The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-01-11
THE KIMBALL GRAPHIC
cLATE r. TINAN.
Official Pauer Of the City Of KimbaII
TEN YEARS AGO,

Ject Delng at nrSt To clean out any sand
that may have accumulated and now to |
sink the we'll deeper in hopes of striking
a third or fourth flow-if the third and
fourth flows were not gotten Originally
as to which no one seems to know. In
fact. the city authorities and people of
the town are So much at sea concerning
tha construction of the well-its original
depth, where water was struck, how fin
ished at .he bottom and so forth and SO \
on-that we wenG through the 1856
files OF the GRAPHIC in search OF such
information as they would give. And
while we were at it we thought we
might as well publish all that the files
contain or all that is necessary to the
subject at hands -"scare heads" and all
the latter of which will be as interest
ing and as pleasant a reminder of old
timer TO our readers as they were to the
writer when he ran across them in the
files.
10 newcomers it may be necessary to
explain in part the startling headlines
telling of Kimballs good fortune in
striking an artesian we'll. Well, those
early days were marked by one contin-
ual fight between the rival county seat
aspirants Kimball and Chamberlain
in which blood flowed quite freely-hg-
uratively speaking-in the columns Of
the GRAPHIC ana the Chamberlain Regis
ter, edited at that time by Col. John II.
King. The most serious problem con-
fronting Kimball, as a candidate fol- the
county seat, or for any other purpose for
that matter, wgs lack of water. In the
earliest days of the town a deep we'll
was sunk oD First street, short dis
taace east Of where the engine house
now stands, but not drop Of water was
found and Col. King used to refer to us
in his paper as the "town with hole in
the ground" Hence the GRAPHIc's use
of the expression in announcing the
success OF the artesian well. Things
looked pretty blue for Chamberlain in
those days even if Kimball was short of
water, and Col. King, believing that
sooner or later Kimball would take the
county seat away from her, resolved up
on coup d'etat which would in a meas
ure recoup his losses IN Chamberlain.
and at some time kill Kimball deader
than dried herring. The Colonel Sc
cured an option upon couple OF quar-
tiers of land five miles west Of Kimhall,
through which the railroad runs, and
proposed TO start a new town and capture
the county seat. He began operations
by digging an immense we'll, with the
expectation that If water was found in
any considerable quantity the AIilwau
kee railroad would build depot in con-
sideration Of the we'll. OF course the
GRAPHIC jumped upon the scheme with
both feet, at which Col. King retorted
that we wouldn't feel so clipper when
Kimball people began moving their
buildings down to the new town where
"water was plenty and grass was good" :"
and ended with Poor damned distracted
town farewell" Hence this quotation
in the head lines was quite apropos. We
told the Colonel that all he'd ever have
in his new town was grass and dubbed
it "Grasstown" then and there, by which
name that particular locality with its
fenced hole beside the track has been
known ever since. Those were great
days.
But to return to the artesian we'll.
There has been considerable dispute
about whether the we'll was finished
with perforated pipe or not. Mr. Bird
sail, the foreman who had charge o. the
work, has written here within the past
year that no perforated pipe was put IN
the we'll. The files Of the GRAPHIC
says there was. Every particle of infor-
nation printed i'll the GRAPHIC at that
time was cotton directly from Mr.. Bird
sail himself. The. writer was at tht
well daily and was standing beside the
drill the night the flow was struck. The
same care was exercised in those days il
editing the GRAPHIC that has always ex
listed, a particular feature of which is
to never take information second HANDED
| when it is possible to get 1t from frs
hands. II no perforated pipe was dropped
in the we'll then Mr.. Birdsall had SOM
object in stating that there was, for
he had not SO stated it would have never
SO appeared in the GRAPHIC. 1t will bt
noted also that even the size OF the hole
with which the pipe is perforated j
given. The question is important be
cause were it known just exactly hO,
the we'll was finished it would do ava
with a great deal Of uncertainty as I
what to do now. Wilkes & Kemp sa
that they find no casing of any kind be
low 1,01O feet.
OF one thing we are very certain: til
files Of the GRAPHIC are better authorit
than anyone's memory.
-
IfyOu'll but step over in to Iowa al
farther on to Illinois, where land is hel
at from s35 to $50 an acre, you'll tin
any amount Of land owners who woul
: not wait "a hours before making col
3 tract for an artesian well--if they coul
IS get one like any Of those in Brale coul
; :, ty. They'll tell you rainfall Is Nigh
unsartin' in any country.
Senator Gears amendment to Il
tariff bill providing for duty OF s2i {
horses is in line with most Of the tari
legislation for the ostsnsible benefit
the farmer. The only profitable mark
for horses is across the Atlantic al
hundreds are being exported MONTH
The South Dakota school fund Ii
reached the snug sum Of $4,000, coo, al
~ T. m = -.