The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-05-31
Gas from the ether Regions.

tnefe are stranger things In heaven aud
earth Than are dreamt OF I'm your pfiIoso.
phy, is generally admitted to BIO correct
ana the further we penetrate into the earth
! the more convincing becomes the nrc11.
ment, so far as the earth Is concerned. Mr.
o. G. Steele, the enterprising secretary and
manager Of the Buffalo Gas-lieht COMPANY.
when he conceived the project of ascertain.
Ing whether nature had established gas.
works In this neighborhood, and directed
the attention of the board Of directors to
| the feasibility Of such an experiment, had
something more than mere curiosity to
crafty. -
The never-faillng supply of gas at Gets
vile, a few miles from the city, and the dis.
| coveries at Erie and other points, led him
! to the belief that gas could be reached In
this vicinity and, he reasoned, If gas does
low underground, the Buffalo Gas-light
Company has the very best means for its
| utilization. There were doubtless those
| who regarded the experiment rs danger
| Gus one to make, but Mr.. Steele did mot
view the matter IN that light. IT gas could
be found in sufficient quantity to illuminate
the city, the company had the machinery
| for its distribution, and if it could be used
| as mere substitute for fuel, it would not
| only lessen the cost of manufacturing the
coal gas, but would prove an incalcuiable
| blessing to the city at large. To settle the
| question involved considerable expense,
but he wanted it settled once for all, and
| the results of the experiment are as thor.
ouehly successful as the most enthusiastic
person could wish. -..s..e ...--..
We have from time to time referred to
| the progress of the work, and indicated to
| our readers the promise which the we'll
gave as it penetrated the earth. t'
The derrick was raised, the engine and
pump were in their place, the long lines of
| ropes were in trim, and the drills were in
readiness by the LIST of February last, and
| on that day, or the day after, the process OF
drilling was begun under the immediate
direction of competent man. The first
hundred feet was through the carboniIer-
Gus limestone, and was slow work, as
much time being required to penetrate
| that stratum Us to reach the remainder of
the distance attained-G30 feet. At the
depth Of 31S feet the first vein of gas was
struck, and the water pumped was highly
odorouS.
AT nearly regular distances of twenty feet
! thereafter the gas assures gave out their
| contents, but the discovery of Gas in great
volume was not made until the greatest
depth was reached, and then the salt water
| was thrown out Of the we'll with such yio-
lence as to leave little doubt Of strong i'm
pelling force behind it. This fact has been
previously stated in our columns. but it
was only after the well was exhausted of
its water that the question whether gas had
been reached in any great quantity could
be determined. The latter part of last
week the we'll was relieved of its brine,
| which, by the way, resembles that of Sagi-
nav in many respects, and then the tubing
was put down. The size of the hole drilled
| being six inches, two-inch tube was in
PRODUCED, with an outside tubing of three
| and half inches, leaving Il margin for the
| introduction Of the seed bars so familiar to
| oil men.
| An unobstructed channel being afforded,
| the gas commenced to flow in fine style, and
has been flowing ever since in quantity suf-
| tcent, we think, to supply fuel to the
| largest establishment in the city, and LIGHT,
! too, Of certain kind, which we shall speak
of hereafter.
On Monday last two-inch pipe, 300 feet
long, was laid between the we'll and the re-
| Penthouse of the gas works, and pipe Of
the same dimensions, only not so long,
placed in communication with the heating
house. The clearinghouse is supplied with
two large furnaces and boilers, and here is
generated the heat which is used to keep
warm nearly everything pertaining to the
works. In the mouth Of one of the fur
naces was introduced the end of the pipe
| communicating with the well. Over its
mouth, or nozzle, was laid brick, and on
either side Of the brick few rough stones.
The gas, which is subject to perfect regll-
| lation, was let on and set fire to, and flarcd
away in 4 splendidly- distributed volume to
| the remoteSt corners Of the furnace, the
! brick and stones which DISTRACTED its pass.
| age serving to do the work of distribution.
| Through tho night aud all day Yesterday
small quantities Of coke being supplied
now and then, the natural gas did the work
of the ordinary fuel used, and without eX-
hibiting any signs Of exhaustion.
In the retort-houSe its illuminating pow.
ers were tested through about 30 pipes. II
did not work well through the ordinary
burners but these being removed and full
vent allowed to it, it gave all the light lie.
| cessary. Compared with the coal gas. it
| was wanting in the purity and brightness
of the latter, and showed greater liability
| TO disturbance by the atmosphere but in
building like the rctort-house, where Il
clear, steady flame is not essential to the
work to be done, it answered all the pllr.
poses OF illumination.
While the Westinghouse was being SUD-
piled with It's fuel and the retort-houSe
| with its light, the pipe at the we'll was Ca
pable of dischargng an immense volume.
which, when lighted, made stream OF
| flame several feet high. So that, ut our pre-
sent writing, the capacity of the well can
not be even approximately determined, and
will not be till such time rs proper appa-
| ratus is applied with view to accurate
tests.
The expense of sinking the we'll is be-
tween So 900 and $4,000, but as qualifying
| this expenditure there is a ten-horse en-.
CINE, pump, and all the necessary ma.
chinery for sinking other wells, saved to
the company and lessening the amount of
the investment very materially.
Professor Hadley has been engaged by
the company 10 make the necessary tests,
and to facilitate his experiments thor
oughly reliable apparatus has been order
ed The we'll is to be faithfully used in
the interest Of science, and the public are
to have the benefit of all the revelations it
shall make. In due time we shall lcarn
how much gas it gives out in stated time,
what its fluctuations are Of any,, what its
value as an illumination and Il tuel, and all
the other facts that may be demonstrated.
Meanwhile the owners OF large mamulac.
turing establishments can erect their der
ricks and proceed to drill, with reasonable
assurance of finding q fuel which will re.
lease them from the clutches of the coal
monopoists, and 4 light which, although
not the equal Of that afforded by coal gas,
will answer the ordinary purposes of their
establishments.
We can scarcely doubt that we are on the
eve of an important revolution in the di-
rectlon Of substituting natural gas for the
high-priccd fuel heretofore used. One we'll
will supply whole block Of buildings,
mt least, with the best possible heat and ut
the least possible trouble, and there need
be no fear Of being at the mercy of the mo-