Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-07-01

ing horizon at Wheeling over localities
to the north Of II, however. so far from
being cause for discouragement,sh should
rather be . source Of congratulation. fol
no great and long enduffne supplies OF
natural gas have been found except In
deep wels. Compare for instance the
wells In the neighborhoodo of East Liver
pool and New Cumberland where the
gas Is obtained at about 100 feet, with
the monster wells Of Butler county, Pa:
and Wellsburg, W. ", with depths OF
] zoo or 900 feet, aud also with the
greatest one ever struck, 49, =. 6 .
The McGuxen Well
Of Washington county, at . depth OF
1900 feet. And yet all Ofthese get their
supply from the same reservoir, viz the
second oil. sand of Venango. The vast
difference in favor of the deep wells
seems to be due to the fact that natural
gas Is 50 volatile and hard to confine
that when its containing reservoir (usu-
ally q coarse sandstOne) is buried by
only few hundred feet Of rock, the
gas has, by its great expansive force,
penetrated upward through seams and
assures Of the everything rocks, and thus
largely escaped into the air during the
long ages of its entombment.
In advocating the policy Of boring to
this deep-sealed horizon at Wheeling,
/ must not be understood as saying that
no good gas flows will be found before
this maximum depth ,5OO-l $50 feet
is passed; on the contrary, think 1t
very probable that at least two fairly
good strikes may be expected inside Of
200 feet, viz, one in the great con-
giomerate at about $50 feet, and another
in the POcono sandstone, 200 or 3O feet
lower; for as general rule
Good Gas Flows
may be confidently expected in pene-
trating with the drill any coarse sand
stone in the carbOniferous formation.
But should the Central well prove
Of great flow even at
the maximum depth $50 feet, then
what? My advice would be to drill at
least a THOUSAND feet deeper before Civ
ing up. And if this well utterly fail at
every horizon, Wheeling's capitalists
should not then be discouraged in their
search for this inexpensive and most
valuable fuel. Within one mile of the
greatest gas well in Butler county, Pa,
another was bored 800 feet deeper, and
no gas whatever obtain, the rock being
too coarse grained at the latter locality
to permit of its holding any gas.
do not anticipate any such result at
Wheeling, but should it occur, the ques-
ton of the absence of gas could not be
held decided until 1t least one-haif
dozen holes had penetrated beyond q
depth ofl550 feet in different parts of
the city.
The golden prize held out to
wheeling's Capitalists
in the prospect ola fuel 30 pure and
cheap that possessing it, none could
complete with them in their already
famous industries, should certainly
stimulate to vigorous search for the
coveted treasures. The vast import
ance of this subject of gas for fuel, not
only TO Wheeling, but to the State at
large in its future industrial growth,
mast be my excuse for calling public at
tention to this question through your
columns. Over large portion of the
State this gaseous fuel can be obtained
almost anywhere by drilling to the
proper depth, and in future letter |
may indicate some localities where coal
is not accessible that should profit by
drilling for gas. &c. WHITR.
June IS, 1888, MOrganton, w. Va.