1889-90.] NATURAL HISTORY OF GROUND WATERS. 163 



power. This will, however, depend upon the character of the 

 superjacent layers If pervious, the water will on account of this 

 pressure tend to rise to the surface. If, on the other hand, tenacious 

 clays overlie these pervious layers, as is the case over a large portion of 

 the Province, then these waters will rise to the surface only where 

 denudations and erosions exist, as in the case of river valleys, causing 

 springs, or where borings or dug-wells passing down through the per- 

 vious beds make a channel by which the tendency of the water to rise to 

 the level of the head which it has can come into play. That this rise of 

 waters in driven wells take place will depend, however, upon whether 

 there is any hindrance to such underground streams following further in 

 such pervious strata along the incline or dip which we have already sup- 

 posed to exist in the underlying rock strata. 



In other words, the occurrence of an artesian well depends upon the 

 following conditions, as well expressed by Prof. Laveratt, who has exa- 

 mined largely into the question of public water supplies in the western 

 prairie States : — (i) A pervious water-bearing stratum ; (2) an imper- 

 vious stratum below ; (3) a second impervious stratum above the water- 

 bearing stratum ; (4) these strata must be mclined or have a dip ; 

 (5) there must be no adequate outlet for the water at a lower level than 

 where the boring is made ; (6) a sufficient collecting area or reservoir 

 with superficial porous strata ; (7) the collecting area must have sufficient 

 elevation to act as a fountain-head ; (8j there must be a continuity of 

 the permeable bed ; (9) there must be no flaw or break in either of the 

 confining beds. Chamberlain has given the dip necessary as being one 

 foot per mile. P'rom these several conditions it becomes apparent that 

 though one or several of them may be present, yet the conjunction of all 

 of them is not by any means to be expected in all parts of the Province, 

 although the numerous borings being made, especially in the western 

 portion of the Province, for water, salt, oil or gas give evidence that 

 such supplies of water are much more numerous than we at first might 

 expect. 



The details which we have just given are applicable in explaining the 

 source, extent and progression of ground-waters on the broad scale. 

 The most cursory examination, however, of the upper soils of many dis- 

 tricts in the Province shows that the great proportion of ordinary well 

 water is as yet got from comparatively shallow wells, there being present 

 in most districts alternating local pervious and impervious strata, making 

 wells yielding water possible within fifteen to fifty feet of the surface. In 

 other parts, as in many portions of the western peninsula, shallow exca- 

 vations through alluvium down to impervious clays becoming reservoirs 



