The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-11-17
THE BOWELS OF THE EARTH
VELLis SUNK INTO THE DEPTHS or
THE III RITZ.
And the Interesting Results of Recent
Scientific Research.

Back in the days when people really
thought it possible to dig a hole
through the earth to China there used
to be much speculation over what
would become of man who happened
to fall into the hole would he stop fall
ing down after awhile and begin to fall
UP to the other side of the earth, or
would gravity keep him oscillating back
and forth like pendulum slowly COM
ing to rest? Now nonsenSical as this
may seem, we are actually approach
ing condition when a somewhat SINH
lar question must be asked. Several
holes have been dug deep enough into
the earth to encounter physical condi-
tions very different from those usually
found ON the surface. Some of these
holes are in the form of wells which are
mile deep in the older rock. Others
extend even farther down into salt
beds and furnish this most widely used
commodity. Still others are mines
which men work at level as deep as
that of the wells, And in the ocean
bed there are holes so deep that if the
highest mountains in the world were
to be dropped into them there would
still be plenty of room for ships to sail
safely over their SUBMITS.
Near Pittsburg, Pa, a well has been
dug 5,532 feet deep; that is, 252 feet
more than a mile. Near Wheeling, w.
Va, they are sinking a we'll which is
now within a few hundred feet of
mile deep. At last report they had
reached the 4,920-foot level At Speren-
berg, near Berlin, Ger, they are driv-
ing hole in gypsum beds which is al
ready 1859 feet Deep and it is getting
deeper every day. AT Schladabach,
near Leipsic, they are taking salt from
a well which is even deeper than the
Pittsburg well. This hole is 6,265 feet
deep. The Red Jacket shaft of the Cal
umet end Hecla mine in the Lake Supe-
1ior copper district, is a mile deep and
men work in the shaft. Nearby, the
Tamarack mine has a shaft nearly as
deep as the Red Jacket. But at Par
uschowitz, near Reibnik, in Eastern
Silesia, there is a well which is now g.
700 feet deep, or exactly one hundred
feet more than a mile and quarter.
They are still boring, and it is the in
tention to go down $500 feet or one
and two-third miles when some inter-
esting scientific experiments will be
made. Unquestionable this is now the
deepest artificial hole in the world.
But in this race far into the earth's
core there are other competitors, other
well holes which are not quite as deep
as these big ones, but which are press
ing them hard. They are mostly in
Germany. At Leith, near Altoona, there
is hole 4,3SS feet deep. At Lubtheen,
in Mecklenburg, they are still digging
at 3,949 feet. At Sennewitz, near Halle,
1914 feet has been reached. At mo
wrazlaw, Posen, drills are working at
1924 feet, while at Friedrichsane, near
Aschersblen, they have punched a hole
in the earth 3,543 feet deep. At st. Lou
is, Mo-, we have a well which will
stand comparison with these German
wells Tt is 3,S43 feet deep. Add of
these wells are over half a mile deep,
and several of them have passed the
three quarter mark.
Many of these deep holes have been
made the subject of scientific fnvestiga-
LlOlSi anu DIS lll6y are Wlu6ly SeDdTd-
ted individual characteristics have
been encountered in each. Yet there is
q very general correlation in all which
stands as evidence, not only Of the
present internal condition of the earth,
but also of it's age. These holes show,
in fact, that in some places the earth
at a mile or so below the surface is as
hot as the boiling point of alcohol; at
other places, men work a mile under
the surface in temperature of seventy
degrees Fahrenheit, heat not greater
than that of an average New York |
June day. When the Savage mine in
the Comstock lode was connected at the |
half-mile level with the Gould q Cur
ry mine, the tempera ture of the con-
Meeting gallery ranged from 1877 degrees
at one end to 145 degrees at the other. |
AT the bottom of that five-mile pit in
the ocean which yawns between the |
Kermadecs and the Friendly Islands. |
the temperature stays always near the |
freezing point of water. There are
many of these deep ocean holes in |
which the temperature is very low
And while the lack of heat is induced |
by the water and it's pressure, it yet
bears certain relation to the condition
Of deep holes in the continent when the
general effect on the earth's crust is
For when the theory of |
the earth internal heat is looked at su-
perficially, it would seem that these
1eep-sea pits should be very hot and
full of boiling water. since they are
nearer to the center of the earth than
any other point. But In this ma tier of
there is much to be said
the conducting properties of
The rock in which the holes are sunk
Also, it must be noted, at what depth
below sea level each hole starts.
AS these wells all get hotter and hot
5er as they are driven deeper and deep
er, the outcome suggested is, that as
soon as q sufficient depth is reached,
steam will be encountered, or if
he well be dry, wafer can be pumped
n and returned in the form of market
lble vapor. There is nothing chimeri-
al in this idea, since many buildings
n several parts of the world are heat
d with natural warm well water. The
hospital at Grenelle and large factories
1t Wurtemberg are notable examples.
Also, the geyser shows how heat from
he earth's interior may manifest it.
elf forcihlv on the surface Hence
rpaa bai11er