Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-09-20
SODA WELLS.
Development of New and Important
Industry in Wyoming.

wyoming promises to come forward
witt; new and important industry.
A company of Chicago capitalists re-
Gently has purchased the soda wells at
Green River and proposes to put in
machinery and to operate the wells on
a big scale. The new company has
been incorporated under the laws of
Wyoming and is prepared to develop
the property Immediately. The offices
OF the company will be in Chicago and
in Green River, John f. Waters, of
Chicago, is President and J. V. Waters,
OF Chicago, is Secretary of the COM
pany,
The soda wells of Green River were
accidently discovered in 1895. e. J.
Morris, Mayor of Green River, formed
company known as the Green River
Fuel and Oil Company, for the pur-
pose of prospecting for oil ON land adj
jacent to the town of Green River. A
steam drill was purchased and set to
work. AT depth of 100 feet the well
digger reported that he had struck a
bed of soap. On investigation it was
found that white substance very much
resembling soapsuds boiled out of the
well when the drill was in operation.
But as it was oil and not soap that
was wanted the digging was continued
until the well was 600 feet deep.
Efforts to find oil were then considered
futile and the work was abandoned.
During the following winter, when
the ground was frozen, water oozed
over the top of the well, leaving
white deposit about four inches thick
over the surface of the ground.
Through sheer curiositya young chem
ist made an analysis of this deposit
and found to his amazement that it was
carbonate of soda, chemically pure.
Older and more experienced chemists
said when the matter was reported to
them that it could not be. They said
that carbonate of soda had never been
produced by nature chemically pure,
and that it could be made only from
salt brine after ten consecutive treat
ments.
But samples of the water from the
we'll were sent to chemists in Salt
Lake City, Denver, Washington,
Cheyenne and elsewhere, and in every
instance the analysis Showed that the
water carried over twenty-three per
cent. of soda crystals. A complete ex-
animation was made of the soda well
and its products by Professor Wilbur
G. Knight, of the Wyoming State Uni.
versity. He reported that the water
contained AGA pounds of sal soda to
the ton.
John T. Waters, Chicago lawyer,
who was visiting in the West last year,
became interested in the soda well and
secured an option Oh forty acres of the
land for ninety days, with privilege
of sinking wells. Two wells were
sunk under his direction to the depth
of 255 feet each and soda water was
reached in each well at depth of 100
feet. These wells were about 100
yards from the banks of the Green
River and were cased so that surface
and river water could not flow into
them.
During December, 1896, steam
pump with a capacity of 60, 200 gallons
in twenty-four hours was kept con-
stantly working in the wells, with the
result that the water at all times ran
from twenty-three to twenty-five per
cent. in pure sal soda. Constant
pumping failed to reduce the water in
the wells, which stood uniformly at
ten feet from the surface. Two other
wells have been sunk and thoroughly
tested by pumping with the same re-
suit, and it is now considered that the
soda deposit extends under the whole
valley.
The theory of the many geologists
who have examined the ground is that
for depth of 800 feet from the sur
lace the earth is filed with soda and
chat the water in percolating through
the earth takes up the soda. The
ground thus far prospected lies ON
tableland about ten feet above the sur
face of the Green River and extends
north half mile to the base of the
mountains. The mountains hem the
land in on one side and Green River
and Bitter Greek form the other two
sides of the triangle.
The company owning the land will
out in plant costing $50, 900 and hav-
inga capacity of twenty-five tons of
caustic soda per day. AS the product
sells in Chicago at an average of $40
per ton Green River expects to reap
immense benefit from the new in
dustry. Chicago Record.