﻿716 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  would 
  the 
  ground 
  water 
  be 
  lowered 
  if 
  either 
  3,000,000 
  to 
  4,000,000 
  

   gallons 
  per 
  day 
  were 
  taken, 
  or 
  even 
  as 
  small 
  a 
  quantity 
  as 
  700,000 
  

   gallons 
  per 
  day? 
  It 
  is 
  obvious 
  that 
  the 
  answer 
  must 
  be 
  that 
  it 
  

   would 
  only 
  be 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  before 
  water 
  would 
  be 
  exhausted 
  from 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  and 
  any 
  waterworks 
  constructed 
  with 
  a 
  ground 
  

   water 
  supply, 
  a 
  failure. 
  

  

  As 
  to 
  why 
  it 
  is 
  improbable 
  that 
  this 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  can 
  be 
  

   obtained, 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  reasons 
  : 
  

  

  1) 
  The 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Niagara 
  and 
  Clinton 
  groups 
  as 
  existing 
  

   at 
  and 
  about 
  Lockport 
  are, 
  above 
  the 
  Medina 
  sandstone, 
  close- 
  

   textured 
  — 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  much 
  water 
  in 
  them. 
  

  

  2) 
  The 
  overlying 
  surface 
  soil 
  is 
  strong, 
  compact 
  clay, 
  making 
  

   it 
  impossible 
  that 
  any 
  considerable 
  quantity 
  of 
  rainfall 
  penetrate 
  

   the 
  soil 
  and 
  to 
  and 
  into 
  the 
  rocks. 
  

  

  3) 
  The 
  inclination 
  of 
  the 
  strata 
  is 
  from 
  northeast 
  to 
  south- 
  

   west, 
  rendering 
  it 
  impossible 
  that 
  water 
  in 
  or 
  between 
  the 
  strata 
  

   run 
  towards 
  Lockport. 
  Its 
  natural 
  course 
  is 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  city. 
  

  

  The 
  material 
  for 
  demonstrating 
  these 
  three 
  propositions 
  exists 
  

   in 
  considerable 
  detail, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  writer's 
  object 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  present 
  

   to 
  write 
  a 
  treatise 
  on 
  well 
  supplies 
  but 
  merely 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  

   saliently 
  a 
  few 
  reasons 
  why 
  such 
  supplies 
  are 
  mostly 
  impossible 
  

   in 
  New 
  York 
  the 
  matter 
  is 
  not 
  pursued, 
  aside 
  from 
  the 
  paragraphs 
  

   following, 
  any 
  further 
  at 
  this 
  time. 
  

  

  As 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  just 
  discussed, 
  in 
  Water 
  Sup- 
  

   ply 
  and 
  Irrigation 
  paper 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Geological 
  

   Survey, 
  No. 
  61 
  — 
  Preliminary 
  List 
  of 
  Deep 
  Borings 
  in 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  — 
  by 
  N. 
  H. 
  Darton, 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  extensive 
  list 
  of 
  

   deep 
  borings 
  scattered 
  over 
  New 
  York. 
  Mr 
  Darton 
  states 
  that 
  

   in 
  Allegany 
  county 
  there 
  are 
  over 
  6500 
  borings, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  3000 
  

   feet 
  deep. 
  Aside 
  from 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  wells, 
  which 
  yield 
  from 
  50 
  

   to 
  70 
  gallons 
  per 
  minute 
  of 
  good 
  water, 
  the 
  balance 
  of 
  the 
  deep 
  

   wells 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  contain 
  either 
  gas, 
  salt 
  or 
  mineral 
  water. 
  Deep 
  

   wells, 
  almost 
  without 
  exception, 
  are 
  failures 
  as 
  regards 
  furnishing 
  

   potable 
  water. 
  There 
  are 
  so 
  many 
  experiments 
  upon 
  this 
  point 
  

   as 
  to 
  render 
  the 
  boring 
  of 
  a 
  deep 
  well 
  for 
  a 
  water 
  supply 
  in 
  New 
  

   York 
  State 
  useless, 
  although 
  it 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  overlooked 
  that 
  a 
  

   few 
  of 
  the 
  wells 
  furnish 
  potable 
  water, 
  but 
  the 
  chance 
  of 
  finding 
  

   such 
  is 
  so 
  small 
  as 
  to 
  put 
  such 
  wells 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  list 
  for 
  public 
  

   water 
  supplies. 
  At 
  any 
  rate, 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  understood 
  that 
  the 
  

   finding 
  of 
  potable 
  water 
  in 
  a 
  deep 
  well 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  chance. 
  

  

  It 
  appears, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  aside 
  from 
  occasional 
  limited 
  sup- 
  

   plies 
  of 
  spring 
  water 
  and 
  the 
  lakes 
  throughout 
  the 
  eastern 
  portion 
  

  

  