing with current OF Ave
miles per hour towards the Gulf. About
five miles from Tallahassee is q great
spring said TO be 800 feet deep, with
an outflow that forms broad lake OF ice
cold water. But perhaps the most In
teresting OF these outbursts Of suhterra-
mean waters are found along the coast
line, five or more miles from shore, like
the one opposite st. Augustine, which
perceptiblv affects the surface Of tho
ocean in circle over half mile in dl-
ameter. and forms fat cone with on
apex slightly elevated above the general
surface. Another Of these great ocean
springs bursts ont at Key West, and
smaller ones show themselves ut many
points along the coast of Florida.
AS underground water Is so abundant
in this region. and IS very generally
under sufficient pressure to force 1t to
and above the ground surface. 1t is little
10 be wondered at that Artesian wellsare
there popular aud to a considerable ex'
tent relied upon for water supply. But
the most powerful well yet developed IN
that country is the one put down by Mr.
II. NJ. Flagler for his great hotels at St
Augustine.
The Artesian well at Ponce do Leon
was commenced IN November, 1886,
/ with n diameter Of twelve inches, and
| by February. 1887, II had reached Q
| depth Of ]. 800 feet below the surface
with yield OF 10.00O,000 gallons o.
water in twenty-four hours and pres
sure Of discharge sufficient to force the
let forty-two feet above the mouth q
/ the well. Though this great volume o.
water was struck ut point only l.lOl
! feet below the surfnce and the quantity
was more than ample even 10 meet the
/ demands OF the mammoth hotels whlct
it was proposed 20 supply. at tho earnes
request Of his superintendent Mr.. Flag
Ter bad consented to sink the we'll stil
/ deeper in an attempt 10 pierce II posi-
/ bio the fossiliferous limestone lorna
ton, and practically test the question o
increase OF temperature in the water
But unfortunately tho boring-tools wer
lost lust as the |. i0O-foOt point was ho
ing reached, ana the experiment was 70
the time at least abandoned. IL may b
proper 10 state here that the purpose O
sinking deeper was 10 obtain water OF
sufficiently high temperature 10 be utll
lied in supplying heat in the hotels, an
possibly power. With the tempera.ur
at SO Fahrenheit actually secured ate
the water had been piped this hope ma
been realized to the extent OF Supplying
huge bathing pool in the Alcazar Hotc
with water at 50 Fahrenheit, as aboy
described. and in rendering all radiator
and artificial heat in the hotels unneces
sary. This water, conveyed in a system
Of pipes, does all the heating the CLIMATE
/ demands.
While the volume of water discharges
is greater than that OF any Artesian wel
in this country OF which we have en.
knowledge, the pressure ct the point o
discharge IL also over four times that o
the Artesian well at Charleston, 5. c.
which is the nearest boring on the leve
Of the Atlantic coast This pressure
utilized at It. Augustine by turbin
wheel, and tho power obtained runs owe
100 electric lights used about the hotel
and grounds, and other machinery
/ Electricians note that this power Is IN
most uniform OF any yet employed b.
them for a similar purpose.