The Era-leader. [volume] (Franklinton, La.) 1910-current, 1911-05-11
WATERS Of PLk|Ns|
Underground Rivers Are Source
OF Supply in Texas.
interesting Fact Developed by Dyna.
mite Blast While Driving We1
Near Piainview-First Anthem
tic Revelation.

connection with the water situation on
the plains has just been cleared up
near here. While drilling we'll on
y. Dowden's place, five miles west OF
Plainvtew, the driIler struck big
boulder in the 14-inch hole few feet
below the bottom of the dug pit. To
Get this boulder out of the way it be-
came necessary to put in heavy dyn
amite blast. AS result of this blast
. large cavity was made in the drilled
hole. and as the water cleared within
. remarkably short time after the
blast. Mr.. Dowden decided to make
An investigation. With mirrors prop
erly arranged he managed to get an
excellent focus on the cavity made by
toe blast, and to his amazement saw
that the water was rushing like rivu.
let around the shattered boulder.
which had been encountered in the
second vein Of water. For some time
there has been much argument and
speculation as to whether the great
underground water supply here was
. dow or an underground lake. The
'Dowden discovery certainly tends to
substantiate the flow theory. This Is
the dfst authentic revelation along the
line. and will be followed by more
thorough investigation. The water
conditions on the plains, and particu'
larly in this immediate section, Ger.
talnly affords great field for scien-
tidc investigation, practical study and
general interest.
The drst vein of water here is
found at depth varying from rs to
20 feet depth, to a great extent. de-
pending upon topography. The first.
vein Of water doesn't receive much
consideration here, but in most coun-
ties It would be considered a bonan.
-. It 10 the vein, however, from
which most Of the windmill supply wa,
ter has 50 far been obtained, but few
Of the old-time wells going below 1t.
and 1t has never yet been exhausted.
The second vein is found at a uni
form depth of Is feet below the first,
and no kind Of pump has so far ex-
hausted its supply, but the jumbo vein
10 found at a depth ranging from 100
to $50 feet. And by reason of com,
mon but erroneous phraseology many
people draw wrong conclusions as to
the depth Of wells now being put down
for irrigation purposes. A man speak
ing Of q well here. perhaps his own.
will say that it is 100 or $50 feet to
water, as the case may be when he
really means it is that deep to the
third, or jumbo vein, and as result Of
this error the impression is going
about the country that it Is that depth
to the water. If that were true 1t
would make irrigation here imprac-
teal, but it is seriously erroneous.
The first vein of water rises about
3 feet, which in we'll Is feet would
bring the water to within % feet of
the surface. When the second vein !
10 struck the water generally rises an
other foot or two. and this is main.
tained when the third vein is struck |
Take a we'll, for instance that is 120
feet deep, which Is a little above the
general average, it would be Is feet |
or thereabouts, to the first vein and |
S5 to the second, and there would
be 10l feet of water in the well, stand.
ing within 81 feet of the surface. and !
this ID Z reasonably fair average upon
which the water situation here may be
based and calculated.