Letter from Walter R. Bracken (Las Vegas) to Roscoe Moss (Los Angeles), June 10, 1938

Las Vegas - June 10, 1938. W 23-3-5 (Personal) Mr. Roscoe Moss, Moss Drilling Co., 4360 Worth Street, Los Angeles, Cal. Dear Roscoe: You will recall a little over a year ago you drilled a well here at Las Vegas for the Railroad Company, known as Well No. 3, to a depth of 803 feet and from which we received a flow of more than three million gallons per day, shortly after completion of the well. I was under the impression that our worries would be over for the hot summer months when the heavy drain is placed on our water supply to adequately take care of the demands of the consumers here. However since the advent of hot weather a week or so ago, we have been making regular daily measurements of the amount of water in the reservoir and find it is dropping at an alarming rate. The old well and the springs are holding up in good shape, but a weir measurement of the new well (#3), shows that it has decreased to around 700,000 gallons per day, a loss of almost two and a half million gallons. I am afraid the well is sanding up, and know of no one who could better advise me in this regard than yourself. The log of the well indicates the casing was perforated with 1/2" x 3" holes (5 holes to every 10 inches) from depth 575 to depth 734 ft. which is the end of the casing. This depth embraces a strata of loose gravel. Mr. Moss: #2 June 10, 1938. From depth 461 to 488 is limestone, and from 488 to 575 is red clay. What would be your opinion of further perforating the casing in the limestone strata above mentioned, and do you think this would afford us an additional flow? It might be advisable to bring up the rig and pump this well out, in order to free it from sand and I would very much appreciate your opinion on this also. I am very anxious to restore this well to its original flow and would like to get right after this before we get much further into the coming summer as a serious fire here in the town or any other cause of an abnormal consumption on top of what we now have would certainly place us in a very bad predicament. Will you please write me as soon a you receive this letter and give me the benefit of your advice, together with estimate of cost for further perforating the pipe or pumping out the sand to restore it to normal flow, whichever you think is most advisable in order to secure an additional supply of water to bring our reserves up to a safe level in the reservoir. Thanking you, I remain Very sincerely yours, WALTER R. BRACKEN, Vice-President. Air Mail