Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1885 — Natural Gas Wells. [ARTICLE]

Natural Gas Wells.

I visited the region of gas wells and saw nine wells furnishing gas. The gas from the three largest was still passing into the air. These are wonderful sights indeed. The gas rushes up with such velocity through a six-inch pipe, which extends perhaps twenty feet above the surface, that it does not ignite within six feet of the mouth of the pipe. Looking up into the clear blue sky you see before you golden fiend without visible connection with the earth, swayed by the wind into fantastic shapes, and whirling in every direction. As the gas from the wells strikes the center of the flame and passes partly through it, the lower part of the mass curls inward, giving rise to the most beautiful effects, gathered into graceful folds at the bottom, a veritable pillar of fire. There is not a particle of smoke from it. There are, of course, various theories as to the location and extent of the gas belt. Enough wells have already been bored in Murraysville district to indicate that it is about half a mile wide, and extends in a southeasterly direction from Murraysville for five or six miles. The wells bored beyond this encountered a flow of salt water in such great quantities as to nearly drown out the gas; for while some gas came to the surface it was not in sufficient quantities to render it valuable, and merely proved its eqistence. Experts have, therefore, concluded that, while the gas exists in such wells, it is under a basin of salt water. Several wells have been bored in the city of Pittsburgh and the vicinity, but the same trouble from salt water has been encountered there. A geological friend inforn s me that the stratum dips about 600 ieet near Pittsburgh, and his theory is that this depression has been tilled with salt water, and hence the attempts in that district have proved unsuccessful. Whether deeper boring, or some plan of shutting out the water, will overcome this difficulty, is yet to be seen. Northwest from Marysville but little has been done to prove the extent of the gas belt. So much for the Murraysville district, which is to day furnishing most of the gas consumed in Pittsburgh. Many theories are advanced to account for the existence of this fuel, but the most reasonable one is that given to me by Prof. Dewar, of Cambridge, who recently visited us, and who was deeply impressed by what he saw of this new mine of wealth. He holds that the gas is being constantly distilled from the oil, or from immense beds of matter which are slowly being changed to oil, and therefore that long after the oil region has ceased to give oil in paying quantities, we shall still have an abundant supply of gas; for the shallower the deposit of oil the more favorable will be the conditions for rapid distillation. Instead of occupying the bad eminence therefore of being by far the dirtiest city in the world, which it undoubtedly is to-day, it is probable that the other extreme may be reached, and that we may be able to claim for smoky Pittsburgh that it is the cleanest city. However this may be, I think that few will be disposed to dispute that, surrounded by such resources as I have attempted to describe, Pittsburgh is to-day, as far as subterranean treasures are concerned, the metropolis of the, richest district in the known world. —Andrew Carnegie, in Macmillan’s Magazine.