The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1913-09-19
Kentucky Water F. BUS Springs Of Blue
Grass State [ ernlined Location
At Scores OF 3iarly Settlements
Industrial ,ierprises De-
pendentC Pure Water
s., nv,


The pioneers of Kentucky entered
the State through the mountain passed
to the east, bringing with them, per-
force, the barest necessities of life,
and We're compelled to rely on game
for large part of their food supplies.
These early settlers found that certain
saline springs were frequented by large
game, and that these springs or the
trails leading to them formed the best
hunting grounds.
The sites of Boonesboro, founded by
Daniel Boone, and Harrodsburg, the
first settlements in the State, were
chosen because of their proximity to
good springs, and one of the springs
near Boonesboro furnished: salt water,
which doubtless attracted deer and
other wild animals. The same reason
determined the location of scores of
the early settlements and nearly all
the important cities and towns of the
State. Some of the Kentucky springs,
such as Bryant Station Spring and
Lower Blue Lick Spring, were later
made famous in connection with the
struggles of the settlers against the
Indians, and still later large springs
formed objective points. for. the armies
of both Bragg and Buell..
Practically all the old mansions of
the Blue Grass region were built where
spring water was accessible, but when
the inhabitants began to build houses
on the divides they dug many wells and
cisterns. Doubtless the disastrous
cholera epidemics of the first half of
the eighteenth century stimulated the
digging of cisterns, and during the last
generation many have been construct
ed. In favorable localities drilled
wells have largely supplanted dug
wells, but they will probably never
supplant cisterns.
The early industrial enterprises of
the Blue Gras region consisted of mills
and distilleries. many of which relied
upon springs for their water. supplies;
but with the development of the coun-
try the supplies from springs became
inadequate and. many of them have
been abandoned. At the present time
much water for industrial use is drawn
from streams or wells. although springs
continue to hold very important place
and in some Localities drilled or driven
wells are used. ---
The problem Of procuring water for
industrial purposes is very important,
particularly if large amount of water
of a certain quality or of a definite
range of temperature is required.
Many manufacturing plants have been
located with absolute disregard of the
suitability of the available water sup
ply, and the owners have subsequently
found the cost of procuring the needed
water one of their heaviest burdens.
1t is probable that in the course of a
few years some factories in the Blue
Grass region will be forced to pipe
water from a considerable distance or
move their entire plants.
Money Wasted In Well Drilling.
In Kentucky, as elsewhere, occasional
outbreaks of water-borne diseases,
such as typhoid fever, have emphasiz-
ed the necessity of obtaining pure
water supplies or preventing the pollu-
ton of present supplies. Hundreds or
even thousands of dollars have been
wasted in unsuccessful attempts to
procure water by drilling deep wells,
and the usefulness and the safety of
many city supplies have been seriously
impaired by improper location or faulty
ty construction of wells. Two ex-
,amples of useless drilling may be cited.
At one place, where water was needed
for the irrigation of flowers, an at
tempt was made to obtain a supply by
drilling about 600 feet into a rock
formation that furnishes large quanti-
ties of water at only few places, and
never furnishes water of the quality
needed except within about 100 feet
of the surface; and an attempt was
made to supply water for small city
by sinking 'aHwell to depth of nearly
1000 feet in a locality where there
was no possibility of procuring enough
fresh water from a single we'll to sup
ply more than two or three families,
and where no water suitable for a city
supply could be found more than loo
| feet below the surface: Obviously a
knowledge of these conditions would
have saved much time and money.
The need for definite information in
regard to the water resources of the
country has long been evident to both
practical and scientific men, and in the
Blue Grass region the subject has keen
interest for sanitarians, .honseholders,
manufacturers, and civic communities.
Water-Supply Paper 233 of the United
States Geological Survey, by George
C. Mats, contains discussion of the
waters OF this region-thei sources,
character, and distribution, including a
large number of analyses. The report
includes chapter on the quality of
these waters and discussions of the &C
ton of various kinds of water on
boilers and their behavior in different
industrial processes, such as soap max
ing brewing, and distilling.
A copy of this report may be obtain