The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-08-05

~ >"IfStrophT IN emma An IN
cldcnt--OGl,i TAI Reports
Where in tho Uaitcd States arc ,he chief
sources Of surDiv for natural cast Thie Is
question that count - people save been try
ing to answer. ard it is said that tho people
Of every state in the Union except the New
England states and the four most southerly
Atlantic scoboard states have quite lost their
equilibrium IN attempting 60 show that the
chief supply Is right under the crust Of real
estate which they themselves happen TO oc-
cupy. Eat II the Appalachian range Of
mountains, measuring tho Green mountains
Of Vermont as tiei. most northern extern
sion, or spur, the natives have not bored for
natural gas except, perhaps, furtively, aud
in the dark. 4 similar want of enterprise
mas manifested Itself in North and South
Carolina, Georgia and Florida, the people OF
those states possibly thinking themselves too
near tho earthquake center to take any
chances at penetrating the crust of this I'M
perfectly baked CLONE But everywhere else
bcsaccI lac uudsoL river aud the Pacific
cast the drills have been working inces-
sanity, lighted at night, it is TO be pre-
sumed not infrequentiy, by the electric
light.
Such a spectacle would be somewhat Judi
crous were 10 not that the electric illuminant
in the present status of scientific knowledge
is obliged 10 confess that dull gas is one of
the elementary forces TO which it owes its
own being But The search has Lecn gcner
ally futile Except in Kansas gas has been
found in paying quantities only in that por-
ton of the Mississippi valley which lies east
OF the great river and along the borders of
tho my stcrous geological formation known
as the drift. Tire main sources Of supply are
found in the western part of the state OF
PcnnSyl wanna. cX'.Gs.lug northwcrd into
southwestern New Orl,, and sout Inward into
Yves: virginia ia northwestern Ohio and the
contiguous eastern part Of central Indiana.
and in one part of Michigan
The considerable supply found in Kansas
is 50 far west OF the main source that it sug-
costs escaping gas caused by some fiSSurc or
fault IN The drift formations Yet the search
goes forward, though possibly with relaxing
Interest IL is felt that the caVcrnOus west
and south may furnish still other natural
pipo lines 10 convey gas for general distribu-
ton over half the continent
Natural gas has been long known. The vii
acc OF Fredonia IN this state, near the lower
end OF Lake Erie, has been lighted by it
nearly, Il not quite fifty years and the
Father Of his Country is found to have been
the frs; Sreculator IN natural gas He came
in possession = very long time ago of what
wc-2 then h:lOwl aa 1Ae burning springs in
tho Kanawha valley, Virginia These SO
called springs We're only the result of
natural gls freak, though to the people of
4f- Il.
vcnton ri a process for making coal gas,
they must have furnished a mysterious pine
nomcnOn.
Tic Ikea OF Washington, however, in OBJ
ta.u.ng possession 81 the property was not a
speculation ia light or fuel, but q speculation
in salt, Gs more properly became the savior
OF his country. In China, too, a country to
which We must always 90 when We think
ourselves exclusively entitled 20 tho credit of
some new discovery, the people have known
all about natural gas many hundred years.
L is even reported that great catastrophe
once happened in China rs a consequence of
the Tec..lc - uso OF this lluminant, the catas-
trophc having been nothing less than the
explosion Of an immense subtcrranean gas
ometcr which undcrran a country large
enough for several kingdoms The precise
number of people who persisted no the time is
not recorded, but, considering tine population
OF the country. 70 must have boon large So
natural gas. 10 Will be seen, has played a very
tragic part in the worlds history, il an in
animated substance can he said to play
tragedy
This Chinese story lacks but one element
to give it a horrible interest, AMI that is the
clement OF possibility No air can 80 where
gas holds possession; and You could not have
combustion AID consequent cxplosi n with
out air. Some information in relation to
the natural gas wells Of China has been given
recently 20 the state department by Mr..
Charles DENLY, the American minister 10
that country Mr. DENLY describes terri
tory about nnc miles in diameter. where
brine, suitable L + tho production oil salt, is
found 1t a depth of zoo TO 1909 feet below
the surface Below these salt reservoirs
again. al depth of 500 or > 600 feet from the
surfac,, Gas il found 1t is reached 10y means of
rude iron drills fastened To a rope and oper-
atcd in bamboo pipes, whch are gradually
forced into the ground Gs the earth below is
displaced by the action Of the sharp iron
point. It is bamboo everywhere After the
gas is reached and brought 10 the surface it
Is leI OIL 70 TIC tNiiJolsltllS pans bN more
bamboo pipes, and made 70 dO duty in turn
ing the brine into salt crystals But, for its
bearing on It's question OF danger TO come
from the practice Of tapping natural gas
reservoirs, here is the Chief point OF interest
in Mr.. Dcnbys report
During the TAPPING rebellion, years ago.
the rebels held possession OF tho country
where these gas wells are situated, and they
tool, OF the cap that held the gas III coaiine-
ment from one Of the wells and set the col
umn anamc. IL has been burning ever since,
ana there is not talent enough among tue
Chinese engineers TO cXt.asuish the fire But
it is 70 be- presumed that even the bamboo
piping in the well remains uniniuvcd, or the
orifcc must long since have been closed.
We need not 20 ell the way 70 China, how
ever, Tor examples We have seen oil and gas
wells enough aiame iii the DD.ted States 10
have blown Oh the ends OF both New York
aud Pennsylvania had IL been possible for
the flame 10 penetrate below the surface.
Tho Chinese Incident, however. IS not with
ont Interest from another DOiut of view