St. Paul daily globe., 1891-04-29
MAY REACH THE DEVIL.
An Immense Hole to Be Bored in
the Earth.

the Earth.
WHEELING, w. Va, April 2S.-There
is an enterprise in progress near this
city, under the joint patronage of the
United States government and num-
ber of enterprising citizens which is
already attracting national attention,
and if successful will prove of extraor-
dinerv interest to the scientific world.
The following extracts from letter re-
ceived to-day from Maj. G. W. Powell,
chief of the United States geological
survey, partly explains the system:
Hon. n. B. Scott, president of the Wheeling
Development Company, Wheeling-Sir: l
have learned from Prof. l. G. White, of the
University of West Virginia, that the public
spirited citizens of Wheeling having failed
for financial success in the boring of a deep
well. have dedicated the well to the purpose
of science, and determined tnat II snail be-
come in that way a success Not only does
this determination give me great personal
satisfaction. put it will enitle you to the
gratitude and high esteem of the geOlogists
and physicists of the world. If the well is
carried down until it reaches the carniferous
limestone 1t VIII add very import
ant measurement to geology and will assist
in guiding future operations in boring, not
only in your vicinity, but in Ohio and Ken
lucky. 1t will also afford an opportunity
practically unique for the determination of
the laws of temperature change beneath the
surface of the earth. The ideal locality is
one where Il deep we'll penetTateS undis-
tuTbed horizontal strata, and does not tap
veins of water. These are the peculiar char
acterislics of your well. and the combination
has never been realized before, / am, there
fore, very desirouS TO secure for science the
best records attainable from observations of
this well, and have detailed for the purpose
DR.. William Hallock. Il trained and exI eri-
| enced physicist, who will begin his prepara-
tory work Immediately. Yours truly,
j. W. POWELL.
The we'll In question has already been
bored by the Wheeling gentlemen to a
depth of 4, 100 feet, and was started with
the avowed intention of boring until
either oil or natural gas was found. IF
| Prof. White interested the government
| geologists in the-project of going down
to the greatest depth ever attempted
| for the purpose of ascertalning in the
| interest of science number of things
| concerning the state of affairs in the re-
motest bowels of the earth. To reach a
mile deep it will be necessary to sink
the hole l, $50 feet deeper. At the pres
! ent depth it cost s. foot to drill. There
is not thought to be any great chance
| of striking oil or gas in the further
| progress of the hole, although there is
possibility of doing so. 1t is
plOpOSCu ~ bCCp q Cdl Cl vi licdS vi =
ment of all the strata gone through by
the drill, and save samples of each
formation. These will be arranged in
glass tubes in the proportionate thick
ness in which they exist in the earth.
This tube will be exhibited at the
worlds fair at Chicago in 1893, and aft
erwards preserved in Washington, and
| careful statements of what is revealed
by the drill in its descent will also be
| kept at Washington for the informa-
ton of all the nations of the earth when
| the drill gets down to a greater depth
than one has ever gone before. The
| temperature of the earth at that point
will be taken by a selfregistering ther-
mometer, and minute observations will
also be made of the other peculiar char
acteristc things of which the scientific
world has now no experimental knowl-
| edge.