Mower County transcript., 1871-12-14
THE GAS WELLS or OHIO.
Their ln,lncsssc Produce and Great
Value.

THE GAS WELLS or OHIO.
Their lmlncsssc Produce and Great
| Value,
Painesville (Ohio) Cor. of the N. Y. Mail.
While Waiting this pleasant city on
the shores of Lake Erie, the attention
Of your correspondent was attra' It'd to
the important discoveries u; natural
gas in various localities in tho vicinity.
Geologists have often prophesied That
there were immense supplies of natural
gas under the surface of the earth, OK
tending over a great space along the
lake shores. Their predictions have
been lately verified by the discovery Of
OF this natural product in at least a
dozen localities near Lake Erie, and
spreading from New York State as far
west as Detroit. Gas, rs natural
product, has been known various coun-
tries for centuries, and it is probably
the result of the decomposition of Or
game substances. It has been sup
posed that its source is in beds OF coal,
but in these instances no signs OF coal
measures have been found where the
discoveries have been made, and it goes
far to disprove the supposition. The
supply seems to be inexhaIstible, and
it issues forth in great quantities; SO
large that in some instances whole
towns are lighted by it. The town Of
Fredonia, in the western part Of the
State of New York has been thus illu-
minated for many years-I think near
ly as long as your city.
At Plainesville the gas was first dis
covered during the present year, and
in the constant theme of conversation.
Two wells have been bOred-one on the
farm of Mr.. G. G. jennings, and the
other on the Seminary grounds. aud
both are yielding a constant and abun-
dant supply of the gas.
Senator John C. Easement, the SON
in.law of Mr. Jennings, was the first to
commence operations. He had no in
dicatlons that he would find gas, but
he was possessed with the idea, and
and proceeded to carry out his inten
tions. The we'll was commenced last
season, but for several reasons little
progress was made. It was bored
through the various strata Of earth and
stone, and is lined, like oil wells, with
wrought iron pipes. Drilling was com
menced in the spring, and at $40 feet
below the surface gas was found in suf-
ficient quantity to run the engine. At
$50 feet large vein was struck, of such
power as to stop work. The boring
was continued to the depth of 800 feet,
which is the present depth. The vol
ume Of gas is so great that good judges
estimate that it is sufficient to supply
city as large as Cleveland. It comes
through pipe with loud rush; and
is of great purity. The we'll has been
visited by thousands many coming from
great distance to witness it's burning.
It is conveyed to the dwelling house
several hundred feet distant and is
used not only for Illuminating pur-
poses, but also for heat ng. The entire
cost was about $4,000, and the supply
Is sufficient to repay the entire cost iu
a short time. In company with a
friend, your correspondent visited the
place, and was kindly received by Gen.
eral Easement and his wife, who show
ed us everything connected with the
we'll.
The manner in which the gus is used
for heating and cooking in the dwelling
house Is very interesting. Inthe libra
ry was an open fire e-place, and what
seemed to be a rousing hickory fire, but,
in fact, the logs Of wood on the andi-
rous were admirable imitation, made
Of terra-cotta. By turning a small
lancet near the fireplace the blaze was
increased or diminished at pleasure.
10 show us how easy it was to light it,
the gas was turned off and lighted
match thrown on the logs. The gas
turned on, and in an instant we had
beautiful fire. It leave no dust or
smoke, and in every room in the house
fires Gamble lighted at any moment with
as much facility as the chandeliers. In
the ranges in the kitchen, and in all the
stoves, nothing is employed for heating
but the gas. Hundreds of cubic feet
are daily consumed, and the saving in
coal and wood amounts to consider
able sum It is SO convenient, too, and
so perfectly under control that it proves
TO be very economical fuel. The
grounds which surround the house are
Illuminated night and day and remind
one of your city parks.
The well ut the Seminary, which is
located at the opposite part Of the town,
and over mile from Easements we'll,
has just proved successful, and the
professors and scholars are very jubil-
ant about it. The drilling was done
by Wass & Brother, who also bored the
we'll just alluded to. Small veins were
struck about SO feet below the snrface,
and large one was reached at 800 feet.
The largest vein, which they have just
reached at depth Of 700 feet, is so
powerful that the water in the bore was
thrown to a great height, and with such
force that the roofing over the works
was in danger of being destroyed. The
volume cannot be determined, but it is
more than sufficient to supply the In
stitute with light and heat.