Well drilling in Molotschna 1

Recent reading in the collected papers of Johann Cornies uncovered an interesting description of well drilling in 1825 Molotschna. I will write more later about Cornies; for now it is sufficient to note that he was the most influential leader in Molotschna during the first decades of its existence.

In a letter written 4 November 1825 to Andrei M. Fadeev, a governmental official, Cornies recounts his success in drilling for water in an area roughly 20 miles southwest of Molotschna colony itself, in a stretch of undeveloped land that was being considered for settlement. What is intriguing is not the location of the drilling but rather the process of drilling itself. Cornies writes:

Your Honour,

I have the honour to report that I found water at no great expense, using a ground auger built of wood, which can be moved from place to place with little difficulty. It can be operated by eight men and can drill ten to eleven sazhen on a day as is short as is normal for this time of year. The government’s heavy iron auger, on the other hand, requires at least twenty-five men to operate with great additional effort and expense.

Using the auger I invented, I found water in the Tashchenak in two spots at a depth of ten arshins: at thirteen arshins on site No. 1, and at nine arshins in one spot of site No. 2. In Orta Otluk, the levels were thirteen arshins at site No. 1, twenty-six arshins at site No. 2, and twenty-one arshins at site No. 3. In the Ovrakh of the Orta Otluk, at its peak, water was found in three spots at thirty-three arshins at site No. 1, fifteen at site No. 2, and forty-one at No. 3. …

Wells cannot be lined with wood this autumn because of a wood shortage. Especially thick planks are needed to make deep wells durable and long-lasting. A simple inexpensive pump could be constructed to provide settlers and livestock easier access to water. (Cornies 2015, text 34)

The following post will comment on and explain some of the details recorded, not least the depths drilled using this human-powered drilling technique.

Work Cited

Cornies, Johann. 2015. Transformation on the Southern Ukrainian Steppe: Letters and Papers of Johann Cornies. Volume 1: 1812–1835. Translated by Ingrid I. Epp. Edited by Harvey L. Dyck, Ingrid I. Epp, and John R. Staples. Tsarist and Soviet Mennonite Studies. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.