Smyrna times., 1886-02-24
For tIe Smyrna Tunes
Geology of Natural Gas.
ITS SOURCE AND ORIGIN DILATED
UPON BY THE STATE GEOLOGIsT.

MR.. EDITOR The knowledge of
petroleum and natural gas preceded
the knowledge of its value by fifty
years. 1t seems by the geOlOgist here
to be traced back over the Ohio line,
where the settler in mining for salt
came across it and was often annoyed
by the presence of gas, which, if by ac-
cident became ignited, consumed the
whole plant. fit was insuppressible
it was abandoned as blower" but if
found in modest supply some utilized
it as fuel to evapOrate the brine and
recover salt. In many neighbOrhoods.
we'll digging and good water was not
a success on account of petroleum or
gas is issuing from the assures of the
rock when made by drilling and blast
ing and the oil in all cases being al
lowed to flow and mingle in the waters
of adjacent streams.
The red man is stOried to have first
found the value of its medical proper
ties Possibly that was one of the
usual catches of Yankee genius to put
the so-called Rock Oil on the market
as Natures remedy for human incOn-
veniences found in rheumatism, neur-
algia, and the usual list of aches,
sprains and pains; and in these days
include the popular malaria and blood
poison, which is so mischievOus.
A few years ago | was in Butler
county, Pa, and in the midst of the
apparent wilderness of derricks at Oil
City, Franklin and Bradford. 1 was so
much impressed that sent a commu-
nicatiOn treating the subject of the dis
covery, refining and extensive sales OF
coal oil, which since 1858 has grown
into colossal fortunes, and members OI
Congress.
In the last two years Pittsburgh has
undergone a transformation ny the in
PRODUCTION and use of natural gas,
first brought in years ago from wells 3(
to 40 miles distant, for experiment
during which time the power of inven
ton has been successfully applied un
til to day it can be literally said there
are millions in it.
The old Smokey City" is clearing
her atmosphere while her industries
are increasing as intimated in my for.
mer letter and her citizens are jubilan
] ONCA gllC AdCD bAAfAU nov anu NoANesOAN
" finds" of the best quality gas comes
nearer and nearer until it is now with
in the city limits. Letters of inquiry
are numerous from owners of large es
tablishmenIs for available sites fo
those who require a great amount o
fuel for their business.
There is a subterranean network o
iron piping of all sizes from two fee
down to half an inch, which, in linea
extent would reach thousands of miles
There is nothing mean about them
they are ready to contract to carry ga
to the iron works at Steubenville 0
Youngstown, ready for a deal to go t,
any accessible point of a hundred mile
or so. In sympathy with the wide
spread interest in these discOverie
East and West, property is constant,
approaching and geological interes
is manifested in this region as neve
before, seeking gas producing lands
The gas already in use displaces NOR
than $4,000 bushels of coal daily.
One grand source of the value of thi
gas is its unfailing supply. Well
tapded seven or eight years ago sti
show on the guage varying but a
undiminish0d supply. Capitalists hav
got onto this fact and their none
is now ready for investment. Nature
religion and science have their secret
that none but God may know. Th
geolOgist revels around but ends i
huge suppOsitiOns. He tells us th
drill shows various strata of rock
the outer one flinty, the neither one {
oil-prOducing sandstone, supposed I
be vast canopy or dome cOnfinin
natural gas, and it may extend frOI
the fOot-hills of the Alleghanies, Yves
to the Wabash River. His theory {
its origin is as follows: Petroleum
is formed by a peculiar but primar
decomposition of the organic substar
ces that have been included in an
incorporated with the forming rock
1t is in no sense the product of an
sort of distillatiOn with which we al
acquainted. The next question thS
arises is this: When were the greG
rocks of petroleum formed? The al
swer to the previous question dete
mines the answer to this questiO
also. Petroleum was mainly fOrme
about the time when the rocks thi
contained it were formed The SUI
plies of oil in Western Pennsylvani
and Eastern Ohio all have their sourC
in an immense deposit of shale, whic
contains a notable per centage of O
ganic matter. Concentration is an in
pOrtant factor in many forms of mil
eral wealth, so the action of tn
floods and frOsts of the ages has had
pulVerizing as we'll as a distilling il
huence to set the gas free,n
we can simply say it is a gre'
blessing to our country and a wOndt
to the world. RAMBLER.
Piffah1,rnh pa Eoh Ii 1896