Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1910-02-17
Well 1000 Feet Deep.
Plains, Kansas, Feb. IA. 70

Al a special meeting of the Com
mercial Club Friday night it was de-
finitely determined that Plains will
bore for artesan water.
BY reason of its proximity to the
artesian district along Crooked
creek valley and the natural local In
dlcations of strong artesian zone
covering the country tributary to
Plains, the question of test well
has been under consideration by the
Commercial Club for some time,
but no definite action was taken uu-
til Friday night when a rouslng
meeting was held at the new club
rooms, in response to a call from
President M. E. Holiday to meet
with I. A. Standclif, a practical
deep well expert of Lake Arthur,
New Mexico, for the purpose of
discussing the proposition.
Mr.. Standcliff made series of
scientific Investigations of the sur
rounding country with view of de-
termining the presence and direc-
tion of the artesian zone and in his
report to the club stated that every
indication pointed to the presence
of strong flow of artesian water at
a depth that would make the sinking
of artesian wells in this territory
practical for domestic and irriga-
ting purposes.
His proposition presented to the
club provides for test well on the
townsite of Plains 1900 feet deep,
the cost of which is not to exceed
$8, 900 90. The agreement further
stipulates that in case good strong
flow of artesian water is struck at
lesser depth, the cost of the well is
to be correspondngly less. The
club has alerady raised sufficient
funds to complete the project.
Mr.. Slandcliff has devoted the
major portion of his life to the ex-
perimental study of the artesian
water question, during which time
he has successfully completed more
strong flowing artesian wells than
any other man in the New Mexico
zone, and by reason of his unchal-
lenged success he is recognized as
authority, not only in New Mexico,
but throughout the entire west.
The president of the Commercial
Club appointed committee COM
posed of the leading business men
of Plains, of which John w. Baugh-
man was elected chairman to COM
plete the details incident to making
the final contract with Mr.. Stand
cliff and the prospects are very
bright for actual drilling to begin at
an early date.
The residents of this part of the
country are very much elated over
the prospects OF securing artesian
water here. The soil in this section
of the country is OF the very best
and with the aid of artesian water
for irrigation it will prove to be the
greatest alfalfa and sugar district in
the world. The adaptability of the
rich loan soil, that is evident at
every hand, for the profitable crops
bids fair to excel the famous ir-
rigated districts of Colorado and
New Mexico, where land is now
easily worth from 500. to $500.
per acre.
Once determined that artesian
water is available the cost of indi-
vidual wells will be reduced to the
minimum and within the means of
every farmer. The greater part of
the cost of the test well is shipping
in and installing the heavy standard
oil and gas drilling outfits that will
be required to do this work. This
expense however will be eliminated
when the demonstration has proven
successful and there seems no reason
why it will not.
Z - -s-a NM A. -