The morning news., 1897-11-30

TAPPING THE ROCK FOR WATER.
Baron NOrdenskjOId's Theory Leads
to an Important Discovery.


From the Geographical Journal.
Baron Nordenskjold's system of boring
for fresh water through the granite rocks
of Sweden has now been in operation for
two years. Forty-four wells have been
bored. This is not alone a question of
finding water, but of the discovery of a
new and important principle.
The difficulty in obtaining good drink
ing water at many of the pilot and light
stations on the rocky inlets off the Swedish
coasts first induced Nordenskjold to con"
slider the subject. He believed from his
researches in Spitzbergen that a horizon
tai crack would generally be found to
exist in all solid rocks at an insignificant
depth beneath the earths surface. COnse-
quently, in the Swedish rocks, he com
cluded that water would be found by bor-
ing to this crack. The only places where
there was any prospect of such borings
being undertaken were an out-of-the-way
rocks and islets, where water was so much
needed.
In order to solve the problem, Baron
Nordenskjold, as early at 1885, inquired
respecting the saltness of water in wells
or mines near the sea coast, and collected
some important information. He was told
that several wells in sedimentary strata,
near the sea coast. yielded water free
from salt, although the springs are at
depth of 100 to 250 feet below sea level.
The information he collected, though far
from conclusive, appeared to point TO the
fact that water obtained by boring ON
rocky islands would not be salt or brack-
ish, but fresh drinking water.
NOrdenskjold, therefore, proposed to the
chief of the pilot stations that he should
allow an attempt at boring to be made at
some suitable station. The first boring
h.
Svangen, south of Kosterfjorden. It was
abandoned after reaching a sufficient
depth, because a long crack was reached
extending from the sea to the boring hole.
It was next taken up in May, 1894 by
Baron Ruth the general director for
pilots who regardless of the unsuccess-
ful boring al Svangen, caused a second
experiment to be tried at Arko. The site
selected was a fiat place near the pilot
station, the rock being composed of horn
blende, gneiss and diorite. The results
were very satisfactory. As soon as
depth of about 100 feet was reached they
came to excellent water, yielding 600
quarts an hour. AT first the water was
little yellow owing to the clay in the
cracks of the rock, the stone dust and oil
from the boring, but it soon became per-
fectly clear, Water has always been
found at depth of 80 to 125 feet, and sim
liar borings have since been carried out
successfully at fOrty-fOur different places.
At first the water is mixed with the clay
from the cracks, the stone dust and the
oil from the machine, and it is some time
before all the dirty water is pumped
away; but soon it becomes as clear as
crystal At Stockholm il has tempera-
ture of about 49 degrees to 45 degrees Fab
renheit.
The boring in hard, close rock would
probably have the same results in other
countries Baron Nordenslxjold in con-
vinced that wherever hard, close rock e1-
lists, with variations in temperature and
not permeable, water will be found in the
same ways as in Sweden, and in the same
quantity-that is, from 500 to 1900 quarts
an hour, with moderate pumping. Sites for
such borings could be found, for example,
ON many parts of the north coast of Az
rica, in Abyssinia, in South Africa, In
Spain and other parts of the Western
Mediterranean, at the foot of Mount
Sinai, in Greece and Asia Minor, and in
the dry watersheds of the canons of the
Colorado In the tropics, where there are dry
seasons, such wells cannot supply water
for extensive cultivation. But they will
spring forth, free from all bacteria and
impurities, and will suffice for household
purposes, for small villages and for gar
dens The practical importance of Baron
Nordenskjold's discovery entities 1t to spe-
cial attention