The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-12-24

date, the air is full of excitement regard
ing the American Natural Gas company's
discoveries just north of the city on the
shores of the Great Salt lake. That gas
has been found there is no manner of
doubt; that it exists in immense quanti-
ties IS equally certain to all who have be-
held the mighty eruptions which are
going on now and have been going on for
some weeks past, and that in quality,
quantity and pressure it equals the cele-
brated finds of Ohio, Pennsylvania and
Indiana many people of experience seem
to agree.
"The Great Basin, owned and controlled
by the American Natural Gas company, IS
situated north and west OF Salt Lake city,
about eight miles distant, and extends to
the shores of the Great Salt lake, and
covers a very great area of country, IN
Guiding the portion of the Great Salt lake
between the Antelope, Oquirrh, Farm
ington and Wasatch. Faults, embracing
3, 500 acres of territory controlled by this
company. The geological structure is
eminenflv perfect, and surface indica-
lions show over twenty five distinct flows
Of gas and six flows OF light petroleum oil.
At the time the above was written the
great discoveries had Just been made and
there as the same wild excitement and
conf Ision that follows the report of
strike CT fabulously rich ore in the noun
tains. A year has interviewed and there
has been time enough to 'sboil down"
and take an inventory of the progress
made in developing this field. Enthu-
siasm over the discovery is not so intense
as it was-the period of wild and prob
lematic speculation having been replaced
by practical organization. The American
company, which was the principal pros
pector in the field early in the year, dis
covered that their charter was detective
1
to do effective work. The stockholders,
while men of means, were new to the
business and lacked an efficient head.
This caused delay of five months, dur
ing which time work was at stand still,
but this procrastina ion was more than
conn., ensated by getting the company on
proper working basis and secur-
of Colorado's most wealthy and
est in the company, Messrs. Z. Boettcher
and A. V. Hunter. The New American
Natural Gas company as organized Is a
formidable corporation both in the char
acter of its board OF directors and the
wealth the individual members repre-
sent. 1t is capitalized at So, 00O, 0C0 and
has all the resources at its back to drill
new wells and to build a pipe line to the
city.
All the prospecting prior to the organ
ization was done with such crude drilling
machinery as was in use in this territory
for driving wells for artesian springs. Its
energetic managers lost no time but at
once ordered a modern drilling outfit,
similar to those used in the eastern oil and
gas fields and the big derrick now breaks
the western horizon with its great timbers
and the bull wheel is kept revolving day
and night. Five wells have been drilled
in and the No. is under way.
No. has been drilled to depth of from
seven hundred to seven hundred and fifty
feet, and the flow of gas which it gives
out when turned on dress parade is far
above the average wells in the Ohio and
Indiana gas fields. There is so much ex-
aggeration in regard to the capacity of
various wells that the report of the ex-
pert, Mr.. John Wolfe, who measured the
flow OF gas, is here given, that persons de-
string accurate information may not be
imposed upon: