Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-08-21
NATURES BIG GAS WORKS.

Sinking Gas Wells L, 600 Feet in Pittsburg-
New Fuel in Iron AIins-S5OO Worth of Gas
PerDay Flowing from One Wen.
This community is awakening to the
importance of the vast reservoirs Of nat
ural hydro-carbon gases no known to ex-
list under a belt of territory extending
from Lake Ontario southwestwardly to
this city, and thence through West Vir-
ginia to East Kentucky and Tennessee.
Gas is now frequently discovered where
there is no sign Of oil. In some of the
gas wells in this vicinity the gas is al
most pure hydrogen, perfectly free from
OdOr; in others further removed it has
q strong scent of petroleum. The gas
shows little variation in its heat-prOduc-
ing power, but varies greatly in gravity,
being comparatively heavy as it comes
from gas wells in the petroleum regions,
and lighter than air else where
The first recorded discovery Of natural
gas was made at Pittsburg between 1880
and 1910, when drilling a well on the
bank of the Ohio river, almost opposite
old Fort Duquesne, a heavy vein of gas
was opened. About the same time an
other gas well was struck under similar
circumstances nine miles above Pitts
burg. No attempt was made at the time
to utilize the gas. In 1S60-65 the people
of the pottery town of East Liverpool, o.,
thinking their lands were on the oil belt,
sunk a considerable number of wells,
and at an average depth of $50 feet tap
ped a vein Of gas, which put an end to
further drilling. Some shreWG Yankee
conceived the idea that the gas could be
utilized as an iluminant and as fuel,
and here was put down the first pipe
line for carrying natural gas to con-
sumers. 1t was not a satisfactory illu-
minant, however, being very smoky.
The charge from its use was mere nom
inal, however, and it is still in use for
lighting the streets, the lamps not being
extiaguished for months at a time.
Gas was first used as a fuel in the oil
regions in 1862, in the Dunkard district,
near the West Virginia line. William
ROgersOn, while developing petroleum
territory, struck vein of gas. He tried
an experiment with it as fuel for his
steam engine, and burned it with salts
factory results.
The first use of natuarl gas in the man
ufacture of iron was made at the Siberi-
an Iron Works at Leechburg, Pa, in 1874.
Mr.. VIM. Rogers, one of the prOprietOrs,
conducted the gas to the furnaces by
means of pipes, and found that the quail
ity of the iron produced was greatly su-
periOr to that made with coal. These
works are still operated with natural gas,
and the saving in fuel bills, as compared
with the cost of coal, is $4,000 to $4,000
per year.
Since the laying of pipe lines to the
city from the wells at Murrysville, West
mereland county, and those in Washing
ton county, natural gas has been in use
in large number of iron, steel and glass
works here. At the plate glass works
the saving in the cost Of fuel is estimat-
ed at $4,000 to $4,000 per year. The
company, however, own their own gas
we'll, which makes a large difference in
their favor. Pittsburg has for several
years been surrounded by large gas wells,
most of the product from which was al
lowed to go to waste. About two months
ago Geo. Westinghouse, Jr., the owner of
the air-bFake patents, struck a big gas
well on his residence property in the
TWenty-frst ward, the fow from which
he estimates to be worth $500 per day.
This, too, is going to waste while the city
legislators are celebrating upon what
rules to adopt in regard to piping the gas