The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-11-11

4 TIE New Gas P1pE FnoM BUrLgR GorNTY
TO SHARPsBURG.-G Great interest Is manifested
at the present. tine In Pittsburgh and other
portions OF western Pennsylvania In the 40.
parent success Of efforts which have been In
progress for some time to conduct the natsi.
raj gas found In counties contiguous to the
oil region, over considerable distances, In
sufficient quantities 10 render IL available in
urge furnaces and other works devoted to
the manufacture OF iron. The praeiicabilty
Of employing the natural gus for such pur-
poses at points near The deposits mas been
thoroughly demonstrated, and notably By.
Rogers d Burcbdeld, of whose operations the.
following accouot Is given by the Pittsburgh
Dispatch: :" In 1871 Mr.. GiIen commenced
boring we'll at Leechburg, Armstrong
county, for oil or salt. Alta depthof one
thousand three hundred and fifty feet he
struck heavy flow OF gas, and In such
Quantities that further work upon the we'll
was impossible. This well Is still pouring
out gas without any diminution in force, and
has discharge OF enough to supply any
three mills in Pittsburgh. 10 1879, in hope
OF getting back some Of the money spent In
boring, Mr.. Gilen made proposition Go
Rogers e. Bnrchfeld. who had roliiDg.miII
near there, to furnish them all the fuel they
needed. The firm did not consider it prac-
tical, and refused the offer. The next year
Dir. Gillen made application to the Patent
Office for patent on process and appa-
ratus for Preparing natural gas as
fuel for the manufacture of iron and
steel. Mr.. Rogers also afterRard ap-
piled for a patent, but after some time Mr..
Gilen obtained one, dated October 9th. 1874,
and subsequently, another dated August 3Ist,
1876. The gas was introduced 10 Rogers &
Burchdeld's mill, and, according to state
ment from that firm, saved them 500, 900 per
annuD, although they were employing only
one hundred and twenty-five meu." The
next step was to conduct gas over distance
Of about five miles, which also proved sue
cessful, hut the most recent and important
event has been the construction OF pipes
through which gas was conducted from But
Ter county, Pennsylvania, over distance OF
eighteen miles, to the mills of Grsff. Bennett
e. Co., and Spapg. Cbalfant 81 Co., on the
West Pennsy lvania railroad, in Sharpsburg
and E,na. Of this the Pittsburgh Chronicle
says:
"Day before yesterday the work of pipe
laying was completed, and yesterday after.
noon the grand test of the practicability OF
the scheme was made. The furnaces of nei-
Their OF the establishments were ready for
the change, but whether The gas would flow
with sufficient force was naturally to be
demonstrated first; but al the ends Of the
main pipes at both places smaller pipes
were attached, ready to be touched with
dllne when it was shown that the gas really
came through in corresponding quantity.
Al O'Clock it had been arranged that
the connection should be m3de at the
well, and the air having been exhausted
from the eighteen miles line, this was
done. In twenty minutes gas was rushing
through the termini of the pipe, and being
lighted, fl lred up forty feet with volume
sufficient to supply double the quantity of
heat required at each mill. A large mum Der
of prominent gentlemen Of the city were
present, and when the entire utility of the
plan was fully demonstrated there WAS much
rejoicing. Last night the boroughs, both
E.na and Sharpsburg, were brilliantly ilu-
minated by The volume Of fame leading
from the pipes. In about week the fur
naces will be adapted to the use of this
sew fuel, and saving Of forty to fifty
thousand dollars In each effected per an
num-"
The next step projected is the extension Of
the gas pipe lines TO Pittsburgh, only four or
i've miles distant from Sharpsburg, and
among the things predicted or hoped
for US consequence Of tie success
Of this enterprise is the supply of an abun-
dapt and cheap fuel that wi enable the iron
manufacturers of Pittsburgh to dispense
With SUPP lies of coal, and TO materially d..
minish the cost of manufacturing irOn.-
Railpay World, October 30h.