Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-24
OIL AND NATURAL GAS.
How Il 10 That They Were stored Away
Fuels Of the Future

How Il 10 That They Were stored Away
Fuels OF the Future
sSvVrHEN NATURAL GAS WAS FIRST
w discovered" said Prof. ". J. MCGEE
to STAB writer, lit was regarded a. q thing
mysterious and uncanny. If not positively dia-
bolical The spread Of various diseases was
attributed TO il, its employment was declared
impious and q belief widely prevailed that It's
extraction from the earth was q cause Of earth
quakes For long time even science vssvery
much puzzled about IL and geologists could
give no instruction on the subject TO prospect
ors. sho sought biindly for the product Nov.
however, the origin OF rock gas and petroleum,
rs well as the laws by which they were accumu-
lated is 90 well understood tina. i. 10 as easy 10
predict the success or failure Of q prospect
bore for oil or gas as to tell where an artesian
well viii or will not fetch water.
Owing to lack Of knowledge on the subject
the first oil wells in Pennsylvania were put
down without adequate preparation. and the
oil poured forth in such volumes as 20 over.
How the land and poison the wsters In the
great Russian field OF Baku the fow OF petro-
ieum 10 80 difheait to control that more than
once 1t has swept away all barriers and flowed
FOR DAYS In geysers as thick as a mans body
and 200 feet in height Such eeysers were
charged with sand, which buried neighboring
houses and farms. the oil flowing seward in
rivers many miles long. The pressure OF rock
gas In our own fields Is 30 enormous that for
some time il was believed to be uncomfortable
In cases its roar when escaping could
be heard for miles. compelling the clos
ing OF schools aud permanently deafening the
workmen.
CAUSE Of THE PRESSURE.
Scientific investigation has made known the
cause OF the tremendous pressure under which
the gas and oil are confined. Every great field
in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana is an
enormous dome beneath the surface of the
ground, hlied in with porous sandstone or
limestone. The natural gas of Indiana il such
dome, about fifty miles across. formed by the
bending out OF shape of the strata incidentally
to the contraction of the earths crust The
coarse-grained limestone under IL is charged
with infiammable funds. On top is gas be.
meath it oil and under the oil salt water TIM
dome rises in the middle Of o great basin 5OO
miles In diameter. The rain water falling into
TINS basin is partly absorbed BY the rocks. and
II nows from all directions toward the center,
toward the dome and thus COMPRISING it with
enormous power
Rock gas In very nearly the same thing %
the marsh gas which is often seen bubbling
from the muddy bottoms of stagnant ponds L.
ana tne OIL likewise, were formed originally by
organic matter contained in the strata of the
earth The making of both is now in progress
IN All rocks containing partly decomposed
organic remains. The question is often asked
As natural gao yet formingy Undoubtedly,
but SO slowly that it goes but an infinitely small
way toward supplying the consumption of the
store now being drawn upon. At the present
rate OF exhaustion II will not take long TO use
up the supply in the great Cincinnati arch,
which represents the accumulation OF millions
Of years.
EXHAUSTION OF CARBON COMPOUNDS
AL the compounds Of carbon upon which
the civilized world chiefly depends at presen,
for fuel must be exhausted within q few
centuries. The anthracite of America will be
used up within a few decades, while the bitumi.
nous coal beds formed in the carboniferous
ana cretaceoue epochs will be dug out within
',ooo or 2.OOo years. Happily, however. the
stock OF bitGmcns in the rocks of the earth il
prach ally unlimited and in them will be found
the fuels and illuminants of the future.
ID veil 20 be able 20 look forward with
conhdanc to ibis promise of the future. mas
mucn as fhe human race cannot get along with
out something to burn that will produce heat
power and light. Man may be defined as the
fuel-usinS animal He builds houses but SO do
the ant ano the wasp; the mouse. the squirrel
and the bee store up provisions against the in.
clement season; the orioie weaves cloth with
which to protect Its young; the tailor bird pre-
pares thread and sews seams. the ant keeps
slaves that it may be relieved of labor, feeds
kline for their milk and reaps the harvest; the
beaver cuts canals and dams rivers; the spider
lays snares; the ant lion sets traps for game
certain monkeys use missiles in battle and man,
animals organize for offensive and defensiv,
purposes But man alone utilities fuel. Mex
TO food fuel lis the most important subject o,
thought OF today, as in the days of the discov.
cry and worship of fire. And by the way the
natural gas vents were known to and were fol
ages veuerated by the fire-worshipers, whose
religion they inspired"