The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-07-26
NATURAL GAS.
The Great Question fits CONFERENCE.-The
opinion OF Experts,

Tho Great Question Gifts Continuance-Ths
OpIniou OF Experts.
Now tint oil has once more reached
the dollar line and even gone above, we
'may expect ito see renewed zeal In
the leasing OF supposed oil territory and
the sinking OF new wells, This work Is
now going on quite energetically here In
the Pan,Haudle counties Of this State
and the adjacent counties Of Ohio. OF
course Washington county, Pa, has been
leased aud released we and over for the
last two or three years, and so also we
may say Of Greene county,
Within the present year 1t is quite
probable that the question Of the exist
ence Of oil and gas in the vicinity Of
Wheeling will be definitely determined.
Preparations are now making " u re-
sponsible Pennsylvania company to put
down test wells in tho Bethany region OF
Brooke county. 1t is leasing the land
under a contract to push the work yigor'
ously,
The Pennsylvania experiments are
coming nearer and nearer all the timeto
the Panhandle border. A well is going
down on Buffalo creek, near Dutch Fork
or, Cncrait's Mills, at a place called
Dunsiord, and another nea West Mid
dletown., The fact that there Is oil
In Hancock county, and gus in Brooke
county has been surely enough dem
onstrated. And this is true also o.
Marshall county. Immediately west d
the Ohio river, in Belmont and JetIer'
son counties, the same thing, as regards
gas, has been demonstrated. The exist
ence Of oil or gas, and in some instances
both, arc around us is no longer a ! NJ
ter OF speculation, 1t is an aScertainec
fact.
We may be sure therefore that THU
intermediate ground Of ours will soon IL
fully "exploited," as the phrase is. Oh
and gus are not increasing in supply
but they are increasing in price. II Ii
not probable that we will soon.see again
itever, tho low prices Of recent year
for these valuable deposits. The pres
ent daily consumption Of oil is decidedly
in excess Of its production. How soor
production may gain once more on con
sumption is u matter Of conjecture ant
is the basis OF the present fluctuations II
the price. Oil men Of large experience
assert with confidence that the oil terri
tory of the United States Is now 80 vel
known, Us compared with oven the re
cent past, that they can gauge far mort
accurately than heretofore the relHtior
Of supply to demand.
AS regards gas there is no reason Il
doubt its rapid exhaustion. The evan
escent character Of the Brooke county
wells at Wellsburg, as also those tina
supplied East Liverpool, Ohio, and like
wise the wells Of Washington county
Pa, all go to prove that 1t is indeed 1
"passing phenomenon" There is nc
part OF tho country where natural ga
Inns been found that does not at THU
time show signs ofexhaustion. The lie
Of wells in the vicinity Of other wells Il
getting shorter and shorter. Therefore
theft entire exhaustion at an early day
is anticipated and predicted by nearly
every recognized expert in the country
Recently, at Cincinnati, this matter
was up for discussion, There was .
proposition before the Board Of Public
Works Of that city to introduce gas from
the wells ut Richmond, Indiana, a dis
lance OF ninety miles. The inexpedi
ency Of going to such an enormous ex
pcnsc was deliberately argued before the
Board, in view Of the almost absolute
certainty tina. the wells there, having
now but 200 to 25O pounds pressure, will
soon give out. u
Here arc some Of The opinions Of ex'
perts that were read before the Board
They were submitted by General Hick.
enlooper, President OF the Gas Company
OF that city:
"proL. J, Il. Leslie, the State GcOloglSt Of Penn
EylVania says: From the time Col. Drake SUM
Inc ilrsI well on the plains Of TlluByillo | have
professionally participated IN the history Of lhl