Jacob's Well is one of the longest underwater caves in Texas. From
the opening in the creek bed, the cave descends vertically for about ten
meters, then continues downward at an angle through a series of silted
chambers separated by narrow restrictions, finally reaching a depth of
forty meters.
Through the years, many have successfully
explored the first and second chambers of the well. The first chamber is
a straight drop to about 30 feet; then it angles down to 55 feet.
Nourished by the rays of sunlight that penetrate the crystal water, this
cavern area is bright and is home to algae and wildlife. The second
chamber is a long funnel to 80 feet, where there is a restricted opening
to the third chamber. Inside the second chamber is a false chimney,
which appears to be a way out of the well but has trapped at least one
diver. The third chamber is a small room with a floor of unstable
gravel. Divers must inflate water wings to navigate this chamber
successfully, trying not to stir up silt or dislodge the gravel.
The
passage into the fourth chamber is very tight. The few who have seen
the fourth chamber say it is "virgin cave" with fantastic limestone
formations and no gravel. Covering the bottom is fine silt that can
totally obscure vision when kicked up by one misstep.
Ironically,
there was a time when it was impossible to descend into Jacob's Well.
"There's a picture of me at 3 years old at Jacob's Well in the family
album," recalls 79-year-old historian Dorothy Wimberley Kerbow. "My dad
would throw me into the well. You couldn't sink down because the spring
would just bubble you up with such force."
Kerbow recalls that
she and her friends would often visit Jacob's Well in the 1950s, and it
was impossible to go more than two feet below the surface due to the
force of the spring.
In 1924, Jacob’s Well was measured to have a
flow of one hundred and seventy gallons per second (six hundred and
forty liters per second) discharging water six feet into the air. Over
the years, the well’s flow had diminished allowing divers to reach the
deepest chambers. The spring ceased flowing for the first time in
recorded history in 2000, and again in 2008.
The first time the
spring stopped flowing, the event was considered by many as symbolic of
the region's increasing water shortage and quality problems. “It was a
wake-up call for everyone,” recalls landowner David Baker. “We don't
want it to turn into Jacob's Cave."
David Baker has given up his
home to form the Jacob’s Well Natural Area to restore and protect this
sensitive area for future generations.
