Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 December 1894 — NO GAS IN FOUR YEARS. [ARTICLE]

NO GAS IN FOUR YEARS.

Inspector Jordan's Gloony View ol Conditions in the Belt. Indianapolis Sentinel. —Gas Inspector Jordan is in tho city conferring with W. S. Blatchley. the recently elected State Geologistj I nspector Jordan is fresh from tl.e gas fields where he has been looking up additional facts for his report which he will make to the Legislature, “Natural gus is failing rapidly,”he said in reply to an inquiry, “I am more confident of it now than I was when I submitted my last report. It is only a question of a few years when there will be a general suspension of the Inxury. I should not be surprised if in four years from now there will be no gas for the factories in the gas belt. People who live in the belt knbw this as well as I do, but they will not admit it. In many sections of the gas centre the, wells show only a presure of 240 pounds. The highest presure that can be found is 320 pounds. In many of the gas belt towns there can be found wells at this tirtte that are almost entirely exhausted. I refer to the wells in towns of course, There has been a reckless waste of gas in the last few years. It doesn’t seem possible, but I will guarantee that since the first gas well was sunk in this district there has been $25,000,000 worth of gas wasted,estimating it at the price that people are now paying for it. Of course, there are some cities in the belt more Hable to lose their supply in the near future than others. I don’t care to particularize, because it would injure the commercial interests of these cities, but mark my word for it, the supply is rapidly closing out.”