Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-05

Tapping Natures Great Retort at Pitts
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burg.
A citizen Of Pittsburg, named Westing-
house, after drilling for twenty days, says
the New Orleans Tines Democrat, re-
Gently struck vein Of illuminating gas
at a distance Of $50 feet below the sur
face, from the sale Of which be fully ex-
poets to realize $1,000 per day. The gas
is said to be better than any manufac-
tured by artificial means. Other wells
Of perhaps equal size have since been
discovered. The Westinghouse wen, says
a correspondent, was struck shortly be-
fore sunrise one morning, and there was
a roar ike that Of whole squadron Of
cyclones. Drill, machinery and engine
were OyeFpOwered and unshipped ila
an instant by the awakened mon-
ster. and a torrent Of water, mud,
gravel, sand and other debris
rushed skyward in a mighty column,
probably several hundred feet high, the
well tube through which it belched forth
being five and a half inches in diameter.
Needless to say, there was a general
stampede of the wOrkmen. The flow OF
water and sand continued for some hours,
and then gave way to a pure jet Of gas. lit
may be remarked. by the way. that water
invariably pIecedes gas. A dry we'll is
entirely barren. 1t was about 8 O'Clock
on the morning Of Thursday, May %, that
the well broke loose. The next day, when
there was only a flow of pure gas, some
of the visitors began trying experiments
with it. A chunk OF coal weighing seven
or eight pounds was tossed into the jet
just above the top of the pipe, and was
whirled into the air like a feather in 8.
gale. A heavy spruce plank was showed
across the aperture, and was instantly
snapped and splintered into klndling
wood. A rope was fastened to the derrick
and then swung into the jet, which forth
with carried its free end up and held it
there stiff and straight as flag staff. The
lighting Of it was an interesting scene.
The wOrkmen lighted torch made Ofrags
saturated with oil, and fastened it to
wire rope which passed over pulley at
the top of the pipe. Then the stOp-c0ck
was opened, and the air quivered and the
earth itself seemed to vibTate as the gas
rushed out with sound like that
of Niagara heard at a dis
lance. Then the men began
pulling at the wire rope, the lower end of
which was at the ground a considerable
distance from the foot Of the pipe, the
pipe itself being some sixty feet high.
Slowly the blazing torch climbed the
AERIAL slope, coming nearer and nearer to
the top of the black pipe, and casting
dimly lurid glare upon the skeleton frame
work of the derrick. 1t was almost TO
the pipe, and every spectator held his
breath. Another pull at the rope; then
the torch stood still, there was a CLEAN
of blush flame circling around the tip OF
the pipe, and then like a lightning flash
sent back from earth to heaven pillar of
fire rushed with an added thunder roar
a hundred feet into the air. 1t wasa foun-
tain of fire that arose, but knew no fall
ing. At the base it was a slender jet of
blue, Frightening into pale yellow, then
at the centre into dazzling white, and ex-
panding into a broad flood, while at the
top it darkened into a dusky red. The
gas lamps in the city streets and houses
paled Intellectual fires beneath the lustre
of this stupendous torch, and the land
scape far around stood wildly revealed
amid the gloom of night. A mile away
one could read the finest print with no
other light than that of the Westinghouse
well. This well was originally sunk
to obtain a gas supply for Mr..
Westinghouse private mansion. But
now its owner proposes to connect 1t with
street mains and give light and heat to a
large section of the city. 1t seems prob
able that gas may now come into general
use as fuel in the manufactures of Pitts
burg, which will redeem that city from
the permanence of the flow from these
wells, there seems no reason for appre-
hension. Some gas wells now flowing
freely as ever have been producing con-
stantly for twenty years. Says an ex-
perienced engineer Of that city:
''You know how the gas is
made: Water from the surface of
the earth sinks down and works
its way into the bowels of the earth until
hn int al 6r-a fc
decomposed by the intense heat into n.y.
drOgen gas, and this finds its way back
through crevices and cayerns to the veins
which are tapped by these wells, so the
supply will last while there is water on
the earth's surface and fire in its centre"
Several years ago a number of drove wells
sunk in this city emitted quite flow of
Illuminating gas. Might it not be well
for US to experiment little in deep drill
ling OurSplVpsf