The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-09-19

In a rec ent issue of The Scientanc American appears letter from Editor Yerby of The Greensboro watchman, from which we quote this interesting bit of iIforina sion:
 write this to say that there Is in this CHale) County an art ,siln well ten lncii- of water sufficient to run grist mill. cotton ginnery and cotton press and saw miil. The we'll io about 500 feet deep. and was bored fifty years ag> by Colonel Samuel Pickens on the plan tation twelve miles southwes of Greens boro. Ala. xnown as the ''Goodrum Place. now owned by Lee Nj. Otts. Esq. The water comes up with such force from the we'll that silver dollar thrown into it's mouth will not sink. but will be thrown out. The gusher h1s diminished very little in the amount Of water furnished during the half eentu' Y 1t has been running, To give an fdea of the amount of water that is thrown surrounding 1t is four feet across. and when the water falls back it comes near filling the trough from side to eide.
 The mill and ginnery run by the water from this we'll is situated on hillside about hundved yards away. and the water Is carried to it by means of a canal cut in the solid rock. Just under the mill house is well three feet across and forty feet deep. In this well. at a depth of twenty-five feet. is turbine turned on 1t when 1t Is desired to run the machinery. A tunnel from the bot. tom of this forty-foot well has been cut a distance of 100 yards-ranging up ward-and empties the waste water from the mill into branch.
 This is news to us, for If we had ever heard of this we'll the fact had escaped our memory. It is. however. just in line with what we have often reflected on in connection with artesian wells Of course it is not every one of the wells that overfiows and unless the water should come out above the ground there coul be no power. Even then, in perfectly level region, if the water only came just above the surface of the ground. there would be no head and consequently no power. In some cases the water shoots to considerable distance above the surface, and in such cases it could be utilized directly at the we'll. In other cases as in the one of which MT. Yerby writes, if there is any considerable de- scent near the well, there will be ID difficulty about getting all the power that the quantity of water will give.
 In the old days of milling an almost unlimited supply of water was required or else there must be a high fall. In the former case the old style breast or un- dershot wheel was used. but where there was a high fall and but little water they used great overshot wheels and much work was done In these latter days, however. so many changes and improve ments have been made in the various kinds of turbine and other reaction wheels that one can be found to fit any condition. If there is a high fall and but little water. or if there is plenty oi water and but little fall. a wheel to fis the conditions is ready. Under these cir cumstances we have often wondered ii artesian wells would net in many case. be made to take the place of expensiv, steam power in sections of the country where such wells can be bored and a plentiful supply of water obtained.
 By the way. are there any other cases in Alabama like the one in Hale?