The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-06-17
saw a NATuRAL Gas wELL. J
A Passenger Calls HIS Fellow Travellers
Attention to a wonderful siehr.

| Passenger Calls HIS Fellow Traveller
Attention to a Wonderful Sight.
"Never saw a natural gas wellYe in
quired a talkative passenger, as the train
sped along in the darkness and through
the oil country; you never saw a gas
well You ought to see one, especially
one on fire. Beats all the fireworks ever
| got up. Something funny about these
gas wells too All of a sudden
they'll start up in flame, flare two or
three times way up to the sky, and then
stop as quick as they started. That is
the effect of spontaneous combustion.
Guess know more about the nat
ural gas well business than any
other man in the country. I've
studied 'em, sir, for many months, and
have em down fine, Let me see it is now
9:3S o'clock. At $40 a spouter is due
over in the valley there, and if you keep
your eye peeled in that direction mebbe
you'll see it on fire."
AT once all the passengers seated them
selves on the side of the car next to the
valley and looked intently for the prom
ised display. The gas well expert sat
down across the aisle, took out his pipe
and filed it as he remarked:
Il study these gas wells as astrono-
mers study the heavenly bodies, and l
can tell to minute Then they're going
to burst. Look out now-she's a-com-
ingl"
And sure enough, way down in the
valley, seemingly two or three miles
away, there was burst of flame,
quickly followed by two or three more,
and then all was darkness again.
l. 4 i - -
one of the astonished passengers; "the
grandest sight l ever saw" echoed
another; marvellous, simply marvellous"
chimed third.
sOh, that's nothing" said the expert,
wait till you see one of these wells take
fire and flare out in two or three direc-
tions, as if the flames wanted to lick
clean spot off of the face of the earth.
They're worth looking at, tell you.
Lemme see, where's my note book2 Oh,
here it is. Only 10 0'clock-say, friends,
if you'll wait eleven minutes you'll see a
horizontal 1arer a little farther up the
road. Shes due at 1915 o'clock.
figured her all out to-day"
Of course the passengers were willing
to wait, and they began to look down
into the dark valley, anxious to see the
great harer. Soon word of warning
from across the ailse caused every eye to
open wide with expectation, and express
sions of amazement came from a dozen
lips as two dozen eyes beheld shoot of
flame which sprang up out of the dark
ness, darted this way and that three or
four times, and then disappeared with a
blink.
Didn't tell you had it down finer"
exclaimed the man with the pipe. ~They
can't any of 'em get away with me on
the gas well business. I've studied 'em
through and through. But say, friends,
l get off at the next station. Pm poor
man, and my family at home is hungry. |
Can't you do something for me ?'
The hat was passed around and filled |
full of quarters, half dollars, cigars, and |
whisky bottles, more or less empty, and |
the whole dumped into the lap of the |
grateful expert.
Thanks, gentlemen, thanks" said he; |
"just tell your folks at home that you've |
seen the great horizontal farer up in the !
oil regions, and that Bill Cooper, the |
great astronomer and geologist of the
gas will country, showed it to you.
Good night"
<AAbCA AAAo Tic passengers OG-
gan telling of the great mystery they
had seen, and to wonder how Bill Cooper
could so correctly calculate the appear
ance of the flames of fire.
"Pll show how it's done," said drum
mer who had been seated in the rear part /
of the car, and who had not as yet taken
any interest in the proceedings. "Ill
show you how the trick is done. Has
anybody got match?
A match was produced. The drummer
seated himself on the opposite side of
the car, took out pocket mirror, held it
up against the window, and told the
passengers to look out into the valley if
they wanted to see another f1arer. The
match was struck and held before the
mirror, and 10 and behold, there was an
other flaming gas well in view of the
beholders.
ITO make horizontal farer," said the
drummer, striking another match, "alI
have to do is to blow gently ON the flame
of the match and there you have it. 1
travel over this road every week and
have seen Bill Cooper before. No,
there's no use asking the conductor to
back the train up to the last station. He
won't do it, and if he did you wouldn't
catch Bill. He's down in the valley by
this time, fishing for more suckers. -
Chicago Herald.