The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-17
THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE
1t Comes Leaping and Roaring in Sky
Lighting Flames at the City's Limits.
Last Nights Grand Display of Gas Piped by
the Indianapolis Company from Wells
Twenty-Five Miles Away.


night. In it all experiment. vanished. giving
way to q complete success in the of burning
Gas coming from wells twenty one miles off. To
a large degree the conditions attending Pitts
burg pipelines foretold the accomplishment of
piping gas that distance in the Indiana regions,
but there Others peculiar to the State,
which had not been tried and rendered success
somewhat uncertain There is no longer the
vesrige of doubt, and it only remains to have
the fuel brought into the city and distributed to
the thousands of consumers who have been pa
tiently awaiting its coming. There is enough
for any demand, and with what other companies
| propose Co bring not householder need fear
any longer possible shortness in coal of supply.
| 1t was evident that the Indianapolis company.
in it's grand display last night, did not show the
| full extent of it's resources. It was keeping
power back, because the weather not alto
gether favorable for showing the fullest results,
| and rather than risk accidents the illumination
lost the terrific grandeur it would have had in
moment by turning on the full 300 pounds
| pressure from the wells. Had anything out of
| the way occurred at this end there were no
| means of instant communication with the wells
where the flow was controlled Back in the
| woods, though, three hundred four
hundred yards from the of Meridian and
safety valve did service in reducing the POSSIBLE
ity of accident to q minimum. Here the gas
escaped with tremendous force, allowing the
control at the reducing station to limit the
pressure as low as high the superintendent
pleasedl
The eleven stand-pipes were placed about q
large square of ten-inch pipe. At the corners
and sides pipes four inches in diameter stood
eight feet high, while in the center arose
eght-inch pipe some feet higher. On top of
each of tn eae were four arms, at the end of each
of which were three four apertures from
which the gas flowed. It about o'clock,
last evening" when these burners were lighted
the gas coming into them at low pressure.
Shortly afterwards the full 300 pounds pressure
was turned on for very brief time. The gas
rushed out with the roar of tornado. and the
flames leaped high in the air, around and
about the pipes like many fiery devils. The
pressure was brought back again to twenty-five
pounds under which the gas burned without
variation in strength or breadth of flow. except
when higher pressure was again turned on, un-
til $50 o'clock.
AS night approached the northern sky reflected
the light which could be from every part of
the city. Out of the darkness the grand fires
brought the buildings of surrounding squares
into a light almost as clear as day Two squares
to the east the buildings the fair grounds
were as clearly defined as if it were early dawn.
Down Meridian street for distance the
mansions and fine dwellings cast their shadows
across the street, while lawns, with their cover
ings of snow. and trees hanging with icicles,
took weird beauty. Then there were the
comings and goings of many people on foot,
and of hundreds in carriages and sleighs. while
thousands stood around the blazing gas wonder
ing it's mighty power and specializing the
good it promised the city. Beyond Meridian
street. and in the full glare of the fire, crowds OF
young people divided their attention an watching
it and coasting down the side of small hill
Bitter as was the winter air further away, all
was LIGHT W. rrnt
limits of the burning By o'clock the
flames acquired new force under an increased
pressure, which gradually arose to fifty five
pounds. There it remained until 1870 o'clock,
when the brilliant display came to an end.
This was only preliminary test which is soon
to be supplemented by when the pressure
of 300 pounds will be turned on. What the ef-
feet will then be hardly be measured, for
there enough of satanic fire about that test
of last evening to make the nervous tremble
and the cautious apprehensive Then the
wells will be connected by telegraph and tele-
phone with the reducing station. Both lines are
to be put up Immediately Ii one fails the other
will be- available. Gas is brought to the
ducine station under the full pressure of 300
pounds. but there it can be reduced to any force
required down the smallest measurement.
When in operation for supplying consumers the
pressure through the reducing station into
the high pressure mains. which will surround
large districts of the city, will be forty pounds.
and connecting with these mains are to be the
smaller pipes into which the gas is to flow under
pressure of ounces. The reducing apparatus is
apparently simple arrangement. but there are
enough governors and valves to confound any
but expert. From the twelve-inch main the
gas flows into Y, and leading out OF this there
are three eight-inch pipes. in each of which is a
governor with system OF valves on both sides.
1t is here that the high is reduced to low pres
sure. Another pipe of elghtinch diameter runs
around all of them. This is to be utilized in
case of trouble.
The pipe line the perfectness of which has
been proven is twenty miles long, and
great is the supply OF gas. and its pressure at
the wells. that when turned into the line it is
only seven minutes in coming down to the city.
1t carries destructive force that cannot be
mated. Saturday, when blowing out the line,
piece of lead weighing ten pounds carried
several hundred yards down Meridian street,
and striking the top of George F. Branhams
buggy. tore it into pieces Another piece of
lead went through the roof of S. ID. Cranes
barn. This tremendous force came from six
teen wells. but last night the supply from three
only was turned on.
The Indianapolis Natural-gas Company has,
in its stockholders, undergone but slight change
since it Was organized. on the 1st of February.
a year ago. Its capital stock fixed at
$500. 600. but only $4,000 was paid in, as that
prospecting for gas Nobody then considered
Noblesville as point of supply, but all plans
were directed to drilling for gas within ten
mile radius of the city. The first well the COM
pany drilled, that at Bridgeport. proved useless.
So did the second. the first Broad Ripple well,
but there enough gas was found to lead the
north In the meantime it experienced
another failure at Westfeld, in the south
west part of Hamilton county, but over
to the east, In the northern part of Marion
county, the company had eEcour agement in the
Harris, Fishers Station, Tom Fisher, Weaver,
Patterson and Clark wells They found gas in
considerable quantities in each, but altogether
the company considered it would not justify
great outlay in perfect pipe line. 1t went
north into Hamilton county and leased several
thousand acres, and east into Hancock county
about Greenfield, where it leased as many thou
sand more. In the Noblesville region two big
wells were drilled, the Cottingham and Safer,
and at Greenfield another of a capacity almost
equal to either of the other two In August the
company was reorganized with the stockholders
it has. as follows, each of whom represents
large business interests in the city:
A. B. Gates. n. S. Byram,
III. G. Diehl, w. N Gates,
w. d. Wiles, N. d. Williamson,
D. W. Coffin, H Bates, jr.,
W. r. Miner III. Seyerin,