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Jacob’s Well, in Wimberley, Texas, is one of the most
dangerous places on Earth. Named after a biblical reference, the well
has claimed the lives of over eight divers, but judging by the large
number of thrill seekers who choose to dive in it, that doesn’t scare
many people.
On the surface, Jacob’s Well looks like a harmless spring that feeds
Cypress Creek. Its mouth is just four meters wide, and looks like a calm
water body, revealing very little of the dangers that lurk within. The
well has four chambers extending several feet below the surface. Local
dive shop owner Don Dibble puts it perfectly: “This is the horror side
of it.” The first chamber is a straight drop of about 30 feet, after
which it angles down to 55 feet. This chamber gets sufficient sunlight,
so it is bright and populated with algae and wild life.
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The second chamber is 80 feet deep, and houses a false chimney that
looks like a way out of the well, but in fact traps divers. Richard
Patton, a student at Southwest Texas State University lost his life in
the chimney in 1983. A restricted opening from the second chamber leads
into the third, which is a small room with unstable gravel. Divers must
be careful not to dislodge the gravel in order to navigate this chamber
successfully.
Despite its dangers, the well has always lured divers intto its depths.
In the 1930s, young boys from Wimberley and San Marcos would attempt to
explore the cave. They wore homemade diving suits made of cut-off water
heaters with isinglass peepholes. Old auto tire pumps forced air through
a rubber hose to the diver below. But the deepest they got was 25 feet.
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Interestingly, there was a time when Jacob’s well wasn’t dangerous at
all. According to 79-year-old historian Dorothy Wimberley Kerbow,
“There’s a picture of me at 3 years old at Jacob’s well in the family
album. My dad would throw me into the well. You couldn’t sink down
because the spring would just bubble you up with such force.” Those were
the times when it was impossible to descend into the well. Local
historians speculate that in the past centuries, the spring would spume
between 10 and 30 feet above the ground. Kerbow said that she and her
friends would go down to the well in the 1950s, and jump into it without
a care. It was impossible to go more than two feet below the surface.
Jacob’s well, a danger to divers, is in danger itself. The spring dried
up completely for the first time in history in the year 2000. David
Baker, a local landowner who is donating his own property towards its
conservation, said, “When the spring stopped flowing, it was a wake-up
call for everyone. We don’t want it to turn into Jacob’s Cave.
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The well is an inspiration to scientists, divers and artists. “Jacob’s
Well is the essence of life, creating water every day for thousands of
years,” said Baker. “But it is also a great mystery, and that, too is a
part of its mythology. Some are frightened by that, and some are drawn
to it.” |