Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-27
ARTESIAN WATER.
WHAT Mr.. WILSON THINKS OF
FORT WORTH'S SUPPLY.
FIowers-The Depth at Which Water
Can be Obtained In thi. City.

Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock an
other flow OF water was struck in the are
sian well just south of the natatorium This
last stream, which is much stronger than
the one found on Monday, is about fifty feet
below the first one, making the depth 1000
feet The boring of the natatorium well
WAS done byJ. T. Miller and Co. OF Chica-
go, and the work was superintendent by
Mir. +. Wilson, one of the best Informed
artcsian well men in the country. Mr..
Wilson has bored wells from the Pennsyl-
vania oil fields to Mitchell, Oak, and has
been singularly successful in obtaining
water supplies in every section where he
has operated. Some Of the strongest wells
il the country have been bored under his
supervision. Among the most famous arc
those ut Mt. Sterling, Ill. which flows 1000
gallons minute; at Dubuque, Iowa, where
a flow of 1900 gallons a minute was OBJ
tained, and the great well at Clinton, Mo,
where q mammoth stream of 1900 gallons q
minute has been flowing for the past four
years.
Mr.. Wilson, in conversation with GA
zETTE reporter who visited the well, said
that the flow was AGO gallons per minute or
over, making the total flow in twenty-four
hours equal to about as 000 gallons.
Mir. Wilson was asked about the boring
of artesian wells, and what assurance was
had that water would be struck al all also
II any peculiar uihTOWtl OtIerS
We're practiced. Mir. Miller said: No,
we practice no methods that are unknown
to OF ter borerS of arteSian wells, and do not
claim that we have the peculiar faculty
which is claimed by the so-cIlled water
maclcians. Our way is TO ascertain the
depth II which water has been struck be-
fore at some point in the vicinity then
observe the dip of the strata and the pitch
OF the water rock or sand. In this way we
can determine pretty closely III what depth
the water can be found. Under Fort Worth
and the surrounding country the water
rock is about 500 feet thick, and this rock
is intermiXc5 with shale and mari. In this
800 feet of water rock there are four dis
tinct flows of water. In the nata-
the first flow at the same
depth at which the first one in the brewery
well was found, but / think in this case
judging from the strong flow which was
had, that the stream was fed by both flows
This first flow was found at $50 feet and the
stream to-day was struck Just fifty feet
lower. This, as | said, yields about four
hundred gallons to the minute, and is an ex-
cellent flow. However, we shall bore about
fifty feet deeper and ehdeavor To strike the
fourth flow. which is at the bottom of the
800 feet of water-rock. This is the same
depth at which the stream that feeds the
packing-house well was struck, and think
the flow will be about the same, that Is COO
gallons to the minute"
MIR. Wilson was asked what he thought of
Fort Worths facilities in the matter of OBJ
tanning artesian water supplies. He said:
1T is my opinion that good water can be
obtained anywhere in Fort Worth and
vicinity at the same depth Ut which this
water has been struck. The nature of the
strata is the same and the water is conse-
quentiy found at about the same depth.
Work on the brewery well was
discontinued when the first flow
was struck. this furnishing a suf-
fciency of water for their business. The
largest flows are deeper down than this be-
tween 1000 anu 1000 feet. | think water
can be got anywhere in Fort Worth at a
depth OF between 1900 and 1000 feet. and it
has been my observation that water which
flows from a much greater depth than this is
very apt 10 be of an inferior quality We
hardly ever advise boring to greater
depth, but of course do so ii the owners of
the well so desire. The water after this
depth is usually of q sulphurous nature and
of course not Of good quality"