The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-25

Many and varied propositions have been
advanced, and numberless theories pro- |
pounded to account for the formation and
existence of the vast deposits OF nature, IN
the wonderful and almost unlimited store |
houses of Utah's rugged mountains and
fertile valleys; but all conjecture must
yield to actual demonstration in the pres |
ence of practical development. That the
natural gas field of Salt Lake is an extens-
i've one the following boundaries will show.
1t is bounded on the north by the Blue
creek fault, on the east by the Wasatch
fault, on the west by the Antelope and on
the south by the Oquirrh fault. With the
exception of a few cross faults, that are
barren, this entire field is rich in natural
gas deposits.
Natural gas was known upwards of two
thousand years ago on the shores OF the
Caspian sea and in China. The Chinese
considered this invisible agent akin to
their fiery dragon, and the people were for
hidden to disturbits springs some two hun
dred years prior to the Christian era.
In 1891 a natural gas spring was discovered
in Fredonia, New York, and as early as
1910, in Ohio. 1t was found in drilling for
oil in Oil City. Pennsylvania, in 1864, and
in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, shortly after
wards. In Utah territory, it has been
known ever since the early settlement by
the indomitable Mormon pioneers. A large
spring exists southwest of Pennington that
has record of over thirty years; another
at the mouth of the Jordan river that has
been burning at intervals OF over twenty
five years, and on the Drake and Keyser
property near Centerville, some little drive
wells have had a flow for over five years,
phenomenal in their output and fully
demonstrating the permanency of the
supply. About fifty miles north OF Salt
Lake city, natural gas has been utilized in
burning brick and lime for several years.
At Corinne well on the Guthrie property
has good flow of natural gas, remarkable
for its purity and heating power. The
Salt Lake Improvement and Natural Gas
company have two flowing wells of sufi-
Gent capacity to supply the requirements
OF the city and two additional wells have
been ordered.
In 1850 the practical men of America first
attempted the adaptation of this product TO
manufacturing enterprises, and the sue
cess that attended their efforts led to 8
more dihgent search for natural gas as a
substitute for coal for heating purposes.
The public interest increased with every
new strike, and after the discovery of the
! famous Karg well eliminated in the wild
est excitement. Every little town, whether
situated in the gas basin or not tried the
experiment of well drilling and many mil
lions of dollars were made in short time
Some astonishing pressures have been
struck, varying from twenty to eleven hun
. dred pounds to the square inch TO the per-
plexity of the solons of science, who have
advanced as many theories as there are
days in the year to account for it.
Natural gas has disseminated throughout
. more extensive area of territory in this
: country than is commonly supposed. A few
, years ago Pennsylvania was looked upon
as the only field in the United States, out
within the last ten years fourteen other
states and territories have come to the
front as natural gas producers. This in
dustry is no new or uncertain speculation
but plain business proposition looking tC
the solution of the problem of cheap fue
> for heating and manufacturing purposes.
So far as the geological formation of Sail
= Lake valley is concerned, the same struc-
ture exists here as in the eastern gas fields
with the advantage in favor of Salt Lake
that its faulting is of far heavier displace-
ment covering more extensive deposit o.
natural gas and offering greater induce
= ments to the prospector than any of the
; rich eastern fields
Nature, with a lavish hand, has deposited
her richest stores in unstinted measure il
Utah. Vast mountains of iron and i'm
mense veins of gold, silver and galena, al
well as copper and other ores, require
only the discovery of the cheapest of al
fuels, natural gas, to be utilized in man
ner and to an extent that will produce hug
smelters refineries blast furnaces, chem
>. zeal works and other manufacturing enter
: prises that will make the now silent val
: legs musical with the hum of busy indus
: try, and change our beautiful city of Sal
: Lake to a city of such magnitude, wealtl
: and population, that all railways will b.
: compelled to centre here, aud the active
= pushing, fearless men, who are constan tt,
: looking west for suitable location, vii
s find their most sanguine expectations NOR
s than realized in Salt Lake city.
8 Flndlay, Ohio has one of the creates
2 gas basins in America, and the Trenton
3 rock constitutes its reservoir. At Lima
3 on the incline of the Trentons, the famou
= Lima oil is found, but natural gas is ais
z found in Clinton limestone, and in som
3 cases the drill has brought up Huron rock
g 1t may be considered safe assertion tina
= natural gas is found from the sub-carbor
: ferrous down to the silurian age.
The requisite for a gas or oil field is thu
On vergs, seams, crevices and porous rocks, i
- which nature may distil from her organi
lg matter and store it up beneath the iurassi
of and Utica shales. Chlorine, the active il
he gfedient of salt, evidently acts as decon
as posing agent and liberates the natural ga
I'D A .I.,. Ill