Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1903-05-09
THE TONOPAh
WATER COMPANY
Inauguration Of a Great WOrk-.PlanS
Outlined and Described,

Outlined and Described,
The Tonopah Water company have
begun the active development OF their
water supply at Rye Patch. A camp
has been established and men are at
work digging a trench down to the
surface or level of the water directly
across the apparent channel. Drill
holes will then be put down to bed
rock at distance of so feet apart.
When ten such wells have been put
down and the casing put in, the cas-
ings will all be coupled together and
a pump attached to the coupling pipe
and the real water test will be under
taken. If these ten wells will not
supply the required amount of water
another ten will be added, and if nee
essary yet another ten will be put
down This will then cross the entire
channel. If the water is lowered to
bedrock aud there seems to be a
steady supply, crosscuts will be run
aud a sump put in. A line of pros
pecting wells will be put in both up
and down the main channel from the
main cross line of wells During the
pumping period the water will be
measured each day to determine the
effect that the pumping has on the
water in wells above the main pump
ing plant. If in sinking the wells a
second bed of clay is encountered, it
is thought that the water may over
flow and thus obviate the necessity of
a pump to determine the amount OF
water available for transmission to
Tonopah.
Two carloads of the casing have
passed through Tonopah and are now
on the ground at Rye Patch. The
drill to be used in putting down the
wells has arrived in town and will be
run by its own power to Rye Patch
Monday. The pumping plant and
other supplies of pipe, fittings, tools,
etc, are on the way from San Fran
cisco and are expected every day at
Sodaville.
The company hope to develop a
supply of 5000, 600 gallons of water
per dav. OF course all of this water
will not be needed in Tonopah. IT is
expected that 1000, 600 gallons per
day will be ample for all of the future
needs of Tonopah and Gold Mountain,
The other 1900, 600 gallons can be
used by the company to open up and
work their large placer claims which
they have purchased from the loca-
tors and original owners.
The advent Of the Tonopah Water
company means more for the general
good of the camp than any enterprise
undertaken here since the original
discovery by Mr.. Butler. The camp
has reached point where its pro
gress will be materially hindered UNI
less an adequate water supply can be
had OF course the danger is that
the Rye Patch may be simply an I'M
derground reservoir which it has
taken ages of Nevada rains aud SHOWS
to fill and which may be exhausted in
a short time, yet it would seem rea-
sonable that the very large water
shed of the Rye Patch would be sutfi-
cient to each year refill the reservoir.
OF one thing the people of this camp
may rest assured: the Tonopah Wa
ter company will first be certain that
there is plenty of water before they
will undertake to put in l6-inch
pipe from Rye Patch to town, and
that when it is put in that there will
never again be a shortage of water
here. The gentlemen at the head OF
the company have had large expert
ence in the supplying of water, and
as they are thorough business men
they will make no mistake in the mat
ter They have had more experience
in the underground water supply
than any other men probably in the
world. They have thoroughly looked
the situation over and have studied
it in all its bearing, and have arrived
at the conclusion that there is an