, 1890-01-19
PROSPECTS OF NATURAL GAS.
The Geological Society Considers the Life
of tho EloM In Ohio.

-SNS ~ W. ~
The Geological Society Considers the Life
of the Flow in Ohio.
Natural gas engaged the attention yes
terday morning of the members of the
American Geological society, who are
holding their first annual session at the
American Museum of Natural History.
Professor Edward Orion, state geologist
of Ohio, presented an elaborate paper on
the ''Origin of the Rock Pressure of Ma
tural Gas in the Trenton Limestone of
Ohio and Indiana" Professor Orion
said:
Natural gas derived from the Tren-
ton limestone has supplied during the
past year and is now supplying all the
fuel and a considerable part of the arti-
fetal light that is used by at least 4OO, 900
people in northwestern Ohio and in cen
trail Indiana. Within the same line it is
the basis of a varied line of manufac-
lures, the annual product of which will
make al aggregate of many million dol
lars. More than forty glass furnaces, be
sides steel mills, potteries, brick works
and a long list of factories, in which
cheap power is a desideratum, have been
built up on all sides"
Professor Orion discredited the theories
that the rock pressure of the gas is due
to the weight of the everything rocks or
to the expansive force of the gas. He
went into an elaborate argument to how
that the rock pressure of gas in Trenton
limestone of Ohio and Indiana is hydro
static in its origin. ''There is no dan
ger" he said, THAT the great gas reser-
voirs of today will cave in or blow up
after the gas is withdrawn from them.
The gas will not leave the porous rock
until the salt water drives it out and
takes its place.
"This doctrine lays the ak at the root
of all the optimistic theories which bios
som out in every district where natural
gas is discovered, and especially among
the real estate operators of each new
field, to the effect that nature will not
all to perpetually maintain or perpetu-
ally renew the supplies which we find so
delightfully."- adapted to our comfort and
service. So far as we are concerned, it
is certain that nature has lone about all
that she is going to do.
mo doctrine could exert a more health
full influence on the communities that
are enjoying the i~nestimable advantages
of the new fuel than this. If it were at
nee accepted it would add to the dura-
ton of these precious supplies of power.
The ignorant and reckless waste that is
going on in the new gas fields is lament
able. The most of it comes from city
and village corporations that are bring
ing the gas within their boundaries to
give away to manufacturers whom they
can induce on these terms to locate among
them. To characterize the use of a mil
lion feet of natural gas a day in a single
town for burning common brick, for ex-
ample, or in calcinirg common lime
stone, there is a good word at hand
vandalism.
"The biologists may make themselves
temporarily disagreeable thereby, but
just as far as they convince those that
are Interested they lengthen the life of
the precious supplies. Judging from the
present indications, the Trenton lime
stone gas in Ohio is not likely to be long
lived. 1t seems entirely probable that
the term of its further duration can be
expressed within the limits of a number
of one digit. In considerable sections of
the field the salt water is very aggressive.
1t requires a steadily increasing pressure
on the wells to hold it back.
There is likely to be great disappoint-
ment in what is called gas territory.
The pressure and volume of large areas
are found to fail together. Wells draw
their supplies from long distances. A
force of even a section a mile quare may
be efectually drained of its gas without
a well being drilled upon it. Natural
gas is a very admirable product, but its
highest office, after all, should be to pre-
pare the way for something better thar
itself, viz, artificial gaseous fuel-better
for the reason that while it furnishes all
the intrinsic advantages of natural gas
it will be free from the inevitable disad-
vantages of treasures secured in the way
this gas has beer secured New York
Sun. .