W. H. PRATT. AN ARTESIAN WELL AT MOLIJfE, ILL. 181 



An Artesian Well at M aline. 



BV \V. H. PRATT. 



The Hon. S. W. Wheelock, Mayor of Moline and proprietor of the 

 paper mill at that place, finding- it desirable to procure purer water 

 for the pur})oses of manufacture of printing paper than the river af- 

 fords, and also at less expense for pumping', has recently bored an 

 Artesian well close beside his mill and near the river liank. 



The following- is a section of the sti-ata ])assed through, from the 

 best data 1 could obtain: 



Surface soil 7 feel. 



Devonian limestone 113 feet. 



Niagara limestone 375 feet. 



Maquoketa shales 320 feet. 



Galena and Trenton limestones 330 feet. 



Sandy shales and streaks of sandstone 141 feet. 



St. Peters sandstone 05 feet. 



Red marl and limestone 31f) feet. 



Potsdam sandstone (supposed) 131 feet. 



Limestone 50 feet. 



At the depth of o3 feet they met with a cave in the limestone rock 

 of the depth of '^8 feet — its othei- dimensions of course unknown — 

 and either empty or occupied l)y loose clayey matei-ial. 



At the depth of 700 feet from the surface a vein of sti-ong- sulphur 

 water was reached, whi(di furnished a constant oveiHow in consid- 

 erable quantity. 



The whole depth of the well, measuring from the surface, which 

 is eleven feet above low water mark of the Mississi])pi river at Dav- 

 enport, is 1()28 feet. The l)ore is six inches in diameter for the first 

 80 feet, and from thei'e down five inches. A six inch pi|)e was driv- 

 en down past the cave above numtioned. 



The well is now fitted with a pipe of four inches internal diam- 

 eter, and an immense volume of the purest water lushes out with 

 great force. It is cfeai- as crystal, has a very slight udneral taste, 

 and a temperature of ('>2, F. 



The gauge indicates a pressure of o5 pounds to the inch, which 

 is suilicient to raise the water to the height of 81 feet above the sur- 

 face, giving- a theoretical velocity of discharge of 72 feet per sec- 

 ond. This, estimating a solid stream discharged through a pipe or 

 nozzle of three inches diameter, (and the present discharg-e is prob- 

 ably equivalent to that) would give 1500 gallons a minute; but fric- 



