The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-07-05
NATURAL GAS WELLS.
An Important Industry Developing In Penn
sylyRuin.

DONOiop'bR
sylvnuia.
The great natural gas wells in Western
Pennsylvania are developing an industry
which will some day be of vast import
ance to this country. It is the manufac-
ture Of lampblack. To large number
OF people the existence of this industry
in the United States is comparatively un-
known. The fact that hundreds of thou
sands of dollars in profits arc realized an
nually in Pennsylvania by simply gather
ing the SCOT which is condensed from the
flames and smoke at these wells is some
thing that very few persons havo ever
thought about. For years past the bust.
ness has been rather obscure, but of late
1T has been growing in size and import
ance, and no little public attention has
been attracted by it. New gas wells arc
being bought or leased in this region by
Eastern capitalists for the purpose of ex-
tending the industry and utilizing the
gas, which otherwise would only go to
waste. The quality of carbon black that
is made from natural gas has been found
to be SO much superior to that manufac-
turcd by other methods that it is in de-
mand everywhere, and it is a significant
tact that nearly the entire product in that
State goes direct to Germany and other
foreign countries. This finer grade of
the article IS pigment of great value in
the arts and is expensive, bringing the
highest prices.
The process by which ampblack is
| made would at first thought appear very
simple to the casual reader, but its de-
tails are novel and interesting. A carbon
black factory Mt the side of n roaring gas
well is wonderful place. There is one
IN Butler county, about thirty-eight
miles from Pittsburg, which is the most
| extensive III this country. 1t is located
at Saxon station, on the West Pcnnsyl
vania Railroad, and is owned by q
wealthy New York company. The 3nOdus
| Ol'crdndi of the manufacture of lamp
black, i'll brief, is the burning of gas
against sheet-iron plates. In this factory
ut Saxon 10000 gas jets are burning day
and night. The building is about It's
feet square. From til" gas well, few
Yards distant, a forlr-inch pipe extends to
| the factory. At the main entrance it
branches off i'll two directions, and from
these two distributing mains eight long
pipes. running the entire length of the
building, draw their supply. Along each
OF these pipes are small jets, thin and
very close together. AS stated above,
they number fully twenty thousand
Over each "bench" Oh which the long
| pipe rests are continuous plates of sheet
IRON, and it is against these that the tinv
flames from the myriad of Jets burn.
The windows and doors arc always kept
tightly closed with close fitting shutters,
so as to prevent the admission of too
much air. The temperature of the in
terror must be sufficiently regulated to
avoid perfect combustion. and thus save
the carbon. Little by little the lamp
black forms On the sheet iron until n
small mass not larger than a cherry, per-
haps, hangs over each jet. AT regular
Intervals of twenty minutes a small iron
''carrlage' or n sort of scraDcr is run
along each of the rows of iron, and the
matter thus collected is cmpticd into q
receptacle i'll another department. FIRE.
qucntly water is run over the top of the
iron to keep it cool. The heat of the
place IS intense and cannot be endured
long.
When this finely divided carbon is re-
moved from the sheet iron it is ready fo1
packing. This is the most difficult part
of the work. Being such an extremely
hight substance it would require but n
very small Quantity to fill barrel if il
were thrown in loosely. Ingenious ma.
chincry has been invented, however, tc
ohviat" this difficulty in measure. A.
it IS dropped i'll by thc painful heavy roll.
rrs and stampers run by steam engine
press it down as tigh; rs possible. bur
Notwithstanding all this labor only fifty
pounds OF lampblack can be put in an
ordinary sized barrel. The capacity
of the factory at Saxon is 250 pounds pei
day, or only five barrels. It i stated that
all the lampbiack manufactured there
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