, 1891-09-05
NATURAL GAS SUPPLY.
ma URAL GAS SUPPLY.
Pittsburg's Great Fields Said
to be About Exhausted.
Pressure Greatly Reduced and
Prices Increased.
Hardships of the Hebrews Who
COlonized in Brazil.

PTTsBURG, Sept. Figures surrep-
~titiously obtained today from the books
OF the Philadelphia Gas company, the
largest supplier of natural gas in Pitts
burg, 20 to show pretty conclusively that
the supply of that fuel is giving out.
Gas was first generally introduced as a
fuel here about 1885, and since then it
has been used in every branch of manu-
fscture and by countless thousands of
families. The MurraYsville field was the
first great center OF production. In 1884
the pressure there was $40 pounds to the
square inch. Last winter it was forty
eight pounds, and to-day it is ten pounds.
From this field the Philadelphia COM
paDy at one time had sixteen lines. At
present it has one thIrty-six inch line and
that not iull. The Belle Vernon line,
once prolific, is being abandoned, and the
company is pulling up Its lines in that
district. The pressure there has fallen
off from 740 to sever pounds. From this
source there may possibly remain enough
gas to supply Braddock, but the city oil
McKeesport will be shut off entirely. In
the Canonsburg and Hickory fields the
pressure which, in 1885 was 500 pounds,
is now l0l pounds. From this field,
since the failure of Murraysville, Ale
gheny City has obtained her gas. In or
der to overcome this shortage the Phila-
delphia has gone into the Coraopolis field,
but results there have thus far proven un-
satisfactory.
The McGahey field, of which much has
recently been said, is also a failure, very
little gas having been found there. The
number OF good wells in all the old fields
is being largely reduced. The famous
Haymaker well at Murraysville was aban-
doned some time ago, the tubing drawn
and the hole plugged up. The remaining
wells are, by the reason OF the falling off
in the volume of gas, filling up with salt
water aud will SCOT be useless. There is
a pressure of only about ten pounds on
the thirty-six inch main line, which il
proof conclusive that in Pittsburg proper,
and on tho South Side, where 50, 900 PEG
pie live, the natural gas supply the com
ing winter will be reduced to shiveriug di
mansions. 1t is stated that before mex
spring the price OF natural gas to the con
sumner will be thirty cents per 1000 fee
net. The company recently gave notice
thai on and after Sept. | the price would
ot thcut1-nSt ftuts. II WAS lbTu1tTly
sold by contract, at so much per FIRE, re
gardless of the quantity used, but about
two years ago a meter was devised, and
the natural fuel sold at ten cents per
LOCO. Since her the price has steadily
advanced, while the supply has dimin-
ished. One result has been to cause a
serious depression in gas stocks. while
hundreds of iron and other manufacturers
have returned to bituminous coal as a
fuel. On the heels of the figures quoted,
the Philadelphia company issues a hope,
full bulletin TO the effect that it will in,
crease its supply shortly by bringing in five
new fields, claiming it has 20, 900, 900 feet
a day available in the Coraopolis district,
to which a pipe line is being laid.