The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1901-01-09
A WONDERFUL GEYSER
Malheur County's Remarkable
Artesian Well.

Or all the chain of hot springs in east.
ern Oregon, extending through Crook,
Harney, Malheur, Lake and Klamath
counties, Vale possesses the most remark.
able one Of all. 1t Is really a small geyser,
and not so small at that. A stream three
Inches In diameter shoots perpendicularly
q distance Of 36 feet and then spreads out
In steaming spray and falls around the
main fountain head In a circular form,
making very complete and beautiful
cone. The water has a temperature Of
2Io degrees, and possesses medicinal quail.
tiles, which form partial analysis, shows
equal to those Of the hot springs Of Arkan.
sas. The geyser may be said to be partly
artificial, and was discovered In peculiar
way.
Along the east banks Of Snake river, a
fourth Of mile from Vale, there Is sue.
cession Of hot springs that flow from un.
der the the foothills into the river. The
hills begin with the banks Of the Snake
and rise gradually toward the east into
mountains. An old pioneer Of Malheur,
and an enterprising business man, con.
cluded that II artesian water could be Oh.
tanned from cold water sources beneath
the earth's surface, that hot artesian water
could be obtained In the same manner.
He persuaded other business men Of the
plausibility Of this theory. At least he
induced them to spend some money with
him In experimenting. They began Dor.
Ing some distance from the banks Of the
river, and several feet above the river
bed and highest spring. After going few
hundred feet the drill was broken among
the rocks and II became necessary to be.
gin a new hole. This was started by the
side Of the old we'll, and at a great depth
the accident occurred again. This expe.
rlence was met third time, but undaunt.
ed fourth hole was started by the side
Of the group already abandoned. When
at depth Of 4s feet the drill became fas.
tened In the hole just at nightfall, and
was left until morning. The next morn.
Ing the drill was released with some diff.
Guilty, and to the surprise Of the laborers,
as they drew II out II was followed by a
solid stream Of scalding water that shot
forth into the air to distance Of 36 feet.
They had difficulty In getting out Of the
way with the machinery. An iron pipe.
three inches In diameter, was forced into
the hole and since that time the stream
has continued to flow. except when the
mineral crystalizes In the pipe and pre-.
vents the water from passing through.
II takes about three months for this crys.
talizing to become complete and the pipes
are then bored out and the flow begins
again.
Pieces Of the pipe thus crystalized have
been sent to scientists In the east and the
water has been partially analyzed by pro.
fessors Of chemistry In colleges, showing
that It possesses the main properties Of the
Arkansas Hot Springs waters. A bath
house has been constructed near this
geyser and good results have already been
experienced from bathing here. As with
all hot springs Of eastern Oregon. this one
seems to be an effective cure for rheuma.
tism, and 1t Is claimed that any disease
cured at Hot Springs, Arkansas, can be
cured here.
The springs were located on the Road
eompany's land here, but the same citi.
zens who made the experiment secured
the land from the company and are now
planning a greater experiment. Upon
examination 1t has been found that the