The Logic Off Topic list

Dennis Gunn wrote:

> While I worked in a patent law firm in the 80's I prosecuted and 
> successfully obtained a patent for an invention that consisted of no 
> more than a piled stone jetty completely encircling a body of water.
>
> When I first looked at the original patent application I thought it 
> was the silliest thing I had ever seen.
>
> The strange thing was it did have a legitimate useful function and 
> was a non obvious method of achieving it so it met the two criteria 
> needed.  Can you guess what it did?
-- 

The World's first well, completely surrounded by water!