People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 April 1896 — Jordan Township. [ARTICLE]

Jordan Township.

Farmers are busy sowing oats. Quite a large number attended the Ornish meeting at Union last Sunday evening. William Woriley is going to work at the carpenter trade this summer with Al Sunderland. Sabbath school at Union has been postponed from 9:30 a. in. to 3. p. m. James Hyatt and family of Barkley township have moved !<> this vicinity. Walter Hitching is hauling sand for his new house. Henry Fl ayesof Barkley town ship is working for John [‘ill again Mr. Roy has hired a colored gentleman to work for him this season. The dance at Wortley’s was largely attended and all report a good time. Mr. and Miss Gratner were the guests of Miss Bell Burr last Sunday. There will De a meeting at. Union Saturday evening. April 11, and also Sabbath morning. Henry Hayes has been sick with the grippe. George R. Smith has purchased a span of fine gray horses.

BRICK TOP AND DAISY.

Surf ace gas is very plentiful about Goodland. This is not intended as a pun reflecting upon the newspaper offices or store-box philosopihers, but as a material fact. Well men constantly have trouble with the gas, and especially in the region known as “farm lot six.” It was experimenting with a wellon“farmlotsix," three or four years ago, that Benj. Kaufiman, Will Shaffer and Dave Pasdach came near departing this life on the tail end of an explosion. For several days the gas had been giving strong indications of wanting to do something, so they concluded to give it a chance. Lighting a rig they dropped it down the muzzle of the well and then peeked over to see where it would light. They “lit”—all three of them. Shaffer’s hat bit.wed over the house, and the only reason that Will didn’t follow was because his toes caught in the eve-troughs. All were badly burned, their hair and whiskers being singed to the flesh, and their faces looked like the internal works of a railroad sandwich. It was needless for them to say that when the lighted rag started down there was a terrific explosion, and that they were exceedingly lucky in escaping without more serious damages. In many cases the gas found in these wells has been igpitedand burned for hours. Currens & Wood inform us that they met with an extraordinarily strong flow of gas in drilling a well in Sapp’s addition, this week, and that when fired it shot up a blaze three or four feet. Many think that the indications are strong to warrant a little investigation.- Goodland Herald.