Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-11-24
A NATURAL GAS WONDER.


Two Years.
"There are many curious phenomena
ever present at the natural gas wells" said
q member of a big natural gas company in
Washington county, in giving some rem
iniscences of the development of that great
industry, "but have never seen any that
struck me as being so peculiar as those
that were witnessed few years ago at
well in the Canada oil-feld at Sarnia.
The well was being drilled for oil, and at
the depth of 600 feet great volume of gas
was found. The gas was accidentally set
on fire as it rushed from the we'll A
fountain of flame more than fifty feet high
was the result. That in itself was won
derful phenomenon for that district then,
and would be to-day, but the flow of burn
ing gas had still greater peculiarities, and
such pecullarlties as no gas well in Wash
ington county ever had, common as great
fountains of fire rushing from them are in
the upper district. One of these peculiar
tiles of the Sarnia well was that every fif-
teen minutes, as regularly as clock could
mark the time, a stream of water
three inches in diameter spouted from the
depths and mingled with the burning gas.
The force of the water carried the flames
up luoIe tHstu lOO leet, anu eSpdrateU lile
mass in darting sprays and sparkling
showers of fire. The waters chemical COM
position was such that there were certain
inhammable qualities in it, and these would
make brightly-colored lights to mingle
with the dnll yellow flame of the gas itself,
creating natural pyrotechnical display
that never saw equaled in brilliant and
startling effects by any artificial combina-
ton of explosives and combustibies.
Streaks of bright yellow, globes of purple,
and fantastic shapes in red, pink and blue
leaped and danced and whirled about in
that warning mass of fire in manner most
enchanting. The eruption of water lasted
exactly three minutes, when the flame of
gas would resume it normal condition.
While the water was mingling with the
flame a strong smell of sulphur pervaded
the air.
"a strange thing connected with the
burning we'll was the way in which birds
of all kinds were attracted to it while the
water was spouting. They would circle
about the pillar of fire, uttering their diff
ferent cries and acting as if they were
frantic. frequently the flames would
catch some unfortunate bird in its fight
and it would fall, dead or dying, to the
ground. This fire had such an effect on
many kinds of birds that they would alight
in the midst of crowd of spectators and
permit themselves to be caught by the
score. The owner of the well tried every
means then known to extiBguish the burn
ing gas, but all to no purpose. 1t burned
without any evidence of weakening, or that
it ever intended to weaken, for over two
- l. =
denly as it had appeared. Another curious
thing about this well was that when the
gas took fire there were number of oil
wells on the tract, all yielding largely for
that region. Their production gradually
decreased as the gas well continued to burn,
and when it cease burning not one of the
wells was yielding drop of oil, and none
was ever found on the tract afterward,
although on adjoining leases the drill
tapped liberal oil vein"-HaTisburg,
Pa, Special.