A wonderful artesian well is in flourishing activity at Huron, N. D. It throws a stream 100 feet high, and the flow is estimated at from 8,000 to 10,000 gallons a minute.
ST. WINIFRED’S WELL.
One of the most copious springs in Great Britain is the famed St. Winifred’s well, near the town of Holywell, in Flintshire. The well is an oblong square, about twelve feet by seven, and its water, say the people of the district, has never been known to freeze. This latter assertion may be true, as besides containing a fair percentage of mineral matter that lowers its freezing point, the well is inside a beautiful chapel, which was erected over it by Queen Margaret, the mother of Henry VII. The water thrown up is not less than eighty-four hogsheads every minute, and the quantity appears to vary very little either in drouth or after the heaviest rain, showing doubtless that its primitive sources are numerous and widely distributed. Sir Winifred’s has been the object of many pilgrimages.
MONTEZUMA’S WELL.
One of the most pleasing natural curiosities in the Territory of Arizona is the pool of water known as Montezuma’s well. It is situated fifteen miles northeast of the old abandoned military post known as Cape Verde. It is 25 feet in diameter, and the clear, pure water is about sixty feet below the surface of the surrounding country. Some years ago certain military officers sounded the pool and found that it had a uniform depth of eighty feet of water, except in one place, apparently about six feet square, where the sounding line went down about 500 feet without touching bottom.
The well empties into Beaver Creek, only about 100 yards distant, the water gushing forth from the rocks as though it were under great pressure. The well is undoubtedly supplied from subterranean sources, possibly through the hole sounded by the army officers years ago. The sides of the well are honeycombed with caves and tunnels, permitting sightseers to descend to the water’s edge.
Montezuma’s well contains no fish. The flow of water from it is the same throughout the season. Popular opinion has attributed the origin of the well to volcanic action, but as the rock surrounding it is limestone, it is more than probable that the action of the water is responsible for its creation.—Native American.