194 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 
Some years later well number 2 was drilled to the same depth. 
From the beginning of its use it was pumped more hours per day 
than well (1) and there was noticed a marked decrease in the 
hardness of the city water supply. From time to time determina- 
tions of the total solids in the city supply were made and they 
showed 900 to 1,000 parts. On February 25, 1905, a sample of 
water was taken from well (2) alone and showed the total solids 
865 parts, while well number (1) showed on the same day 2,107 
parts per million, which is practically the same as the waters from 
the Carboniferous at this point are known to contain. The writer 
drew the inference that the lower half of the well was filled up, and 
the practical test by running down an iron pipe showed that the 
well was not open below about 800 feet. All efforts to clean it and 
recase it proved unavailing and it was, therefore, abandoned and 
well number 3 begun. Small pieces of casing were removed from 
well (1) and they were full of rust holes. Well (3) is 2,020 feet 
deep and was completed about six months ago. Soon after the 
completion of this well difficulties were experienced in pumping 
well number (2). Shortly after repairs on it the total solids were 
determined and gave 3,207 ; and again, after hard pumping during 
four hours, a determination of February 4th showed 1,211 parts of 
solids per million. Well number (3) which was cased with much 
care showed soon after completion 1,578 parts of solids per million, 
and on April 25, 1907, 1,329 parts. From these records it seems 
certain that the strata at Grinnell and lying below 900 feet are ca- 
pable under the most favorable conditions of supplying water con- 
taining as low as 865 parts of solids, and possibly if the upper 
waters were entirely excluded they might be found to give water 
with as small a content of solids as the same strata give in the 
northeastern part of the state. The records make it equally clear 
that practically an ideal deep well in this locality is difficult to con- 
struct, and to keep in perfect condition, and those who seek water 
supplies from these sandstones, where they are deeply overlaid 
by later formations, should be prepared to get on with a water more 
or less contaminated with harder waters from the upper strata. 
It is probable that the same conditions as at Grinnell have pre- 
vailed more or less in most of the localities where the highest 
strata belong to any system above the Silurian or at most the 
Devonian. 
The further question might naturally arise as to whether there 
are in the state so-called “mineral waters.” Yes, too many. Of 
course the term mineral water has no scientific meaning, as gener- 
