Evening journal., 1919-07-19
MANY DEEP WELLS
IN PHILADELPHIA
1000 Concerns Now Have Their
Private Water Supply on
Property.
DRILLING A GAMBLE AS
REGARDS THE EXPENSE

PHILADELPHIA, July iS.-With a
thunderous roar, 5000 pounds Of steel
hurtled half mile down through the
earths crust.
Falling with meteor speed through a
narrow shaft, the huge mass came 70 a
shattering abrupt stop far underground
Fixed to a standard cable from which
It had broken away, It was then low
cred TO within three feet OF the bottom
OF the half-mie shaft and dropped
raised and dropped again, each time
smashing its way further down through
the rock which had stopped its head
long fall.
You're all Wrong. No Jules Verne
stuff intended. It really happened.
Happens often right here in and around
Philadelphia.
The 5000 pounds Of steel is a drill
and IS used for boring artesian wells.
They have many queer accidents like
the one described.
over 1000 hotels. factories, power
houses and other business concerns In
the center OF The city are entirely in
dependent OF the municipal water sup
ply. They have their own wells, drilled
10 varying depths right IN their cellars,
from which clear and cold water flows
at the rate OF anywhere from 30 to
1000 gallons a minute.
Philadelphia, Judging from a digest Of
the well drivers many observations,
has a solid rock foundation throughout
its entire area.
A fairly good flow OF water Is usually
struck between $50 and 300 feet down,
Larger flows are tapped much deeper.
The deepest well here Is at Thlr-
teenth aud Nf0unt Nrnon streets. in one
of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Com
panys power houses. II runs down
2,Oi3 feet through solid rock. A fair
supply Of water was struck at the $50
foot depth, but a greater flow was re-
quired The well gives 500 gallons a
minute with an eight-lnch diameter
pipe
At Ritner and Swanson streets, the
largest shaft in the city, i6 inches in
diameter, was sunk a little over i,SOO
feeAa and givQs 1000 gallons a minute.
Drilling for water is a pure gamble
There is no way of Judging the most
likely spot to start work. Water may
be found at any given point. at any
depth. and it may not. For that rea-
son. the process Is costly and no fixed
price can be set in advance for the
completed job.
The we'll drller will contract 10 drill
the hole at tho rate Of 50 a foot But
10 Is on the knees OF the gods as TO
how far down he will have to 60 or
whether any water will be found.
In Philadelphia water never rises
above the ground level and a pump
must he usedi
The equipment for drilling = well re-
quires usually only two men to operate.
10 consists Of a powerful donkey engine,
a derrick about 90 net high, and the
drills.
The drill IS IN the form Of what the
drillers call a "string Of tools" 10 ls
composed Of a rope socket into which
the cable from the drum Of the donkey
engine flts and q drilling lar or stem
for the drill. Together these weigh
about $500 pounds The bit or drill
itself weighs from 400 to 600 pounds.
The entire mass. or string is raised
FOR approximately three feet and then
This operation Is repeated
over and over. The speed averages co.
strokes a minute Through rock such
as found here in Philadelphia the drill
Ing progresses at the rate Of eight feet
a day hut through sand, shale, etc, 20
feet a day Is usual
In Camden a good flow Of water Is
struck at from 100 to i25 feet down,
while in Atlantic City no fresh water
Is struck under 4 900 feet,
Well drillers tell strange stories
about their ventures. In Jeanette, Pa,
while a crtw was drilling a we'll, a sub
terrsnean pocket OF gas was tapped
about 500 feet down. The entire string
Of tools. weighing thousands Of
pounds. was blown UP at express speed
out of the hole. The derrick was
wrecked. The gas which followed ig-
nted from a nearby forge and ex-
ploded seriously injuring one Of the
drillers.
Debts desfen the ear TO opportunity.
p,,.- W (