Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-21
A MARVELLOUS GAS WELL.
Abandoned as Worthless, but Now Send
ing Forth Mighty Stream of Gas.


from The PhiladelDhia Press.
BUTLER, PA, April 1.-THE most ex-
traordinary natural gas well yet dis
covered in Western Pennsylvania has
been developed an eighth of a mile from
the borough limits OF Butler. This well
is located on a summit overlooking the
town and at the end of High street, the
principal thoroughfare.
The Butler Mutual Fuel Gas Company,
imposed ct certain individuals, Theodore
and Augustus Jack formerly Of Phila-
deluhia; David kirk ami Joseph DilwOrth,
90 pittshurg, and j. +. Dean. Of Ocean,
I \. T., obtained a charter in 1888 from the
[ commonwealth for operations in natural
I gas in Butler county. The company, in
| the spring Of 1884, leased an acre Of
ground on the summit solely for gas pur-
poses. The cas- sand was pierced at the
! depth Of 1860 feet. Very little fluid was
OBSERVABLE. The drill penetrated the
rock, and an increase was apparent.
/ w hen the rock was bored through all the
gas found probably might have fired one
boiler. The company, however, deter
mined 10 drill deeper in search Of oil, as
the strata was regular and correspondent
i'm character to similar wells in the Butler
county field, where Oil in paying quanti-
ties had been found. The 'hundred-tOot'
70 k was reached at / 400 feet, where an
immense saltwater vein appeared.
The Oil-bearing rock was pierced at the
depth of 900 feet. The drillngs and sedi-
ment, that were sand pumped out Of the
well, We're highly impregnated with the
smell OF oil. At LOO feet operating
ceased The well was plugged with iron
and wood below the oil sand and above
the hundred foot" for the purpose Of
preventing the salt water from doing in
jury TO the oil rock. The enterprise was
abandoned as lamentable failure.
Thirty-fYe hundred dollars had been eX-
pended.
Seven months rolled by and the company
within the past fortnight disposed of their
| right to the claim and interest in the ma
terial and lease to Edward Rigney 4 Co.
upon reasonably cheap terms. The new
company "rlgged up" on All Fools day,
and on last Thursday morning were run
ming the boiler in order TO exhaust the
salt water and sediment. The pressure
of salt water aggregated 5000 pounds on
the gas and oil rocks, where the fluid eX-
listed. The well was reduced of its salt
water J 80 feet from the derrick floor, when
rumbling noise was audible to the work.
men. Presently the salt water dubbed
over the top of the hole, the sound grew
| iercer, water would rise and then recede
INTERCHANGEABLE with gas until 1t went up
through the derrick over the crown pulley
a height Of eighty feet, presenting an in
describable scene.
Vibrations caused by runningthe boiler
rod agitated the well and caused the gas
gradually to percolate the fluid, when it
discharged violently into mid-air. The
roar Of gas caused the earth to tYemble
within a radius Of 200 feet. The EN-
poyes We're knocked about like tenpins.
The roaring well alarmed the ncighbOr
hood with the marvel Of a thousand guns
fired at midnight and the din was heard
for miles away. The derrick was enyel-
oped in oily spray. subsequently the salt
water was discharged, adjustments were
perfected and the gas was introduced into
an iron casing fourteen inches in dame
ter. This runs out from the aperture 100
feet, and at the extreme end was ignited.
A solid column of flame, . feet high, bril-
liantly burns, increasingly. in open air,
day and night. The reflection in the
heavens at night is clearly visible along
the Allegheny river, distance Of twenty
miles from this powerful illumination.