The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-06-18
DRILLING A GAS WELL.
SLOW sUr INTERESTING PROCESS.
New ia Operation a. III. Cs.tr.i sl,s rOrl,
HON The WOrk is Dsas-ns DlK,rsss strata
Of nln.rals Found ia siskiss the Well
A y.ia Of yllplSls Cstins Coal.

Work Is now progreasinG rapidly on the
we'll being sunk In search Of natural gas at
the Central Glas. Works, the machinery be
ing operated night and day Rapidly Is here
used as q relative te m. The work Of drill
ing a gas or oil well Is at the best rather q
slow process, which fact will not be wonder,
ed at BY these who are familiar with the
man"er OF drilling Tho way in which the
loose earth ut the surface was removed has
already been described. An iron pipe was
driven through l. aud the earth removed
from inside II, new section being screwed
on as fast as one reached the surface OF The
GROUND The work Is different and lover
After the rock Is reached. The contractors
who are sinking the we'll expected TO bedown
500 feet y saturday nigt t. and It Is believed
that gas will be Il -ls k, II At all, wit ain 400
feet Of that distaace, 50 that there 10 reason
10 hope that the work will be completed tais
week. -se.,.l},g
The work Of boring the we'll 10 apeculi.i
one, and Is the same a. the siukins OF IA oil
we'll, A person who has net witnessed the
operation cannot easily imagine bow 50 deeI
| n hole is dug. The general idea OF the work
seems to be that the hole 10 bored by bill
very similar to an Augur, but how drill
1000 feet long could be made, much less
operated, cannot be conceived. The ''bit'
or drill VITA which the whole Is bored Is q
long iron bar, the end being nearly fat, put
slopingslight;y from the middle to each side
leaving q pointed ridge across the middle.
This bar 10 round, and Of the same diameter
as the waole 10 be bored. On top oil !.
| r.. A ,kFtu lad a
which IL In two sections, working upon each
other In q SLOT. The top Of the jar Is fsstenod
10 Two inch rope, which passea over .
drum or pully at Q top OF the derrick
height OF seventy feet, and Is wound
upon another drum at the btt1m.
This drum is worked by steam, and
tle drill 10 sank To the bottom Of the well by
luhwindlng the rope. TINS rope Is then
attached 70 another, which Is fastened TO a
walking beam which raises aud lowers the
drill, tae upper section Of the jar falling upon
the lower each time. The drill ia constant
~ turned, and the process Of boring 10 real y
only grinding the surface OF tie rock t, dust.
Four or FIVE feet Is sunk in this way, and
then the drill is removed. and lew pulls Of
Wa ter Is poured into the hole. A lotg zink
furnished at the bottom with y sucker" OF
valve, Is sunk In the hole. The water Ia
thorouShly mixed with the sand or dust
made by the drill, aud the link vessel sink
log in tails, the valve Is o ened and I le mud
dy mixture fills the buelat or case, which Ia
taen drawn up and emptisd How slow O
process Ills Is can be understood when 1t ID
remembered that In addition u the slow
wearing away OF the rock by the drill, much
time 10 spent IN removing aud replacing 1t,
and sinking and raisirg the bucket or pump,
the distance OF 700 or 800 feet The water
which Is poured III to mois;en the dust to 0
consiAtent which will admit Of pumping II
out, can be- heard filling mary seconds after
1t leayes the opening oil the hyle.
t... TIE GEOLOGICAL STRATA.
Several veins OF coal have been pierced In
sinking tie vel. At about coo feet small
vein was struck, right beneath which small
flow OF gas was met. At AIS feet six 70
rein OF the purest coal eyer seen hereabouts
was pierced, and again below It was found q
small dep sit Of gas, VIII oh made q how Of
some ior;e from the well. II was lighted,
aud burned up for two or three feet. 1t was
nj t In sufficient quantity 10 be OF value,
however. At 6s3 Ieet axother hpe vein OF
coal, FIVE ielt thick, was sirutk, and below
Iris a bed OF superior sand rock sixty feet
deep was gone through, beneath which was
depotit OF sou, stone A feet in thickness.
Below this Frld,y evening rock was en-.
couatered which tor a long time b. tlied all
endeayors to make an impression on 1t, and
after neatly an hours Inc ffsotu pounding
the drill was removed and found 10 have the
point battered fat with the eid OF the drill.
Some gentlemea familiar with the coal
pierced were at the we'll on Friday, and ex-
Pressed the opinion that II would pay 10
shaft for q six foot vein. It Is what Is
known as vei1 No. s Of the Ohio Geological
survey, which Is worked ut Rush Run and
elsewhere tn oaio. II has only about two
psr cent Of ash, aud absolutely no sulphur,
and 10 magnificent coal for coke, producing
a coke fully equal 10 that now used In TIE
furnaces here, and brought from Connell..
vile. A gentleman with good pratt cal
knowledge OF the iron business said that the
saving In freight at one furnace here would
pay for the shaft in year.
The opinion was expressed by one gentle.
man Friday that there was plenty OF oil t,
be had right here ly boring deep enough.
at would be bully Joke" said he, ''if these
men would strike Oh instead Of gas" 1t Is
believed, however, that gus will DO struck in
AZ great quantity rs AZ Moundsyille r Welli-
burg, u d on 10 same vein. II 10, and 1t has
form dip from Mopndsyille to Wells-
burg, It should be met here at about 100 feet.