Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-09-26
UNLIMITED WATER.
RECENT EXPERIMENTS SHOW
SURPRISING RESULTS.
Artesian Water at Moderate Depth In
the Arkansas vaIleyin Western
Kansas
MEANS MILLIONS TO THE STATE.

drilled in by Edward Parsley, of
Syracuse, on his ranch. a mile
south of Coolidge, on the line
of the Atchison, Topeka & Sants
Fe, in western Kansas, finds ar
tesian water at depth of 240 feet.
This is not new find, for an artesian
we'll has been flowing on E. P. Taylor's
adjoining quarter nearly 20 years.
But better than a new find, the Pars-
ley we'll, by its close proximity to the
other we'll and other evidences, fix
and make certain for all time that far
below the ''underfiow" of the Upper
Arkansas Valley. itself SO valuable for
irrigation and domestic use, is a 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, 1t 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 G.
Santa Fe for use in its locomotives
| and in its 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
ldge. BY many experiments and much
expense the company proved to GER
talnty that the country along its line
| In western Kansas overlies a reservoir
| of water. The underfiow, at shall
lower depth, was certain and beyond
dispute, but the deep water was an un-
known quantity until the railway COM
pany demonstrated it's existence be-
yOnd 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 depth of 40 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 underflow
above it is deposit of impervious
soapstone, or shale. proving that there
is no connection between the two
The underflow 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 100 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
24O feet the water spouted five feet
above the top. and when a section of
Is feet of pipe was added the water
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 three-inch pipe in the
we'll on the Taylor ranch adjoining.
the flow is about 40 gallons a minute.
irrigating 35 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 depth of 200 feet, and Paul Rice,
Section %. E. P. Taylor (another
WELD, Section &c. and Edward Ross,
Section 36, are drilling with GER
tainty Of finding flowing water. Over
the state line, in Colorado, Lewis
| Mathews is drilling.
This flow of water even comes to
the surface in spots without drilling
for it. Strange to say, Hamilton coun-
| ty, which lies in region that is la
beled semi laird" by geographers and
| biologists. contains perennial springs.
This is not the statement of land
agent or of boomer" but of an I'M
prejudiced observer who has seen the
springs and drunk of their waters.
North of the Arkansas river In this
vicinity, tributaries of that stream.
are seven creeks-Horse and Big
Sandy in Colorado, and West Bridge.
East Bridge, Plum, Syracuse and Sand
In Kansas tHamilton county,. These
are dry creeks" as the saying is.
serving only to carry of storm waters.
but two miles from the river and for
distance of three miles further. nu-
merous springs break from the little
bluffs within four feet of the grass
roots. and IL opened and properly
cared for the supply from each is SUM-
cient for family. And they are not
In the low-lying fiat OF the Arkansas
Valley. but in the upland For in
stance, 20 feet higher than the town.
site of Syracuse. or a. total altitude
Of $500 feet. Is the Kitchener ranch,
where the family has a spring house
for the preservation of milk. butter
and vegetables. The bottom of this
anr{uC Ia not IN ovcood 6,y, S~.k k>,~-