The log cabin Democrat., 1910-05-20
NO UNDERGROUND
 WATER IS HERE
SAYS ENGINEER WATKINS
BELIEVES CADRON CREEK WILL HAVE TO BE SOURCE OF CONWAY WATER
 WORKS.

That the underground water sources of this section are so limited as to make it worthless to attempt to secure water from deep wells, and that the Cadron creek is most availa- ble source of supply for the Conway waterworks system, is the belief of | Engineer G. A. Watkins of Little Rock, who, since his firm was retain ed as supervising engineers for the district has been making a practical study of the situation here.
 As artesian wells would of course be at once the cheapest and best source of supply were they possible, Mir. Watkins devoted several days to an investigation of the possibilities of deep wells. He has secured data of about 10 deep wells, ranging in depth from 800 to 5000 feet, within a rad jus of 50 miles from Conway, and in not a single instance, he says, has water ever been found beyond depth of 200 feet, and above that depth the supply in most cases has been very limited in quantity.
 Three of the wells investigated by Mir. Watkins are located at Little Rock, one at the new Union station dIld tWO III OJlIeI DdlIS ol tIit Slty One of the wells was drilled to depth of 2,700 feet, but no water whatever was found after leaving the streams which trickle through the shale near the surface of the earth. A flowing well reported at Russell vile was another to which Mr. Wat kns paid visit. This well has been said to be artesian, with water con stantly flowing over it's top. ''1n this we'll" stated MT. Watkins, was found at a depth of over 2,000 feet limited quantity of natural gas. All the water that enters comes in at a depth of from 30 to 150 feet from the surface of the ground. It affords actually less water than many wells used only for domestic purposes, but the water gradually filled up the deep hole, and the gas, coming up from below, gives enough pressure to cause small stream to flow over the top. I was informed by the promoters of the well that power pump can easily exhaust the water from the well in a short time"
 The "gas' we'll at Plumerville was also investigated by MT. Watkins This we'll has been drilled to depth of over 5000 feet, and no water what ever has been found-and very little gas.
 'In view of these facts" said Mr. Watkins, T believe it would be an ab- soute waste of several thousand dol lars to attempt to secure water for Conway from deep wells. Because water has been found in other sec tions of the state does not argue that it exists in adequate quantities under us. This section is underlaid by what is known to geologists as non- water bearing strata, composed main ly of closely-packed shale, which lies at angles of from 15 to 60 de- grees. Artesian water is never found | in such a structure, but is usually obtained where vast beds of gravel or sand underlay the surface of the earth"
 MT. Watkins said, however, that owing to what seemed popular de- mand for wells as source for the local waterworks, the commissioners may make tests in this direction, al though the engineers and the commits sioners had little faith in a successful outcome of the test.
 Another disadvantage of the we'll proposition here," continued Mr. Wat kins, lis that you are never sure of