The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-01-22
NATURAL GAS.
The Wonders 1t Is Performing in
and Around Pittsburgh.
cork of the Philadelphia Company-Thir-
" Miles or Pipe in OperatiOH-HOv
the Gas Is "Siruck"-Cook.
ing by!t-Ignorant
Biologists.

Biologists.
Not the widest fancies of sober. slow
going people in the rest of the Union
can picture the excitement that the gas
wells have created in Pittsburgh. l
fancy that San Francisco, in the bloom
inc days of the Bonanza mine and the
Comstock lode. when Senator Sharon
made twenty-five million dollars in q
year. was something to be compared
to it.
The opening of these natural gas
wei,s and their utilization as fuel gen er-
ators marks an era in the nineteenth
century. Even the tanning and binding
OF electricity is not more marvellous.
1t was before seven o'clock in the
morning when our train reached the
outskirts of the city. The great shops
had not vet started their hum and roar
for the day Wcpassed close to huge
black mill. with its chimneys standing
like mastS of ship. There was one
small iron pipe that had cloud of
flame rolling and tapping about it,
changing with every gust of wind. This
was MY first sight of natural gas. The
pipe was what was called "stand
pipe" They are common enough in
Pittsburgh. The pressure from the wells
is so heavy that the fluid can not be shut
Off and let on at will. When not in use
1t Eii.st be allowed to burn or escape in
some way. The usual way is to con-
duct it Off by an extra chimney and set
tirc to it AZ the top. and let it burn all
night. In Pittsburgh and vicinity guam
tity equal to seventy thousand bushels
OF coal thus goes to waste every day,
thcy say.
The Philadelphia company is putting
in pipe connections in factories and pri-
vate residences ut the rate of forty
Gay They keep fifteen hundred men
constantly employed laying gas mains.
The fluid is already used as fuel in thr-
ty-four iron and steel works, sixty-six
glass factories. three hundred other
manufacturing establishments and three
thousand private residences. At this
time gas is used in such quantity that it
has taken the place of ten thousand tons
Of coal dav that would be otherwise
consumed. When the work is complete
Pittsburgh will be as clean as New York.
And coal Will be so cheap that dealers
can hardly give it away"
1t is probable that the fluid can be
struck almost anywhere in Western
Pennsylvania. But the largest bunch
of wells are those at Murrysville, twen-
ty-two miles from Pittsburgh. The
gas is conveyed by pipes from
here and elsewhere to the
city. The greatest length of these pipes
is thirty miles. There is doubt, they
say, whether line can be made mxch
longer than that The pressure is lost
by friction of the pipes at the rate of
seven pounds to the mile. Unless some
new methods of conducting i. are dis
covered. therefore the dreams of line
of natural gas one hundred miles long
can hardly be realized. Mills must re-
main here. But why could it not be
pumped
One of the memorable experiences of
nv life was my visit to the gas wells at
Murrysville. 1t was a cold, muddy,
snowy. neck-risking ride, but-well, l
would do it again.
As we neared the place l heard q
strange, steady, murmur. 1t sounded
like the noise of the turf in a high sea.
1t sounded like an engine as big as the
United States Capitol building at Wash
ington blowing of steam.
There she goes" said Stewart.
'.Do you hear her. That's the old gas
well. She goes a bizzin Just that way
ali the time; biz, biz wouldn't like
to live around there for steady thing"
No more would l. OF q calm day,
the roar can be heard nine miles away.
AT the wells themselves, when gas is
first struck. it is deafening. The work
men put cotton in their ears to protect
their hearing.
The force of the gas is tremendous.
It is such, that when first struck. it
hurls everything before it, this blind.
mad force rushing towards venting
place. Tools weighing two or three
tons are thrown many feet into the air.
Thus far the stream has always been
struck in layer of sand. Striking the
gas is called shooting well" 1t is
more like well shooting. one would
think.
Gas is reached at depth of one thou
sand and three hundred to two thousand
feet in Western Pennsylvania 1t costs
three dollars foot to bore. At Tolono,
IT,, however. the fluid was struck at 3
depth of only seven hundred feet.
As we rounded hill and looked into
. valley in front we saw Murrysville.
Huge wooden derricks. tapering slim
toward the top. filled the landscape.
To the right of the view was the great
well that made the .'bizzing. The gas
shoots in a straight line twenty to thirty
feet in the air. We saw where it issued
BY the water that poured out along
with it Water is always struck with
the gas 1t is salt water. The min
eral frequently incrusts the plating of a
well till It chohes the oriiice. Then the
tubing must be cleaned. Wells have
seemed sometimes to diminish in sup
ply from this cause. When the incrus-
tation is removed the stream returns to
Its full quantity.
Great care is taken to avoid explo-
eions or other dangers At intervals
along the lines are stations. through
which the pipes are passed. At these