The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-06-05
MODERN MAGICIAN
C0NJURES WATER
Expert of Geological Survey Predicts
Artesian Flow at 5000
Foot Depth.
SUPPLY JUsTIFIEs EXPENSE.
Railroads Deep Bore Strikes Big
Supply Within Twenty
Feet of Limit.

J WASHINGTON May 12.-Only the
seventh son of a seventh son is sup
posed to have the gift of hidden water
knowledge. With his witch hazel wand
and there is no authentic instance
where a true water witch faied-he
can locate wells or underground chan
nes to a depth of 40 feet or a little
more. He will hold his forked switch
in both hands and circle about, and
when he crosses above a vein of water
the butt of the switch bends down
ward with irresistible force thus To-
eating, as by very magic, the spot at
which he advises the digging of the
we'll.
The government biologists smile
broadly at the claims of the born wa
ter finder with the witch hazel wand;
nevertheless they do little well find
ing themselves once in while, but
their work is based on geologic knOwl-
edge of water bearing gravels and rock
formations. Nor are they limited to
any 40 or even 100 feet depths at which
they will promise the discovery of the
liquid mineral.
What would have been thought a
century ago of a man who would pre-
dict that water would be found in a
certain spot at a depth of 5000 feet?
h,t =, Ii,,
or, if he were so unfortunate as to
live to see mis- prophecy fulfilled, he
would have been pronounced dealer
in the black art and a fit subject for
r burning at the stake. Yet this Is ex-
! aCtly what has occurred in an instance
, just made public by the United States
= geological survey.
= RAILROAD ASKS ADVICE.
= The Black hills region of South Da.
r. kota is a dry country and the water
t problem is in many cases a serious one
Several years ago the Burlington rail.
t road, which runs through the soutr
- end of the Black hills, concluded tC
- sink a well and applied to the United
- States geological survey for advice al
to the underground conditions.
f N. II. barton, a survey geologlst witt
+ had spent some years studying tn
C geology of the Dakotas, made the pre-
diction that the region of the propose
. well site was underlaid by water bear
il ing sandstones which, at a depth no
! greater than 5000 feet, would probabl
:, furnish a good supply of water, so tn
well was bored
barton stated that some water Nigh
= be struck in the red sandy limestone
5 of the carboniferous formation an
= this was the case; but he advised tina
Il provision should be made to bore t
the lowest sandstones, the base O
which would probably be encountere
at depth of about 5000 feet.
PROPHECY is FULFILLED.
The water was found in these sand
stones, known as the Deadwood for
II nation, which began at 1920 feet an
\ was penetrated to total depth of 29S(
when the flow of the well amounted t
half a million gallons a day under
pressure of rs pounds, giving an am
Y pie supply for the railroads needs an
constituting one of the most note
worthy artesian wells of the country
The water is of a uniform tempera
" ture of 122 degrees F. and of goo
" quality, and the supply fully justitie
L the great expense of the undertaking
y Several times the projectors of the en-
II terprise were on the point of giving Il
the task, but they were urged to con
l. tinue, the geologist being confiden
that the prospects warranted boring {
/ the lowest stratum
When the great flow was struck al
II ter boring more than 1850 feet tn
water proved bad; it was impregnate
with mineral matter and valueless fo
n boiler use The railroad people wer
in despair, but again appealed to tn
IL government geologist.
d barton expressed his belief that tn
main flow from the lower sandston
II was good and that, as the lower POI
II ton of the well was not cased, tn
mineral matter had come down froT
e the red beds above the water bearin
II sandstone. Accordingly he advised tn
4 sinking of a casing so as to cut o
the source of contamination. This wa
done and with the most satisfactory n
suits. All of which goes to show tn
= immense economic Importance of I'll
underground water studies of the feC
eral geological survey and to what e.
tent science may be depended upon
point the way for the practical deve
., opment of natural resources.
YOU TAKE AN USTsRELLA