The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-11-21
|0Wh 4 HUNDRED FEET,
he Work OF Boring the Artesian
We'll Near Helena Progress
ing Finely.
= Hundred and Twenty
Foet In Depth Has Now
Been Attained.
Holiness Of the Soil In the Vicinity
Natural Reservoir site on tbs
CoMpany's Ground.

COPELAND Bros. who have the contract ia
ink the artesian we'll near Helena, are got
ing along quite we'll with their contract,
Notwithstanding a number Of dificnltiea
ave been encountered. After they had
ored som distance there IVES a delay.
wing to the non-arrival Of pipe. They are
ON down about 100 fest, tho hols to this
(spth being eight inches in diameter. II
he nature of the ground will permit, be-
|ond that depth the bore will BE- five and
ve-sighths of an inch. The contractors
re we'll prepared to keep the work going
IL winter, having the boiler and engine
bnclossd, az we'll as all tho machinery used
n the work. Operations are carried on
light and day, from - O'Clock Sunday
light to midnight the next Saturday. Nc
york il done on Sunday.
A visit to the ground gives some idss Of
he extent Of tho work that ID to be done,
Ind the large. amount Of machinery re-
huirsd. The plant il capable of boring a
we'll 5000 feet in depth, il necessary, and
he tools to do II are on the ground. The
lsrrick, which 10 eighty feet high, il en-
blosed to . height Of thirty feet. AT. the
base Of the derrick. in the center. 10 tha
hole out OF which the Artesinn Well COM
pany expect to see water, gas or oil issue.
A few feet from the artesian hole il the
arive we'll, down 100 feet. The water from
I 10 a. soft a. rainwatsr and il ample for
iii purposes. From the bore west = dis
ance Of about thirty feet there extends q
he'd, under which She various whesls, belts
Ind other running gear arc found. Under
4 also are the boiler and engine. The lat
Asr il Of twsnty-horss power. Everything
. done by steam power, and il all runs like
elock-work. A short distance from the
we'll tho contractors have built q comfortable
house and here visitors are entertained, Mrs.
Copeland shows Just how generous western
hospitality 10. The Messrs. Copeland always
manage to have the larder we'll supplied,
Ind visitors are sure OF a kind reception.
There il also = stable on the premises. AL
together an inspection OF the plant and the
surroundings give 4 very good idea Of the
magnitude OF the undertaking.. Copeland
Fill0 is the name given the place BY those
have had a great deal Of experience in we'll
boring in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Dakota
lind Montana. They bored a number of
wells in the Sand Coulse country, and also
but down the Brooke we'll, west Of Ken
wood.
Ihe Arteslan Well company mas an OPP
tinn on about 1000 acres Of land in the
VICINITY of the we'll. The soil is very rich.
and all it needs 10 water to make it produc-
tive. About a quarter of a mile from the
well, and on the co~mpany'a land. is a nat
|ural reservoir site. By putting in dam
about forty feet in width a reservoir over
half . mile long and about = quarter of .
mile in width can be secured. This reser-
|voir is SO located that hundreds of acres of
land can be irrigated from it. So far the
subscriptions to the we'll fund amount to a
little over $4,000. This amount will be
sufficient to sink Il we'll 1000 feet. But the
design is to demonstrates, once for all,
there is artesian water, oil or gas
in the country surrounding Helena. To do
this it may b necessary to 60 :. 600 feet:
For this, &c. COO more must be raised. and
must be done before tho contract is let
for the additional 1000 feet. OF course, \
1, 500 foot bore may bring success, and
a flow of water is struck the land of
the company will more than repay the ex-
pense incurred.