1887. | NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 63 
cavating the Fourth avenue tunnel. Epidote is now and then 
seen on a fissure face, evidently the result of the decomposition 
of hornblende. 
Artesian Wells. The only economic subject in connection 
with the rocks is the artesian well. Efforts have been made 
since the beginning of the century to obtain water from wells, 
both surface’ and artesian. Dr. Elwyn Waller informs me that 
over a thousand exist at present. Within the last ten or fifteen 
years very many artesian wells have been sunk by the oil-well 
methods and the diamond drill. Many of the large breweries, 
malthouses, and manufactories demand an abundant supply of 
water and have found it advantageous to sink wells in preference 
to paying the city water-rate. Sometimes they are successful in 
striking a wet spot and a good supply is cbtained; but, as there 
is no certainty from the nature of the formation, they quite as 
often yield very little. Still, the straitened capacity of the 
reservoirs and the small head allowed consumers have greatly 
quickened the well industry. They are drilled by the 
methods perfected in the petroleum districts and, indeed, 
one can hardly journey very far around the city, without 
seeing the tall derrick, and hearing the creak of the bull 
wheel and the thud of the drill. The wells are sunk by contract 
at from $6 to $12 per foot, the contractor fixing his price on 
his estimate of the hardness of the rock. Much difficulty is ex- 
perienced on account of this varying hardness, as the drill tends 
to glance and make a crooked hole. Ordinarily the progress is 
20 feet in 24 hours, The drillers say they are obliged to go 
down from 400 to 1,000 feet to strike water. The following 
facts have been obtained by inquiring of the drillers, and may 
not be very exact. 
Schaefer's) BreweLlyrn.- silos «11-15 «10 640 ft. 5,000 bbls. daily. 
Gadi Sts Malt HOUseK.2-456cj,0scessios ss 414‘ 2100) * ae 
Third Ave. and 67th St...... As lenialetanes 1250 < 10,000 gals.‘ 
SixtheAvewand DObM Stacie) ve llsis/<leotel «Ie W305 10,000 * Ug 
Field’s Building, 1 Broadway......... 400 ** 57,000 * - 
Hoot octh) St.. udson’ River 2. ...... «00. Unsuccessful. 
2Munic. Gas Co., 11th and 45th, 2 wells, 500 ‘‘ each, 30-45,000 gals. daily. 
Tenth) Aves and d9thy Ste acinar set ae 468 “* 40,000 ‘“* e¢ 
Wa Allis ti Ste, vNO® O29 sa cyosts sissies eisiowinrs 585 ** 20,000 <s és 
HOOtRWi OO LIE Star siete: chow ors eels, nisia' sos ee 550 ‘¢ 90,000 ‘* oe 
Sterns, Third Ave. and 42d St. ...... 600 ‘< 8,000 ‘< Ot 
ce 6e 
iki AQ. eal 4Est tS cococcocoo pau op 600 <* 80,000 
99th street and Second avenue, 7 wells, 88 feet each in drift, total of 
216,000 gallons per day. 
1 See a very quaint and amusing incident in Cozzens, p. 30, seq. 
ies figures from here on have been kindly supplied by Dr. Elwyn 
aller. 
