Middletown transcript., 1892-06-02
MARVELLOUS MARION. j,
A PLACE WHERE NATURAL GAS FUR
NIsHEs MOTIVE POWER FOR EVERY
KIND OF INDUSTRY.


covered. The Peninsular editors even be
; came interested, and when Geo. L. Mason
of Mason and Marion" fame invited
} them to partake of his hospitality for q
, few days they realized that their cup Of
} joy was indeed overfowing
Starting from Philadelphia Tuesday
morning, May oath, at IL .55 in Pullman
car of the most comfortable type, provided
with all the good things necessary to the
J comfort Of the inner man, we travelled
over the Pennsylvania railroad through
Harrisburg, Pittsburg, Columbus and the
minor cities on the route to Marion, the
city which is soon to rival Pittsburg in
manufacturing and population. Here
everything was hustle and activity. Great
factories with stacks rising high in the air
doomed up on every hand and as far as the
eye could reach were evidences of the pros
perity built up and sustained by natural
gas. Great glass works, rolling mills,
brick works, stove foundries, malleable iron
works, bicycle factories, skewer factories,
in fact mills of every kind running at their
fullest capacity and turning out thousands
of tons of useful articles which enter into
every branch of business known to the
world and which ameliorate the conditions
of life and make it pleasant. All the great
power and heat necessary to run these
factories is supplied or generated by the
use of natural gas which may be had at q
nominal price, and makes the most intense
heat without the aid of forced draught
and without the production OF ashes or any
waste material and without the heavy and
disagreeable work incident to the use of
coal. Tap the line, turn a valve, natural
gas does the rest. As one instance of the
utility of the gas notice the manufacture
Of bricks by the Marion Brick works."
making 1900, 900 bricks per month with
out the use of pound Of coal or stick OF
wood. In those kilns there are no soft
bricks, the heat is controlled by simply
turning valve and can be shut off entire
ly in the twinkling of an eye.
The clay is obtained near at hand and is
of good quality. In the glass works,
where window and all other grades of
glass are made, the gas is used for fuel,
and in one factory alone saves to the pro-
prietors the sum of $1,000 per month form
erly paid out for coal. Factories of every
kind are using it. The town and the sur
rounding country are illuminated by it at
night, pumps are run by the atural pres
sure, which is said to reach 24O pounds to
the square inch, in fact every kind Of busi-
ness in the whole section is coming to its
use as rapidly as circumstances will per-
NIT.
That gas is the ideal fuel cannot be
doubted that it will continue to be SO. is.
a question depending entirely upon. the
length of time the supply will hold out.
Natural gas is mysterious thing, but it
is probably certain that it can only be the
product of the eternal fires which are sup
posed to exist at the centre OF the earth.
Such being the case natural gas will exist
as long as these fires exist It is notice.
able fact that the gas is found only in what
is known as the :" Trenton rock" SO called
from the fact that it crops out upon the
surface near Trenton, n. J. This rock
seems to be the means of holding the gas
below the strata Of a more porous nature
which would allow it to escape into the air
at the surface. This rock is nearer the
surface at Marion than at any other point
except where it comes abruptly to the sur
face at Trenton and consequently forms
what may be termed dome, with its apex
directly under the Marion gas field. This
is supposed to be the cause of the purity of
the gas and of its great pressure at this
point.
Another advantage which gas gives to this
place is the fact that if the supply should
diminish in quantity Marion would be the
the last place to suffer. AS to whether
or not the gas will finally give out no man
an answer. The pressure is now very
great and does not decrease. The argu-
ment advanced by those who believe that
it is uncertain is the fact that some manu-
facturers are now unable to obtain gas at
Pittsburg. On the other hand those who
believe in its stability say that the pipe
lines to Pittsburg are not large enough to
supply the demands, and that if piping of
sufficient capacity were provided the flow
would be as strong as ever. If it holds out
the manufacturers at Marion will have a
very great advantage over those of less |
fortunate centres, and ifit does not they |
will stand upon even ground, for upon the
authority of the last census rests the state |
ment that Marion is within 100 miles of |
the centre of population in the United |
States, and that more people reside within |
a radius of $50 miles of Marion than re-
side within the same distance of the City |
Hall of New York City. The laws of sup
ply and demand are eternal in their un-
changeableness and where the demand is
there will the supply be also. The de-
mand is within easy reach of Marion, and |
she is now striving to manufacture the |
supply. Situated in the midst of good |
farming country and in close proximity to |
several of the largest western cities, with
four great trunk line railroads, and with |
natural gas supplying fuel without cost |
Marion must advance. Many persons are
going into the town every day in search of |
homes, but still the price of building lots |
for factories and dwellings are held at |
reasonably low figures.
Among the enterprises prospering in |
Marion are two daily papers, the Leader
and the Chronicle. By the editors we
were warmly welcomed and given the free
dom of the offices. They are live, bright |
papers, run by what are known in the wild |
and woody west as "hustlers." They get |
all the news and send out interesting
papers. They do much to m axe the town
attractive.
To Mr.. Mason and his associates VIC are
indehted for the kindness So froaIu hasto1.,