The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-06-29
DRILLING FOR GAS.
Operations at Minneopa Falls are
fully Under Way and.ProgressinG
Satisfactorily.

Minneopa Falls, and the beautiful
drive thereto have always been sufficient
of themselves to attract sight and pleas
ure seekers. But at present the drilling
operat ions of the Mankato Gas and Oil
Co., at the Falls add greatly to the inter-
est of visit there, and Sunday there
was continual stream of carriages to be
seen vending their way along the road
to Minneopa.
To one who is not acquainted with the
methods of gas we'll drilling the opera
tons are full of interest. The first OBJ
ject which greets the eye is the lofty
derrick, 70 or so feet high, over the top
of which the heavy drill is hung. The
derrick is about twenty feet square at
the bottom and is boarded up at the
sides for a short distance and rooted,
making complete room in which the
men work and other parts of the rig"
are placed. At one side of this room ID
placed the "pull wheeP'-an immense
reel upon which the drill cable is wound.
A blacksmith's forge, used in repairing
tools and tempering the drill points is
seen in another corner. The engine and
boiler are placed some distance from the
derrick but are connected with it by a
covered passage in which the great belt
which moves the machinery runs. The
immense walking beam, by means OF
which the drill is raised when in opera
ton, is balanced at one side OF the der
rick. One end of the beam extends into
the derrick to point over the drill hole
and the other extends outside and ID at
tached by a crank to the shaft OF the
drive wheel.
The drill is made up of several distinct
parts and weighs in the neighborhood
OF 5000 pounds. Part of it is four inch
es in diameter, but the bit now being
used makes hole eight inches in diam
ter. When through the rock and water
a smaller bit will be used. The drilling
is not done by "boring," as some may
suppose, but the hole is cut or broken
by continual dropping of the heavy
drill. The hole has to be cleaned out
about every half hour by means OF a
sand pump. There are many other in
teresting details in connection with the
business of drilling for which we have
not space here, but it will pay any OF
our citizens who have not seen similar
work done to go out to Minneopa and
study operations LOT III uOur VI wv.
But we have one piece of advice for Wis
Itors and that is, don't ask the drillers.
Chow deep are you now?"
The operations at Minneopa are I'm.
der the superlntendence of Mr.. Fox, OF
Indiana, an expert driller. A depth OF
100 feet has been reached. The
trouble from quick sand is thought to
have been conquered and the work will
90 steadily on until 1t is fully determined
whether we are to have natural gas.
Only those who are somewhat acquaint-
ed with the benefit which natural gas
brings, can have any idea ofthe possible
tiles which would be open to Mankato
if a "gusher" should be struck at Mime
opa. The experiment is of the utmost
| importance, and the thanks of our citi-
zens are due Mr.. P. Zimmerman for his
untiring efforts to secure test upon this
subject so vital to Mankato's interests.
The company which is backing the OPP.
perationS is composed of our best and
most enterprislng citizens, and they
have great hope of success. Not dol
lars worth OF the stock can be bought,
which shows how much confidence the
l comDany has