Page:Federal Reporter, 1st Series, Volume 8.djvu/284

 ^70 FBDEBAL REPOBTBB. �Thomas IUchardsow, for plaintiffs. �No counsel for defendant. �Blatchford, C. J. This suit is brought on re-issued letters patent No. 4,372, granted to Nelson W. Green, one of the plaintiffs, May 9, 1871, for an "improvemont in the methods of constructing artesian ■wells;" the original patent, No. 73,425, having been granted to said Green, as inventor, January 14, 1868, on an application filed March ,17, 1866. The specification of the re-issue says: �" My invention is particularly intended for the construction of artesian wells in places where no rock is to be penetrated. The methods of construct- ing wells previous to this invention were what have been kno wu "as ' sinking ' and ' boring,' in both of which the hole or opening constituting the well was produced by taking away a portion of the earth or rock through which it was made. This invention consists in producing the well by driving or forcing down an instrument' into the grotind untiT it reaohes the water, the hole or opening being thus made by a mere • displacement of the earth, which is packed around the instrument, and not removed upward from the hole, as it is in bqring. The instrument to be employed in producing such a ivell, which, to histiiiguish it from ' sunk ' or ' bored ' wells, maybe termed a ' driven well,' may be any that is capable of sustaining the blows or pressure necessary to drive it into the earth; but 1 pi'efer to eniploy a pointed rod, which, after having been driven or forced down until it reaehes the water, I withdraw, and replace by a tube made air-tight. throughout its length, except at or near its lower end, where I make openings or perforations for the admission of water, and through and from which the water may be drawn by any well- known or suitable form of purap. In certain soils, the use of a rod prepara- toryto the insertion of a tube is unnecessiiry, as the tobeitself, through which the water is to be draWn, may be the instrument which produces the well by the aet of driving it into the ground to the requisite depth. To enable others to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawing, in which figure 1 represents a portion of the pointed rod above mentioned, and figure 2 a portion of the tube which forms the casing or lin- ing of the well. TJie driving rod. A, I coustruct of woad or irou or othcr metal, or of parts, of each, with a sharp point, 6, of steel or otherwise, to pene- trate the earth, and a slight s well, a, a short distance: above the point, to, make the hole slightly larger than the generaldiameterof the rod. This rod I drive.bya.falling weight or other power, into the earth, uritil its point passes sufliciently far into the water to procure the desiredsupply. I thea withdraw the rod and insert in its place the air-tight iron or wooden tube, B, which may be slightly coutracted at its lower end, to insure its easy passage to its place. In gener.'il, this tube, B, I make.of iron, and of a thickness that will bear a, force applied at its upper extremity sufflcieiit to drive or force it to its place; aud, where a large or continuous flow of water is deslred, I per- forate this, tube near its lower end, to admit the water more freely to the inside. The perforations, c, ni^ybe about oaerhalf of .an inch in diameter, less or more, and from one to eue and a luilf inches apart, and the perforations ��� �