﻿GEOLOGY. 
  267 
  

  

  The 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  apparatus 
  necessary 
  for 
  boring, 
  

   including 
  windlass 
  and 
  other 
  tackle, 
  need 
  not 
  exceed 
  

   three 
  hundred 
  dollars. 
  

  

  The 
  subjoined 
  table, 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  wells 
  in 
  Lowndes 
  

   County, 
  exhibits 
  a 
  great 
  inequality, 
  both 
  in 
  depth 
  and 
  

   volume 
  of 
  water. 
  All 
  these 
  are 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  Tombigbee 
  River, 
  and, 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  

   other 
  data, 
  afford 
  no 
  satisfactory 
  indications 
  of 
  the 
  

   inclination 
  of 
  the 
  strata. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  regret, 
  that 
  my 
  inquiries, 
  when 
  

   visiting 
  the 
  prairie 
  district, 
  were 
  not 
  productive 
  of 
  more 
  

   reliable 
  information, 
  on 
  a 
  subject 
  of 
  such 
  prominent 
  

   interest 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  execution 
  of 
  

   these 
  enterprises, 
  have 
  taken 
  little 
  note 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  dip, 
  

   thickness, 
  or 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  strata 
  encountered 
  

   in 
  these 
  borings, 
  and 
  their 
  observations 
  have 
  not 
  gene- 
  

   rally 
  been 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  indicate 
  the 
  likelihood 
  of 
  success, 
  

   or 
  to 
  enable 
  them 
  to 
  form 
  any 
  reasonable 
  inference 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  probable 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  water-bearing 
  strata 
  in 
  

   other 
  localities. 
  The 
  work 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  often 
  prose- 
  

   cuted 
  as 
  a 
  hap-hazard 
  adventure, 
  and 
  success 
  is 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  wholly 
  fortuitous. 
  

  

  I 
  hope 
  I 
  shall 
  succeed 
  hereafter, 
  in 
  acquiring 
  further 
  

   information 
  of 
  more 
  practical 
  value, 
  on 
  this 
  interesting 
  

   subject. 
  

  

  As 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  facts 
  collected 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Colum- 
  

   bus, 
  authorize 
  a 
  conjecture, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  inferred 
  that 
  the 
  

   dip 
  of 
  the 
  strata 
  is 
  to 
  the 
  southwest, 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  about 
  

   twenty-five 
  feet 
  to 
  the 
  mile. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  present 
  stage 
  of 
  our 
  investigations, 
  and 
  the 
  

   experience 
  we 
  have 
  acquired, 
  it 
  is 
  perhaps 
  idle 
  to 
  specu- 
  

   late 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  upon 
  the 
  probability 
  of 
  finding 
  water- 
  

  

  