The sun., 1896-09-20
AN UNDERGROUND RIVER.
THE STREAM FLoWIN0 TO THE SEA
FROM TINE WRITE UNTAINS.

| ne Course Has Now Beeu Traoed-The
Pare water It snppiios 60 Lowell.
ArrLuBoRo, Mass, Sept. 1o.when the late
| Prof Denton of Somervlllo, Mass, first dcclatcd
that there was an underground river of consid-
| erable sizo flowing from the White Mountain.
across and under the States OF Massachusetts
and Rhode Island people laughed at him. lls
| insistod that ho was right, and said many times:
| II have discovered n supply OF tho purcst
| water below the surface. am of the opinion
| that the supply 10 adequate for oil central New
England for all time. You may laugh, but
| sooner or later some one will strike the rolling
| torrent aud md q never-censing supply OF the
pureat water"
Prof. Denton died In South America a fcw
| years ago Were he alive now he would find
| that men Of Massachusetts, and Rhode lsard
| had experienced q change of mind on tho sub
| ject OF his river. Tho great underground cur
| rent has been tapped, and at several points
along the course. as laid by the geolosist, Rr@s
manufacturing concerns are using the supply
IN tho place OF the local service. Tho water,
! reached by driven wallis. is better than any
found In springs or lakes in these parts.
IL was between 1879 and 1875 that a large
bleachory In Providence drove well in tho
northerly part Of tho city and found an under
ground supply. which from that day until tbs
has never failed It. The water struck
eighty or one hundred feet below the surface
under n layer of stone from six to eight feet IN
thickness. From tho pipe ice-cold water
spurted several feet into tho mir. Fifteen feet
below the under side OF the flrst rock tho po
struck another layer or stone. When the well
pipe was forced into that rock the flow OF water
stopped. People who examined IL were Of tho
opinion that tho well had reached u spring OF
unusual size. Eighteen years ago Prof Denton
was engaged by q straw hat manufacturing con-
cern at Foxboro. Mass, a few miles from here,
to locate source OF pure water. as only
pure water could be used In the bleaching of tho
material employed In the nufncture Of fno
summer hats. II. +. White. now of Attlebor,.
but at that time OF Fox boro. was engaged to as-
sist In the search. He and Denton made sew
eral expeditions through the interior OF the Pay
State, and on ono OF these tours Prof. Denicn
made discovery that remained secret with
him for q long time. Ono of the places visited
by the Geologst and his party was on the south
side of the main road 10 Fox boro from tho south.
At that point are situated three ponds. ona
called The BogGs the second Shcppard's pond,
and the third Witches Pond.
Prot. Denton noted peculiar formation of the
surface in that section. In The BoRgs. from
which Foxboro now gets its supply OF water. a
Few springs were found. and n few were also
discovered in Shcppard's Poud. Witches
Pond contained several springs OF great size.
These three lakes are located on high land, tho
eastern Massachusetts divide. and so situated
that the outlet of The Bocgs flows TO the north-
east, through Canton, the home of Congressman
Elijah A. Morse, to Massachusetts, Bay. while
the outlet of Sheppard's Pond flows southerly
toward Taunton. where II emp,ics into the river
OF that name in the vicinity OF Dighton.
Witches Pond has an outlet, but it is not vs-
ible. 1t makes its course below the surface in
southwesterly direction. and finds tide water
beneath the ledge on the west shore OF Maria
Gansett Bay below the port of WEXFORD.
Witches Pond was named years ago
account of the many peculiar noises heard there.
AT intervals here were dist met rumblinRs be-
meath the surface. SuperstitiouS persons were
siarmed sLI and afraid TO go near i. People who
water with interest They always found tho
water icy cold in summer, and It ever rolled and
The pond covers fifteen acres, and in winter
" SinsT pond Bond' Ice six nshss IS hok
time. Only q few years ago four men who were
fishing sh, through the ice narrowly escaped losing
while the men were on the pond. and Ice four
teen INCHES In thickness, that covered the Pc
having heard the Internal rumbl,ncs. took
warning and reached the shore just in time to
Li!y-pad roots as large as ones arm were
brought % u TO the surface a. the same time
pond. and out OF curiosity made an invesliga-
ton into the cause OF the great boiling OF iho
take soundinGs, ont in several place. he was
unable to hnd the ponds bottom. ,iases were
believe thai they issued '1 from aa SONS .tsns M;s
below tho surface. The waters remaining Iurs
well as a source, and as 1t VAS not visible t!.a
inyestigation WAS all the more intcrcstirE,
Pipes were driven about the well. anil coal
and blue clay were brought 10 the surface.
Over OYER 100 fee. below the Level The pipe s,r4as
side Of the pond water MAS found Thst water,
when sI n,su examined, was found to be pnrer tnNr
were driven. and Prof. Denton came to the cui.
clusion that Witches Pond was an outlet ornn
that people laughed at him.
erei Aver Aver located was no feet hrlow To-
and the bottom twenty feet briow the Vov~T.
ng' ag was ot rock Prof Denton was OF the op'u-
vas an upheaval in the earth years ago, wuct
me shelving rocks under and over the torreng
and other Substances in y ibe rIn ren .I a.
.Irn orr through which tho water made its way -
Ths streams In the vicinity of Foxhoro ars
rom different water shed. Tho underground
ts wss to IL ,To% S. gIsi .nE
rEmnn oeS0hnd; II Is known that the city OF l@wcl
hat d,y the to rSsr @ only few years aso and from
" the time the Lowell " ellis were driven no one
lad , heard @ OF the river flowing under New Eng:
nhu from north TO south. The unuerGronnt
'ntrent Il has been followed by wells through Al
Isooro, DodGeville Hebronville, to Lebanon.
,awtnckst Falls, on Blackstone River. thence
hrough Pawtucket houthwesterly and under
ioyiSsnce Cranston, Warwick East Grrcu-
ven. WickfoEd Into North Kingston. and into
he sea near Hazards Ledge
To the north the course Of the river was fol-
owed 10 the New Ham Dshire line. Eefore Pro:.
,e,nt9n found the sOurce OF the river he
Ailed 10 Brazil to locate a water supply lls
Vas vas stricken with the fever there and died.
y lthin very short time manufacturing Cn-
erns have driven wells and found immrn,s
n1ppIles OF water aud now there are probably
uo 'J or 3oo wells connected with the RIVER ~
r9viaehce to say nothing OF the Lowell wriis.
ho those at Fox boro and along the course, it
onps "pniy on on ihe course an laid out by Prot neH-
on party that the great current is struck.
This week well was put down In PawtucRei.
steam nre engine was attached to it, with Tic
mention of pumping 1t dry. The pumping ,,.,s
ept M for seven hours and at the Iasl lie wr.
,as supplying more water than at first. Til,
,ater has been found better than ordinary
pring water, and when used in hoiiers II docs
OF ACT upon boiler materials as rapidly OTHER