WELL BORING AND TUBING 33 



The chart of well sections shows the relations of the salt 

 beds to each other and to the corniferous limestone. 



WELL BORING AND TUBING 



The method of boring wells for salt is similar in every 

 respect to that in use in boring for oil or gas. The matter 

 of principal importance is the method of tubing the well. 



This subject has not been exhaustively studied for this 

 report and only a few details are here given. 



At Tully an 8 inch pipe is first sunk through the surface 

 drift to the bed rock ; inside of this a 6 inch hole is drilled 

 through the salt deposits. This hole is tubed sufficiently 

 far to cut off all surface water from the well. Inside of this 

 6 inch pipe a 3 inch pipe is suspended, being coupled to the 

 pipes for brine and water in such a manner that water may 

 flow down through the 3 inch pipe and up through the 6 

 inch or vice versa. The well is then operated by forcing 

 water down one pipe into the salt beds where it takes salt 

 into solution and becomes more or less nearly a saturated 

 brine. The brine under pressure, rises to the surface 

 through the other pipe, flows through a conduit to Geddes 

 and is used in the manufacture of soda-ash. For the first 

 six months after a well is bored the fresh water passes down 

 through the 3 inch tube and the brine rises through the space 

 between the tubes; afterwards the method is reversed. 



At Tully water is brought to the wells with a natural head 

 sufficient to force the brine to the surface without the use 

 of pumps. In the Warsaw district it is sometimes customary 

 to allow the surface water to flow into the well and pump 

 out the resulting brine. This is done by the Miller Salt Co. 



The Miller Salt Co. runs the pipe down to the bottom of 

 the well in order to secure only the saturated and heavier 

 brine. The water is outside of the pipe furnished and 

 comes both from above and from springs tapped in the hole. 

 The brine is pumped up inside the pipe. This method 

 necessitates but one hole, differing from the plan of having 

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