The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-12-18
New York Times.l

TIC u lHAt u J4S 4fAuAA me- oi-
teca miles to the east, ami TareDtum,
twenty miles to the northeast. Homewooi
aa "a hi TRY which reads like the romance
OF q mining camp or an oil town. No finan-
c.al venture promised greater profits than
the city'a gas tiell, and yet few have been
uch com al. e diiappointment5.
Wien "a was struck on the beautiful
croun sa. @ .1rge Westinghouse on May
~ 1884, it va confidently as SERTED By eE-
paTt7 g !riiing that the whole East Liberty
valley %! the city was uuderiaid with
great and practically inexhaustiblo supply
&C natural gas The Westinghouse gusher
radiciod all this and even more. The force
OF ;ae ga flowing from it was SO strong as
70 battle any attempt at measurement. The
SQUAD ot its roaring could be heard dis
tinct1y four miles away. It; fame, tower
ing Tor I)) feet in the air, illuminated the
surrounding country for many miles and
turned night into day. The well that was
drilled TO supply the wants of Mr.. Westing-
hon els private residence was large enough
to furnish fuel for half doz3n of the
largest rolling-milIs
THE GAS FEVER.
People came many miles to see the Won
doriui phenomenon. L syndicate offered
500 600 for it in cash and were refused.
Property owners Of the East End took thss
gas fever, and talked Of putting down gas
wells among their flower beds. Within
week after the great Westinghouse gusher
was struck preparations were being made 10
put down half-dozen wells in the neigh
Loraood. BY August Westinghouse well
No. had touched the gas, and only 10 bring
sore disappointment. The volume of gas
sent out by it did not bear comparison with
the great gusher near it.
Meanwhile the latter had continued light
ing the heavens with its fame and burning
& hoe in the darkness, but there began to
be q noticeable diminution OF its volume.
It's owner thought the gas vein had
been impaired in some way, and had it
torpedoeI with only q temporary i'm
provement. By this time the beautiful res
i4ent places Of the east end were dotted
with derrick and many dancing drills hur
ried on to the unexplorei regions of the
earth in their search for the much desired
gas. Seventeen wells in all were put down,
and the re ult was failure; $4,000 would
hardly cover the cost of drilling each well
The piping expenses too, were considerable
and were almost q complete loss.
To-day Tut five wells produce gas that is
worth collecting. The total amount pro-
ducel by them is Insignificant In one day
they DO not yield as much gas as the great
Westing house gusher did during its first
month in ono half hour It Is now a EttIs
more than year since the H0mowood ter
ritory was first discovered, yet during that
time il has virtually been exhausted, with a
t tai loss o spectators Of $780, 600
MURRAYsyILLE GAS BELT.
The great supply territory Of Pitt burg is
Murrlysvillc. a quaint, sleepy hamlet on
the old national pike. With its reservoir Of
fusl f"eo as water, tle staii olI-fashioned
village is as humble ana unpretontious rs a
grave. Innum9rable derrick5 loom up
about the place. The drillor, shirtal rad,
and the pipa layer, clothed in blue wooden,
bu To about the village. The native has
no5 yet accommodates himself to the sud
den change in his fortune. The discovery
of natural gas has however, taught him to
know & good thing when he sees it. Among
other things, he knows that gas territory
is scarce and a tridl9 hard to gas.
Ho al,o knows that when gas well is
struck on his farm his fortune is made.
About nine years ago the Haymaker
brothers, fresh from the declining oil fields
Of northwestern Pennsylvania, walked into
Narraysville TT up 81 derrick, aud began
drilling 70: Oh. Six weeks later the great
Murraysville gas belt was punclureI, tie
drilling tools were blown ont, AMI the new
fuel shot into Il tower OF flame that was a
landmark for miles around For throe
years the we'll roare3 and blew It's valuable
fuel into the air. Then pipe was laid to
Hitt s5urS and tho wealth OF the new dis.
covcry was appreciated for the first time.
Then the man of Murraysvillo began dgur-
ing on the value OF his property, and every
time he has figured since then he has added
a good round sum to the total value. Land
thut before the discovery Of gas was drug
in the market at So an aero now commands
81 600 an acre.
TARENTUAI GAS FIELDS.
Earantum, northeast OF Pittsburg, IS the
second in Importance OF the ciby's gas
folds. 1t is 4 thriving little town planted
in a magnificent valley, bounded by pics-
ure.Qua hills, which extend for miles IN
either direction, following the course of the
beautiful Allegheny river. Through the
discovery % natural gas tho valley for =
distance of four miles has been Geasely
p.pliatei |. In reality, it is so extensively
decorated with Factories and dwellings that
the observer, unacquaiated with the faces,
wouI pronounce Tarentum AMI its three
neghboring villages oIa municipality. The
Buli Crock valley, north of the town O short
distance, is stu ldei with the derricls of
natural "a; wells. From these wells the
iarse,t plate glass factory ana the largest
salt works il the United States receive
their supply OF fuel Each factory owa a
we'll the product Of which is moro than IS
required, AMI the other wells convey their
yru.u,, through pipes to Pittsburg. The
plate glass works, now covering eight acres
viii bo lou6ie that size q year hsnce, IS
new wsrks arc being constructed by tA9
firc1.
Passengers who ride among the derrick
studded hills and valleys through which the
raiirnALs Of western Pennsylvania win1
ggill / surprised, if the journey 10 at night,
10 see miriads OF spectral, banner-liks flames
7-aying in the cool night air aud casting
g,iard and shadowy pictures on the hillsiIaS
and the valleys. Ii is a fairyland. Night
IS turned into day. On dark night Pitts
burg can trace its gas fields by the IuriI
glare in the skies that overhaugs tho wav-
ing flames The many industrial towns OF
western Pennsylvania have this sarns rudy
SKY suspended over them. The oil towns
that were nearly abandoned when the sup
ply Of petroleum failed have assumed nav
life since the introduction OF natural gas
in frl.rr t'1F,fes