Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-01-21

wonder. The noise grew louder and
louder as we approached. Then the
rumble changed to hiesing rush
like Il thousand locomotives blowing
off steam. At an eighth ola mile the
noise changed again to the continu-
Gus roar of a thousand cannon. The
human voice could not be heard.
Communication was by paniomime.
The flame shoots into the air like
steeple on fire. The hills were COW
cred with snow, but for two acres
around the well the grass is green
and growing except close to the well,
where the ground looks like burned
lava. AT a safe distance calves and
sheep stand warming themselves and
eating the hot-house grass. These
two acres of sterile Pennsylvania
looks like section of fertile Flor
ida.
"What makes it sound like the
continuous report of artillery" ask
ed the engineer.
because it's a fve-inch cannon
constantly exploding. Look" said
he; "you see that first flame twenty
feet from the muzzle-that is the
flash, the explosion. 1t is like can
non, only this is continuous-a mill
ion cannon a minutc-in fact one cx-
plosion and conclusion going on for
ever" It is wonderful to see this
volcano flame explode in the air.
The pressure is so great that the gas
cannot ignite till it gets twenty feet
beyond the nozzle. The stream of
gas comes up 1860 feet through a
fiveinch iron pipe and conducted off
200 feet through an other tube where
it finds vent. The general pressure
of the gas with the valve open is 800
pounds to the square inch. We epart-
Iy closed the valve and the pressure
ran up to 1900 pounds; closed it 4
little more and the tubing began to
tremble, and the great ton weight
holding it down began to lift. 1t
was only quick turn by the skllitul
engineer that saved 1000 feet of iron
tubing, anchored down with several
tons weight. from shooting like an
arrow into the air. You can better
realize the terrible pressure Of this
gas when You reflect chat the pressure
on an ordinary locomotive boiler is
from so to l25 pounds to the square
inch, while the pressure from this
well, if the valve is closed, would run
up to 1900 pounds and then tear the
tubing out and throw the heavy
machinery into the air. The engi-
neer conducted half-inch stream Of
gas into 4 twelve horsepower steam
engine, and it ran so fast that the
machinery broke. The amount of
heat and light in the gas escaping
is equal to 2,l00 tons Of coal per day.
The gas would light New York, Phil
adelphla and Baltimore. 1t would
run every locomotive in the State Of
Pennsylvania. 1t would fill the
biggest balloon in Il halt Il minute,
and burst it INTO a thousand tatterS,
or shoot it off like a gigantic bomb
shell, and as it is very light-much
lighter than ordinary gas-it would
be of immense value thereafter in
trying bal oon experiments. SO
great is the pressure that engineers
say this gas would flow through tub
ing to Pittsburg, a distance of forty
miles, in ten minutes TIL" pipe lines
push oil twelve miles over hills and
valleys with 1000 pounds pressure 10
the square inch, but this gas would
push itself to New York in four hours.
The we'll is estimated to produce
100000 cubic feet of the richest gas
in a day. The well is named after
Mr.. Delemater, who bored it. He
was employed by Henry Harley,
formly connected with the Erie Rail
way, who now claims the we'll, and if
six men and six hickory clubs will
keep him in possession against other
claimants Mr.. Harley will continue to
own it. | saw James Murray who as
sisted to bore the well. When | ask
ed him to give me the history of it, he
said:
"Well, sir, after boring 800 feet we
struck rock, solid rock, and followed
it for twenty-five days. At the third
sand we struck oil and pumped sever
al barrels. On Oct. 4th, after boring
seventy-tive days and l $50 feet, we
struck flaw in the rock about six
O'clock. Well she flew 13O feet in
the air. Stones, salt water, oil, gas
bursted like cannon and the St. 10
people came rushin' over the hill to
find busted biler and dead driller,
but-well, we ran like the dickens;
we ran to get away from the gravel,
stones and gas, and we got away
from that well and stayed away till
the next morning"
Then it blew all night without be-
ing lighted, did it?"
''Yes we dasscnt go near her for
two days. The gas shot up like n
mist, cold as ice. You could see it
III the air. After two days | got
ball of candle-wicken', soaked it in
turpcnflne, tied Il st me to it, and that
night SHED it into the gas
"Did she make a noise, Jim?"
"Make noise! Great sun! she
busted like a cannon full of sand.
You'd thought the bowels of the
earth were flying ont. And light!
why, the whole basin here was as light
as day. | could count focks of
sheep way over in the woods, and
folks way over in Patrolia, ten miles
away, saw it-and heard it, too, and
they hear it just as strong to-day as
they did the first night"
A young lady in Morristown, VT,
put small piece of wedding cake