Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-17
HOW WELLSARE DUG.
MIR. sYDNoR EXPLAINS THE INTER-
ESTlNG AND DIFFICULT PROCESS.
Kinds OF Strata Encountered In This Vi
cinity-Tbe Effort at Major Gin
tcr's Farm n Success.

Whether or not Artesian wells in and
around Richmond are practicable is
| question that has been discussed for q
number Of years. and there has been a
wide diversity of opinion on the subject.
The ideas advanced in support of the
affirmative position have been chiefly
Theoretical and based upon what has been
accomplished at others places. while per-
sons holding the negative view have been
supported by the failure 10 certain ex-
tent of all efforts made in this direction.
The wells have been bored and water has
been obtained. but there have been none
that could be properly called Artesian
wells.
The effort Just made at Westbrook. Major
Lewis Ginter's farm. about three miles
from the city, was the most successful yet
undertaken near Richmond, and there are
reasons for believing that had the rock
been penetrated to greater depth good
flow Of water 20 the surface would have
been secured.
Mr. Thomas G. Sydnor, with Messrs.
Smith and Courtney, conducted the opera
tions AT Westbrook. He was seen at his
home on Fifth street last night by a bis
patch reporter. 20 whom he gave an IN,
teresting account Of how water Is bored
for and especially about the conditions
that existed at Major GInters.
THE BORING PROCESS.
Explaining the process Mr.. Sydnor said
The boring of wells is mystery TO the
public in general. To do this work re-
ouires ponderous machine with q tall
frame or masthead, over which "A long
cable passes. To this cable, which is two
and half inches in diameter, and made Of
the best grade of MANILA. is attached a
- T.. a %
pounds. The other end OF this cable is
wound around a large drum, and after
passing through pulley is attached TO a
walking-benm. The engine is then con-
nected with the machinery, which
causes the beam 10 rise and fall
as fast as the driller may desire.
usually about forty strokes per min
ute. This motion causes the slack of tho
rope TO be taken up. which raises the tools
quickly. When at the extreme height,
generally about eight feet. the beam sud
denly falls. and the weight of the tools
causes them also to fall, thereby chop
ping their way in through earth OF stone,
being constantly revOlved by the drlller 10
make a round and straight hole. This is
Of the utmost importance, as the drill has
tendency TO follow the softest forma-
tion, especially when boring in rock.
TUBING THE WELL.
Next comes the tubing, which is done
as the drilling progresses. Frequently the
casing or irOn-piping is driyenfby large
weights few feet ahead of the bit. This
casing is driven down as far as the dirt or
other soft or Objectionable features exist.
To secure a pure supply it rs very necessary
TO shut off all surface water or veins of sui
phur iron, etc, which would impregnate
the well. This sometimes necessitates the
use of an inner-lninR, which has TO extend
-. e. lrtt 30 hut of
wells are frequently bored with jet
of water forced through a tube inside of
another casing. but this cannot be done in
rocky or hard formation. Besides these
two ways the rotary or diamond drills are
used. which take ont a core. but these
drills are used more particularly for pros
pecting purposes. and have not proven a
success in and around this city, having
made complete failure on Belle Isle,
twisting off the drill at a depth of ll6 feet.
SULPHUR AND IRON.
AT this point allow me to state that the
water found at that depth on the island is
so impregnated with sulphur andiron that
il is not pleasant to taste or smell.
THE same vein seems TO penetrate all this
section of Virginia at various depths, as
we struck one at sixtv-odd feet at West
brook which was no doubt the same vein
a5 tnat of MAJOR Ginters suiphdr-spring,
and is found very strong at Ashland at
depth of from one hundred to one hundred
and forty-fve feet. The water in the well
at Ashland on the campus is strongly i'm
pregnated when first drawn, but all odor
passes away after being exposed 10 the air
Tor few hours. thereby showing 1t 10 be
of gaseous nature. Hard rock was struck
there at 145 feet.
AT Major Ginter's we passed through
clay, sand, and iron shale, very thin,
nf a
a sulphurous nature at sixty feet. Passing
through this into sand-grayel, blue clay,
and green marl-sand westruck hard sand
rock and water at depth of eighty-soyen
feet.
CUTTING OFF WATER.
Driving the eigbt-inch casing or pipe
down TO this point with a tremendous log
fifteen feet long, with fall OF eight or ten
feet we succeeded in cutting of all water
or veins encountered in reaching that
point. As q most satisfactory proof of
this. there is a well thirty feet deep, with
fifteen feet of water in IL not more than
ten feet from the Artesian well, aud 1T has
never shown change of supply, though
the water in the bored well stands sixty
FIVE feet from the surface, thirty-hye be-
low the bottom of the other.
at has been generally believed that
a flowing well, or, strictly speak
be obtained in localities where granite
is found, and up TO this time there has been
no evidence to disproye this belief How
ever. il il the opinion N several experts IN
well-drilling who have had great deal of
experience IN this locality and are familiar
with the granite of Richmond and vicinity,
that flowing we'll could be obtained byl
boring five or six hundred feet and
casing down to the lower vein, thereby
. ha pfi a
O hydraulic ram, and causing 1t to rise even
higher than its source.
CONDITIONS AND DISTANCE.
AS proof of this, when we bored the
Westbrook we'll TO the depth Of $50 feet Il
was dry; at us feet We bad struck small
vein which could be easily exhausted by
the sapd-pump or bucket used IN taking
out the drillings: at 200 feet the water was
twenty-five feet deep with strong vein
flowing in: at 225 feet the water rose TO
distance less than one hundred feet from
the surface at $50 feet II came within !
seyenty-fve feet of the surface, and at BOG
feet. when we stopped, the water had risen
TO sixty-fve feet of the surface. proving
that the deeper we went the more head the
water seemed to gain. 1t is our belief that
the water would have come TO the surface
had the well been cased down to the bot
tom with Finch pipe, and the hole then
reduced TO 6-inch for few hundred
feet more, reducing then to 4-inch or less.
VARIOUS STRATA.
AT 81 feet we struck sand-r and at
90 feet solid granite, which alternated
harder or softer, with occasional veins OF
pure mica and water gravel. After reach
ing depth of 200 feet the granite became
very hard. and at $50 feet it took as long
10 drill one foot as we had taken to drill
ten before.
"Of course we did not expect to get any |
water out of solld rock" Mr. Sydnor con-
tinued, Though We have a Bible record
10 proye that il furnished an abundant |
supply under Gods hand.
@Ail formations OF earth and rock |
contain innumersble crevices. and IT was
these that furnished the channels for the
SIMPLY. The rush of water through these |
channels, finding free passage TO the sur
face, probably receiving momentuI ;1ahln by by
a gaseous pressure rrom the interior Oh the
eaTth produces a flow IN sections of coun-
trv where there IL no apparent elevation