Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-09-29
UNLIMITED WATER.
RECENT EXPERIMENTS SHOW
SURPRISING RESULTS.
Artesian Water at Moderate Depth In
the Arkansas Valley in Western
Kansas
MEANS MILLIONS TO THE STATE.


Syracuse, on his ranch, a mile
south of Coolidge, on the line
of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe, in western Kansas, finds ar
tesian water at a depth of 24O feet
This is not a new find, for an artesian
well has been flowing on E. p Taylor's
adjoining quarter nearly 20 years
But better than a new find, the Pars-
ley well, by it's close proximity to the
other well and other evidences, fix
and make certain for all time that far
below the "underf1ow" of the Upper
Arkan sas Valley, itself SO valuable for
irrigation and domestic use, is veri-
table lake of water, which, if tapped,
comes to the surface by natural pres
sure, or which, if necessary, may be
pumped. More than this, it is soft
water, making it useful in locomotive
engines and other steam boilers
Hard water will make steam, but it
corrodes the boilers, and SO the rail-
way companies, especially, are always
on the lookout for soft water in semi
arid regions.
Indeed, it is the constant search for
soft water by the Atchison, Topeka &
Santa Fe for use in it's locomotives
and in it's local shops along the line,
and to aid and encourage manufacture
ers and others who must have water
in their business, that has led to Mr..
Parsley's experiment south of Cool
idge. By many experiments and much
expense the company proved to Ger
tainty that the country along it's line
in western Kansas overlies a reservoir
of water. The underfiow, at a shall
lower depth, was certain and beyond
dispute, but the deep water was an I'M
known quantity until the railway COM
pany demonstrated its existence be-
yond a doubt. Drill holes were put
down by the company along the line
at intervals, and the deep water
tapped without exception. The latest
wells by the company were bored at
the foot of Main street, in Syracuse,
and water was found in Dakota sand
stone at a depth of 14O feet. One of
these wells is to be bored deeper. but
for the present it supplies the needs
of the company. 1t is not an artesian
well, but is pumped. Between the
Dakota sandstone and the underf1ow
above it is deposit of impervious
soapstone, or shale. proving that there
is no connection between the two.
The underfiow is the sunken waters
of the Arkansas, and the other is car
ried from the mountains in the porous
sandstone which underlies this region
at depth of $50 feet and lower.
In the Parsley we'll the water spout
ed IS inches above the top of three
inch pipe from a depth of 100 feet,
and "a inches from 1876 feet. From
240 feet the water spouted five feet
above the top, and when a section of
-
flowed even out of that. Mr.. Parsley
; will experiment with it more to see
exactly how far it will rise in the pipe,
and later he will substitute an eight
inch pipe for the three-inch, and the
flow naturally will be increased by the
change. From a three-inch pipe in the
well on the Taylor ranch adjoining,
the flow is about 40 gallons a minute
irrigating So acres of orchard and gar
den, in addition to supplying the fam
lily and the livestock. Mr.. Parsley's
success has moved the neighbors to
bore wells. ]. w. Egger, on Section
10, has water to the top of the pipe
at a depth of 200 feet, and Paul Rice
Section %, E. P. Taylor (anothel
WELD, Section &c, and Edward Ross
Section Sc, are drilling with a Ger
tainty of finding flowing water Over
the state line, in Colorado, Lewis
Mathews is drilling.
This flow of water even comes t.
the surface in spots without drilling
for it. Strange to say, Hamilton coun
ty. which lies in a region that is la
beled "semi-arid" by geographers anc
biologists, contains perennial springs
This is not the statement of ''lant
agent" or of boomer" but of an un
prejudiced observer who has seen tn,
springs and drunk of their waters
North of the Arkansas river in thi
vicinity. tributaries of that stream
are seven creeks-Horse and BIZ
Sandy in Colorado. and West Bridge
East Bridge. Plum, Syracuse and San
in Kansas (Hamiiton county,. Thes
ARE dry creeks" as the saying is
serving only to carry OFF storm waters
lbut two miles from the river and for
distance of three miles further, N,
smerous springs break from the littl
bluffs within four feet of the gras.
roots, and if opened and properl
cared for the supply from each is sufl
Client for family. And they are nc
in the low-lying fiat of the Arkansa
Valley, but in the upland. For ii
stance, 20 feet higher than the tow
site of Syracuse, or a total altitud
of $500 feet, is the Kitchener rancl
where the family has a spring hous
for the preservation of milk, butte
and vegetables The bottom of tn
spring is not to exceed five feet belo
the surface of the ground, and tt
flow is sufficient to keep a large por
full to a depth of six or eight fee