Omaha daily bee., 1886-12-22
A Great Natural Gas Field.

The people of Ohio have reason to feel
secure in the position of that state rs
third in the union in population and
wealth, and to confidently anticipate its
further progress and prosperity Accord
ing to recent report of Professor Orton,
oi the Ohio Geological bureau, the natu-
raj gas field of the state is commensurate
in extent with its geographical limits.
HE geological formation belongs to
the silurian age. In the ncighborhood of
Cincinnati it lies 500 feet below the sur
lace, andat Toledo at depth of / 100
to 200 feet. The greatest developments
of oil and gas have been around the
towns of Lima and Findiay, in the north
western part of the state, not far from
Toledo. Valuable developments have,
however, been made ut other points, u
Cleveland paper having recently reported
the development of most promising
natural gas well near that city. In the
Lima region the production of oil has cX.
cecded that of gas, and fifteen Joint stool,
companies are now operating for its de
vclopment In the Findlay region the
natural gas territory has an extent of
miles in breadth, and of the twcntY-scycn
gas wells that have been opened only
two have failed. The daily production of
the most prolific Is 13,000,000 cubic feet
OF gas, others produce 100000 feet,
and for the rest the daily average is some
what less. This gas, by reason of its
abundance and cheapness, has baniShed
all other materials of illumination rs well
rs all other fuel for domestic purposes
and manufacturing. The demands of the
community are supplied without rcstric.
ton. The charge is 81 month for its
use for cooking, $l.50 Il month for heat.
ing and 30 cents month for Lighting the
whole house. Still the people regard
these rates rs cXtravagant and have been
agltatlng an organized resistance to
them. The cost of sinking n Gas well is
about 81, 500, and nearly every consider.
able manutactorY in the region has its
own we'll
An extraordinary industrial growth has
naturally followed this gas development,
and almost every day new enterprises
are sprnging up, or going into this terri,
tory from less favored regions. The
supply keeps up steadily, and so great is
the extent of this natural gas territory
that there is no longer an apprehension
of the exhaustion of the product. At
various other points prospecting and
boring for natural gas are being actively
pushed, and the report of the state
geoiogist will doubtless have the effect OF
increasing explorations and activity IN
this direction. The manufacturers of
Cleveland and the Mahoning valley
arc every day feeling more urgently
the need OF this cheaper fuel, which now
gives Pittsburg so great an advantage.
ana they will not be sparlng of effort to
find supply if it exists anywhere in con.
tiguous territory.
If natural gas shall prove to be mex.
haustible in the territories where il is now
developed and developing, there is Ger.
tain to be radical change, in the not re-
mote future, in the conditions of compc. |
tltion which may be in the nature of an |
industrial revolution. The battle will be |
between the manufacturing ccntcrs that |
have this natural fuel, rather than as at |
present against the foreign manufac.
turcr, who having TO rely upon a dcarer |
iucI Will no longer ne regarded with ter |
ror as threatening to usurp the Amcri-
can market and destroy home Industries
if not shut out by n tariff wall, With
augmented and cheapened production,
against which England, Germany and
Belgium, with their higher.priced fuel,
compete, the favored manufac-
turers OF America may become rs earnest
in demanding the removal of the tariff
obstruction as they now are in urging its
retention, ana the most persistent in ask
ing enlarged and cheaper transportation
in order to get their surplus
products to the markets of the world
There are great possibilities in the natural
gas development if it shall continue and
hold out.