BROADHEAD WELL AT ST. LOUIS INSANE ASYLUM. 223 



drill-screw gave wav and left the drill in the well ; it was re- 

 moved in ten hours. The hardest flint rock was met with at 2513 

 ft. On November 14th, 1867, the poles parted at 900 ft. from the 

 surface, also near the top, allowing twenty-seven poles to pass 

 down alongside the lower poles. Twenty-seven new poles had 

 to be made, which, together with taking out the broken poles, 

 retarded the work six days. August 10, 1868, at 3240 ft., the iron 

 of the lower pole broke in the well ; in twenty-eight hours the 

 broken parts were taken out. On the nth of August the pump 

 rope parted. This was the greatest difhculty met with, and ten 

 davs were consumed in making repairs. 



The poles parted often during the work, causing detentions of 

 a few hours, but the loss of time from all causes was less than ten 

 per cent, for 3 years and 5 months. At the beginning of the bor- 

 ing the drill would fall on the bottom 48 to 50 times per minute, 

 at the depth of 3,000 ft. 28 to to 30 times, and at 3843 ft. 20 to 25 

 times. 



It is of great interest to compare this Artesian well with the 

 one at Belcher's Sugar Refinery, in the upper part of the city, 

 about 300 ft. from the banks of the Mississippi, and about 6 miles 

 E.N.E. from the Asylum well. An account of this well by Dr. 

 Litton was published in the Academy's Transactions, vol. i. p. 80. 

 It is, according to Dr. Litton's statement, 420 feet above the sea, 

 and therefore about 180 feet lower than the well at the Asylum, 

 which is nearly on a level with the Compton Hill Reservoir, and 

 600 feet above the Gulf of Mexico. 



The Asylum Well indicates Red Limestone at 790 ft. ; the Bel- 

 cher at 650-I- 180 = 830 ft. From the red marly beds to the White 

 Sandstone there is no material difference in distance in the two 

 wells. 



Salt water was obtained in the Asylum Well at 1040 ft. and in 

 Belcher's at 6io-|-i8o=790, and at 849-1-180^1029 ft. 



The two wells we see possess some common characteristics, 

 but the lower strata in Belcher's Well do not seem to have been 

 recorded with sufficient care. 



