Waco evening news. (Waco, Tex.) 1888-1889, 1889-05-01
The Artesian System of Texas.

The artesian drill is the coming ma.
chine in Texas. 1t is the panacea for
all the woes of the state, the talisman,
the touch Of which will turn all things
into gold. Given a bountiful supply
of water and Texas soil is the most
fecund in the world, and the supply Of
water has been found, not in the
heavens above, but in the earth be.
meath: The entire state is underlaid
with rivers Of fresh water, at moderate
depths, and supply of water for any
farm in the state is only question Of
the cost of an artesian we'll. 1t is,
however, in that section of the state
at and within a hundred miles Of San
Antonio that the prodigal nature of the
artesian water supply strikes the senses
most forcibly. There in range Of low
hills there bursts out, full born, three
artesian rivers with prodigious guam
tity OF true artesian water. The San
Antonio river is the most wonderful
stream of water in the world, and is
almost equalled by the Comal and San
Marcos, all three arising from the
same range Of hills. These three rivers
are not made up of the contributions
Of small springs as with ordinary
burst rightout full aedged rivers at the
streams growing by accretion, but they
very start, and are unaffected BY
winter rains and summer suns.
But recent borings at San Antonio
show subteranean ocean of water 700
feet below the course Of their artesian
river. The ar:ssian we'll but lately
finished pours out an immense supply
Of water, fully 100000 gallons per
day through nine inch tube. 1t is
made to feed great artificial lake
eighty acres in extent, and in places
eighty feet deep, which shows to what
uses artesian water is adapted. A
syndicate Of Cincinnati capitalists
bought seven hundred acres of subur
ban property far out of town, called it
the West End and laid it out into
streets and avenues and in the centre
constructed the lake, and into this a
great artesian we'll discharges its
waters. The irrigation system of
San Antonio shows what marvellous re.
suits may be obtained by water. Vege-
tables raised by irrigation are remark
ably cheap; cabbages of large size 10
cents at retail, peas 6 cents per quart,
and other things in proportion. The
irrigation bitches dug by the mission
aries, three hundred years ago, are
marvellous pieces Of engineering
work showing that while the old mis-.
sionaries may have been ironclads in
religion, they were strictly orthodox
on hydraulic engineering. Their i,ri.
eating bitches scores Of miles in length
are as perfect now as when dug, many
OF them with the marvellous grade Of
three inches fall to the mile. One
hundredth part of the irrigating system
is not used. If it were all in use, q
limited area about San Antonio would
make vegetable rs drug in every town
in Texas. The section about San
Antonio, New Braunfels and San
Marcus are the centre Of the great
artesian system Of the state, with great
artesian wells bursting out from the
hills and another great artesian basin
lying seven or eight hundred feet deep
from the surface. No ono can atten.
lively observe the geological formation
OF Texas without being convinced that
the artesi:n water system is part and
parcel OF the economy Of the state.