Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-12-10
THE NORTHWEST
GAS AND OIL.
A Scientific View ofthe Matter.-Oil
and:Gas Region Identical.

Prof. Ashburner, the geologist in
charge of the Pennsylvania survey, has
published an article on natural gas,
summarizing all that is known so far of
Its location and origin. While his in
vestigatiOns were confined to the Pen
nsvlval,ia gas fields, his statements are
OF interest to all localities where
natures fuel is found. He says:
"rhe existence ofgas springs in Pen
nsylvania and adjoining States west Of
the crest of the Alleghanies was known
to the earliest settlers, the first being
obtained from well at Fredonia, N.
Y, on the Canadaway creek, in 1921.
when Gen. Lafayette passed there in
1924. Other wells have been drilled
there, and the average supply in 1880
was 10000 cubic feet.
"Drilling oil wells began in Western
Pennsylvania in 1859, the pressure fore
ing up the oil proceeding, 1t is believed,
from the gas. The product of gas wells
has been variously utilized-for light
and fuel, and to some extent, for the
manufacture of "diamond black" lamp
biack) from the carbon resulting from
imperfect combustion. Two years ago
the introduction of gas into the Pitts
burg iron, steel and glass works made
its use as fuel on important considera-
tion.p
Geologically speaking, the oil and
gas regions are identical. Mr.. Ash
burner. from his own examination of
the subject, concludes that the porosity
and hOmogenOusness of the sandstone
serves as o reservoir to hold the gas, and
that its occurrence further depends up
ON the extent to which the surround
ing strata are cracked, the dip of the
gas sand and position Of the anticlinals
and synclinals, the relative position of
previous to the process oftapping.
In Ohio, West Virginia and Ken
lucky, the gas is obtained from much
lower strata than the great productive
field of Pennsylvania. Mr.. Ashburner
considers it as being closely related to
petroleum., and, like it, originating
from animal and vegetable FORMS
Where the strata above are much crack
ed it may be absent, from having escap-
ed into the atmosphere. The fact that
certain streams take their direction
from joints in the rocks probably ac-
counts in measure for the occurrence
Of gas at certain points and its absence
at Others, gas being obtained where the
rocks are not joined. All great wells
are not found along an anticlinal axis;
many drilled in cynclinals have yielded
gas; hence its occurrence can not be ex-
planned but by careful consideration
of all the geological and physical con-
ditiOns under which it is procured, nor
are the facts as vet known sufficient to-
permit the acceptance of any ultimate
theory.
In regard to the permanence of the
supply, the flow from natural surface
springs seem not to have diminished
since the settlement of the country.
The flow from wells bored quarter of
q century ago likewise shows no dimin-
utiOn, as rule. The Oldest gas springs
in the world are those in the province
of Baku, on the southwest coast of the
Caspian Sea, in Asia. 1t is the great
petroleum region Of the Eastern conti-
hent, and its flowing wells have burned
from the dawn of history. 1t is in this
province that the famous fire-temple of
the Ghebcrs, or Persian fire. -worshipers,
Is located. As the burning gas wells of
this region have been known for ages,
they afford an argument for the perma-.
hence of the inexllaustibility of natures
reservoirs.