Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-04

whence by evaporation it once more be-
comes part of our cloudy envelope.
In the latter part of the seventeenth
century, Marriott, a French physicist, and
HALEY, the eminent English astronomer
independently of each other, the one by
physical methods and the other from an
astronomical point of view, demonstrated
that the evaporation from the ocean is
sufficient to account for the supply of wa
ter to all the springs and lakes and rivers
that supply water to the sea. Button later
demonstrated the same theory by select
ing a lake without an outlet and proxin q
that the evaporation from its surface was
equal to all the water that was poured into
1t.
ct was anciently believed that all the
rain water that fell upon the earth either
ran off or was absorbed by the surface
strata a short distance below the SOIL but
the constant dripping of water from the
roofs of mines and tunnels proved this view
TO be incorrect In Misnia, in Saxony. wa
ter forms in drops on the roofs of mines
LOW rect below the surface and when the
raliroad tunnel through Mount Gents was
cur INTO rock hard enough to turn the best
steer that rock was found to be so filled
with water that a canal had to he buiIt
through the center of the tunnel to carry
1t away. ~ ''
THE water reaches the surface tbroueb
surface, 1t penetrates the strata to great
er or less depth and is frequently subjected
10 an enormous hydrostatic pressure as n
reaches lower levels; and when a favorable
opportunity occurs through a creyice in the
rocks, this pressure forces II to the surface
or boring for an artesian we'll gives 1t the
necessary outlet.
Many springs, however, find their wav
out naturally, as they flow from high alti-
tudes to lower ones and some waters esne
clally in the case of hot springs are forced
10 the surface by an accumulation of steam
or exist as geysers from the very fact of
their higher temperature. The accumula-
ton Of gas is also effective in the case of
many cold springs, or in some springs that
alternately throw out gas and water The
great majority of springs, however reach
the surface quietly either along the base of
mountain ranges or in valleys or at the
coast line. Their supply area is the higher
mountain region that receives the water &c
rain This, then, ordinarily sinks until an
impervlous stratum is reached, along which
1t flows until 1t energies at the first favor
able opportunity at the lower level either
as an ordinary spring, as a mineral spring
If the rocks through which it passes are
favorable. or as hot or warm spring if it
penetrates to great depth or comes into
contact with heated rocks before issuing at
the surface of the EARTH
The outflow of springs is somewhat sur
prising with respect to volume. The Or
ange spring In Florida, it is estimated
pours out more than 100000 gallons of
water an hour The Excelsior geyser in
the Yellowstone National Park during
eruptions, throws out enough water to dou-
BILE the volume of the Fire Hole river
In describing the source of naturalization
OF waters Prof. Peale says:
The dtsintegrating effect of fairly pure
water upon rocks is well known. but when
II is remembered how vastly ii is enhanced
quired IN the passage of water through the
atmosphere and the SOIL we need not look
very far for the source of the constituents
of mineral waters. They are derived from
the decomposition of the rocks through
which the waters pass in their downward
course. Carbonic acid may accumulate in
quantities., and, besides favor