LITTON—-ARTESIAN WELL. 81 
that the water of the Mississippi, distant about 300 feet, would 
find an entrance, and from which reservoir an abundant supply o 
this most necessary substance might be obtained, independently 
of the City —— for e she wants of oe Refinery. Ac- 
hard in its properties, rl resem vending more earns ‘of the cae than of 
the river, and unsuited to the wants of the Refinery; and as the 
height to which ry rose was never that of the Mississippi, it is 
scarcely probable it came one this last by percolating through the 
intervening stratum of limestone. 
In the spring of 1849, the geen Well proper, with a bore of 
9 inches in diameter, was commenced, and was —, during 
eighteen months with hand power only ; but, as the rock was 
cherty and hard to penetrate, at the end of that period, pi 219 
feet of rock had been bored through, and the total depth of the 
well was then 249 feet 
In September, 1850, ‘steam power was first employed, and used 
to the termination of the work, and the boring was prosecuted un- 
a February 7th, 1851, with such intermission only as was requi- 
e for unavoidable repairs. . Though 42 days were thus lost, 
oe these five months 208 feet of rock were pierced, and the 
total depth of the well was then 457 feet. The character of the 
strata passed through, and the thickness of each, as recorded in 
the Journal, will be seen by reference to the accompanying 
section. 
‘From February, 7th, 1851, to September 29th, 1851, the work 
was intermitted ; but at the latter date the prosecution of the work 
was commence ed with a bore of 33 inches in diameter, and con- 
tinued until March 22d, 1852; the boring being carried on, night 
and day, from November 18th, 1851. On March 22d, 1852, the 
well had been sunk to the depth of 1351 feet, and during this pe= 
riod of nearly six months $94 feet had been penetrated, From 
March 25th, 1852, to April 30th of the same year, was occupied 
in widening the bore of the first 80 feet of the wl from 9 to 16 
inches in diameter; which accomplished, a large pump was in- 
serted with a view of determining the quantity of water then fur- 
nished, but the — - the experiment proved unsatisfactory. 
From September Ist, 1852, some weeks were employed in 
widening the 33 inch he of the well to a diameter of 63 inches, 
from the depth of 457 feet to that of 1050 feet, in order to in- 
sert a four inch tube of 150 feet in length, to prevent the caving 
in of the shales that were found from 900 to 1050 feet, which had 
proved a source of great trouble, and in a measure had prevented 
prosecutio . : 
On January 6th, 1853, the prosecution of the work was recom- 
menced with a bore of. 33 inches in diameter, and continued up 
to March 11th, — during these fourteen months, though 120 
6 
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