Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-10
NATURAL GAS SUPPLY.
FACTS ABOUT THE NEW SOURCE
OF COMFORT AND WEALTH.

Gas Yielding Territory CT the United
States-Georsc Washington as an In-
vestor-A Catastrophe In C.,ina-An IN.
cident-Ofacial Reports.
Where in the United States are tire chief
sources of supply for natural gas, This IS a
question that countless people have been try
! ing to answer. ard 1t IS sud tha, tie peopls
of every state in the Union except the New
England states and the four most Southerly
Atlantic seaboard states have quite lost their
equilibrium In attempting 70 show that tho
chief supply is right under The crust Of real
estate which they themselves happen % o.
| cupy. East OF the Appalachian range Of
mountains, measuring the Green mountains
of Vermont as their most northern extern
sion. OF spur, the natives have not bored for
natural gas except, perhaps, furt;veiy. and
in the dark A similar want Of enterprise
has manifested itself in North and Sogth
Carolina, Georgia and Florida. tho people OK
those states possibly thinking themselves too
near the earthquake center 10 take any
chances az penetrating the crust OF this I'M
perfectly baked globe. But everywhere else
between the Hudson river and the Pacific
coast the drills have been working incss-
{
suned, not intrequently, by the electric
light.
Such q spectacle would be somewhat ludi-
crous were it not that tie electric illurinans
in the present status OF scientific knowledge
is obliged TO confess tina. duh Gas is ore e
the elementary forces to which it owes il
own being. But the search has been gtner-
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
the mysterious geological forfustion known
as the drift. The main sources Of supply are
found in the western part OF the state Of
Pennsylvania, extending northward into
southwestern New York. and southwark into
West Virginia; in northwestern Ohio and thu
contiguous eastern psrt OF central Indiana,
aud in one part Of Michigan.
The considerable supply found in Kansas
is SO far west Of the main source that II sus-
gests escaping gas caused by some assure or
/ fault in the drift formations Ys: the search
/ goes forward, though possibly with relaxing
interest. Il is felt that the cavernous west
and south may furnish still other natural
pipe lines to convey gas for general diStrihu-
ton over half the continent
| Natural gas has been long known. The VII
age of Fredonia, in tins state, near the lower
end of Lake Erie, has been lighted by Is
nearly. il not quite, i1fty years, and the
Father Of his Country is found TO have been
the first speculator in natural gas. He came
in possession very long time ago OF what
were then known as the burning springs III
the kanawha valley, Virginia. These
called springs were only the result Of a
natural gas freak, though 70 the people Of
those early days. before the discovery or in
vention of a process for making coal gas,
/ they must have furnished a mysterious phe-
| Ioulenon.
| The idea of Washington, however. In OBJ
/ tanning possession of the property was not "A
/ speculation in light or fuel but "a speculation
/ in salt, as more properly became the savior
! of his country. In China, too, a country 70
/ which we must always so when we think
/ ourselves exclusively entitled b. the credit Of
some new discovery. the people have known
! all about natural gas many hundred years.
| 1t is even reported that a great catastrophe
once happened IN China rs a consequence Of
the reckless use Of this illuminant, the catas-
trophe having been nothing less than tho
explosion Of an immense subterranean gas
ometer which underran Ii country largo
| enough for several kingdoms. The precise
number OF people who persisted at the time IL
not recorded. but, considering the population
OF the country, it must have been large 50
natural gas, it will be see,l, has played a very
tragic part in the worlds history If an In
animated substance can be said 10 pla,T
tragedy.
This Chinese story lacks but one element
to give it horrible interest, and that is the
element OF possibility. No nir can 90 where
gas holds possession; and you could not have
combustion and n consequent explosion with
out air. Some information IL relation -
the natural gas wells Of China has been given
recently to the state department by sr.
Charles DENLY, the American minister 70
that country. Mr DENLY describes "A terri
tory about nine miles in diameter. where
brine, suitable for the production Of salt, Is
found Mt depth Of 200 to 1900 feet below
the surface Below these salt reservoirs
again. ut depth Of 800 OF 2 90 feet from tho
surface, gas is found II rs reached by means Of
rude iron drills fastened TO a ROPE and Opcr-
a.ed in bamboo pipes, which arc gradually
forced into the ground az the earth below il
Displaced by the action OF tie sharp iron
point. 1t is bamboo everywhere. After tho
gas il reached ana brought t. the surface it
is led Off 10 the evayorating pans by more
ing the brine into SIT crystaA. But. FOR II.
bearing on this question Of danger 70 coms
from the practice Of tapping natural gas
reservoirs, here Is the chief point Of intorss.t
in Mr.. DENLY report
During the TAPPING rebsIbon, years ago,
the rebels held possession 81 tls country
where these gas wells s-S sisnared, and they
took OF the cap that bed the gas IN cor4tin-s-
ment from one Of the wells snd ~: tsJe-col-
uInn efame. II has been burning eSsr siu,cn
and there " not talent enough aynong tao
Chinese engineers "a sxttrIgtiisi e,se firn Bat
il is 20 be presumed THAI even the ber1loo
piping in tl.s yell psna.ns uuiuturssd. or tas
opifice must hong eince have hecs, clo--.d
We need nos4Co al the say 30 China. hvs-
ever for examples We havs sss.n al and s5zs
wells enough afaIoe In the Uai:ed STATS 10
have blown OF tse end. Of ban New York
and Pennsylvania had ~ beszi Tsszr.tDhs for
the fame 70 penrsrats hclo~ toe surface.
The Chinese iscsdest, however. Ia nos with
out interest from nEscchcT p,0fx. 81 View
Tbsrs has been q tnrosy That TIE gas ~-iiz
must b. socn eIhsustsd, b,s Dsye - well
thn. has ben running with such fo,cs that
the fame u ir,cxt1nscusshss1se drr7fz mary
years. and there u no ~vsdenes Of decreasing
pressure.
OGiciaI rs4o-s on tie natural yaS r-o-
DUCT Of tie UE4ssd States are nos very 70
cent, TIE latest rersort, in re main features
coming down only u The elo-e 81 ths year
lsss. II Govern period g k@s than sxo
wears. tie dzco~s<y IA; natural gas cozd
te found IN sufficient quantities u make vsl
driving psol,-bss having bsssn male n TX.