The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1893-02-17
Select Mistellanne
cur NAILS VS. WIRH NAILS.

\ series of in errStlng and valuable
tests to decide the much controverted
question us to the comparative merits
of wire nails and cut nails have been
made recent y at tn nited States ar
senal in Wa ertown, The re'atlve val
ne of these two kinds Of nails has al
ways been subject for many conflict
ing and confusing claims on the palt
of competing manufac' urers. and it is
Il matter on which builders and others
interested are far from being satisli, d
An agreement was recently reached
among some prominent manufacturers
to submit the matter to a decisive test
which should demonstrate the real facts
beyond possibility Of argument. aThe
use of the governments testing machire
at the Watertown arsenal was secured,
and the tess are being made by com
mit:ee representing manufacturers in
all parts of the country, under the di-
rect supervision of Major j. W. Reilly,
commandant Of the arsenal.
AT the first test the size Of the cnt
nails tested ranged from ! inch, three
penny, 764, to 6 inch spike mails, forty
penny and sixty penny, six to seventeen
tothe pound. Wire nails to correspond
as nearly as possible were used. The
nails were driven into u well seasoned
spruce plank to a depth Of precisely
four inches. The weight of the mails
differed only Two grammes. the wire
nails 2l4 and the cut nails 2l2 grammes
In the first test force Of ..35:' pounds
was required to draw tbs wire nail and
of $50 pounds to draw the cut nails of
similar size. The second wire nail was
pulled with 6,3 pounds and the cut
nail with 142. The third wire nail
required G.5 pounds of pressure, the
third cnt nail SO4, the fourth wire 394
the fourth cut 96i. These were the
character OF the variations of the fifth
and sixth nails The seventh wire nail
was pulled with 81? pounds pressure,
but 1900 pounds of force was required
to draw ont the cut nail of like size.
Every care was taken to have the tests
strictly fair and accurate. The result
from the initial tests were highly satIs-
factory to the manufacturers and al
yocates of the cut nail.
THE GALVESTON DEEP WELL
An interesting experiment was re-
Gently concluded IN Galveston, Texas.
in the boring Of an artesian well over
5000 feet in depth. The water supply
of the city is furnished by l3 artesian
wells, varying in depth from s?5 to |
$50 feet, but the water is totally unfit
for drinking and domestic use. The
city concluded to invest $4,000 III
order to procure supply of pure water
The we'll was started with % int,
casing. Inside this casing Il Il Incl
pipe was sunk to depth of so fee
and inside of tins u inch pip. Na<
telescoped to depth Of J 800 feet
Then a inch pipe was tc'escoped to 4
depth of 1858 feet. A 8 inch plpe
was then inserted and 4 depth of 3,o.o
feet 9 inches was reached. No water
was found nor was any rock penertrat.
ed The contractors have complied
with their contract, which was TO bore
to the depth of ) 900 feet, were paid
$40, 900, and further work abandoned
The we'll is the deepest on the sea-
coast in the United States, and Il lie,
scription of the different strata pierced
by the boringis interesting. From the
surface to a depth of 46 feet there was
stratum of gray sand, thence to Il depth
of 64 feet was Il layer of red clay anC
shells, thence to Il depth of 100 fee,
was 4 stratum of blue clay, SEA shells
and fragments Of rotten wood. From
this to 3l5 feet sands and sea shells
were ,countercd, and from that depth
to Slj feet level sand and clay We're dis
covered. From the SIS feet level t(
the depth Of ,22SS feet sand, clay, St;
shells and decayed wood We're found
and from that depth to the 3,o:o fee
level varying strata of sand, clay an'
large logs We're enconnte ed. AT th'
very bottom Of the hole Il bed of Sc;
| shells was struck. The contractors eX
pended $G3:ooo before they competed
the work.