The Delta independent., 1889-09-10


aany thousand square miles,
IA truaeslaid with the most extra
ordinary and exuee stores of coal
oil and coal gas n the past tweaty-
firasyears oil has boon taken out to the
cxtentsof millions on millions of bar
rels, while gas is escaping at the rate,
rs it has been recently estimated. OF
l.000. .oo0. 900 cubic feet each day. The
flow of both oil and gas is SO great that
the belief is warranted that the sup
< plies, notwithstanding the extraordina-
ry daily depletion, are still enormous.
Beyond the existence; of this gas and
oil and OF the coal beds, which also iin-
derlay the greater portion of the United
States, we know actually nothing OF
subterranean conditions; but il we can
assume the presence at great depths in
the earth, OF fire or of sufficient heat
making agencies to operate on the coal
A beds we may we'll imagine that by the
II action of such heat the petroleum is
distilled from the coal and the gas is. at
at the same time, liberited but both
reinain stored up in cavities or in the
pores OF the carth until extracted by
the borings. As long as these accumu-
lations of gas and Oil remain sealed up
in the depth of the earth, away from
actual fire, there is no risk of conaa-
Z grafton. The entire possibility. of such
danger is dependent upon the existence
y of fire and on its contact, under favor
able conditions, withythese inaamn,able
compounds. -.
A ft6aks pfl ,vs,o I,-ou o,,k
,water and air viii find thefr.way into
~ %Evitiss thus vscated and the
Sge6losists have foreedstad a possible
SPeriad when by some such operation all
4l.a Her now appearing upon the sur
Tfac 81 tho Mad will sink into the cavi-
tiles or thesearta, This nece ssary fluid
vili then only be attainable by drawing
from wells of extraordinary depth.
q even beid that the moon is one OF
,Mese dry planets, being destitute of
Sslrface water, which has sunk into the
J dry and hohey-combed interior of that
body. This water, coming in contact
J with tho interior fires of the moon. pro-
duced terrific internal throes and vol
cslnie ernptions which continued to
wrdbk the moon until its fires were ex-
tjngnislaed, and it became. as it is now
believed to be, a dead dry planet. y
Coming back to our own prospects
for con1agration, it would be neces-
4 sary for. the gas in the earth to be suf-
ficiently mixed vita oxygen to mako it
inflammatle. This could occur from
the air which islsupposed to enter the
Z ( cogitiss pf the earth to take the place
Of tho escaped gas, or oxygen could be
supplied by the decomposition OF the
water into its Constituent elements
through the action Of heat. There is,
no certainty that the heart of the earth
is mass Of fire, although it is SO held
to be by some Of the theorists; but it
would be easy enough to secure fire
there by electrical or chemical action.
r-h -hQth. A Powerful current of ter
j restriA electricity trying to pass
through formation OF poor conducting
power would easily burst into flame, or
y vtaxcr poured upon a bed OF quick lime
would produce y like result
Given FIRE in the body OF the earth,
20 tituqted, rs to be able to distill oil
and gas from bituminons coal, and we
haze conditions which might under
favorable circumstances produce titanic
intraterranenn explosions, ripping open
hGIf a continent and setting fire to vast
!: kes OF .petrsisum, which y Eild be
Fl fus uucoyersd, while thss Escaping gas
'asihe into a;rmcs would wrap in a
MaEration enormous areas
nd. These speculations
tond the bounds OF possi-
ed not alarm anyone
arc attracting attcn-
benefit anybody a.
Ugh. but ridicuIe