San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-05-21
A GREAT ARTEsIAN WELL.
Il Furnishes Hot Water from 1900 Feet
Depth for a Large Hotel.

II Furnishes Hot Water from 400 Feet
Depth for a Large Hotel.
Florida abounds in lakes, rivers and springs
of great volume of discharge, fed mainly by
subterranean reservoirs of unknown extent
in the rotten limestone formation which I'M
derlies a considerable part of the peninsula
Some Of the springs in this state are Of enor-
nous discharge, and among the more impor-
tant may be mentioned the following:
The Silver spring, which supplies very
considerable portion of the flow Of the St
Johns river, and the 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 a
current of FIVE miles per hour toward the
gulf. About twelve miles from Tallahassee
is great spring said to be 500 feet deep,
with an outflow that forms broad lake of
ice cold water But perhaps the most inter
esting of these outhurts of subterranean
waters are found along the coast line, five or
more miles from shore, like the one opposite
st. Augustine, which perceptibiy affects the
surface of the ocean in a circle over half a
mile in diameter, and forms fat cone with
an apex slightly elevated above the general
surface Another of these great ocean
ones show themselves at many points along
the coast of Florida
AS underground water is So abundant in
this region, and is very generally under suffi
cient pressure to force it to and above the
ground surface, it is little to be wondered at
that artesian wells are there popular and to
considerable extent relied upon for water
supply. But the most powerful we'll yet de
veloped in that country is the one put down
by Mr. H. NJ Flagler for his great hotels at
St Augustine
The artesian well ut Ponce de Leon was
commenced in November, 1856, with diam
eter of l2 inches, and by February, 1887, it
had reached depth of l.%D feet below the
surface, with a yield of iO.OOO,OO0 gallons of
water in twenty four hours and pressure of
discharge sufficient to force the jet AZ feet
above the mouth of the well.
Though this great volume of water was
struck at a point only l,lOO feet below the
surface, and the quantity was more than
ample even to meet the demands of the man.
moth hotel which it was proposed to supply
at the earnest request of his superintendent
Mr.. Flagler had consented to sink the well
still deeper in en- attempt to pierce, if posi-
bic. the fOsSiii.erOus limestone formation, and
practically test the question of increase in
temperature in the water. But unfOrtu
nate!y the boring tools were lost just as the
l,4G0-foot point was being reached, and the
experiment was for the time at least aban
doaed 1t may be proper to state here that
the purpose of sinking deeper was to obtain
water of sufficiently high temperature to
be utilized in supplying heat in the hotels.
and possibly power.
With the temperature of 50 degs. Fahren
heit actually secured after the water had
been piped, this hope has been realized to the
extent of supplying a huge bathing pool in
the Alcazar hotel with water at 81 degs
Fahrenheit, as above described, and in rem
dering all radiators and artificial heat in the
hotels unnecessary. This water, conveyed III
a system of pipes, does all the heating the
climate demands.
While the volume of water discharged is
greater than that of any artesian well in this
country of which we have any knowledge,
the pressure at the point Of discharge is also
over four times that of the artesian well at
Charleston, S. c., which is the nearest boring
on the level of the Atlantic coast. This
pressure is utilized at st. Augustine by
turbine wheel, and the power obtained runs
over $50 electric lights used about the hotels
and grounds, and other machinery. Elec,
tricians note chat this power is the most uni
form Of any yet employed by them for
similar purpose. strengthening News.