GEOLOGY. 319 



Temperature of the air, 73 F. 



" surface water, 70 F. 



" bottom water, , 41 F. 



oi' nine degrees above the freezing-point, and within seven degrees of the 

 water in the ice-well of Brandon. At another sounding in sixty-five feet of 

 water, the self-registering thermometer recorded 46, showing an increase 

 of temperature of five degrees by a diminution of ten feet depth of water. 

 A repetition of the experiments, on a subsequent day, gave the^ame results. 

 Mr. Andrews, therefore, surmises that there is a stratum of constant under- 

 ground frost, extending from the Brandon well to localities widely sepa- 

 rated. 



ON THE AJRTESIAN WELLS AT LOUISVILLE, KY., AND COLUMBUS, 



OHIO. 



The following account of a remarkable artesian well, recently bored at 

 Louisville, Ky., is furnished to Silliman's Journal, March, 1859, by Prof. J. 

 Laurence Smith, of the University of Louisville. 



This work was commenced in April 18-37, from the bottom of a well that 

 had a depth of 20 feet; the boring tools employed made a hole 5 inches in 

 diameter to the depth of 7G feet from the surface; the boring was now re- 

 duced to 3 inches, and thus continued to the bottom of the well. The depth 

 of the well is 2083 feet; flow of water, 330,000 gallons in twenty -four hours; 

 rise above the surface, 170 feet. The rock struck, which geologically belongs 

 to the Devonian scries, is, for 38 feet, shell limestone; then, for 40 feet, coral- 

 line limestone; at which depth the Upper Silurian is reached. Without 

 being able to make out, with any degree of certainty, the amount of Upper 

 Silurian passed through, we suppose it to be over 1200 feet. At the depth of 

 1GOO feet a sandstone was reached, doubtless of the Lower Silurian, and 97 

 feet deeper was encountered the first stream of water which reached the sur- 

 face. This flowed out abundantly, and with much force. The quantity not 

 being sufficient, the boring was continued. After this, it was unnecessary 

 to use the bucket to take out the material detached by the borer, the force of 

 the water bringing up the fragments very readily. The water increased in 

 quantity in going deeper, the increase being more marked at 1879 feet, and 

 still more at 1900 feet, where pieces of rock, weighing an ounce or two, came 

 up with the water. The water increased every 10 or 20 feet to the depth of 

 2036 feet; here a very hard magnesian limestone was encountered, 6 feet in 

 thickness; after which the sandstone reappeared, and for the next 50 feet 

 there was no increase of water. At the urgent request of many of the citi- 

 zens of Louisville, the boring was now stopped, to give a fair test of the 

 medical virtues of the water that was pouring forth at the rate of 230 gal- 

 lons per minute, or about 330,000 gallons in twenty -four hours. The water, 

 by its own pressure, rises in pipes 170 feet above the surface. 



The boring was accomplished in sixteen months, and the depth reached is 

 208(3 feet. In order to conduct the water to the surface, and prevent its pass- 

 ing off into the gravel beds below, a tube, 5 inches in diameter, leads from 

 the surface to the rock, a depth or' 76 feet, into which it is driven with a col- 

 lar of vulcanized gum-elastic around it. No tubing is found necessary for 

 any other part of the boring. 



When the size of the bore (3 inches in diameter) and its depth are consid- 

 ered, the flow of water from the well is unequalled by any other artesian 



