246 Kansas Academy of Science. 



this evidently the water came, and when this sand was washed out 

 the clay bed over it was let down, and a landslide was the result. 

 Knowing now the levels of this blue clay, and finding only a five- 

 degree dip to southwest, an attempt to find the general course of 

 the underground water was made, and with success. A ridge north 

 of Mount Vernon, known as the horseshoe ridge, was examined, 

 and found to consist of Columbia river gravel, in which abundant 

 water was found. This ridge is about four miles north of Mount 

 Vernon. Standing on this we could look over the entire country 

 towards Mount Vernon. A very distinct ridge was seen ending at 

 Mount Vernon, forming one side of the frog of a horse's hoof. 

 From the contour of the remainder of the country within the horse- 

 shoe, it was plainly evident that the Mount Vernon water must fol- 

 low under this ridge. Outlet springs on the line were found all 

 along the proper level lines. It was determined to run a tunnel 

 under Mount Vernon at right angles to the general course of this 

 central ridge, to cut the underground streams as nearly at right 

 angles as possible. 



"It was thought that possibly three tunnels would be necessary, 

 and provisions were made for this. It may be added that wells on 

 the estate were examined and the general water-level taken in 

 these. Five feet was the general water-level. Depth of wells, 

 seventy feet. Work was commenced on tunnel No. 1. Two feet 

 cf blue clay was carried in the heading at the start in order to take 

 up the depressions in the clay which we of course expected and 

 that were due to water wear. Running in on a grade of two inches 

 to 100 feet for the first fifty feet, we experienced no difficulty, ex- 

 cept great care was required to avoid runs of lower quicksands and 

 falling of loose sands from above. At fifty feet we ran suddenly 

 against a very hard sandstone, cemented sand and iron, five feet in 

 thickness, with a footing on blue-clay level of one foot of pure 

 white quicksand. In this sand cement we found numerous roots, 

 some partly decayed, and some only the form of roots with the 

 wood all gone, leaving simply a limonite shell. This material was 

 singularly hard to break, and great care had to be exercised to pre- 

 vent runs of quicksand underneath. The latter was stopped by 

 ,the use of sand-bags and fine lawn grass. Hay or straw was of no 

 use. We had now crossed at right angles several streams and had 

 a flow of about 2000 gallons of water per day. After getting 

 through this difficult piece of ground we suddenly came into a 

 bank of solid sand, filled with water to the depth of five feet, and 

 capped with two feet of patty clay that was well-nigh past picking 



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