Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-08-02
ARIESIAN WELLS.
THEY SUPPLY WATER TO IRRI-
GATE THE ARID WEST.
Mapping tho Districts in Which They
May BE Bored successfully
Some Waters So Cold They
Ipjure the Crops.
THE work of examining and

uaplDR bu0 WuLeI sources OF
/ tho United States, with es-
peo;al reference to the arte-
sian wells OF the Western States, is be-
ing carried on steadily under charge
of f. III. Newell of the Geological
Survey. Mr.. Newell is now propar.
ing summary of the moro recent
work, which will soon be ready for
publication.
California stands at the head of the
artesian we'll States, having about one
holt OF all those in the country in
side her borders. Utah and Colorado
como next, followed ut long distance
by Texas and other States.
Artesian we'll boring is of COMPARE
lively recent origin, few wells being
moro than dozen years old. Since
1884 attempts to find flowing water
have been made oil over the West, but
have been successful only in limited
areas, although wells that furnish m
important supply which can be pumped
out by means of machinery have been
found nearly everywhere.
1t has been ascertained in many
places. however, that tho stream of
water secured from tho wells is too
smallto irrigate very largo area. In
the hotter parts of tho country the
thirsty soil drinks up tho water before
it gets more than hundred feet from
tho well, and it oan only be carried
further by means of wooden cutters,
or by accommodating it in reservoir
until enough is secured to produce n
stream that can travel for some dis
tance before drying up. An addi-
tional advantage of reservoir is that
tho water is allowed to get warm Ee-
fore being put on the vegetation. Ar
tesian water is usually cold, and some-
times Injuries crops if admitted before
being warmed.
1t is very difficult, by any means
short of actual experiment, to deter
mine whether artesian water can be
found in any given district. The re-
gions whore it is most certain are
what are generally termed the sub
humid, MS opposed to tho arid lands
In tho Dakotas there is great belt
where the lower STRATA of the rocks
are comparatively uniform and I'M
faulted, although covered over to q
considerable depth by the glacial
drift, and in this water can always be
found. In Texas there is another belt,
also subhumid, whore tho wells arc re-
liable.
Around Denver there is district thnt
once was very fine artesian country,
but 80 many wells have been bored
that the water has been pretty nearly
exhausted, and many of the wells have
ceased to flow.
There is series OF wells to the east
OF Salt Lake, in Utah, which arc of
excellent quality and persistency. The
water comes from the Washington
range of mountains, and is intercept
ed on its underground way to the lake.
1t would be difficult to exhaust this
belt by any number of wells. The
Denver supply was exhausted because
The want of water came only from n
short distance away and was not very
plentiful. There is small artesian
belt near Miles City, Montana, and
another near Las Vegas, New Mexico.
The most interesting district lies in
Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas.
Here the ground slopes from the west
down to tho east, and there are con-
tinual faults in the strata preventing
the water from travelling for any great
distance. Where the strata are not
fnulted, they are undulating, aud wells
sunk near tho centre part OF the long
undulations usually tap water that has
flowed there from each side of the un.
dulation. Few Of these wells flow, but
they can be worked by ind-mills, n
motive power that is seldom exhaust
ed in that part of the country.
These wells are small and will irri-
gate only few acres at the best. Mr..
Newell thinks that if the farmers there
would try to cultivate only as much
land around their houses as they could
irrigato by means of their wells and
devote the remainder of their farms
to grazing. or perhaps to wheat coca
sionally, they would be far better OIL
than now. Washington Star.
A Dull Day for n Street Degyar