Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1912-08-01
WELLS FOR IRRIGATION
Three Absolute Essentials Given
for Water Source.
Deeper tho Water Is In Well the
Greater Will Be tho Pressure
Casing Should Be Construct
ed From Top to Bottom.

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In giving three absolute essentials
for any good artesian or irrigation
well, H. NJ. Madison in the Texas
6tockman and Farmer, says:
We say absolute essentials, for we
cannot conceive Of there being a good
well without having these three char
acteristics. Stated briefly, they are
as follows: 4z.--4s%s42zrfSs.~~-
Ffrst-The well must be complete
ly cased from top to bottom.
Second-The casing must be SO
set that not only is there no leaks.
but there cannot arise any around
the outside of the pipe.
Third-With the fewest exceptions
strainers should be put in well.
There are good reasons for each
OF which are herewith given. A col
umn of water one inch square weighs
a little over one-half pound to the
foot. Water standing two hundred
feet in a well would yeigt heariy 100
pounds t9thS square inch. In other
%qrh> the pressure Of water standing
200 feet deep in a well would be near
ly 100 pounds to the square inch.
This is q pressure fully as great as is
carried in Any Stationary boiler.
1t is easy to see thai The deeper
the water in a well the greatzr VIII ne
the pressure. Where water stands
loo fsst u q well the Pressure is
about 500 pounds 70 the square inch,
a pressure 50 great that no boiler ever
built would sustain it. and If applied
to the strongest steel boiler now built
would blow it into atoms and scatter
them for over a mile carrying death
and destruction In the path.
Now stop and think for a moment.
The pressure at the bottom of a
1000 foot well is nearly 500 pounds.
Suppose there vas a hole or vent in
he side of the well, wouldn't that wa
ter be forced out through 1t. But
here in southwest Texas 1t is scarce
ly possible to drill a well without
going through sand, gravel and loose
soil. II there is no casing put in
he we'll is not the enormous pres
sure of water going to drive much
Of 1t out through this sand. gravel
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other reports show that an average
Of one-half OF the water Of an n
cased we'll is lost by being driven
out through the sand, gravel, loose
rock and soil in the strata through
which the we'll is drilled. In many
wells there is even a greater loss
han this.
Let US put It a little differently.
AS uncased well that will irrigate
100 acres would II cased irrigate 200
acres. Or put it still differently.
one cased we'll will do the same serv-
Ice that two uncased wells will do.
1t does not cost as much to case a
well as II does to drill one, so there
Is no such thing as saying 1t
will saw money to leave a well I'M
cased. 1t would seem hat an abso-
lutely sufficient reason has been
given for saying that the complete
casing Of a well from top to bottom
Is essential.
1t would also seem that on account
Of this enormous water pressure in
side the casing that it is plain IL
there was any leah around the out
ride Of the casing the water would
be forced through this leak and then
Into the sand. gravel. loose rock and
soil around the outside of the casing.
There would not be so much forced
through to be sure If there was no
casing. but there would be a loss.
Sometimes this loss is as great as to
cause the public to think there is a
failing water supply.
There is a way to prevent this leak
age around the outside OF the casing.
II is usually called setting the cas-
Ing in lead. We are not going into
an explanation of this just here, but
suffice 1t to say no contract ought
ever TO be let or signed for drilling
a well that did not fully and clearly
specify the casing was to be set in
lead in such a way there was and
could not be any leakage around the
pipe. There are some special cases
where fiaxseed are used TO stop leak
ages. and there are others where the
pipe can be set in cap rock so well
there will be no leakage. But set II
must be so there is no leakage, this
Is the second essential of a good ir-
rigation well.