Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1912-10-24

as is used for oil wells has been
purchased.
Much trouble has been experienced
with quicksand and artesian water
flows. The first artesian water in
notable amount was at 2S5 feet, after
driving the 5-s-inch casing to 305
feet. 1t was reduced to So inches,
and the continuous flow OF water has
afforded an ample supply for opera
tions The quicksand rose as high
as 275 feet in the casing; probably
every foot below the 200-foot level
has been redrilled a dozen times.
Three-quarters of the depth of the
hole Is in sand, though layers Of
clay few feet In thickness were
cut. Only one was of any thickness.
so feet between 500 and 500 feet
in depth. There were many flows OF
artesian water which were shut off
with the casing. Except at one place,
where the water carried some sui
phur, it has invariably been fresh
and not more than a trace of potash
has been found.
The superintendent, d. H. Walker,
has made tests every three to five
feet and part Of each sample
has been sent to the United States
laboratory at the Mackay school of
mines at Reno. Nevada, as a check.
The fact that all of the water from
the well has so far been fresh en-
courages the belief that in depth
below some thick impervious clay
bed, potash will be found in com
mercial quantity AS there has never
been an outlet to the valley, 1t is
expected that the potash will be
found in soluble form. This will
conduce to cheap operating costs.
1t is the intention to drill several
wells in various parts of the old
lake bed for potash. AS there are
no deep wells in any of the basins of
the arid basin country, the present
development Is pioneer work. Part
of the year some places in the lake
bed are very soft, and this has ne
cessitated the building OF several
miles OF roads. BY the efforts and
financial assistance of the company.
both Nye and White Pine counties
have very materially improved their
roads, one of which is now used as
an interstate automobile road be
tween Salt Lake, Ely, Tonopah, Gold
field and Los Angeles.
With the exception of an occasion
al jackrabbit, horned toad, or mouse
animal life is entirely absent in the
old lake bed. On the northern por
ton there is some thin salt grass
PUSHES, and small greasewood. A
part OF the lake bed has many SANE
! dunes, in some places from three I,
7 six feet high, and in others 10 t,
5 30 feet high. The dunes are peculia
e in that they do not shift. Snow an
rain appear to cement the sand
5 forming a hard crust.
, In places team can be driver
4 over 1t, and in other places Their
a are occasional holes a few inche
{ in diameter containing water an,
{ mud with no bottom. There are 9th
er places where the surface soil i
E soft and the shoe sinks to two t
e eight inches in walking This i
q called "self-rising" ground and caus
J. ed by soda, it is said.
/ About four or five miles sout
Il of the present drill hole is a pc
d fectly level lake bed which evidentl
L has water at times over its surfac
If but in the summer is hard an
i smooth, so that ii is possible I
y drive over it, The sandstorms her
are simply fierce" it is impossible
4 to see, even with coggles on. so ths
IS it is easy to get lost The discover
e holes. 10 by by 4 feet, sometime
IL fill up in one week The pencil marx
lie on the corner stakes of the claim
70 on the south side cut away in fe
m days, the sand acting like san
m blast