Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 87, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1911 — WATERS OF PLAINS [ARTICLE]

WATERS OF PLAINS

Underground Rivers Are Source of Supply in Texas. Interesting Pact Developed by Dynamite Blast While Driving Well Near Plalnview—First Authentic Revelation. Plain view, Tex. —By accident a matter of great interest and concern in connection with the water situation on the plains has just been cleared up near here. While drilling a well on El Dowden's place, five miles west of Plain view, the driller struck & big boulder in the 14-inch hole a few feet below the bottom of the dug pit. To get this boulder out of the way it became necessary to put in a heavy dynamite blast. As a result of this blast a large cavity was made in the drilled hole, and as the water cleared within a remarkably short time after the blast, Mr. Dowden decided to make erly arranged he managed to get an excellent focus on the cavity made by the blast, and to his amazement saw that the water was rushing like a rivulet around the shattered boulder, which had been encountered in the second vein of water. For some time there has been much argument and speculation as to whether the great underground water supply here was a flow or an underground lake. The Dowden discovery certainly tends to substantiate the flow theory. This is the first authentic revelation along the line, and will be followed by more thorough investigation. The water conditions on the plains, and particularly in this immediate section, certainly affords a groat Said tor scientific investigation, practical study and general interest. The first vein of water here is found at a depth varying from 25 to 40 feet depth, to a great extent, desponding upon topography. The first vein of water doesn't receive much consideration here, but in most counties it would be considered a bonanza it is the Vein, however., from which most of the windmill supply water has so far been obtained, but few of the old-time wells going below It, and it has never yet been exhausted. The second vein is found at a uniform depth of 26 feet below the first, and no kind of pump has so far exhausted Its supply, but the jumbo vein ‘is found at a depth ranging from 100 to 150 feet. And by reason of common but eroueous phraseology many people draw wrong conclusions as to the depth of wells now being put down for Irrigation purposes. A.man speaking of a well here, perhaps his own, will say that it is 190 or 150 feet to water, as the case may be when he really means it is that deep to the third, or jumbo vein, and as result of

this error the impression is going about the country that it is that depth to the water. If that were true it would make irrigation here impractical, but it is seriously erroneous. The first vein of writer rises about 3 feet, which In a well 25 feet would bring the water to within 22 feet of the surface. When the second vein is struck the water generally rises another foot or two, and this is maintained when the third vein ta struck. Take a well, for instance that is 120 feet deep, which Is a little above the general average, »t would be 25 feet or thereabouts, to the first vein and 96 to the second, and there would be 104 feet of water In the well, standing within 21 feet of the surface, and this is a reasonably fair average upon which the water situation here may be based and calculated.