The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-07-04
DEEPEST IN THE WORLD.
An Account from an Authority on
the Wen Being Drilled
N THE INTEREST OF SCIENCE

L.
pany-..rhc Government omcer in
Charge Writes DescriptiOn---Its
Importance,
Following is an exhaustive and reada-
BILE account of the deepest well in the
country, now being sunk by the Wheel
ing Development Company, which, be-
ing from the pen Of DR.. William Hal
lock, the government officer in charge
of the scientific observation at the well,
is of peculiar interest and value:
Anything new in oil wells should be
of interest to readers living in the
neighborhood Of the memorable Drake
well, but the deep well at Wheeling,
W. Va, commands interest everywhere.
Now the deepest successful well IN this
country, It is second only to that fa-
nous one ut schladabach, near Leipzig,
the work Of the German Government.
Such well as that at Wheeling Is IN,
teresting and instructive in two distinct
WAYS. The economic value OF such q
thorough test will be only partially ap-
preciated by many oil men-to them a
''duster" is a "duster" and that ends 1t.
However, more and more, as time pass,
es, the thoughtful prospector is guided
bythe reports OF other wells, and by
the advice OF geology. The Wheeling
well locates certain strata SO thorough.
" that their depth can be. predicted
over very large extent OF country sur
rounding 1t. -.
II is, however, in its purely seienn1c
importance that it will find Worldwide
fame. The location Of geological strata
is point OF great scientific interest, es-
pecially in section of country where
they are practically undisturbed and
level. @
For the past eighteenyears the British
Association for the Advancement OF
Science has kept a standing committee
for the purpose of selling every oppor-
tunity to study underground tempera-
ture. About twenty years ago =. bunker
measured temperatures in q well 1900
feet deep at Sperenberg, near Berlin.
The German government a lew years
ago put down a well at schladabach
$40 feet deep and costing $4,000. Ihls
famous hole gave Mr.. bunker another
opportunity to investigate underground
temperatures. The determinations at
Sperenberg and Schladabach are &C
cepted as giving the most reliable in
formation as to the rise in temperature
as we penetrate the earth's crust. Both
these wells are full OF water and the
Schladabaeh hole is cased nearly to the
bottom. Either water or casing is o
serious hindrance to the satisfactory de-
termination on rock temperatures.
So much for the old world. In this
country some half dozen observations
are reported from well at Pittsburgh,
but they appear to have been hurried!y
made and under difficulties. With this
exception we are quite ignorant OF the
temperatures underlying us.
Some enterprisiRg peopleof Wheeling
decided to put down joint well and
settle gfew questions for the surround
ing country as well as for themselves.
THU well successfully reached 1000
feet. Professor ]. @. White, of the State
University, heard OF the well and imme-
diately saw its scientific interest and
persuaded the owners not to wreck 1t,
but devote it to the cause Of science.
Now it stands dedicated to the sciences
Of geology and terrestrial physics, abso-
lutely unique and of inestimable value.
1t has since been drilled deeper and Is
to-day $500 feet deep, Al inches diane
ter, caseS only l,570leet and dry, except
eight or ten gallons OF water in the bot
tom. Generous friends have contrib
uted literally to push it still farther
and it is hoped sufficient will be forth
coming to 20 on now, while all possible
forces are to be marshalled to persuade
Congress to seize this golden opportun-
ity and push the work etfectually.
Why is this well so pre-eminently in
teresting? First, 1t is dry. Second, It
penetrates strata in their original posi-
tons or nearly so. Third, numerous
mines in its immediate vicinity afford
opportunity to obtain good values OF
surface temperature. Fourth, 1t is cased
only 1870 feet.
Ndry hole is not an object Of admira-
ton to an oil producer, but 1t certainly
is to the physical gcologist Water cir
culates in q wet hole, producing an artt-
fetal distribution OF temperatures, or
requiring elaborate plugging apparatus
to prevent circulation. Air is infinitely
less disturbing, if indeed it circulates at
all, under such circumstances. We
also have here, incidentally, an oppor-
tunity to measure a barometric pressure
Of $500 feet below sea level. Wherever
strata arc tilted, faulted or disturbed,
the vertical distribution OF temperature
in them is less likely to be one which
we can accept as an average for the
whole globe.
Castings in the tops of wells make 1t
very difficult to get satisfactory value
Of the temperature of that layer of
earth, 20 to 100 feet below the surface,
which, maintains a uniform tempera-
ture summer and winter and which
forms the upper end OF one series.
Mines are generally unsatisfactory for
temperature determinations, but will
afford interesting information in con-
nection with the we'll, lying US they do
in its immediate vicinity.
The 5000 feet of naked rock in the
lower part Of this well has already con-
tributed more to our knowledge than
any, or perhaps all wells, and would be
famous If not another observation was
made.
Wheeling deserves much credit for its
original enterprise, but much more for
the exemplary way in which it has
turned from its pecuniary failure ~ to
gain the esteem and envy of all by Civ
Ing the well to science and generously
contributing towardits further develop
ment.
Wheeling is to be congratulated upon
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