St. Paul daily globe., 1886-01-17
Some Deep Wells.


chise and right in case they strike oil.
Some Deep Wells.
Correspondence of the Globe.
PITTsBURG, Jan. 1.-THE depth of the
natural gas wells Of the world, and
more particularly, those in the great
natural gas center of Western Penn
sylvania, is an interesting study, and not
withstanding the claims of the experts who
profess to be able to locate a well, tell the
distance to the first second or third sands,
and what pressure of gas will be obtained,
proves beyond doubt that it is all guess
work, and about as uncertain as striking
oil or securing the capital prize in lottery.
The experiments so far have proven that the
third sand is the only one that can be relied
on for regular supply of gas. In Findlay,
D., wells have been sunk to the limestone
known to geOlogists as the Findlay horizon,
and a highly OdOrous gas struck at depth
Of $500 feet. This gas is much better
illuminant than the gas of the third sand.
but is not so rich in marsh gas, which is the
great heating quality and most to be desired.
The first and second sand gases are like
the Findlay' gas, better illuminants than
heaters, out not SO OdOrOus. The third
sand gas is practically inOdorous. In and
around Finday wells must be drilled to a
depth of 900 feet to strike gas in paying
quantities. At what depth the Findlay
horizon will be struck in Pennsylvania has
not yet been ascertained although at Home
wood well is down 5000 feet-720 feet
over a mile and no limestone has been struck.
This is the deepest natural gas well in the
world.
In the great Murraysville field. where
lhree-fourths of Pittsburg's supply comes
from, the third sand is struck at depth of
from 1, 300 to 1000 feet. and in the CanOns-
burg field, 40 miles away but only 20 miles
from Pittsburg, the sand is struck at from
200 to !, 900 feet. The McGuigan well, that
has been burning since 1879. is situated near
Washington, and is 1850 feet deep. The
low of gas from it is as strong to-day as
Dn
THE DAY IT WAS STRUCK.
The Canonsburg Iron companys well,
sunk in 1888, is 1,S00 feet deep. Guffy
Bros well on the Wilson farm, Little
CHARTERS creek, is $50 feet deep, while the
''Wison roarer'' but few yards away. is
100 feet deeper. The Jones & Laughlin
wells near Twenty-eighth street Oh the
South side of the city are 1,S00 feet deep.
At Tarentum, twenty-five miles from
Ihe city OH the Allegheny river, the Hite
well on the Cryst farm is 2, 400 feet deep.
This is the deepest well in this field, as
most of the wells are about l,S00 feet
down. IN 1868 heavy flow of gas was
struck at 1,260 feet in Venango county and
Immediately a little town sprung up and
received the appropriate name of Gas
City. In 1859 gas was struck
on the NallstOn farm five miles from Titus
vile and is still flowing in paying quantity.
A twO-inch line was laid from this well to
several factories and the gas burned for
heating purposes. In the neighbOrhOOd of
Franklin gas is struck at 1,500 feet. while
I'm Mt. Kean county, near Bradford, the Ma
GOnal Transit company drilled number of
wells ?, 400 feet before they made paying
strike. At Northeast, Pa, on the Lake
Shore, seVenty-three miles west of Buffalo,
gas was struck at 700 feet in 1870 and since
that time has been used in the paper mill
and several residences. On the Wolf
farm, Centreville, Butler county, Pa,
in 1885 swell was drilled 200 feet for
salt water, but gas was struck and used un-
der the salt pans. In 1870 hole was put
down 100 feet away from this well, and the
drill was put to 1,200 feet before the sand
was struck.
In the Baden field, twenty miles north
west of Pittsburg, on the Ohio river. gas
was struck on the Bryan farm at 1,070 feet,
and at Rochester, eight miles further down
the river. the sand was reached at 500 feet.
Twenty miles below Rochester, or at
Smiths Ferry, where oil is produced
IN PAYING QUANTITIES,
aInumber of holes have been put down 2, 400
feet and no gas struck. In the Sheffield
field, ten miles from Baden, on the opposite
side of the river, 1895 feet must be drilled
before the sand is struck. The Ohio Valley
Gas company, in Hancock county, West
Virginia, opposite East Liverpool, Ohio
struck the first sand at eighteen feet. the
second at 265 feet, and the third at 933 feet.
AT Wellsville, five miles below, in Ohio, the
second sand has been struck at 500 feet.
There is drill going down at present for
the third sand which is supposed
TO be 1000 feet below. At East
Liverpool no third sand wells have
been put down although the supply of first
and second sand gas has been used for
years. At Massilon, o., 10 miles from
Pittsburg, the second sand has been struck
at 610 feet, with slight flow of gas, and
although the drill was put down to 9, $50
feet no third sand was found.
In Cleveland a man who pretended to
know all about the gas business located a
well for the Cleveland Roller Mill company
on the flats. AT few hundred feet the
surface gas was struck in small quantity.
but although the drill was but down TO
S,4OO feet gas in paying quantity
was not found At Stony Brook, n. Y.
gas has been struck in paying quantity at
$4,000 feet. On Gravier street. New
Orleans, in 1865 gas was struck at ninety
feet by some men digging a WELL A drill
is now at work and will be pushed down
until gas is struck in paying quantity or
until it is proven that there is no gas there.
At TolOna, ILL.,, the first sand is struck at
from SO to l02 feet at almost any place
within six miles of that town. At first the
pressure was good and plans were made for
piping the gas, but the flow has gradually
decreased and unless good second or third
sand is struck the find will be worthless.
In the oil field of Kentucky
THE GAS Is STRUCK
at about 1. 400 feet, but it is the gas that
accompanies the oil and has not vet been
put to any practical use. A well is now
being drilled for gas near Louisville. In
California the oil gas has been struck at
1000 feet, but in small quantities. In the
Russian oil fields gas is struck at from 400
TO 500 feet.
In the province of Ou-Tong-Kiao in
China, in a district 80 miles long and ID
miles broad, artesan wells may be counted
by the thousands. sunk at very remote
periods for the salt water and gas These
wells are from 1,S00 to 5000 feet deep.
In Szechuan natural gas is obtained from