Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1886-06-11
is THERE GAS AT BUCYRUs.
An Opinion Given Forty Years Ago

(BuCyrus Journal.)
1t was forty years ago that, travelling on foot
and on horseback, Henry Howe went into near
ly every county in the State. and compiled and
edited his 'llistory Of Ohio" which for facts
Of early settlement of the different counties in
the State, their legends and traditions, is the
official history today.
Forty years is so long ago, that there was
then no Morrow county and no Vinton county,
and Fulton and Auglaize counties had not yet
been formed. The map showed that Wood
and Putnam and Henry were all known as the
.'Black Swamp" and two-ihirds of Lucas was
an unexplored swamp region. Maumee City
was the county seat of Lucas, situated on the
Maumee river, opposite PerrJsburg and old
Fort Megs, and the historian wrote "a spir'
it Of rivalry exists between the towns at the
loot Of the rapids, Maumee City and Perrys-
burg, with Toledo" Perrysburg still exists
place Of about 2 900, and the name Ot Maumee
City no longer finds place in the Post Office
Directory or the United States Census and they
no longer are "rivals of Toledo" This was
The condition of affairs when the historian Howe
wrote his work forty years ago.
There is no duub, to-day but that the great
est gas locality discovered is at Finday, in
Hancock county. Howe in his history says:
"There are some curiosties in the town nd
county worthy ot note. At the south end o:
Flndlay are two gas wells. From one OF them
the gas has been conducted by a pipe into n
neighboring building. and used for light. A
short distance west Of the bridge. on the north
bank OF Blanchard fork at Findlay, is a chal-
ybeate spring 0l excellent medicinal qualities
and from which issues inftmmable gas. In
the eastern part OF the town, is mineial spring
possessing similar qualities"
Everybody in Bucyrns knows Of the dozen or
more surface gas wells. the same as those Mr..
Howe mentions at Fiudlay, that have been
struck in Bucyrus and throughout the county.
Years ago, over the river, the Mcdonald resi-
dence was lit by gas that came from one of
these we'll she had struck while boring for water.
Bucyrus;
"on the land of r. W. Musgrove in the
southeastern part Of the town, gas well has
recently been dug. On first reaching the wat
era distance Of about Is feet-it flew up
feet with loud, roaring noise pump has
been placed over it, and the gas is conducted In
the surface by appe, which, when torch is
applied, burns with brilliant nime.
KnIsley's or Crawford Sulphur Springs IS sew
EN- miles northeast of Bucyrus, In Sandusky
township. The water is highly impregnated
with sulphurttted hydrogen, furnishes silver,
and deposits sulphurous precipitate short
distance from the spring, One OF its remarka-
BILE features is deposit of reddish or purple
sediment at the bottom, giving to the wafer "A
color resembling tincture Of iodine, The wat
er is gentle cathartic, and is diure!ic and dia
phoretlc in its effects. A few rods from
it is burning spring. The sulphur spring at
Annapolis is beautiful, clear and copiuus
spring. Opposite Bucyrus near the river
is a chaly spring of tonic qualities"
In his preface Howe writes:
awe were in 70 of the So counties, took
sketches Of objects Of interest. and every where
obtained information by conversation with ear
ly settlers aud men of intelligence, Besides
this, we have availed ourselves OF all published
sources Of information, and have received about
400 manuscript pages in Communications from
gentlemen in all parts Of the state"
After this thorough research Mr.. Howe men.
lions bu, two towns in the State where the gas
has permeated through the earth to the surface
aud they were Bucyrus and FindIly as given
abnve, and in both cases hs notes tue fact II
chalybeatc springs beiug there also.