Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-10-30
IKE breathing Wells
biologists Make An Investiga-
tion Of a Peculiar Phe-
nonlena in Nebraska
VARIOUS CAUSES ASSIGNED
Change. Of the Barometer Seem t.
Have an Effect on tho whistIins
Breathing Wells in the Southwestern
Part of the state-other Influence.
Exerted.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican.
Washington, Oct: 3O.-In recent
paper published by the United States
geological survey, on wells and wind
mills in Nebraska, mention is made of
the interesting phenomena of the
breathing or blowing wells which are
found distributed turnout a large por-
ton 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 cl1arac-
ter 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
characters in different places. The
air currents are readily tested with the
flames Of candles, or by dropping chan
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.
It has been observed that the blowing
occurs with changes OF the barometer
Some wells are found to be most audi
BILE when the wind is from the north
west, with rise in water level; but
with 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
a 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
Scoincident with the barometric cham
lges.
The citizens of the region have at
tempted many explanations of the
wells. Some have reasoned that the
blowing is probably due to the liberia
ton of gas produced from petroleum,
tillation 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 regular oscillation
was due to tidal action Of the sheeu:
water, enormously considering the lat
ter as a great subterranean lake. The
phenomena are most frequently att
tributed by scientific observers to at.
lnospheric pressure, which. tho prob-
ably exerting great influence, is not
necessarily the whole cause.
The material thru which the wells
are driven may throw some light on
their peculiarities. In southeastern Ne
braska a layer Of dense limestone about
four inches thick lies beneath fifty to
100 feet of subsoil. Below the lime
stones Is found water bearing gravel.
When the limestone covering the wa
ter-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 fluctuations of the
1t follows that IL the surface
air is rendered less dense the air below
will pass out thru the well openings
until equilibrium between the rarer and
and denser air is established, and the
opposite effect will follow during per-
Tod of high pressure. Still, this explain
alton plausible as 1t IS, hardly accounts
for the force with which the air is ex-
PEELED from some Of the wells. and a
more comprehensive study Of the prob
lem is needed to satisfactorily explain
all the phenomena.