The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-03
SCENES Al TitE VIII.
what the Gas Does, How ft HScs u ana
Tho Nhisrtf NNHr.

the Nstsct ~ N,s..
Late Sunday evening, December 80,
through the courtesy oil President Kelley
Representative Rogers snd myself were
driven out to the "Gusher." The roads
thilhcr were in frightiul condition, but
the company having notified tho public
through the prG.- iha, all would be well
come to see tho vel. n lsr.s number OF
people had assembled. The work oidrilling
had been suspended for the day. 50 that the
foreman, Mr.. G. J. Wilson aud his assist
ant, Mr.. George II. Derry, could give all
their attention TO the interested spectators
and prevent any danger that might have
been feared had the work continued.
II there is any one thing that will stir
up the cnthuiis-n OF one who has seen
most OF the important gpi wells of Penn.
sylyaGin i. is the s:g'.; s.' the familiar der
rick at some point outside tic keystone
State. II this 'ruaiun of q skeleton pyrn-
mid, rs II was su.G ~ 'ie distance, aud in
a country situated almost on the line which
divides civilization from barbarism, aroused
hislut.ra-l, hisenthusiasUi knew no bounds
when hc arrived on tho spot To have
imagined that away out ncrc, in n place
which only few years ugo was iamillarly
known as the jumping of place and
from which place you could not travel by
rail except over the same Ioulo that had
carried you into the ."wn, had that Gle
mcni that had saved the Pittsburg manu-
iacturcs from being ruined by Southern
iron, created peculiar sensation.
Nl....
was ignitcd at small pipe, the aperture
OF which did not exceed half inch in
diameter. IL burned. In the good, old,
familiar way described under the sub.head
OF "rhe Evolution Of a ias Well" The
genuincncss OF the gas could not be doubt
cd. II roarcd and hisscd and created u
great racket, and your so-callod natural
gas man became as iitiul aud capricious ~
the grand and leaping flame that threw
out its power and heat into the air. The
delight with which ho viewed II
could no, be estimated. and In the
vision oi the near future hc saw In
Fort Smith rolling mills, blast furnaces,
copper aud lead smcltcrs aud manulactur.
ing industries oi every description. lilo
aw q cif. OF 10000 inhabitants, with
beautifully paved streets aud handsome
IfNllfllHfN lif NiN thN 'NA~
tiva,cd iarms In close proximity to the
city. lie saw the beautiful villas OF sub.
urban residents, and heard the rumbling
oi many accommodation trains, carrying
these people 30 aud fro rs they do In Chit
cago. lie SAW ncwsboys selling metroDol.
ilnn papers. Knowing 80 well what natu'
raj gas has done for such towns ~ Beaver
Falls, Rochester, Brighton, Tarcntum,
il.sI.. u,,I ,...s... Ia N.aiaFu nauu.
sylvania, this dream Is by no means cx-
lrayagant or improbable.
Well, the gas burned. ID had n he
covered with hood TO keep II from blow.
ing itsof out, 81 great WIS the pressure.
The pressure l. the important icaiurc OF
natural gas. Without good pressure IL
Il u-olo,a. Tho oniy Instrument oonrsnient
10 Test itat that hour was the steam gauge on
tho boiler Into IL the gas was turned. Ina
lily the gauge pointed 10 100 pounds 10
the square inch. Now the boiler WIS not
an excellent one aud was only warranted
10 carry sixty pounds aud II was thought
advisable not 10 test It's qualities any
further. The gas which had now filled
the boiler with this pressure was uscd In q
novel way. spoken Of before. II was
turned inlo the cylinder of the engine anl
used ~ steam and the result was ridiculous
aud laughable. The ilywhccl spun aud
the engine was icy cold Think oi steam
engine being ice cold The oil on the
journals was cong siicd In few minutcs
Al every place any water that got on tho
cylinder was frozen lnto 100.
At the aperture Of the small pipe, at
which the gas was igniicd, Ice was formed
nj the tip Immediately after the gas was
yxtinpuisheI This proye1 that the uatu.
raj gas formed water by uniting with the
oxygen OF the air, aud II u made cold 10y
the probable iceberg. aud irigid caycrns
through which u passed from the great
depth Of 1850 feet.
Since Christmas day no feet moro have
been drilled, NO that the well has now
reached tho uncommon depth Of 2,7aJ
feet, which, with one exception perhaps
lono at shamokin. Pa, 1 bclicvc), is
the deepest natural gas well In the United
States.
Tho company Is now engaged In putting
up rig for the purpose 0l sinking another
guil fighi In the city, nt the head NJ Soy-
cnth street. There Is no doubt that Il will
be- found. II may 10 obtained ia nearly
every spot tapped Ia Or about Fort Smith.
This Il the first successful drilling Tor
natural gns In the South, anl II should en-
courngc progressive ncu a. investigate the
matter everywhere. II will not cost much
10 experiment, aud We may Jr able to OBJ.
tain d Ia Memphis at n practicable depth;
who know4 II Is worth trying. LIT us
do IL.
WHAT ~ Irf
Same sp.eutstlous ss 10 Natural aas