Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-16
NATURAL GAS.
A Detailed Statement Concerning the
Recent Find of Natural Gas In
PRlO Pinto County.
The First Report of the Firing Of the Well
and the Destruction of Property
Entirely Correct.
PALo PINTO, TEX March I. Is

10 the Editor of the Gazette.
Much has been said through the press
Of late concerning the find of natural gas
in this (Palo Pinto) county, and letters
Of parties desiring to know the true facts
are daily coming for answer from our
office. 1 undertake in this letter, which l
ask THE GAZETTE to publish, to give the
true facts concerning the flow from the
celebrated Dalten well. Several months
ago Mr.. G. L. Dalten contracted with q
well man to bore 400 feet at his residence,
i've miles north OF Palo Pinto, for water,
to be used at his dwelling. The con-
tractor set up and went to work. He
sank the well about $50 feet and struck 5
strong vein of salt water. Mr.. Dalten
wsnted the contractor to stop at the salt
as the water would not be fit for USE
The contractor, desiring to carry out his
contract, still bored down for the end OF
400 feet. AS 1t cost no more than to stop
at the salt, Mr. Dalten let him go down.
At the end Of 385 feet the drill entered a
strong vein OF natural gas, which came
rushing to the surface with roar that
could be heard over half . mile away.
The contractor suspended work, and the
flow Of gas was so strong that 1t threw the
salt water twenty feet above the ground.
1t seemed as though the water collected
above the gas, and when body collected
the gas forced it out with q roaring
noise that sounded like steam
issuing from the pipe Of
steam engine under heavy pressure.
Two or three days after the g.s began
iowinga Mr.. Gabriel was at the well and
experimental with the gas by touching
lighted match to it. He got within six
feet OF the well when the touch of the
q ime fred the immense volume of flow
ing gas, and Mr.. Gabriel was enveIoped
in the fame. He came out of the fire in
q sad plight, but wiser man, having lost
his whiskers, eye brows ant q portion of
his hair in the fire There was 8 team
standing near and being rapidly hitched
to the BORN ginachine it was dragged away
after being oadly damaged by the fire.
Mr.. DAlten's smoke house being near
the team was hItched to it and
with the aid of q few meu 1t was
pulled down and out of danger.
Mr.. Dalten's fine residence being near 1t
was so much endangered that one end OF
1t was torn down to save it. Three bar
rels OF cement being handy 1t was poured
into the we'll to stop the flames, but they
rushed out as furious as ever. Stone,
fresh wster, ETC., were thrown in, but the
fame did not decrease. A carpet was
soaked in water and stuffed in the well,
but to no evsil, as the fire burned the wet
carpet. The fame was thirty feet in the
air, and reached over twenty to thirty
feet, and burned the leaves on mesquite
trees standing in the way. Finally 8
Mr.. Mcfarland came on the ground,
and, having been in the gas
regions in Pennsylvania he put the men
TO work making he. " brine, and DASH
ing this on in a heavy dy it at once
stopped the flames. mr. Dalten got 8
party to put pipe one and one hall
inches in diameter in the well 300 feet.
This was stuffed around with fax seed
bags, gravel, sand and dirt. The gas
threw the salt water through this small
pipe il rush. The gas still flows rap
idly through the pipe and burns readily,
but the water ceased to flow after time,
and never commenced to flow again unit
the last few days, the gas is rushing /,
out agsin. Gas has been found in three
wells in this county, and the broken lsy
OF the surface indicates immense
quantities of gas and coal. Ths gas is Of
blush nature. The fame when seen in
daytime is very blue and indicates tina,
oil is below. There Is q spring about
four miles from this gas well that flows
an oil with the water. This spring Is al
the foot Of mountain. There are mill
ions OF tons Cf very rich iron ore within q
radius of eight miles Of the gas we'll
Large veins of coal have been found in
several places in the county. Mr.. Dalten
has sold his gas well to eastern capitalists
who are preparing to put the gas in use
He sold the well for $4,000 and the
purchasers, 1 do not suppose, de-
sire to sell at all as they
are confident of q bountiful flow
and rich reward for their outlay. Prop
:ty in the vicinity Of the gas we'll has
advanced 800 per cent. since the pur.
chase, and yet it is cheap. 1 give this
statement through he GAZETTE for the
purpose of answering many inquiries
concerning the gas fad. have given
the facts as near as possible, having seen
the gas flow and the wreck produced by
the ire, and knowing Mr.. Dalten's house
was torn down and removed for fesr the
gas would sgsin be fired. feel justified
in making this statement. Parties de-
string to know further concerning the
facts as TO the gas can write G.. W. Nc
BonsldS W. K. Bell, G. W. Slaughter,
Captain Joel Mckee, 81. C. Mcclure, DR..
NJ. b Ketchum and 81. G. Taylor, sll
Ecitizens Of Palo Pinto, Tex.
Is j. L. CUNNINGHAM.
ESpk Out Ger Choisra-Maguire'z- Benns
Isl