16S 



FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



DRAINING BY WELL. 



The following example will no doubt prove of interest : 



When there is a gravel bed underlying the clay directly beneath the marsh 

 an outlet into the gravel will give excellent results. 



The following from B. F. Welles, C. E,, of Marshall, Mich., is a detailed 

 account of drainage by means of drive wells: 



There is a small basin or cat-hole along the north side of the Verona road, 

 one mile west of Marshall. It has an area of about two acres, with sloping 

 lands to the extent of twenty-five acres, which shed their waters into it. It 

 is in the S. E. corner of Sec. 'Z2, T. 3 S., R. 6 W. It has nearly always had 

 from one to two feet of water upon it, often rising with heavy rains and 

 flooding the road. There is no way of draining this except by deep cuiting. 

 Two years ago in the autumn of 1883, Mr. Geo. Robinson proposed to the 

 owner, Mr. T. Latereoux, to put down a ''drive well" at its margin and 

 drain it through that means. A price was agreed upon, conditioned on 

 success. 



Mr, R. drove two 3-incli iron tubes 24 feet to rock, which is here a com- 

 pact sandstone, known to geologists as the Marshall sandstone. At various 

 depths there are water-bearing seams, and Mr. R. believed that if he could 

 pierce one of those water seams it would furnisl an outlet for draining the 

 cat-hole. On drilling 16 feet into the rock he struck a seam and at once the 

 water began to flow into this opening. The slime from the pond clogged it 

 after a time, but on applying a pitcher pump the pipe was cleared and the 

 flow went on. He put down a second pipe, this time in the hard ground a 

 little distance from the pond, and cut a ditch and boxed it, with openings 

 covered with fine wire cloth to strain the water and keep back the slum and 

 rubbish. This lowered the water at the rate of about one-half to three- 

 fourths of an inch per 24 hours. The following spring the cat-hole was so 

 dry it might have been plowed ; a condition unknown before. The land 

 was lately sold, the purchaser buying it — a lawyer — on the faith that the 

 experiment is successful. 



It is apparent to me that the seam in the rocks was of small capacity, and 

 the pipes themselves were smaller than desirable. Where a subterranean 

 outlet can be obtained, I do not see why it is not entirely practicable to 

 drain it this way; though from the nature of the work each case must be an 

 experiment attended with risk of failure." 



As Mr, Welles suggests, a large well is much more effective than small 

 drive wells, from its less likelihood to silt up. The most approved con- 

 struction is shown by cut. 



