The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-04-07
A DEEP WELL AT CHARLESTON, S. C.
Prehistoric Oysters and Marine Organ
isms Brought to Surface.

A well was recently drilled at Charles
ton, $. c., TO depth of nearly 1000 feet
below sea level and at that depth struck
water bearing sand which yielded a nat
ural flow of over 100000 gallons a day
of extremely soft water, suitable for
boiler supply. |. n. Knapp of Philadel-
phia. who was the engineer in charge of
the drilling operations, realizing the op.
portunity afforded by deep boring OF
this kind to add to the sum of human
knowledge, carefully saved a complete
set of samples of the materials penetrat.
cd by the drill and sent them TO the office
of the United States Geological Survey
at Washington. The findings OF the spe-
cialists who examined the samples were
deemed of sufficient Importance TO war
rant the publication of 2s-page report
which was issued as Professional Paper
90 II.
One of the interesting results of these
studies was the finding OF the shells OF
oysters and other marine organisms even
down TO the very bottom OF the well. all
of which, except those found within 10
or SO feet of the surface, belong to |
species which lived during past ages and
are now extinct. The shell OF one species |
belonging TO the oyster family and known |
to scientists at eNogyra upatoiensis /
Stephenson, was aoated out from the
bottom of the well by the natural flow
of water. The story which this she'll
tells is an interesting one to students of
earth history.
When the oyster was alive the Allan
tic ocean covered the present site OF
Charleston and probably extended for
nearly 100 miles farther inland. but the
bottom OF the sea on which II lived was
probably not more than 80 or 100 faith
oms deep. The rivers from the land
carried sand and mud into the sea and
filled Il. but as the filling
process progressed the sea bottom slow
" sank. Sometimes there was pause
in the sinking. and at other times ,here
we're even upward movements which tenn
lifted the sea floor entirely out
II water; but in the main the move
nents were downward until a relative
y prehistoric time, when an up~ara
movement caused the strand line TO re-
reat TO its present position.
In the sands and elays which filled
his downward sinking ocean basin, salty
'cean waters were eutrapped and buried.
md these waters, now more or less mixed
With land-deriyed waters, were encoun. :
cred at various depths in the Charles.
on well; they are referred 10 in the re- :
bort a. fossil waters because they q
ave been for 80 long locked in the earth =
nd prevented from circulating Al c
hough practically motionless. these fos- .
il waters are under heavy hydraulic =
ressure due 10 the weight Of the wa 4
ers which have pereolatcd from the
awkward direction down through the Z
eaward dipping sand layers. When the Z
ands containing the fossil waters are Il
apped by wells the hydraulic pressure a
orces the water up through the drill hole 2
o the surface. thus producing flowing :
rtesiRn wells. The water from the A.
90 foot level at Charleston shows only
light indication Of having been mixed :
18th sea water but the waters from :
Dme Of the higher levels contain enough Is
the ancient sea water 10 give them O
istimrt salty taste
II i commonly known fact that !,
be temperature Of the earth increases q
-0m the surface downward. and this q
~ j. well illustrated BY the comdi- =
ons existing IN the Charleston we'll 4,
iie temperature Of the water from the
600 foot level a. il flows out from the -
oufh Of the well j. pes4 degrees Fah- 81
.nileit, being from IS 20 az DEGREES
aruier than the waters obtained from s.
eils less than 100 feet deep in the same
lfmity. E
AZ al the LAYERS ~ sand. clay. mari q
a limestone whiih make Mp the enrfh +
a de1th ~ 2p10 feet ar more beneath n
sarls.st1n. dip oceanward. theoretically
- should crop out ~ the surface q
p uoFt 'luesf II Charleston. The larer n
Htsining the ancient oyster 81 Tire hot
~ - the 2nIq foct Wsil would - * L
It'd 70 appear a. THE surface sonie-
here between Sumter sud Camden. bat
exact outerop has not vet heFr. de-
'rfiiuad il south Caruifua. ln this ron-
efigH. however q = interesting q
- that q layer 81 CretHce0us send II
nts iring the ovster has besn disroF- Il
a ~ thaftnhuus.hae rIFar end IN t'ru-
freek. uine ~ In miles su1-th ard II
'fthesst 81 ColuInlns. Ca Tlis sbDws n
= to Hnrisrt 80 fn utirE the ngsttr n
- sd extend irlaud b ar hsrUnd the
sssgft site ~ Cnimrnir1s. which b. ar-
axiEnztsir Z2B rriles from thF nearest