The record-union., 1899-08-12

and what power have cannot lower
| it. But this is only Pinch we'll, re-
member.
What is the character of the water?
Soft, not as soft as some water, but
soft enough, delightful for all purposes,
and Just the water you folks ought to
have in the city.
Am I sure the sand did not come
from the bottom supply, below the
clay? Certain of it. 1t comes from the
| the 60-foot blast hole. where our bomb
chambered out. But they have a way
now of enlarging these chambers and
taking out the sand. SO that it soon
ceases and there is left a reservoir that
| enlarges the supply capacity, Of course.
| It is much as if the well were as wide
as the reservoir all the way down.
"If the casing had been left in, would
there have been sand in the we'll? Ger
tainly not, perhaps now and then sand
| may be found in gravel water, but it
is rare, and amounts to nothing. Here
you can see the small quantity of sand
we have taken out, but just go over
| to Humphreys place and see what he
has taken out and how he has in
STUDARUS INDORSED.
James G. Patterson of Reuters Sta
ton near Studarus' place, was next
questioned concerning the Studarus
well with the history of which he is
| perfectly familiar, and he verified ev-
cry statement made by Mr.. Studarus,
and gave in addition much valuable in
formation drawn from his experience
and observation in that section, regard
| ing the water supply in the gravel
belts below the 60 to 80 feet of hard
pan and clay. The investigating COM
mittee would find it profitable to take
! the testimony of both these gentlemen,
in their search for the truth, if points
that distant from the city are to be
considered at all.
| THE MENKE WELL.
| The representative of the Record
| Union was referred to the we'll on the
Menke place beyond Studarus, where
a ten-inch centrifugal pump takes wat
er from a 40-foot dug we'll some 10
feet in diameter. and fills a sluice car
rying from 200 to 300 miners inches
of water all day long, lowering the
head as it is called not more than
IS inches. 1t was represented as a
noble supply of pure water, and that
in the we'll it resembles the flow of an
underground river: that it is unfailing
and free from all impurity.
| THE STEPHENS WELLS.
| A visit was next made to the vine
| yard and orchard farm of Hon. r. D..
Stephens of this city to examine the
larger well on that place and ascer-
tain how it's history compares with that
of the Studarus well.
Here it was found that the own
er had some years ago eXcavated a
/ basin which at it's lowest point is about
| 80 feet below the surface and to the
| bed rock. The diameter is about 6O
feet From the bottom of this excava-
ton a shaft was sent down to the bed
rock The shaft waAcarefully curbed
above the bottom of the excavation to
prevent surface water entry. The Dor
| ing went through 6S feet of bed rock
and next a bed of very hard clay of
varying degrees of solidity. At ITO feet
from the surface a sand strata with
no sign of gravel in it was struck.
The boring had to be pulled out quick
| ly to prevent setting SO that the
thickness of this sand strata is not
known accurately, but it is surely or
feet.
| The water came with rush, and rose
to the top of the shaft and emptied into
| the basin. When the pumps are put
on this head comes off; that is, the
water sinks some 6 or feet and there
it stands, the power applied not phaz-
| ing it at all.
This shaft was reamed out to a dia-
meter Of 80 inches. and Of course a
| large supply of water was secured. The
sand was chambered out until the cav
| ing process ceased and the belief is
that a. great reservoir has been created
| in the depths of large proportions, bowl
shaped perhaps and into it pours wat
er from the water strata, SO that the
Stephens place has had an unfailing
and practically inexhaustible supply.
| This water is of fine quality and does
! not scale the boilers on the place, in
| which it is used. The testimony given
was that there is no surface water in
| the we'll; that the beds of hard clay
and hard pan far below the surface
water dissipate any such idea. Be
sides, the water rises in the shaft high
er than the surface supply levels, thus
effectually negativing any suggestion
| of surface source supply.
A QUESTION OF SIZE
If the shaft of the Stephens we'll was
as wide as it is believed the eXcavated
basin in the sand strata is, it would be
probably 40 or 80 feet in diameter, and
| it would yield millions of gallons per
day. AS it is it is only a question of
power With 60 horsepower applied it
now yields without any diminution
$500 gallons a minute and would I'M
questionably respond to double that
call. 1t is only question of power
It has been tested day after day with
ten hour runs and no effect has been
produced in the way of lowering the
well.
For ten hours then. this one we'll has
for years yielded 100000 gallons of
as good water as any one need wish
for 1t is wholly free from vegetable
matter and contains no matter that
furnishes nourishment to the soil. Nor
has any mineral substance been found
in the water, though no chemical anal
ysisa has been made of it.
Further inquiry concerning this we'll
made in that neighborhood developed
the testimony that the hard pan passed
through is over 60 feet thick, and that
the sand strata is about 8 feet and
maybe more. AS the sand is cham
bered out there is left a reservoir
arched by the bed rock. impervious to
water and rendering the water capacity
of the we'll practically immeasurable,
or measurable only by the capacity of
the shaft to permit the passage of
water, and by the power applied.
Inquiry concerning the relation of the