Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-01-11
Ia,ural Ga.-rhe Earth a Ga.ometor.

Natural Gas-The Earth n Gasometer.
What the interior Of this globe of ours
holds, whether it is q solid, u void or
vacuum, or a seething mass OF molten
rocks, q globe OF liquid fire, we do not
really know. The phenomena Of earth
quakss, volcanoes, boiling springs, etc.;'
the increasing heat as the earth is PEN
etrated i; the fact that the temperature
il greater at the surface Of the Garth, or
the sea level, than above it, and the
escape of iuflammsble gas from artesian.
wells, seem to point to internal inferno
of 6re. Centuries ago, these phenom-
ena were noticed, and their existence
used as an evidence Of a hell, the local
ity of which was the center Of the earth.
Still, no one Of these, o all taken to-
gsther, is an absolute proof Of an in
candescent interior.
We have never yet penetrated the
crust Of the globe, nor even probed the
crater of q volcano and reached the
great internal cavity. II the crust is,
as has been estimated, about thirty
miles thick, the amount Of force neces-
sary to raise the tons Of liquid lava to
the orifce of o mountain is simply in.
conceivable, and its effects on the sur
rounding walls and the surface would
DO sufficient to materially change the
physical characteristics of the country
for hundreds of miles around. So, IT
the earthquake receives its impetus OF
motion and its almost incalculable pow
er from the agitation OF an internal sea
of liquid igneous matter, confined with
in a crust Of thirty miles in thickness,
and the throes of this sea are transmit
ted and communicated through this
mass to the surface, would the most dis
astrous earthquake known to history or
tradition be sufficient to account for tue
| exercise of such a power? The force
| that could move, or break, or shake the
| crust Of the globe would DO sufficient to
| turn our continents into bottomless seas
| and u oceans into mountainous des-
| erts. At most, we have a shaking OF
tho surface, a superficial disturbance OF
the ocean ; but no disappearance OF the
sea through some cavity reaching the
molten center Of the globe, and no vom.
ting forth of q consequent mass OF
steam, yapor and lava sufficient to de-
stroy all animal life, and to make the
earth a desert. Volcanoes and earth
quakss may be accounted for without
descending to so great a depth. II the
earth's crust is 80 miles thick, there is
ample room for tho reservoirs Of all the
powsr.gensrating materials necessary
for the production Of sruptions and
earthquakes. That this crust is not
solid or homogeneous is not only proved
by theories based on analogous truths,
but is actually demonstrated By mining,
well-boring, and the existence of i'm.
meuss caverns, with plains and hills
and lakes-a subterranean landscape.
The increasing heat of the earth below
the surface no more demands a vast in
tsrnal furnace for its existence than
doe, the superior temperature ut the
earth's surface over the inferior tempe
nature of the cloud line or the mountain
tops. Both may be assigned to the
same, or a similar cause, that Of weight
or pressure, or both combined. What
other occult or unknown causes, as
electricity, magnetism, galranie agen-
cies, the nature of which we do not nn-
dsrstaud, it is immaterial now to in
quire. Suffice it to say, that we know
that the sarth's crust Ito use n familiar
term without asserting to the theory Of
the believers in the igneous philosophy
is not solid, and that it contains explo.
Give and intiammable gases which may be
sufficient in quantity and strong enough
in explosive and dangerous quality to
produce all the phenomena Of volcanic
eruptions and earth shakings. The diff
fculty of accounting for tho extended
character of these latter phenomena
earthquakes-is no greater than IL the
theory of an internal globe Of liquid fire
be accepted, as is evident BY the state
msnts made by the supporters Of that
theory Of the thickness Of the earth's
crust.
That the earth mot merely its in
terror, but the crust Of the glObe) is n
gas holder, it would be nonsensical to
deny. All our coal, whether bitumin-
Gus or anthracite, contains inflammable
gases coal mines are infested with it
and many of the delivers in their depths
annually lose their lives by its explo-
sion, either from accidental causes or
from spontaneous ignition.
No one who is at all acquainted with
the business Of boring for oil will deny
that emissions of inflammahle gas are n
necessary concomitant for well boring.
In the oil region this gas is frequently
and extensively used as fuel for driving
the engines, or rather for generating
steam. A notable instance is one we
mentioned twenty months ago, No. 10,
Vol. XVI, page l57, Scientific Amerl-
an. In that article we spoke Of a large
manufactory at Erie, Pennsylvania, the
machinery Of which was driven and the
buildings lighted by the gas from an
u~uproductivs oil we'll. The establish
ment is that of H. Jarecki 4 Co., brass
workers. For more than two years the,
have led gas by mean Of three-inch
iron pipe from an unsuccessful oil we'll
1900 feet distant from the mandatory,
and used it as fuel for their boilers and
as lights for their works. The flow is
never stopped, never changed in amount
of pressure ; the gas is OF good lighting
properties, and when ut night or sun
days the works are stopped, the gas
still comes, at night being lighted at
the mouth Of q pipe Of two or two and n
half inches in diameter situated near
the top of the main building. The light
il sufficient TO illuminate several streets
and squares in every direction, and the
escaping gas makes a noise as of escap'
ing steam, that may be heard at a long
distance, while the gas flame is not less
than four or FIVE feet high.-Scientife
american.