Alexander County IL Archives History - Books .....Chapter XI Geological Formations 1910 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com September 19, 2007, 4:37 pm Book Title: A History Of The City Of Cairo Illiniois CHAPTER XI GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS-THE SIGNAL STATION-THE RIVER GAUGE-TEMPERATURES AND RAIN-FALLS THE geological formations of that part of the valley of the Mississippi extending from a point or line a few miles north of Cairo to the Gulf, and of the width of a few miles at Cairo and of many miles at the Gulf, is well known. This long strip of land or country is a kind of widening trough, into which the flowing waters have carried an ocean of sand and silt for ages. It is said that an arm or bay of the Gulf, in very early times, extended to the chain of hills a few miles north of us and constituting a part of the present Ozark range of mountains. It is further said that the Ohio River once ran some miles north of its present course from the hills in Pope County, and following somewhat the course of the little French River, the Cache, united with the Mississippi some distance above its present place of union with that river; and also, that the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers united at Paducah, and followed the present course of the Ohio from there to Cairo. May it not be reasonably well supposed that the tendency of uniting rivers is to extend the point of junction further and further in the direction of their resultant course? Be that as it may, it is well established that this part of the great valley for hundreds of feet in depth consists for the most part of alternating strata of sand and gravel of varying degrees of fineness, that is, of very fine to very coarse sand and gravel. Many of us remember the first driven wells we had in Cairo and of the one or two very deep wells sunken by Mr. Jacob Klein, one of which was of the depth of 300 feet or more. Mr. Gerould, of the gas company, had charge of this work for Mr. Klein. It was indeed interesting to see the character of the pure and almost white sand brought from the depths below, varying in little else besides its degree of fineness. For a few feet more or less it was very fine and then very coarse. We cannot devote much space to this matter, but beg the privilege of quoting a few pages from the report of Mr. L. C. Glenn, of the United States Geological Survey, entitled "Under-ground Waters of Tennessee and Kentucky West of Tennessee River, and of an Adjacent Area in Illinois." It is Water-Supply and Irrigation paper No. 164, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1906. The theory of the course of the Ohio River ages ago is regarded as probably but not certainly true, as therein given. Embayment Area in Illinois.-"In Illinois, the Gulf Embayment Area includes the south-eastern part of Alexander County, all of Pulaski County south of the chain of swamps in its northern portion, and a very narrow strip in Pope County along its southern boundary. "This area in Illinois may be divided into two portions that differ from each other in their surface topography and elevation. One portion comprises the low, flat alluvial plains of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The other portion is a rolling to hilly upland. "Flood plain.-The alluvial plains extend as a broad belt from Santa Fe down the Mississippi to Cairo and thence as a narrow belt up the Ohio to a point) a few miles above Mound City, where the upland bluffs on the Illinois side close in on the river and continue with but slight interruption to a point a short distance north of Metropolis. There the flood plain again begins and widens as it extends up the river until it attains a width of several miles in the bend at Paducah. This flood plain extends up the Ohio beyond the limits of the gulf embayment region. "The elevation of this low plain is about 320 feet at Cairo and about 340 or 350 feet along the edge bordering the upland. In places the alluvial plain and the upland meet along a sharply defined line, the upland surface rising abruptly as a steep-sided bluff. In other places, the two types of surface meet and merge with gentler slopes. "Cache River Valley.-The flood plain of Cache River below Ullin is a part of this alluvial plain and is covered by backwater during floods. Above Ullin, the valley of the Cache is a continuation of the same plain, though it is bordered on the south by a rolling upland that rises a hundred feet or more above it. "The Cache River valley is an abandoned valley of Ohio River, and to this fact it owes its width, flat surface, and low grade. The Ohio formerly turned westward three or four miles below Golconda and followed the valley of Big Bay Creek for some distance, then continued westward to the present Cache River through the depression now occupied by the chain of swamps in northern Massac County. The Cumberland and Tennessee rivers then united at Paducah and followed the present course of the Ohio from there to Cairo. "Uplands.-The upland region includes all of Pulaski County lying southeast of the Cache River valley and north of the Mississippi and Ohio flood plain, which extends, as has been stated, a short distance north of Mound City, It also includes all of Massac County south of the chain of swamps which crosses its northern part, except the strip of Ohio flood plain in its southwestern part, and a small area of Pope County adjacent to the Massac County line. The upland has a rolling to hilly surface whose average elevation is 375 to 450 feet above sea level." As to other geological features of this locality, the reader is referred to the tables or logs taken from the above described government publication. They relate chiefly to the artesian wells in the city and in the Cairo Drainage District. I am indebted to Major Edwin W. Halliday for the pamphlet containing the above information and table. For information about almost everything of a practical nature, most of us have been accustomed to go to Major Halliday. The Signal Station.-The two following papers were very kindly furnished me by Mr. William E. Barren, the local forecaster of the Weather Bureau of Cairo. "The Weather Bureau is a branch of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, established July 1, 1891, to take charge of the meteorological work of the Government which had grown up since 1870, under the Signal Service of the War Department. "The first reports of this service were gathered Nov. 1, 1870, from twenty-four stations. The station at Cairo, Illinois, was established June 1, 1871. At that time there were only forty-nine stations; now (1910) there are over two hundred regular observing stations, besides a large number of special and co-operating stations of various kinds. Sergeant Henry Fenton was the first officer in charge at Cairo and the office was located in the old City National Bank building on the Ohio levee. It has been in the present location in the Custom House since July 1, 1877. "Cairo is situated in latitude 37° 00.8' N., longitude 89° 11.6' W. Local mean time is three minues faster than Central Standard or 90th meridian time. "The instruments in use at the Cairo station are as follows: Maximum and minimum thermometers, dry-bulb and wet-bulb thermometers, psychrometer, Richards thermograph, mercurial barometers, Richards barograph, anemometers, anemoscope or wind vane, self-recording rain gauge, snow gauge, electric sunshine recorder, and meteorograph or triple register." Accompanying this paper was a very interesting table giving the highest and lowest temperatures and the dates thereof, the highest and lowest water in the rivers and the dates thereof, and the rainfalls, since the establishment of the Station in 1871, up to the present year, a period of thirty-nine years. It will be found in the last chapter of the book. I am sure it will be found very useful to almost every person of this section of the country. The River Gauge. We have to thank Mr. Barren, also, for the following paper concerning the River Gauge: "The river gauge is located on the Ohio levee at the foot of Fourth Street. It was established in 1871 by Col. William E. Merrill, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A. The high water of March 20, 21, and 22, 1867, was equivalent to 51.0 feet on this gauge. The portion of the gauge above the 9-foot mark was reconstructed by the Weather Bureau in 1903, and from 9 to 50 feet consists of steel I beams laid in a bed of concrete nearly flush with surface of the levee, making an angle of about 11° 15' with the horizontal. The zero of the gauge is 270.9 feet above mean tide level at Biloxi, Mississippi. The gauge is graduated in feet and tenths of elevation from -2 to 55 feet." ARTESIAN WELLS In and near Cairo several deep wells have been sunk. The location and logs of several of them are as follows: The first deep boring is at the power station of the Cairo Electric Light and Power Company, on lot 29, city block 26, and was drilled in 1896-97 to a depth of 1,040 feet. The diameter is 10 inches at the top and decreases to 6 1/2 inches at the bottom. The log is as follows: LOG OF WELL OF CAIRO ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER CO., CAIRO, ILL. Thickness Depth Feet Feet Soil 4.5 4.5 Sandy blue clay 50.5 55 Sand and gravel, similar to river deposit 60 115 Sand with kaolin partings 15 130 Kaolin 4 134 Sand with a few thin layers of kaolin and traces of shale and lignite 240 374 Shale oe marl, slate colored 124 498 Very soft sand 20 518 Partings of shale and lignite 5 523 Chert of "Elco" gravel 177 700 Chert pebbles 5 705 Hard reddish calcareous sandstone; no water in it 335 1040 From the sand at 498-518 feet water rose to the surface and flowed about a gallon a minute. The following sanitary analysis of this water was made at the University of Illinois by Prof. A. W. Palmer: ANALYSIS OF WATER OBTAINED BETWEEN 498 AND 5l8 FROM WELL OF CAIRO ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY, CAIRO, ILL. Parts per million Nitrogen as free ammonia 0.35 Nitrogen as albuminoid ammonia .022 Nitrogen as nitrites .009 Nitrogen as nitrates .204 Chlorine as chlorides 83 Oxygen consumed 3.4 Total solids by evaporation 365 Fixed residue 348 Volatile matter (loss on ignition) 17.1 Comments of analyst: "Too much time-ten days-had elapsed between collection of analysis to be sure of sanitary condition, though it is probably satisfactory. The mineral matter consists mainly of carbonate of lime, with some sodium chloride and very little sulphate. Not excessively hard. Not likely to form a hard scale in boilers." Professor Palmer also analyzed the water from the 705-foot level, with the following results: ANALYSIS OF WATER FROM DEPTH OF 705 FEET IN WELL OF CAIRO ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY, CAIRO, ILL. (Parts per million) 1 2 Nitrogen as free ammonia 0.36 0.36 Nitrogen as albuminoid ammonia 0.016 0.02 Nitrogen as nitrites None None Nitrogen as nitrates 0.06 0.06 Chlorine as chlorides 110 110 Oxygen consumed 1.4 1.2 Total solids by evaporation 356 353 Fixed residue 346 339 Volatile matter (loss on ignition) 10 14 Hardness 115 Comments of analyst: "Of exceptional purity and perfectly safe and wholesome for drinking. Hardness is quite moderate." The two samples were taken at the same time. The Halliday Hotel well, on lot 24, hotel addition to city of Cairo, has practically the same log as the one given above. The boring went to 824 feet, but there was no increase of water below the 700-foot level. It was drilled in 1897; diameter at the top 8 inches, at the bottom 4 1/2 inches; temperature 62° F.; head 12 feet above the surface. A well on the W. P. Halliday estate, near the mouth of Cache River, in about the center of the NE. 1/4 sec. 2, T. 17 S., R. 1 W., in Alexander County, had the following log: LOG OF HALLIDAY WELL IN THE NE. 1/4 SEC. 2. T. 17 S., R. 1 W., ILLINOIS Thickness Depth Feet Feet Soil and blue clay (buckshot) 40 40 Sand and gravel; drift with kaolin partings 104 144 Brown shale or marl 112 256 Gray sand 54 310 Chert, fractured-"flint rock" 72 382 Dark brown sand 10 392 Chert fractured-"flint rock" 34 426 White sand 42 468 Flint rock with slight fractures 62 730 Flint pebbles 7 737 Flint Rock 69 806 From the last 7 feet water with a head of 12 feet flows at an estimated rate of half a million gallons a day. There was no increase in water below 735 feet. Drilled in 1898; temperature 62° F. Another well at E. W. Halliday's residence on lot 16, block 70, between Ninth and Tenth and Walnut and Cedar Streets, in Cairo, had the following log: LOG OF WELL AT RESIDENCE OF E. W. HALLIDAY, LOT 16, BLOCK 70, CAIRO., ILL. Thickness Depth Feet Feet Soil and friable blue clay (loess or terrace) 50 50 White sand with thin partings of kaolin (Lagrange) 325 375 Gray shale or marl (Porters Creek) 130 505 Fine, closely compacted white sand (Ripley) 24 529 Flint rock but slight fractures (Paleozoic) 220 749 Flint pebbles 4 753 Hard calcareous sandstone. 58 811 From the 753-foot level there is a flow of 60 gallons per minute, with a head of 12 feet above the surface. The temperature is 62° F. Four hundred gallons per minute may be pumped. There are other similar wells at several manufacturing establishments in Cairo and the records run much the same. The temperature seems to be 62° F. in each case, and the static head is the same. The material described as flint is a very light colored chert of Mississippi age that is exposed in a 150 or 200 foot face at a quarry between Tamms and Elco, from which it is extensively shipped for railroad ballast and road material. In this locality it is highly fractured, so that it is virtually of macadam size without crushing. As struck in wells it is in some places massive and solid, while in others it is seamed and broken, and is then called gravel by the drillers, though in neither wells nor in the Elco gravel quarry is the material waterworn or rounded, being simply mechanically disintegrated chert still in place. We know very little concerning the site of the city, save that it is of very recent origin. The point between the rivers may have had a very slow southward movement or been now and then cut off and moved back northward. Certain it is, that what was the point sixty years ago was the point one hundred and three years ago when the first government survey was made. From the most southern east and west line of that survey, within a few hundred feet of the point, to the foot of the yellow clay and gravel hills at Mounds, we have the distance of seven or eight miles. These hills, which extend north of Villa Ridge and over to the Ohio River, are old compared to the alluvial plain south of Mounds. They have, no doubt, the same origin as that of the Wickliffe and Columbus hills in the so-called Gulf embayment area. At no distant time in the past the two rivers may have united just south of Mounds. Their present general direction at Mound City and at or near Beech Ridge, where the distance between them is about six miles, would indicate that they may have once united just below Mounds or some six or seven miles north of us. The site of the city may have existed a number of centuries, save that it has been narrowed and widened from time to time and elevated somewhat by the rivers. The grounds south and west of the Mississippi levee afford us a good illustration of made land, as it is sometimes called. None of it is one hundred years old. It would require a hundred years yet to make it what the site of the city was in 1818, so far as the timber growth' is concerned. Additional Comments: Extracted from: A HISTORY OF THE CITY OF CAIRO ILLINOIS BY JOHN M. LANSDEN WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS CHICAGO R. R. DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY 1910 COPYRIGHTED, 1910 BY JOHN M. LANSDEN The Lakeside Press R. R. DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY CHICAGO File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/alexander/history/1910/ahistory/chapteri125gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/ File size: 18.6 Kb