The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-04-03
NATURAL GAS.


Some Of the Changes Wrought BY It's Gen.
sral Introduction.
Though the introduction of petroleum
as fuel has met with little favor, nat
ural gas, chemically identical with pc
troleum, has of late attracted wide at
tention. The existence of natural gas
in this country was known long before
petroleum wells were drilled; and as
early as 1921 gas spring at Fredonia,
N. r, was discovered, well dug. and
the gas was conveyed to several
houses, which were illuminated by it
in 1924, when Lafayette passed through
the village.
In the early days Of the oil industry
natural gas was found to exist with the
oil, and its presence causes oil wells to
flow. As early as the spring of 1861
Rouse's well was opened as large
producer of petroleum, with large
volume of escaping gas that filled the
neighboring valley like fog. Coming
in contact with fire somewhere in the
vicinity, terrific explosion occurred.
killing nineteen persons. During the
last decade natural gas has been intro
duced into most of the towns of the oil
regions, both as a fuel and illuminant.
Prominent among towns using this
natural agent are, first, Pittsburgh and
Allegheny City, where it is extensively
employed in manufactures, and next
to these Oil City. Bradford, Warren,
Titusville, Franklin, Butler, Beaver
Falls, Bolivar, Allentown, Friendship.
etc., in Pennsylvania, and Cuba. Free
donia and Olean in New York. .
There is saving in its use over lump
coal Of about twenty per cent, and in
labor of about ten per cent. Manu-
facturers consider it superior to coal,
as it is easily applied and cheaply and
conveniently manipulated. 1t is prob
| able that within year it will almost
entirely supersede coal in Pittsburgh,
where it already displaces over ten
thousand tons of coal daily. Thus the
character of that city will be completely
| transformed, and it will no longer be
properly described as ''the dirtiest city
| in America" On the contrary, it
should be the clea nest of any manu-
featuring center. 1t is only within the
last two years that any serious attempt
has been made to convey the gas from
the chiei sources Vi supply AZ mulIays-
v!lle anu 1arch'u'n, apous '"en.y . .in.os
hundred miles of pipe, from six to
twenty-four inches in diameter. Mr..
Andrew Carnegie, the distinguished
iron-master, in a late address before the
Steel and Iron Institute of London,
said: "Awalk through our rolling-mills
would surprise the members of the In
sutuse' IN In1 sseei ran .i in - .oi u
stance, wne.e oe.ore wou't =. nav "a" u;e
seen .hlISy s'oH ,;s su,ppiu " snn,,,n =;
nring Dcllers wmSn de4une supply =; =,
aoou. !our nunurea sUn S,o. uy a. III ~
swehty-aour nouis' niIe'y ny ,en =, o;r a..
9eing emPloyeu; eacn S @oi Ains o,sn n
hours, tney woulu nov nn1 ono l n:.
waklng arounu 'he oonoI-no"se' SILL
ply waccn'ng ene wa1cr- oe' ~
Parllcic ~ snoAo VIII 70 seon .;.a
sne iron mus sn1 s pu1sI L. I,o ~., =,
wasneo sue Goa, ounAi' 'eio"s"s "
'ne,r furnaces s.. ,.n;t.s.
Na'urM gasp nas g.van SUN ,,"n,,sa otnrars
aavansage " Ii''su1Is m naon'sso ' :; =,
wnere It's use nas ai a:.: uoSe t W., ~
general 1na' o'noi o a.A. enu ~ 10 :"
moving In sne same uIrec.ion. a io:on'
pfoPosl!lon Is 70 convey lnrougn pipe
70 Olnclnna1l la,ge SUPPLY ~ EN- h nv"
Escaping unuor hn essad1 r y, 80 the
uleu ~ se.en nu nai,e ,ppoo. n1 ~ t t,,s
SQUARE men rom WIS H. ,oTH.oa Ia a" VIZ ~.
oounoary pe'wSen nen'u0y "au -
ginia. II mas also ueen proIosou ~
S[lng na.uIM ns;i M 1 snr rss well, \.
VIEW AolN lily iks ~ 49,.
mas peconle sn in au 1 an ..;un -
OIL Dorlngs, ant 'ne use u :.l,s na.u ,. =
gas agen' iol nca.ms anu . m " "a Pa -;
poses peoog S Oh;n ~ "So ~
regions. III noi IN" c : INV 49,