The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-11-14
Rreathiug wells of yehraska.

In recent paper published by the
United States geological survey, on wells
and windmills in Nebraska, mention is
made Of the interesting phenomena of
the breathing or blowing wells which
are found distributed throughout large
portion Of the state OF Nebraska. These
wells are of the driven type mostly in
use upon the plains, but are distin-
guished from those OF ordinary char
acter by remarkable and unexplained
egress and ingress of currents Of air
which produce distinctly audible sounds
and give the names variously applied to
them OF breathing, signing, blowing or
roaring wells, according to their charac-
ters in different places The air currents
are readily tested with the flames of
candles, or by dropping chaff or feathers
into the well tubes. There are periods
when these wells blow out for several
days, and equal periods when their air
currents are reversed. 1t has been OBJ
served that the blowing occurs with
changes of the barometer. Some wells
are found to be most audible when the
wind is from the northwest, with rise
in water level; but with a change of
wind, air is drawn in and the water is
observed to sink. During the progress
OF low-barometer area over one Of
these regions, wind is violently expelled
from the wells, with noise distinctly
audible for several rods. Professors
Loveland and Swezey, of the University
of Nebraska, have made observations on
well OF this nature in Perkins county,
and found that its breathing periods
were exactly coincident with the baro-
metric changes.
The citizens OF the region have at
tempted many explanations of the wells.
Some have reasoned that the blowing is
probably due to the Liberation of gas
produced from petroleum, and that as
petroleum is a natural distillation from
great coal fields, there must be an
abundant supply of the latter mineral
beneath the surface. Fortunes have
been staked upon this deduction and |
much time consumed in fruitless |
search for coal. Others have noticed |
the change Of current which some wells |
show every twelve hours, morning and |
evening, and have thought that this reg
ular oscillation was due to tidal action |
of the sheet of water, enormously con-
sidering the latter as great subterra-
mean lake. The phenomena are most |
frequently attributed by scientific OBJ
servers to atmospheric pressure, which,
though probably exertng great inhu-
ence, is not necessarily the whole cause. |
The material through which the wells
are driven may throw some light on |
their peculiarities In southeastern Ne |
braska layer of dense limestone about |
4 inches thick lies beneath so to 100 feet |
of subsoil. Below the limestone is found
water bearing gravel. When the lime
stone covering the water-bearing beds is
penetrated, water under slight pressure
rises about one foot. The water bearing |
layer is very porous and must always
contain more or less air. AS the air |
above and the air inclosed in the gravels
below are alike subject to the fuctua-
tions of the barometer, it follows that if |
the surface air is rendered less dense the
air below will pass out through the we'll
openings until equilibrium between the
rarer air and denser air is established,
the opposite effect will follow during a |
period of high pressure. Still, this ex-
planation, plausible as it is, hardly ac-
counts for the force with which the all |!
is expelled from some Of the wells, and |
a more comprehensive study of the
problem is needed to satisfactorily ex-
plain all the phenomena.