Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-14
COAKING GAS WELLS
To Give Up Their Secret Hoards of
Natural Fuel From Partially
Exhausted Reservoirs.
TEN MINUTES TELL THE STORY
Of the Successful elimination Of Two
Years of Thoughtful Labor by
President Pew.
CREATING AN ARTIFICIAL PRESSURE
TEN MINUTES TELL THE STORY
CREATING AN ARTIFICIAL PRESSURE
Which viii Drive the Gas Two Hundred Miles From
the Well

The natural gas bugaboo of low pressure
at the wells, and the consequent weakness
of the supply of fuel to consumers, has at
last been overcome, and it is confidently as
serted that after the new method has been
generally adopted there will be no lack of
natural gas, at least for years to come.
The experiment has been applied to sup
posedly exhausted wells belonging to the
Peoples Natural Gas Company, and is a
success.
For three or four years past the question
of creating forced pressure, which would
exhaust the gas from the well and drive it
through the mains with sufficient strength to
reach the consumers, has been agitating the
minds O: a number of gentlemen who nave
large natural gas interests. Among other
pcrsors who have been considering the mat
ter was Mr.. Joseph n. Pew, President of
the people's Natural Gas Company. For
two years past, as The DISPATCH has taken
occasion to note, he has been working on a
pImp which would increase the pipe pres
sure of gas from wells where the rock pres
sure had dwinGIed down to almost zero.
COMPLETE SUCCESS.
Mr.. Pew's two years of labor were brought
to a climax yesterday, when natural gas
pump of his invention was started to work,
and within ten minutes had scored a sue
cess. Customers of the Peoples Company
who NAV have been bemoaning the lack of
gas at 7:30 A. NJ, were hurriedly turning it
down at 7:40 a. NJ.
President Pew is naturally elated at his
success, which means much for him fnan-
cially, and a great deal more for this COM
munity. He was reluctant to speak on the
subject, but was finally induced to say:
These gas pumps are situated as near as may
be to the wells, and are intended to increase
the capacity of the lines when the wells have
declined in pressure so that there is not suffi-
cent pressure in the wells to drive the gas to
the cities. This pump is especially designed so
that the pressure which wells produce is util-
ized to assist IN driving the gas to the power
obtained in this way. supplemented by steam
cylinders. The first pump was put in opera
ton to-day, and increased the pressure on its
liue from 60 pounds to l2O at the well. The
Peoples Company contemplates putting
number of pumps on its lines as soon as possi-
BILE. The second plant will be completed the
first of December.
TWENTY MILES IN TEN MINUTES.
NC pump MAS oedlbSu ILLS uOTuluE dI gsOU,
% miles from the city, and at $40 the pressure
increased on the low-pressure lines in the city
to as much as the company required.
BY increasing the pressure on the lines at the
wells ii enables the company to convey a much
larger amount of gas through a given size of
pipe than il could do with the original pressure.
This increase of pressure will enable the COM
pany to give the desired supply of gas
The experiments made so far with this pump
h N1sE1,4 41,,F 70, hat
long distance, and they assure to Plttsburg a
supply of gas for an indefinite period, although
the expense of the pipes may make it more
costly than it has been. 1t also establishes the
fact that gas can be carried long distance in
small pipes and does away with the construc-
ton of the very large pipes heretofore thought
necessary. and enables the gas companies to
change their source of supply from one field to
another, as the gas fails, and at comparatively
small expense, as these machines can be moved
from one teld to another and long lines of
small pipes can be laid at comparatively reason
able expense.
SAVING THE WASTED GAS.
Mr.. Pew is the pioneer purveyor of nat
ural gas to Pittsburg, and although many
attempts have been made to supplement the
natural pressure at the we'll by mechanical
devices, his is the first that has been successful
With these pumps many gas wells which have
been abandoned as too weak in pressure to be
OF service in supply, will again be brought into
service, and much gas which is now allowed to
escape in the air will be utilized. 1t is esti-
mated That al least as much gas is wasted as is
consumed. and if this waste can be avoided
there will be no lack of the fuel.
As illustrating the waste of gas that is going
on now. attention has been called to the fact
that weeks ago an immense gas well was struck
back of Coraopols. on the Wilson farm and it
Is wasting its treasure on the desert air. The
roar Of the escaping gas can be heard for
miles
There was a shortage of gas in Allegheny and
on the SOuthsIde yesterday and as a conse-
qUence many mills were shut off by the Phila-
Cclphia Company. THIS company now has q
wells drilling in the Bellevernon field and some
% them are expected in within a few days.
These wells are expected to remove the CON-
plants Of deficiency which have been SO numer-
Cus of la.p