Well….How did they do it?

Highbeam · Jul 6, 2007

I would like to think that I could do it but honestly I would start getting chicken about 10 feet down if hand digging it myself.

There are plenty of slick modern ways to do it now with augers. We bore and jack casings horizontally for water mains where open trenches are not feasible. Turn the machine vertical and go for it.

Then there are the sewer manholes that are more than 50 feet deep and laid in brick. So deep that the stars are visible in daytime sun when looking up from the bottom.

Great thread. I love the pictures. I would hate to fall down one of those while walking in a field. Remember the Goonies movie? The well entered a cavern on the tunnel to the treasure.

hitekcountry · Jul 6, 2007

Jimbown

That’s a scary one you’ve got there. I can tell you from experience that those steel casings will deteriorate to the point that they’re no stronger than rotted cardboard. Eventually you will have a hole with no support. Worst case scenario would be you or someone standing next to the hole when it decides to collapse.

I haven’t decided what to do with mine but for now I have a massive platform that I built over the top.

There are critters living down there, or at least one frog for sure.

lopezian · Jul 6, 2007

Highbeam said:
Then there are the sewer manholes that are more than 50 feet deep and laid in brick. So deep that the stars are visible in daytime sun when looking up from the bottom.

I'm not sure I agree with this old wives tale.

Stars Visible from Well (snopes.com)

bones1 · Jul 6, 2007

Interesting reading about the stars and wells.Jimbrown, are you sure that is not over an abandoned missle site?.

LC '92 · Jul 6, 2007

I have a well on my place that uses the old clay tiles. It is about 40' feet deep but dry as a powder house. I had thought that it was a cistern, but perhaps it is a shallow well. Usually cisterns here are bottle shaped underground and not very deep so this lends credence to it being a well.

Here in my part of Texas our shallow water table should make this well fill with water, especially with all the rain we have gotten this year. Do these things ever stop up and need to be dug out at the bottom? Not that I'm going down there to do it, but just as a point of interest.

I really wish it had water in it as I could use it for watering animals and plants. If I thought it was fixable, I might just try and find someone to clean it out.

Highbeam · Jul 7, 2007

lopezian said:
I'm not sure I agree with this old wives tale.

Stars Visible from Well (snopes.com)

Good call Lopezian, lots of old and experienced folks still believe that and tell me about it. Now I can tell them that they are full of you know what. Ha!

jinman · Jul 7, 2007

LC '92 said:
I really wish it had water in it as I could use it for watering animals and plants. If I thought it was fixable, I might just try and find someone to clean it out.

There are bound to be lots of other shallow wells in your area. I'd ask around with neighbors to see if you can find one to use for reference. I think most shallow wells will silt in over time if not maintained. Also, some people have used them as trash pits and covered the trash with dirt. There's just no telling what may have been done. Water tables can and do change, especially for shallow wells, but a neighbor's well would be a good point of reference to start from. You're not too far from TxDon and Mikim, so they may even know some info on wells that could help. I do know there are lots of surface springs in that area too. Good luck finding info.

Jimbrown · Jul 7, 2007

bones1 said:
.Jimbrown, are you sure that is not over an abandoned missle site?.

Boy I wish it was. I woud love to own one of those big old sites. There is a guy over in the Tucson area who is living in one of them. They came with water and full backup generators.