The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-12-23

yes, and they use gas stoves everywhere
up the Allegheny aud Oil Creek valleys
On my lecture route through the OF
regions during the past week l havO
found that natural gas is being generally
utilized for heating and lighting pur
poses.
IN THE GAS REGION.
My engagement in Millerstown,. Pa.
took me into the very centre OF Butlsl
county gas-produCing region. After thu
lecture ! went up on the hill above Mil
lerstOwn and counted forty.nine small
burning wells. The whole heavens were
aglow with light. The clouds were silver
lined and reflected back the lurid glarC
from the wells, could stand anywher,
and read newspaper. The boilers o
fifty oil well engines heated with gas
line the valley, Away to the south glarI
like city on fire lighted up the heavens
From toward the lighted horizon came
rumbling roar that drowned the hubbul
OF the street,
"What is it% asked Mr.Warmcastle
"Thats the great Delemater gas mill
Mr.. Perkins, four miles away" he ans
wered.
81 thoughtitw was four hundred trains o
cars passing over a bridge" said.
All night long listened 10 the roar o
that great Delemater mill, and the mex
morning | rode four miles over scrnb oaI
hills, through muddy gulches, and past
| suppose, fifty pumping oil wells, to Sc,
the startling wonder.
The noise grew louder and louder al
we approached, Then the rumble
changed to q kissing rush like thOusant
locomotives blowing Off steam.
At an eighth Of q mile the noise changed
again to the continuous roar Of thou
sand cannons. The human voice coult
not be heard. Communication was By
pNntOmine. The flame shoots into thu
air seventy feet like steeple on fire
The hills are covered with snow, but fol
two acres around the we'll The grass II
green and growing, except close TO tn
we'll, where the ground looks like burn
lava. At a safe distance calves and sheer
stand warming themselves and eating hot
house grass. This two acres of sterile
Pennsylvania looks like section Of fer
tile Florida.
"What makes II sound like the Contin
uous report Of artillery" I asked tn
engineer.
NATURES ARTILLERY.
"BeCause It Is five inch cannon con
stantly exploding. Look" said he, "yot
see the first flame twenty feet from III,
muzle-that Is the flash, the explosion
II ia like u cannon, only this is continu
ous-a million cannons a minute-.ii
fact, one explosion and conclusion goinl
on forever |"
II Is wonderful to see this volcano Ilam'
exploding In the air. The pressure Is 81
great that the gas cannot ignite till II get
twenty feet beyond the nozzle.
The stream OF gas comes up 1860 fee
through FIVE inch iron pipe, and Is con
Quoted of 200 feet through another tube
where II finds vent. The general pressure
Of the gas with the valve open Is S0t
pounds to tho square inch. We partlJ
closed the valve and the pressure ran u
to 1900; closed tia little more, and thl
tubing began to ttemble and the grea
ton weight holding II down began 10 lift
II was only n quick turn OF the skillfu
engineer that saved 1000 feet OF irOi
tubing, anchored down with several tons
weight, from shooting like an arrow init
the air. You can better realize the terri
Die pressure Of this gas when you rehec
that the pressure on an ordinary loconio
tive boiler Is from so 10 1876 pounds Il
the square inch while the pressure from
this we'll, II the valve IL closed, would rul
up to 1900, and then tear the tubing ou
and throw the heavy machinery into tn
air.
The engineer conducted half.incl
stream Of gas into n l2-horse powe
steam engine, and II ran II 30 fast that tn
machinery broke.
The amount Of heat Ia equal 10 2,10t
tons Of coal per day. The gas woul,
light New York, Philadelphia, and Balti
more. II would run every locomotiy
In the State OF Pennsylvania II woult
Oil the biggest balloon In half q minute
and burst Il into a thousand tatters, o
shoot II of like a gigantic bombshell, AM
az II Ia every light-much lighter than OF
binary gas-it will be Of immense valu
hereafter in trying balloon experiment.
ENORMOUS PRESSURE.
So great is the pressure that engineer
say this gas would low through tubin
to Pittsburgh, distance Of forty miles
In ten minutes. The pipe lines her
push oil twelve miles over hills and val
ieys with 1000 pounds pressure 10 III
square inch, but this gas would push II
self to New York In a few hours. Til
we'll Is estimated 10 produce 100000
cubic feet Of the richest gas In day.
The we'll IL named after MI. Delemate
who bored Il. lie was employed by MI
Henry Harley, formerly connected wit
the Erie Railway, who now claims III
we'll, and II six men and six hickory club
will keep him in possession against an
other claimant, Mr.. Harley will continu
TO own II.
1 saw James Murray who assisted 1
bore The we'll. When 1 asked him TO Civ
me the history Of II he said:
"Weli, sir, after boring 800 feet "
struck rock, solid rock, and followed
for twenty-five days. Al the third san
We struck oil, and pumped seven batteli
On October 4, after boring seycnty.iiv
days and 1850 feet, we struck flow i
the rock about o'clock, and God Al
mighty -"
dJust stick to the embellished fact
James" interrupted.
We'll, she flew 1870 feet In the ali
Stones, salt water, oil gas, busted like
cannon, and the 81. Joe people cum rush
in over over the hill to find q busted bile
and dead driller, but -"
"What did you do thenT' ! asked.
"Well, we run like hell; run to sc
away from the gravel stones and the ga.
Bill Mcclure says, Jim, we've sttucI
hell, and the devil IL a conih'-tun
And we got away from that well an,
stayed away till the next morning."
LIGHTING THE GAS
gThsn Il blew all night without bein
Lighted, did itP
dYSsi We dasSent 80 neat her for tw