Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1891-06-26
WELLS A MILE DEEP.
A West Virginia Well the Deep
est in the World.
TheGovernment to Take Earth'S S
Temperature.

Clti tJCi cNNNAi Cs
The Government has taken an inter
est in an experimental we'll which is
being drilled on Bogg's Run,
near Wheeling, West Virginia,
The well is now over 1000 feet
deep, aud it is the intention, if pos
siblc, TO drill it to the depth of an
even milc-52S0 feet. The United
States Geological Survey will contrib
ute $4,000 to the fund. 1t is the pur-
pose of the Government to take the
earths temperature at these low levels
and obtain other scientific data. Salts
factory tests of this character have
never heretofore been made in this
country, owing TO the water or oil
that has been cncountcrc in the few
ou.cr deep wells that have been
drilled.
If the Wheeling we'll is driven 10 the
depth of n mile it will be the deepest
well 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. II
was sunk to the depth of 1850 feet,
when work had to be abandoned on
account of the drilling cable breaking
of its own weight. The weight of the
cable now in use in the Wheeling well
is 1000 pounds. Powerful machinery
must, of course, be employed in drill
ing these deep wells, and the work is
slow and expensive.
In tho event of amy tool being lost
in the hole, the job of fishing it out
becomes scientific achievement
Tools arc made expressly for fishing
purposes, and they are many and in
gcnious In the oil-tlcds there arc
men who make business of fishing
lOSJ tOOls out OF WellS.
Jonathan Watson of TitusviIle, Pa,
drilled in 1867 ono of the deepest
wells ever drilled in the oil country /;
hc sunk it to the depth of 3553 feet, at
a coat of $50, 900. Mr.. Watson is a
rich man and Spritualist. and the
well was drilled under the guidance of
the spirits. 1t was drilled for oil, but
was not successful venture. The
well is located on the fats below
Titusvillc, not far from the Drake
well, the pioneer oil well Of America
Oil in the Drake well was found at the
depth of but 68 feet. In August, 1899,
Mr.. Watson completed we'll in this
locality which was also esprit well, !"
having been drilled at that particular
spot by the advice of the spirits of two
late friends whom he had known in
life. The we'll produced $50 barrels a
day at the start, but it was soon cx-
hausted, and probably did not pay for
the drilling.
There arc wells in Greene county.
Pa, producing oil from a depth of
about one half a mile. These arc the
deepest oil-producing wells in the
country. The cost of drilling a well
to this depth approximatcs $4,000.
The Boston School of Technology
W4s 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 sand
stone in deep well being drilled at
Rockville, Conn. The we'll was being
drilled for water by a silk manufac-
turing firm. 1t had at that time
reached a depth of $40 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 tho only scientist that could
tell anything about it. Nothing but a
practical test would determine any
Thing certain as to where the sand
stone would end.
St. Louis has a we'll which is 3147
feet deep. For time it belchcd forth
75 gallons of water a minute. The
deepest well in the world at present is
one at.Potsdam, Germany which was
drilled to depth of 5270 fcet.-TNew
York World.