River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-01-13
Pennsylvania Gas wells.

sylyania, took me into the very center OF
Butler county gas producing region. AT.
ter the secure | went up on the hill above
Millerstown ana counted forty-nine small
burning wells. The whole heavens were
aglow with light. The clouds were silver
lined and reflected back the lurid glare
from the wells could stand anywhere
and read newspaper. The boilers OF
City oil well engines heated with gas line
the valley. Away to the south glare
like city on fire lighted up the heavens.
From toward the lighted horizon came a
rumbling roar that drowned the hubbub
Of the street.
"What is itr' | asked Mr.. Warm
castle.
"That's the great Delemater Gas Well,
Mr.. Perkins, four miles away" he an.
swered.
81 thought it was for hundred trains
Of cars passing over a bridge" said.
All night long listened to the roar OF
that great Delematcr Well, and the next
morning rode four miles over scrub.oak
hills. through muddy gulches and past, ]
suppose, fifty pumping oil wells, to sec
the startling wonder.
The noise grew louder and louder as
we approached. Then therumble changed
to kissing rush like a thousand locomO
tives blowing of steam.
At an eighth Of mile the noise
changed again to the continuous roar OF
a thousand cannon. The human voice
could not be heard. Communication was
by pantomime. The flame shoots into
The air seventy feet like a steeplc on fire.
The hills were covered with snow, but for
two acres arOun the we'll the grass j.
green and growing, except close to the
well, where the ground looks like burnt
lava. At safe distance calves and
sheep stand warming themselves and eat
ing the dollhouse grass. This two acres
Of sterile Pennsylvania looks like sec.
ton Of fertile Florida.
What makes it sound like the contin.
uou> report Of artillery e. | asked the
engineer.
because it is a fveinch cannon con-
Stantly exploding. Look. said he, You
see the first flame twenty feet from the
nuzzle-that is the fash, the explosion.
1t is like a cannon, only this is continu-
Gus a million cannon mnute--in fact,
one explosion and conclusion going on
forever |"
1t is wonderful to see this volcano fame
exploding i'll the air. The pressure is Sc
great that the gas can not ignite till il
gets twenty feet beyond the nozzle.
The stream Of gas comes up 1850 feet,
through a fve-inch ron pipe, and is con.
Quoted off 200 feet, through another tube,
where it finds veAt. The general pressure
Of the gas with the valve open-is SOC
pounds TO the square inch. We partly
closed the valve and the pressure ran up
to 1900; closed it little more, and the
tubing began to tremble and the great ton
weight holding it down began to lift. 1t
was only quick turn Of the skillful en-
gineer that saved |, 600 feet of iron tubing,
anchored down with several tons weight,
from shooting like IN arrow into the air.
You can better realize the terrible pres.
sure Of this gas when you reflect that the
pressure on an ordinary locomotive boil
or Is from so TO l25 pounds 10 the square
inch, while the pressure from this well, if
the valve is closed, woad run up to 1900,
and then tear the tubing out and throw
the heavy machinery into the air.
| The engineer conducted a half inch
stream of gas into a twelve horse power
steam engine, and it run so fast that the
machinery broke.
The amount Of heat and light in the
gas escaping is equal to 3 100 tons of coal
per day. The gas would light New York
/ Philadelphia and Baltimore. 1t would
run every locomotive in the State of
Pennsylvania. 1t would fill the biggest
balloon in half minute, and bur t it into
a thousand tatters, or shoot it off like q
gigantic bombshell, and, as it is very light
much lighter than ordinary gas-it will
be Of much value hereafter in trying bal.
loon experiments.
So great is the pressure that engineers
say this gas would flow through tubing to
Pittsburg, distance Of forty miles, in
ten minutes. The pipe lines here push
oil twelve miles over hills and valleys,
with 1000 pounds pressure to the square
inch, but tins gas would push itself to
New York in few hours. The well is
estimated to produce 100000 cutie feet
Of the richest gas il day.
The well is named after Mr.. Delemater
who bored it. lie was employed by MIR
| Henry Harley, formerly connected with
he Erie Railway, who now claims the
well, and IL six men and six hickory
clubs will keep him in possession against
another claimant, Mr.. Harley will con.
tinue to own il.
saw James Murray, who assisted to
bore the we'll. When asked him to give
me the history Of il, he said:
"Well, sir, after boring 300 feet we
struck rock, solid rock, and followed It
Ger twenty-five days. At the third sand
Se struck oil, and pumped seven barrels.
On October 4, after boring scgenty.fiye
days and 1850 feet, VIC struck fow in
the rock about 6 o'clock, and God Al.
mighty -"
Just stick TO the uncmbellished facts.
James, interrupted
"Well, she flew 100 feet in the air.
Stones, salt water, oil gas, busted like a
cannon, and the s.. 10 people cum rush.
in over the bin to find busted bier and
A dead drller. but"
"What did you do then, asked
well. We run like he'll. run to get