﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  845 
  

  

  such 
  test, 
  together 
  with 
  analyses 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  was 
  submitted 
  to 
  

   the 
  Executive 
  Board 
  on 
  June 
  1, 
  1890. 
  From 
  a 
  sanitary 
  point 
  of 
  

   view 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  considered 
  good, 
  although 
  having 
  a 
  hardness 
  

   of 
  21° 
  and 
  containing 
  a 
  slight 
  amount 
  of 
  sulphureted 
  hydrogen. 
  

   The 
  well 
  was 
  drilled 
  about 
  forty 
  years 
  ago 
  for 
  testing 
  the 
  exist- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  oil 
  in 
  the 
  locality, 
  but 
  on 
  obtaining 
  a 
  large 
  flow 
  of 
  water 
  

   it 
  was 
  partially 
  plugged 
  up 
  and 
  abandoned, 
  and 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  water 
  had 
  been 
  allowed 
  to 
  escape 
  from 
  it 
  for 
  the 
  

   whole 
  time 
  prior 
  to 
  May, 
  1890. 
  Soundings 
  indicated 
  that 
  the 
  

   6.5-inch 
  casing 
  extended 
  twenty 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  at 
  which 
  depth 
  limestone 
  rock 
  was 
  encountered, 
  and 
  at 
  

   a 
  depth 
  of 
  fifty-five 
  feet 
  stones 
  or 
  other 
  obstructions 
  were 
  found. 
  

   The 
  actual 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  boring 
  is 
  not 
  definitely 
  known, 
  but 
  ac- 
  

   cording 
  to 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  persons 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  venture, 
  it 
  

   was 
  continued 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  from 
  140 
  to 
  160 
  feet. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  25th 
  to 
  the 
  31st 
  of 
  May, 
  1890, 
  6,630,000 
  gallons 
  were 
  

   pumped 
  from 
  the 
  well 
  at 
  an 
  average 
  rate 
  of 
  about 
  947,140 
  gal- 
  

   lons 
  in 
  24 
  hours, 
  while 
  the 
  natural 
  flow 
  from 
  the 
  unplugged 
  hole 
  

   before 
  beginning 
  the 
  pumping 
  was 
  about 
  300,000 
  gallons 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  length 
  of 
  time. 
  After 
  the 
  pumping 
  test 
  was 
  ended 
  the 
  

   natural 
  flow 
  continued 
  as 
  before. 
  These 
  results 
  gave 
  promise 
  

   of 
  obtaining 
  a 
  sufficiently 
  large 
  supply 
  for 
  temporary 
  purposes 
  

   at 
  a 
  comparatively 
  small 
  cost, 
  specially 
  if 
  another 
  well 
  of 
  equal 
  

   capacity 
  could 
  be 
  drilled 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  locality. 
  With 
  this 
  object 
  

   in 
  view 
  the 
  well 
  was 
  leased 
  for 
  three 
  years, 
  and 
  a 
  pumping 
  en- 
  

   gine 
  of 
  a 
  capacity 
  of 
  2,000,000 
  gallons 
  per 
  day 
  was 
  purchased. 
  

   Some 
  doubt, 
  however, 
  was 
  entertained 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  perma- 
  

   nency 
  of 
  the 
  flow 
  from 
  the 
  well, 
  chiefly 
  because 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  May 
  

   was 
  very 
  wet, 
  6 
  inches 
  of 
  rainfall 
  having 
  fallen 
  in 
  that 
  month 
  at 
  

   Rochester. 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  June, 
  July 
  and 
  August, 
  1890, 
  were 
  

   very 
  dry, 
  only 
  6.59 
  inches 
  falling 
  in 
  the 
  three 
  months. 
  Accord- 
  

   ingly, 
  before 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  engine, 
  a 
  second 
  and 
  longer 
  

   test 
  was 
  made. 
  

  

  This 
  second 
  test 
  was 
  commenced 
  August 
  18, 
  1890, 
  and 
  continued 
  

   with 
  few 
  intermissions 
  until 
  September 
  10, 
  1890. 
  At 
  the 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  natural 
  flow 
  had 
  greatly 
  diminished, 
  

   and 
  that 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  ran 
  over. 
  After 
  pump- 
  

   ing 
  for 
  one 
  week 
  at 
  the 
  average 
  rate 
  of 
  818,750 
  gallons 
  in 
  24 
  hours, 
  

  

  