Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1890-07-28
The SPRINGER ARTESIAN FLOW.

To the Editor OF the New Mexican,

Surrounding Springer and Santa Fe.
To the Editor OF the New Mexican.
SANTA FE, July %, 90 Having been
asked by you If there was any plausible
reason why the boring Of well in the
Red river bottom should have been more
successful in producing an artesian flow
as compared with the experimental we'll
Oh the plains south of this city, venture
to say this:
Springer and the surrounding country
are located in q natural basin whose upper
geological make up consists of the So
called Colorado series of the cretaceous
period fanked on the west, ct some dis
tance, say 2S or 80 miles, by trachytic
rocks BLACK Peak and eastern foot hills),
on the southwest by elevations, rising
above the plains, covered with basalt
(Rayado, Gonzales and Ocate mesas) and
consisting of the Dakota series of the
cretaceous period. On the south and
southeast by similar formations. On the
north by elevations consisting of the Lara
mie series on the northeast by basat cov-
cred hills of the Laramie series, while to-
ward the east the Colorado series them
selves extend for untold miles. All these
formations dip degrees east.
On the other hand the Santa Fe plains
consist also of deposits of the cretaceous,
but they belong to the Loup Fork series,
dipping 5 degrees west and resting on
carboniferous limestone which dips 80
degrees west.
Tie difference OF these several series is
briefly this:
The Colorado consists of cream and
white colored limestone, gray and yellow
shales, alternating with fine, white cal
careous sandstones.
The Dakota consists mainly Of blueish,
yellow, white and red, thin sandstones
with some gypsum.
The Laramie consists of grayish sand
stone beds of deep red color, separated by
shales.
The Loup Fork consists of chalky,
porous lmestones alternating with layers
of yellow sandstones, soft in upper parts,
greenish and of orange color in the lower
parts, with loose material of trachyte
granite, sand, clay and marly limestone
(Which were water bearing at the Santa
Fe experimental well.)
Thus it will be seen that, if similar in
character, there are marked differences be-
tween the different series.
All groups contain beds OF clay, con-
tinuous or disconnected, the immediate
requirement for an artesian flow. For,
if there is water anywhere, or a subter-
ranean stream, it has to be confined be-
tween two impervious layers OF some
kind of formation to prevent the water
from spreading, and of those of course,
clay is the best.
The Colorado series are most favorable
for retaining water, as the result at
Springer has proven.
Besides, differences in leads have all to
do With an artesian flow.
he railroad depot at Springer has an
ovation above sea of 5,7S3 AS feet, while
, to the west, southwest and south, such
elevations are: at Cimarron, 1885 feet !;
Rayado and Gonzales mesas, $3.50 feet in
the averages; Rayado, G,532 feet, while
Black peak rises up to 10000 feet even
| from the north the country descends to-
ward Springer, for Dorsey is $40 feet,
Dover 1884 feet, thus giving it a favorable
descent from higher locations toward q
common central point (Springer) of 4l0,
602. 749, 1,l67 and even 5,ll7 feet, which
! figures, OF course, somewhat increase to
location about six miles down the river
from Springer, where the well is located.
Furthermore, the country west of
Springer is, outside of Cimarron itself,
well watered by Ponil, Uraca, Rayado
and other smaller water-bearing afiiuents,
all adding to the chances for a natural,
subterranean flow of water. Even on the
north, with southwestern course, Llano
creek and others flow into the Red river
before joining the Cimarron, and all these
circumstances combine to make the boring
of well, producing an artesian flow, on
Mr.. Taylor's ranch successful. If the
depth at which flow was struck is fav-
orable (250 feet) it is not very surprising,
it is merely very lucky combination OF
favorable circumstances.
On the Santa Fe plains there are,
outside OF Galisteo and Santa Fe creeks
on south the and north, eighteen miles
distant from each other, scarcely any
water resources in the mountains to the
east (Apache creeks and others are abso-
lutely shut off by intervening Archaean
rocKs), and the thickness Of the creta-
ceous (Loup Fork is differently estimated
at from 1900 to 1000 feet, if not more,
before solid limestone Of the coal age can
be reached. These points have repeat
edly been argued in your columns from
the very time when the experimental we'll
south Of this city was started, and anyone
who took care to read such notes on the
geological construction of the plains must
have found implied in them that sue
cess at the place where the we'll was sunk
was very doubtful this, entirely from a
"looker on" point of view.
Such localities as the heads of the Ar
royo de los Chamisos, Hondo, the heads
OF the San Marcos Arroyo, Canada de los
Ranches, all emanating from the noun
tains westward, would have certainly
proved much more favorable points.
III