The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1874-04-30
Letter from Ironton.

To the Editor of the Standard:
In the issue of your paper dated April
10th, appeared letter from S. w. Ely
suggesting the idea of lighting the town
of jackson by tapping the Huron shale
thereby saving the great expense of build
ing coal gas works, and also obtain a
superior article of gas Now that the
subject of "gas in jackson" is being agi-
tated, the question of the mode becomes
one of Importance and the idea sug-
gested by Mr. Ely may be good, and is
beyond reasonable doubt a feasible one.
But it, like most other subjects, has two
sides. 1 take it for granted that Mr..
Ely intended to say that the shale if
properly tapped would emit good car
buretted hydrogen gas instead of what
he did say, good carbonic acid gas" as
that gas does not burn, but, on the other
hand, one per cent of it will deteriorlt te
the illuminating powers of coal gas six
per cent.
The results of putting down holes in
Southeastern Ohio would indicate that
gas could be obtained from Mother Earth
at Jackson. The Huron shale can hardly
be more than 600 feet below the town,
and | take it that the everything group
is even more favorable for receiving and
storing the natural product of the shale
than the everything strata in the neigh
borhood of Lake Erie.
In the year 1866 hole was put down
800 feet at Adamsville, in Gallia county,
out of which issued gas in considerable
quantity, and l understand continues to
do so to this day. In 1867 hole was put
down with the same result in Vinton
township, Vinton county. Several years
since hole was bored at Hanging Rock,
from which gas issued in great volume,
and l believe has only decreased by rea-
son of the hole becoming filled with fine
sediment deposited in it by high water.
Gas from this well is now being analyzed.
At many places in West Va. the gas
issues from this natural labratory with
sufficient force to drive machinery, dis
pensing with steam and steam apparatus.
At some points it issues with pressure
estimated at 200, and even $50 pounds.
But other statements made in connec-
ton with the estimates, and generally,
the absence of actual tests, leads the
writer of this to. believe the estimates
are generally greatly exaggerated.
There are scores of natural gas wells in
New York, Pennsylvania West Virginia
Ohio, and some even as far west as Fort
Scott, Kansas. Many of them are being
utilized. But all efforts in that direction
have not been successful in obtaining
the requisite quantity, and in no instance
that the writer is aware of, the quality
for good illumination.
That obtained on the farm of Jennings,
near Painesville Ohio, brilliantly lights
the residence of Gen. Easement, but
apprehend that quantity makes up the
deficiency in quality, and hence must
vitiate the air more than common coal
gas.
Gas obtained from the shale is shown
by analysis to contain little over ten
per cent of carbonic acid gas, and it's pu-
rification by hydrate of lime, must nee
essarily be expensive before the gas is fit
to use, or its highest illuminating powers
developed.
The Cleveland Gas Company were un-
successful in their efforts to obtain gas
in quantity from the shale In 1871 the
Buffalo Gas Company put down hole in
their city and obtained an abundant sup
ply but of inferior quality--could be used