The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-01
SYNDICATE REVIEWS
OPTION ON LANDS
Another Step in Development of
Gate City Property.
ARTESIAN WELL FINISHED
Will Flow 100000 Gallons of Water
Daily 1t is Believed an Equal
Amount Can be Obtained
from the Other Wells.

There was another move in the develop
ment of the Gate City Land company
Monday, when the syndicate of capitalists
from Baltimore and other northern cities,
as near as they can be located purchased
an additional sixty-day option on all of
that property in order to proceed with
their experiments in that district and. ii
is supposed, to make arrangements for the
| final purchase of the whole property
Last fall, it will be remembered, this
syndicate purchased an option on the prop
erty and since that time has been boring
artesian wells and making other expert
ments and explorations of the property.
This option expires today, and as stated,
was renewed for a consideration, for sixty
days more.
AS has been stated in The Age-Herald,
these experiments, especially the borings
for the artesan wells, which have been
carried on under the supervision of Engi-
neer Hill, have been highly satisfactory.
The first well was completed last week and
a compressed air apparatus was impro-
yised to make a test of the well. With
such rough machinery, the flow of water
from the one well which has been dug was
good machinery, but it is believed that the
flow under favorable circumstances will
easily amount to 100000 gallons daily. An
equal amount, the experts believe, can be
obtained from all the other wells which
may be bored in that vicinity.
The water does not run out of the well of
its force, but stands in the pipe about four
or five feet from the surface of the ground
1t will be remembered that tie water in
the old artesian wells which We're dug a
number of years ago only few hundred
feet down the incline from the new well,
barely ran out of the pipe. As the new
well is on higher elevation, the water has
not sufficient force to get to the top and
has to be pumped out.
The boring at Gate City has not been
without its serious difficulties. In the
first place, the boring was begun through
the hard soil and limestone without sinking
pipes in the well as the drill progressed.
But after the limestone had been passed,
a thick strata of fire clay was unexpectedly
met with, which proceeded to cave in and
fill the well up as fast as the boring was
made.
The derrick had to be moved off a short
distance and a new boring commenced,
this time pipes being sunk in the well as
the boring progressed to keep the dirt and
clay from caving in. Finally water was
struck with the result told above.
Fine Mineral Property
The seventeen hundred acres of land
owned by the Gate City Land company, on
which the syndicate has just renewed its
option, is regarded as one of the very finest
pieces of mineral property in the Birming-
ham district. Besides the abundance of
fine water which the land has been proved
to possess, two or three big railroads run
through the land, 1t contains a mountain of
white quartz sand, has six hundred acres
of red hematite ore with the entire face of
the strata exposed, it has a thirty foot
seam of ball plastic potters clay, has a
mountain of ebert that is now being
shipped all over the south for macadam
purposes, and has seven hundred acres Of
land admirably situated for the location of
furnaces, factories and industries of va
rious kinds. Dolomite and carbonate of
lime are also to be found on the property in
large quantities. Only two miles away is
the greatest quantity of coal, just waiting
to be developed and worked.