The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-08-01
The Matter of the Location Of the
Artesian Well the Sole Cause
Of Delay.
The Section of Land First Selected
Mr.. Lamborn Says Has
Been Sold.
A Government Commission on Its Way to
Montana to Look Over tho
Entire Field.

u. A. BrO0uW0tor Is IN reCelpt OF d 1ebte
from Land COMMISSIONS Lamborn, of tn
Northern Pacific railroad, concerning
section of land on which to locate the pro
posed arteslan we'll. The committee o
which Col. Brosdwater was a member Sc
lected a section and so advised Mr.. Lam
born, but it develops that the land has beer
sold to Reinhold Kleinschmidt. In hi
letter MIR. Lamborn mentions several otheI
sections on which the artesian company car
have All option, and these will be examined
with a view as to their adaptability. The
fund for boring the well now amount te
about $751; 500, and when q location is selected
the canvassing committee will endeavor tc
bring tho subscriptions up to the amoun,
required.
In connection with this ~artesian we'll pro-
ject il will be interesting to know that the
government commission investigating the
artesian and irrigation questions will be in
Montana some time during August. The
commission is composed of Col. Robert
Hay, chief geologist, and Col. Nettleton.
The original act of ongress creating the
commission and making the necessary ap-
preparation therefor required the work to
be completed and reported by the LIST of
July. But. finding that 1t would be impos-
sible to compass the plans contemplated by
the commission in so short a time, congress
was, on the last day of the last session, in
duced to extend the time until the end of
the year, SO that now the reports of the
entire work are to be ready for the printer
Jan. l next.
The commission has made thorough work
in New Mexico. Arizona, Colorado, Kansas,
Nebraska and a portion Of South Dakota.
Considerations of climate led the commits
zion to prosecute INVESTIGATIONS in New
Mexico and the southern latitudes daring
the winter and spring months, leaving
Montana and the Dakotas until mIdsum-
mer. The extension of time made no pro-
vision for Increased appropriation, SO that
the commission is doing the work of an en-
tire year on the strength of an appropriation
originally intended to cover expenses of
only six months.
Col. Nettleton, the chief engineer of the
commission, has investigated the a~rtesian
system of the james river country, while
Mr.. Hay has been in the Turtle mountains.
They are expected in Montana almost any
day now. They will examine the country
along the line of the Great Northern in
Montana ss far west as Great Falls and
make measurements of the Missouri river
at suitable places between Fort Benton and
Great Falls, to determine the loss of water
by imbibation OF rocks which come to the
surface between these two places; also. to
examine the Yellowstone valley ON the line
of the Northern Pacific. Leaving Montana
they will proceed to South Dakota, inspect
all the a~rtesian wells there and return to
Washington.
A report Of their work in North Dakota
will Give an i1aa of tho fala cOvera5 tn
brief it is az follows:
I'm Walsh county there are a large number
of artesian wells. The city of Grafton de-
rives it's water supply and fire protection
from a we'll 912 feet deep, just reaching the
granite; the bulk of the water, however,
is 529 gallons per minute, with a pressure of
IL pounds to the square inch. In quality
the water is not saline. There are four other
wells near Grafton, two having a flow of 50
gallons each per minute, and another 20.
In the vicinity there are thirty smaller wells
of the same general level I'M uniform pres
sure. These wells are 30 located az to
make irrigation from them wholly feasible
should occasion ever arise for SO employing
Shem.
SAT Hamilton. Pembina county, there is
q remarkable we'll 1,560 feet deep, OF which
800 or 600 feet are bored into the solid
granite.
'f1ere the greatest now comes from a depth
of 3O7 feet. The flow is twenty-six gallons
per minute, pressure twenty-six pounds to
the square inch, temperature forty-two de-
gress, intensely saline and i~mpregnated
with other minerals. Hamilton has several
other wells of an average depth of 1856 feet.
At Marvel, in Grand Forks county, there
ars two wells of 160 and 166 feet depth.
having a flow of LAG gallons per minute"
Col. Hay is of the opinion that the ar
tesian basin of the Red River vallav ia
wholly distinct from that of the James
River valley and that the source of the
former lies i'll the Pembina mountains.
If the we'll in the Prickly Pear valley can
be started before the commission complies
its work, it will get into their report, GO be-
fore congress. and possibly induce further
government Investigations on the subject
in Montana.
Labor and time saved by huYinn ono Of thasa