Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-24
.N0CAUsE FOR ALARu.
yas Recent Earthquake and the fiow
81 Gas In. ~ sstern Pennsy Ivania.

,SO8 heCcul A-hft1HuHtsc I'M" ."N 's~s
aas Gas tn ~ sstern Pennsy Ivania.
"Tbe idaa that the earthquake af.
fected the afew of gas in western Penn
sylvsnia is absurd" said Professor
Charles A. Ashburne to a reporter for
the 81. Louis Repgblican. 1t was in
response to G question concerning the
plausibility Of the widely circulated re-
port that experts had attributed the
decreased flow Of gas in western Penn
sylvsuia to the earthquake-shock Of
August 3lst. Professor Ashburne is
geologist in charge Of the Pennsylvania
survey, and is in st. Louis attending
the American Institute of Mining En-
gineers. He is probably the best au-
thority on the question. OF natural gas
in the United States.
NO." he said, you will not find
the assertion that the earthquake az
fected the flow of gas in Pcnnsylyanis
approved by any men Of information
upon the subject. 1t may have been
started and sustained by certain quackS,
Cor there are quacks in our Business az
we'll as in medicine, but to man who
Knows anything about the matter the
idea is ridiculous.
Although it is true that earth
cracks were produced in the Charles
ton region, no evidences of any are to
be found in western Pennsylvania, and
it would be unreasonable to suppose
that any would occur in that section.
The pressure Of gas at the wells has
not shown any more variation since
August 3lss than for the same length
Of time prior 20 that date. The cause
of the late decrease in the flow OF
natural gas in western Pennsylvania
has been due to entirely different causes
than earthquakes, snd'the decrease was
observed loDg before the late earth
quake which did so much damage to
Charleston and attracted such uni
versal attention throughout the coun'
try"
+" You think, then, that gradual
is going on, which will
soon cut off the Pittsburgh gas sup
Ply"
"No. On the contrary I am greatly
surprised that any intelligent alarm
should have been entertained as to the
of the Pittsburgh gas sup.
ply. All Of the natural gas which can
ever be gotten out of western Pennsyl.
vania rocks is now he!d in porous sand
stone beds, which serve as reservoirs to
hold the gas, performing the same
service as a gssometer az ono Of our
gss-W'ks, The supply, it is true, i,
90 inexhanstihle quantity; but there i3
probably to-day, blowing into the air
in the entire State Of Pennsylvania,
moro than twice as much gas as is being
used for fuel. The gas companies are
now to shutting into the wells the gas
which is not needed for use, 10 that the
waste is gradually diminishing. It is
strange that this method of saving gas
was so tardily adopted By the com
panies, but even now it is not adopted
as widely as il should be. The ex-
treme waste of gas going on to-day
should be stopped. The example Of
the PITTSBURGH companies in shutting off
the veins which they are not using has
been emulsted by some, and should be
by all. If it is not done the subject
should be taken in hand by the Lcgisla-
ture.
with due allowance for the waste
that is going on, and the increase OF
consumption, | believe that no alarm
need be entertained as to the exhaus
ticn OF the gas sands in pennsylvania
for many years. You may rest as
sured that earthquakes, consumption.
and waste Of gas will cause no alarm
to intelligent manufacturers in the Pits
buygh district. Moreover, | not only
believe that the gas has como to stay
mspy years, but, even if it should be
exhausted, artificial fuel gas will be
manufactured at such price as to war
rant the positive assertion that the
nufacturing and domestic consum' rs
of gas in the Pittsburgh district, either
for economy or convenience, will ne err
return to the general direct consunp.
ton Of cosl:N