The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-10-29
BIG LAKE STRUCK
DRILL At PROSPECT WE'LL FIND
THIH1Y.FOUR FEET OF WATER.

They are Now in Blue Clay and the Tub
ing which has Been Put Down has shu
OF the Great Volume of Water-Th
Theory of the Eagle that Wichita
Built Cpon Floating Island has Beer
Verified Now for the Third Time, ant
Stands as an Assured Fact-The Grea
Problem of Irrigation Now Solved.
Hundreds visited the prospect wei
yesterday which is being sunk at fh-
corner of Lawrence ave and Fifteenth
street There was special interest tax
en- in the work yesterday.
Heretofore the drill, which is sixteer
inches in diamater, has been engaged
in a navigating tour. In fact the thee
~ 50 long claimed by the Eagle has
been fully verifed-that Wichita was
built upon floating island. After
the drill had reached depth of eight
feet il entered the great lake which I'M
uerleS This entire country, and which
when properly utilized will place a bar
rier TO al such calamities as drouth-
The lake was no ordinary flow of wa
ter, but extended to depth Of 81 feet
Stop to think of this, all those who
doubt as to the adaptabiifty of this
country, becoming the great garden
spot Of the world. When this lake is
properly tapped then it viii be shown
TO all that this is the nile of America
Drouths will quietly fold their tents and
bid a final adieu to the most fertile val
ley on earth
The sinking Of the well has at fast
proven this TO every man in Wichita
and in Sedgwick county, as well, that
their Hes within the reach of every far
mer and gardener in this locality, just
what Is required to cause the most
bountiful Yields ever grown upon the
American SON. When this country gives
forth one of her great yields ii has al
ways surpassed all competitors. Her
exhibits at the world's fair was the won
der of adj the agricultural displays that
were made by any country. These
bountfful yields always followed when
plenty of water can be secured. The
sinking Of the well has solved the great
irrigation question. Other places may
not have this endless supply of water,
but here we have a lake containing "a
fest OF water.
The striking of this great body of wa
ter at the point selected by the COM
IOT the lINeSllSdIIUN
is no accident. This is the third we'll
that has been sunk in Sedgwick c0un-
1y, The first we'll was east of the city
and it lis claimed and believed by many
that something valuable was found
after the drill had pa SSed through this
great lake of water The next well
Was sunk on the CowSkin, and although
both these wells were abandoned, it
was not without hope that something
of a valuable nature would be found
The expense was borne by private in
dividhals and the cost was what led
to their abandonment, but not so with
the present undertaking. The COM
mittee have plenty of means and are
enabled 70 go $500 feet if necessary and
the work should not be stopped this
side OF that limit unless something Of
valuable nature ds found this side of
that distance.
But the drill at the prospect hole
has reached the bottom of the lake
and Is now two feet in a blue clay,
clay Through which 1t is impossible
for water 30 flow. The contractor was
just finishing yesterday at the time of
the visit of the Eagle man, in sinking
the waltertight tubing and had reached
the bottom and buried the lower end
firmly in the clay. This completely
shut out the great flow Of water, and
the pumps OF the engine had soon
cleared the inside OF the tubing, and
nothing remained ITO interfere with the
workings of THE drill.
The drill will be started today upon
NEW mission and Contractor Austin
was of the opinion that he would be
enabled to sink the drill almost 100 feet
before the close of the days work and
he hoped that the next strata waould
he found to be rock, and if this is the
case the drill viii be able to 20 at least
so feet per day.
He said that of all the wells he has
ever drilled in his life he never vet
HAS come into contact with such a vol
ume of water ais at the present we'll
That the flow was so strong that it was
impossible for the pumps to have the
least effect, and If nothing further is
found, that this valley is the richest
portion of hand on the earth by being
supplied by such an endless stream of
water, and that this fact alone should
cause every man in the county TO take
new hope and that an effort should be
made for using this water upon the
crops and fields of this valley
Persons who claimed TO understand
geology and that they were able 10 tell
the stratas underlying the surface,
were OF the opinion that the present
cray would extend to a depth of al
most 100 feet and woul end in a soap
stone, which would be followed by hard
a>odk with probable coal blossoms or
slate and then through another Strata
or clay at the end of which would be
found salt water, and finally a bed of
solid salt After this would come CLAW
and rock and then coal. oil or gas.
But of course this is only theory. but
the Eagle will keep its readers fully
advised Of each new development made.
The work heretofore has been tedious
and has been delayed by the failure of
the supplies failing TO arrive. but the
contractor felt assured last night that
hereafter the work would prove much
i1fufe interesting and visitors would
1ind much to interest and instruct them
The next size drill which will be nut
rnto operation to-day for the first time
will be Il inches in dfameter