The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-09-26
NATURAL GAS.
lTs ApvANrAess QUICKLY sen
By Manufacturer. and Capitalists, sada Rash To
isIsst Honey Ia the Fuel Of the Future the
Resalt-Ip Uses aAd its AdVAutSss"
The Average Life Of Gas Well.

The Average Life OF Gas WELL
Few topics have recently assumed the i'm
portance to residents OF Wheeling and vein
ity which natural gas new bears. The Pith'
burgh Post OF Monday has an exhaustive
series OF articles on the sub ect in Its different
bearings, which shows care in It's prepare
ton, and contains much new Information Of
interest aud many suggestions Of value. The
promises OF gas IS an economical aud service
able fuel are great, and the Incidental advau
tagss Of cleanliness and freedom from troub Z
ara also valuable.
Natural gas a.fords the dirty Nail City no
less than lis sister Smoky City, the most et-
lectual means OF cleansing heraelt..c- Its geh-
eraI introduction into mills, furnaces and
factories would entirely abolish smoke % II
nuisance, This result has already been &C.
complished at several establishments In Bits
burgh. Why may II not be at Others3 With
capital aud enterprise taking the gas indus
Try In hand as Is nov doing, what great re-
suit, may not b. expected In the next five
years? Il more than probable that, II the
supply and limits Of the natural gas belt are
as great as now believed, the mills will BY
that time have generally adopted 1t as fuel.
The result will be the abatement OF the smoke
nuisance.
GAS IN MAKING IRON.
To fully Determine the availability oil
natural gss as fuel, It must first be tested
where helargest quantity OF fuel Is now con,
sumed. 1t Is here gas will be OF the greatest
benefit Therefore, whatever notable achieve.
ments In this matter are to be accomplished
the iron and steel mills and glass factories
must necessarily be Affected, The manu-.
facture OF iron IS the greatest industry, and
when reference is made TO any advantages
likely 10 accrue TO industries from some new
idea or innovation, the trst INQUIRY to arise
in every mind Is, "Will 1t benefit the iron
trade ?S In this case there seems TO be little
doubt that 1t will. With the development Of
the natural gas industry, yet in Its infancy,
and With the uncertainty about the strength
extent and boundaries OF the supply, some
cautious persons may consiGer prediction
lust now rather hazardous, but from expert.
ments and tests aud opinions OF practical
men, there are reasonable grounds for the
prophecy that natural gas will revolutionizg
some OF the leading methods In the iron bust
ness.
A prominent mill in Pittsburgh has al.
ready introduced gas. The highest degree OIL
heat necessary In pudding IL readily OBJ
tanned. Whea the mill suspendS work fol
any length OF time the gas may be simply
turned doEu 10 the lowest point, and burn
that way without wasting or heating, thus
obyiating the trouble Of building fires. Upon
approaching the mill the first thing that at
tracts attention Is tho entire absence Of
smoke. Not q particle Issues from the score
OF chimneys, and one could be led. to believe
that tho mill was Idle. But not 30. Every
furnace contained a cheat" and every wheel
was In motion. With gas for fuel no smoke
is generated A Whit Or two perhaps escapes
from the chimneys when the furnace door
Ia thrown open, and the fire low, but the
mill is literally smokelks. A puddler re.
marked that he calculated there was saving
of at least S24 per day in the matter OF coal
alone, exclusive OF labor. Although the
pudding furnaces have only been using gas
three weeks, thu boilers have beeo heated
with II for several months, and Its success
there Is assured At several other mills ges
is used, and tue owners say they are able to
make better quality OF iron than with coal.
FOR TEMPGRlSG GLASS.
The frat industrial establishment in Pitts.
burgh TO ADOPT the MurraySville gas as fuel
was the 0Hara Glass Co, on Thirtieth street.
They have been using It ever since last spring
In their temperlnS ovens. Capt Evans, man.
aver of the works, stated that II was great
advantage In this branch OF glass manufac-
ture, from the fact that 1t makes more even
heat and tempers the glass finer than coal
fire. The gas being free from sulphur the
RI0ss come3out OF the ovens clear and beauti-
| full, aud does not need TO be washed, as was
necessary when coke or coal was used as fuel.
This Ia Ia itself u great saying OF labor.
Ills estimated that from $50, 900 to $50 COO
| Is being saved every year by the use OF natural
gss at the extensive works Of the New York
Plate Glass Co., at Hites station, on The West
Penn railroad, eighteen miles above ALE
gheny. Through this immense saving In the
G. st OF production the company isenabled "a
enter the eastern and western markers and
undersell all other plate glass manufactures.
Not only can they sell Il cheaper because u
Is made cheaper, butt has the advantage oil
being finer grade, being clearer and possibly
stronger than that made by bituminens
coal fire.
The Pan Handle Glass Factory, at Wellt.
burg, Is using gas IS fuel. Where they used
10 consume $50 bushels OF coal day only sc
bushels are now required. A stakeholder
SAYS: 1.-THE total saving on tsn pot furnsct
Is $50 10 $50 day. The work Is Slso much
lighter for the men. The furnace teasers, fol
instance, now have nothing else to do than
carry water 10 the worEmen, whereas they
used to have all they could do wheeling oul
ashes aud cinders and bringing In coal. II
does not require man 10 to 10 hours 10 heat
furnace. All he Is required TO do Is 10 turn
on the gas and light 1t, and III five hours the
furnace Is ready for use. a nice white heSl
can be secured In two or three hours by sim,
ply increasing the sizi OF the gas Jet OAe oil
the greatest advantages Is the absolute free
dom from dust, which greatly enhances the
value OF the glass turned out"
now LONG WILL WELL LAST?
The continued utility Of natural gas rs q
medium for the production OF heat and light
depends, OF course, upon the life OF the wells
A practical oil producer OF Pittsburgh, who
has made q study OF this subject, states that
in bis Judgment, there Is little reason TO fear
the uncertainty OF gas wells. Up to the pres
emit dSy good gas we'll has never been known
TO wholly exhaust itself. Northwestern
PsAnsy lyania Is full oil such wells, which are
still flowing gas after an existence OF eight
ten, fifteen, aud In some cases almost twenty
years.
At scrubgrass, Oh the A. V. r. R., there i
q great gasser still in astate Of activity, which
wss struck as far back as 1865 or 1905. 1t was
one OF the wells frat discovered. ALTHOUGH
Vensngo county there are wells still flowing
which were developed during the early oil
excitement. OIL City Is now furnished with
fuel and light by some OF them At Claren.
don is very old ore. thew Cumberland
the large brick works there are operated With
gas from one OF the Oldest wells in existence
Up In Butler county there are several wells
M lonuar vnnihfnl In vAarH Int iuHt as yiROf.
ous AZ fhey were at first. At Saxon station
on the Butler branch OF the West Penn rail,
road, there is wen which supplies half the
village, and lamp black factory In which
1O, 900 lets are burning day and night That
III Va. haAn Having for thirteen Years