The record-union., 1891-10-16
NATURAL GAS.
An Effort viii be Made to Resume
Boring for It.
The Stockholders Discuss the Situa.
tion-A New Well May be
Started Soon.

A meeting of the stockholders of the
Citizens Natural Gas Company was an
nounced to take place at the Courthouse
last evening. A quorum of them did not
put in an appearance, however, SO the
meeting devolved into an informal af-
fair.
DIR. S. S. Southworth, the President,
was in the chair, and in calling the stock
holders to order addressed them regard
ing the work that had been done at the
well at Fifth and r streets. The well is
now 920 feet deep, and no more work was
being done. & hard stratum of rock had
been encountered, and, in trying to force
the pipe through it by fifty tons of hy
draulic pressure, the pipe had been
broken off within five feet of the surface.
This, and the fact that the company's
funds were depleted, caused the stoppage
in the work. Since then, however, he
and several other directors had been ex-
perimenting with the gas now flow
ing from the well, and the expert
ments had been quite successful. The
company's mission had been fulfilled in
part-it having been demonstrated that
both natural gas and artesian water were
plentiful beneath Sacramento. Since its
organization the company had collected
and expended S., $50. Some difficulty
had been experienced with subscribers
who failed to pay up. Something over
81 900 were due from delinquents, and a
number, rather than pay, had relIn-
quiShed their stock. In conclusion, the
President said the only matter TO be de-
termined upon now was whether or not
they should proceed with the work. He
said he had recently been to Stockton and
had examined closely the wells there.
He was satisfied from what he had seen
| that Sacramento possessed as good, if not
better, advantages for procuring natural
gas than Stockton.
a general discussion was entered into
| by those present.
| A letter was read from Otto Grunsky.
! Secretary of the Northern Gas Well at
| Stockton (the smallest one there) in
| which he gave full description of the
WELL its cost, and how it was paying
| This well is $40 feet deep, and has flow
of $4,000 feet of gas daily. 1t cost $4,000,
and each stakeholder paid in S233 per
share Very little of the stock, he says
can be bought now, and that which could
| be bought would command at least $500
per share. 1t was supplying thirty seven
| families with gas, and was paying an
average Of y 90 per share per month the
! year round.
f. r. Dray wanted to know what
amount of gas was now coming from the
| local well.
President Southworth said that 1000
feet were escaping from it daily.
! The President, upon being asked, said
! he thought that the work should be re-
sumed-either by continuing the present
well or starting a new one. He thought
! that efforts should be made Immediately
| for raising the necessary funds. Practi-
cal well-borers had told him that the
present pipe could be repaired and sunk
| further down.
| Z. J. Croly said he had had experience
as an oil-well borer, and was satisfied
| that it would cost more to sink the pres
ent well 500 feet farther down than it
would to bore a new well. He would
! sooner put 800 into new we'll than S5
! into the old one.
| Mr. Dray said he would be satisfied if the
| company could demonstrate to the people
that there was plenty of gas here. He
| did not care to make any money out of
the enterprise. He thought that the work
1 should be resumed, and moved that the
| Secretary be instructed to visit all Of the
! stockholders and request them to take
more stock; if they declined, to request
them to relinquish their stock.
| DIR. O.. l.. Simmons believed that in
| two years there would be a dozen natural
| gas wells in Sacramento, and it would be
! all owing to the efforts of this company.
| He did not favor Mr.. Dray's motion,
! however, because he thought committee
of the directors could go among the
! stock holders and influence them better
! than the Secretary could. He offered an
amendment to that effect.
There was considerable discussion on
| this point, but the amendment finally
prevailed. Then nobody wanted TO serve
| on the committee, and the amendment
was rescinded and Mr.. Dray's original
motion prevailed.