The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-12-17
EXPERT here TO
LOCATE WATER IN
THENORMALWELL
ROlla School of Mines Teach
er Advises Powder ExplO-
sion to Get Water.
SHAFT is NOW 1915
FEET DEEP, BUT DRY
Explosion Will Start Water Flow,
Says GeolOgist, After
A Look.

As last resort in order to obtain
| a flow of water from the we'll now be-
/ ing drilled at the Normal School SUI
ficient to supply the various depart
ments of the schoo! with pure water,
heavy charge of powder may be eX-
ploded at the bottom of the bore more
than 100 feet below the earth's sur
face.
This action probably will be taken,
if the water supply is not obtained in
any other way, on the advice of VI. f.
Wilson, of Rclla, Mo, who is connected
with the state department of geology
and mines.
Mr.. Wilson spent yesterday after
noon at the Normal School comforting
with the school officials and the con-
tractor who is digging the well, seek
ing to determine the best way to OBJ
tain the required amount Of water
from the well.
Last night he declared that the well
at Normal School has encountered an
extraordinary condition and said that
the shaft already has passed through
strata that should have given the re-
CURED amount OF water. These strata
simply have failed to produce.
Mr. Wilson came to the Cape at the
request of Louis Houck, president of
the Beard of Regents of the school, to
advise with the officers and we'll men
as to what to do With the Normal
Schools well.
A flow of 60 gallons a minute is
wanted. The water is to be circulated
through all the school buildings. 1t
is to be used in all the laboratories and
in the dornlitories at the scA>Ol in
stead of the water that is supplied by
the Public Utilities compan:. The
utilities company, VIXEN tn well is
= completed, will be required - furnish
only fire protection at tie Normal
School
Mr.. Wilson arrived at noon yester-
day from St. Louis and at the Normal
School found that the shaft of the well
has already been sunk 1913 feet into
the ground
The drill already has gore several
feet into what is known as the Roubi-
dOuX stratum of sandstone which was
supposed to furnish all the water that
is wanted.
The stratum was entered at 4
depth of 1913 feet and the forty feet
of digging in that material has in
creased the depth of water in the
well only 26 feet over the depth at
, which the water stood before.
Severa! days ago, when the well
had been driven 800 feet deep and
the contract was finished, the water
! flow was only Il or - gallons min
ute. The work. was abandoned until
4 new contract was signed to have
the bore sent from 30 to 800 feet deep
er. The contract specified that the
well should be stopped as soon as the
proper amount of water was found and
the payment was to be at the rate OF
So a foot. At that time the drill was
working in a hard stratum of rock, in
which very little water was obtained
Mr. Wilson yesterday advised the
well drill men and the schoo! authOri-
ties to send the shaft 100 feet deeper
and in the event that the ri,s.... amount
of water is not obtained. to ny loosen
ing some Of the castings about t3a well
/ at levels where d flow was obtained, Sc
as to accumulate the water flow from
all the water yielding strata.
If this should not be successful, he
counseled the use of the explosion
The effect of the explosion at the bot
= tom of the we'll would be to create d
l large pocket of loOsened sandstone
material that would aid the flow of the
water into that part Of the strata.
: The water that is obtained in the
I Roubidoux sandstone stratum is stored
, in the ground in the Ozark mountains
, where the strata comes to the surface
1t is filtered through that formation
on its way to the point Immediately
below the Normal School that is
pierced by the we'll From its break
at the surface in the Ozarks, the
stratum takes a steep dip down into
the earth.
Mr.. Wilson early this morning dc
parted for St. Louis.
Several days ago, Professor ". S
, Dearmont, president of the Normal
declared that if the additional SOC
: feet of drilling made no return, the
, we'll would be abandoned.