220 University Geological Survey of Kansas. 
Prospecting Drill Machinery. 
Owing to the fact that the ore bodies lie quite close to the 
surface, in this district, the work of prospect drilling is ren- 
dered comparatively easy. As the holes rarely exceed 300 
feet in depth, much of the difficult work usually attendant 
upon drilling to considerable depths is not experienced, al- 
though the extreme hardness of the flint formation, together 
with its highly fissured condition, requires considerable skill 
on the part of the operators. Many prospecting drill outfits 
brought into the district from the coal and oil fields to the 
north and west, where they have been operating in the soft 
shales and sandstones, have proven to be decided failures 
when operated in the exceedingly hard and highly fissured 
flint formations of this district. 
TO DRILL 
DRIVE WHEEL CRANE 
Fig. 28. Actuating device for a self-contained prospect drilling outfit. 
A form of drilling outfit, known as the carpenter’s rig, which 
is, in fact, a typical oil well drill, is occasionally employed 
and does excellent work. 
There are three general types of drilling machines operat- 
ing in the district, all of which are self-contained, and differ 
mainly in method of giving motion to the line of tools. 
Following is a brief description of the actuating devices 
