Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-08-15
WELLS ONE MILE DEEP.
~h6 Government To Take the Earth's
Temperature Below 4. 900 Feet.

The government has taken an In
terest in an experimental well which Is
being drilled on Boggs' Run, near this
city. The well is now over 1. 900 feet
deep. aud it is the intention, II possible.
to drill it 10 the depth of an even mile
--5, 280 feet. The United States Geo
| logical Survey will contribute $5. 600 to
the fund. 1t is the purpose of the gov
ernment to take the carth's tempera-
| ture at these low levels and obtain
other scientific data. Satisfactory
| tests of this character have never here
toforc been made in this country.
owing to the water or oil that bas been
encountered In the few other deep
wells that have been drilled.
II the Wheeling well Is driven to the
depth Of mile it will be the deepest
we'll in the world At present the
deepest well in this country Is one
drilled for gas in Pittsburg some
years ago by George Westinghouse,
Jr. 1t was sunk to the depth Of 1850
feet, when work had to be abandoned
on account of the drilling cable break
ing OF its own weight. The weight OF
the cable now in use In the Wheeling
we'll is 1000 pounds. Powerful ma
chncry must. OF course. be employed
in drilling these deep wells, and the
work is slow aud expensive.
In the event Of any tool being lost
In the hole. the job OF fishing it out be-
comes a scientific achievement. Tools
are made expressly for fishing pur-
poses aud they are many and ingen-
ious. Iu the oil-6elds there are men
who make business OF fishing lost
tools ont of wells.
Jonathan Watson OF Titusville, Pa,
drilled one of the deepest wells ever
drilled In the oil country. He sunk it
TO the depth OF 3. 553 feet at a cost of
S25, 000 Mr.. Watson is a rich man
and spirituaist, and the well was
drilled under the guidance OF the
spirits. IL was drilled for oil, but was
not successful venture. The well Is
located on the flats below Titusville,
not far from the Drake well. the
pioneer oil well 10 America. Oil in
The Drake we'll was found at the depth
OF but 66 feet. Iu August, 1899, Mr..
Watson completed well in this
locality which was also spirit well "
having been drilled Mt that particular
spot by the advice of the spirits Of two
late friends whom he had known In
life. The well produced $50 barrels a
day at the start, but it was soon ex-
hausted. and probably did not pay for
the drilling
There are wells in Greene County,
Pennsylvania, producing oil from a
depth OF about one-half mile. These
are the deepest oil-producing wells Ia
the country. The cost OF drilling q
well to this depth approximates $lS,-
900.
The Boston School of Technology
was some time ago asked to give an
opinion regarding the possible depth
the drill would have TO penetrate be-
fore it could get through the sandstone
In deep well being drilled at Rock
vile. Conn. The well was being drill
ell for water by silk manufacturing
firm. 1t had ut that time reached a
depth of 3, 440 feet. All this distance
had been drilled through sandstone
with the exception of 200 feet. The
Boston scientists did not venture an
opinion. Prof Emerson of Amherst
College declared that the drill was the
only scientist that could tell anything
about it. Nothing but practical
test would determine anything certain
rs TO where the sandstone would end.
st. Louis has well which is 3. .l47
: feet deep. For time it bclched
; forth sevcnty-iive gallons OF water d
minute. The deepest we'll in the
a world at the present time Is one a
Potsdam. Germany, which was drilled
a 10 depth OF 5.270 feet or ten fee
short OF one mile. Europe has some
remarkable holes in the ground. There
Is one twenty miles from Berlin which
D Is 16 feet in diameter TO the depth o.
280 feet, and from that to the depth o
1874 feet it is l3 inches in diameter.
The Paris sugar rcAnery drilled vel
1900 feet deep which is 10 inches ir
diameter. Al Butte aux Cailes is &
+, we'll which is 1-2 feet in diameter
aud 2 800 feet deep. Another deep
,, hole in the ground 1-2 feet in
; diameter was drilled at La Capelle.
France. The drilling tools used 10
/ this well weighed over four tons.
In the early days OF the oil industry
! In Pennsylvania it was thought that
! untold wealth might be obtained II a
!. shaft was dug down to the oil-bearing
rock. Four such shafts were started,
!, one ut Tarentum. Pa. on the Alle-
gheny River above Pi;tsburg; two n,
Tidioutc, Pa, also on the Allegheny;
and one at Petroleum Center. on Oil
Creek. The shafts were about l0xls
feet and were all abandoned at nearly
, the same depth-280 feet. One Of the
Tidioute shafts was wrecked by an ex
|, plosion and work was never resumed
on it afterwards. The foreman, stand.
ing on a plank across the top Of the
hole dropped down a lighted taper
: previous to sending the meu down to
9 work. A terrific explosion of the gas
8 in the shaft lifted him up into the ali
r and he fell back into the hole and wa;
4 killed. His manglcd body was fished
! out of the bottom OF the shaft and. "a:
A natural gas explosions had. up to thai
4 time. been very rare in the oil country,
! the tragedy created much excitement
o Public opinion was so strong against
4 taking any further risks that the con
o tractor was forced to give up the work
Y A complete geological record of the
! Wheeling well is being kept and a
a copy will be sent to the Worlds Fair
|. Copies will be seut to the United State;
Il Geological SURVEY at Washington, the
n State Capital 1T Charleston. the Uni
4 versity at Morgantown. and one viii
> be retained by the Wheeling Chamber
of Commerce. - Wheeling (IE Va.
~ Correspondent of the " Y. Forld.
. REMEMBERED SIR WALTER SCOTT,
d Also Knew James uogg and Says us