, 1874-07-07


! Tbs board adjourned until Thursday uc4t 4
2 IN.
LOCAL LETTERS.
aAa~wELLs.
| 10 The Editor of The Chicago Tribune:
Sin: III your issuo Of Jd1y 8, you glvo m In
torcstlng description OF gas-wcll TINT hal
recently boon struck at South Chicago aud sug.
| gest that the mattor 10 investigated by tue
| Academy Of Scenoos. The suggestion viii un
doubtedy bc acted upon by thnt body at a1
osrly day; but, in the meantime, would offe,
the following faots and theory for consideration
das-wola aro common In Wostorn Now York
and Pennsylvania, whoro the gas has beou
used for several yoars for Illuminating and
hentlng purposes Tho City Of Fredonia
N. r. has been lit with natural gas for the
past twelve yeara. Several manufacturing
establishments ut Erie, Pa, haye used
natural gas ns their principal fuel for ovor ton
years, and the supply aooma to be untilmiutshod,
Oyer one.third Of tho inhabitants Of Titus.
villo, ra., use natural gas exclusively for
fuel, and innumorablo engines In tho oil regions
are run by means OF gas as fuel. Tic eaa il
readily burned tnH an ordtuary atova or
over an ordinary grate, By having 4
common gas-pfro coilcd by blacksmith, utter
which from five to fifty quartor-inch holes aro
drilled into the pipe, and 1t is placed In position,
and cu,.nect!on made With the strcet-mains
Twenty fatB, with the ordinary PRESSURE through.
out the oil regions arc sufficient to furnish flel
for tMenty-four- -horee-power engine day and
night. There ara inlmense quantities OF natural
E9s burned in tue oil regiou III the open aif, in
addition to all that ia utilized, aud, although
thts WaHta bus continued for aoyural Years. tic
supply remains still apparently uudIminisueu to
nny considerable extont.
4r111p 4l%% .tt
sylvania lie Immediately Under liz Trenion lime.
Btohe; Aud although no Fossils have been. or
can be, ontatneu from the oil-bearing strata,
tney probably helong to the onondaga OF
Heidelberg group Of New York. Tue faot
titiea, from tho anne rocks ia pre-
sumptiye evidcnce tl,at they are contIuuo,i,
NTH the ealine formations Of New York, Tho
Trenton limestone is known III WISCONSIN aa tue
upper magneaian Of owen, and locally as the
survey. immediately beneath this lies tho lower
magnostan Limestone, which formation oyerlies
the Ut. Peter'a sandstone Of 0wen. The 1T.
Peters sandstone Is contemporaneous with the
Heidelberg group of New York.
Chlcago is bnllt upon the lower tnngnesian,
deologicaily. then, tho slack saua which tur-
nishos tho gas at South Chicago mt1st be nearly
contemposaleous With tie saud-rocka Of peuu-
sylvanla and New YOgk, which yield rus, oil, aild
saltwater: u, o. at least, It probably Belongs to
possible to identify 1t with nuy particular bod Of
this group. The rand-rock Of tho upper oil ro-
Gion in ponusylyania, is a ps6bly snnd
That has either leen o sca-beach Or
are all water-worn. In ths lower oil district OF
Butler County, howeser. the third sand which
~ tho great oli-producing stratum, IL eraylHn
white Band with black graius. 1t Is suit, fria-
lle sand-1ock proper, while that OF the upper
district would technically be doAlgnated ii
nnd1iur-etnna
The principal point Of Interest Is whether the
supply OF gas il likely to prove sufficient to
make IT available for uBolul PURPOSES The
cost Of applying it for manufacturing purposes
IL 30 Blight that oven II It should prora ihade-
qsiate, it would ply to uao it temporarily but,
Judging from tile known facts Of tho constant
use OF such gus NJ tho East, the probabilities
Hoen to be in favor Of the idea that tiliB tiscog-
ory Is OF groas economic yAluo, Az it pro,n1ses to
furnish us with practically insxhas,stible hup-
ply OF tile most couyonieut aud cue1rosk fuel
that has over heen discovered by nun. ILero arc
gas-wclfH that have fuanialeI fuel for tho munl1.
tactllra Of salt III Ohlo for thousands Of yoara
aud yos lie supply seesns to ba AZ abundant vi
over.
Thoro is prevalent idea that natura1 gas and
arc both derived from tl,e coal tor1na-
t,ons. lnyanaoiy, however, petroleum ia de-
rived from tortnAt.ons fur below tile coal goo
logically speaking, This hylro:ca natural
gas may be derifed from decaYed vegetable mat-
Ter. As nlnttor ot fact, such gas Ii continually
heng generated in marshes at the rresont TINS
Wlether the vast Quantities Btored up In the
eartlss crust are all tue results OF tllls proross
Of decay, ia question over which scientists uro
not llEelyto agree until our meaus lor collecting
facta are more ample thnn at present. Que
class OF thinkers believe that the gar comes from
below. Another school consonda that tho gas
aud Oh were coinpresscd from tie coal,
settled to lower levels, whoro 10 nov |
llud them. THESE tlootieB, however Interest," |
lug to men Of inquirlng minds, a1e, however,
u, ni comparatively; little practlcal Importance. |
What we ule must Interested in is the practical |
methods Of utl!lzng the forces which nature has
provided, and in tHis inHtauco the task 10 au |
easy Otle iudchd
In tbs oil region the ru1b seems to be inyaria-
ble that tho amount Of Eas in well increases,
aud the yield OF oil decreases, AZ tile well il |
bolt. II this theory is correct tue probabilities
are that oven should the oily substance taken |
from the well at South Chicago prove to be |
petroleum, tue amount would be 10 small that it
would not pay to sink oil-wolls. The gas ia |
worth moro to Chicago for fuel than any oil that
$ likely to be found. ~ is we'll known to those
who arc conversant With facts that the oil pro-
1uceu IN penpnylsan!a costs mora than 1t will |
br'ng in the market. Individuals fiequentIy |
make n.oney, but this does not change the fact |
aDoYe stated. AllHing for oil, like mining for
,cheme.
II gas can he struck within 1,OoD feet Of the |
'urfaca III large quantities. it will be of ilse.t-
a'ablo value tO Chicago. The waste gas in Penu-
'ylyauia would be worth mllions il it could be |
Utilized. but it is one OF ths uusolyed problems
IT the present how i1 can be transported to auy |
considerable distance. Ent here the cage ia on
iiely different. TAs demand for fuel exists al
'eady, aud If 1t can be supplied iu 1arge aunuti-
ies ut sneh small cost, the futnve Ut our south
:rn manufacturing suburb will astouish even
he people Of Chicago. But wAether the guam
ty be great or not, the gas can be 20 eabily nut |
o use that other wells ought to be sunk to tost
lie e1tent Of the supply. A. J. FINCH.
CAIoAuo, July s, ls7l.
RLlGHTED ROSES,
70 tbs Editor gf The Chicago Iriuunt:
Sir; III al article entitled "Uligiteil Roses"
u your Sunday e1ition, lind the name OF
Nellie Mc0oy" mentioned as M atias OF
; 'Alollie Parsons,-oue OF those seductive oroa-
urss Who rope iii fashionable cutters, aud tue
s'ss. by advertising for husbands, and Who is
aid to reside ut the cornor Ut State and Thirty
itst streo:s. This a1iaB, think. muBt haye boeu
uggaHted to that sharp "Ietectiyo" by somo
me who cherished petty spite aeaiust oitnor
he Ellen Mccoy, or s0ne Of Aor family, who ro-
ensly lyed at tho cornor Of State and rl.irtieth,
nu WHO ia the only person Of that or like name
lv'ng in the vicinity. Ttls real Ellon McUoy Ia In
ivory respect incapable OF figuring in tlle ch4rac-
,i.o f,ah h.,pt n}st !