Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-06-09
NATURAL GAS.

neutrality-suspicious. Of Gazetto aud Journal
MARION, lNp., June THERE'S in Grant
county, Indiana, town of 1900 inbabi-
tants and II active manufacturing enter
prises, which, paradoxical as i may seem,
gets along on an average total yearly con.
sumption of coal amounting to less than |
10 car loads, an amount that would supply |
the city of Wilmington and its great fac |
tories for the space OF about half q day
That there is substitute for this goes |
without saying. This substitute is natural
gas which, though not US free Us the air"
is vet infinitely lower in price Than any
fuel at present used. In Indiana natural
gas is king, Just rs cotton used to be i'll the
south, as coal is in Pennsylvania, or silver
in Colorado, 1t having become so within
the last three or four years. "'rhe earth's
fiery breath" as natural gas has been
called, has been used commercially in this
county for about eight years, though it
was used centuries ago by the Chinese in
their ceramic and kindred acts. 1t was
also worshipped by the ancients as the
| wind god, on account Of the roar of the
! flames. But in this utilitarian creative
| age-this mammon-worshipping lin d
| siecle-when we are wont to calculate how
many years Of patient vigil ana virtuons
| duty the vestal virgins in Rome might
| have saved in keeping alive the sacred fire
| by using natural gas-we have overcome
any ancient fear Of the wrath of the gods
| and have gone eagerly to work to use rs
fuel that which from the beginning has
been worshipped as truly sacred and imac-
| ulous.
Last week u party of about 30 eastern men
came out here in u special Pullman car as
guests of the Interstate Trust Company
of Philadelphia. The party consisted of
half-a dozen manufacturers from the east
about to locate in Marion and about 20 Of
the editors and newspaper men Of the
Delaware Il Maryland Peninsula. While
here they were entertained at York Inn
quite royalty, there being reception, a
tine band concert and Il 'wcll-firing' given
for their delectation. In the day time
they were driven around in cabs until they
had seen most all of Marinn's industries,
such as iron works, rolling mills, bicycle
factory, glass factories, brick kilns, pulp
aud paper mills potteries, &c. To most Of
them, who had never heard of marvellous
Marion and had but vague ideas OF natural
gas and its commercial use, the stay here
, was a series Of interesting revelations.
Marion stands to-day flat contradiction
of Cowper's sage line, God made the couii-
try and man made the town" Natural gas
! and that alone, has made it what il is
t to-day-the most rapidly growing and
Q naturally favored young city in Indiana
, In 1855 it was Il modest hooser village Ui
!. O00peOple. The spirit of metanorphosis
: has lowered over it since natural gas was
+ discovered there in 1888. and it is now
busy manufacturing centre of 1900 in
8 habitants having in that time increase
: its manufacturing industries from four Ii
g vi. This increase is not surprising wheI
> the inducements to manufacturers arr
g known. They are free fuel free land an,
c free switching, connecting with tire
l. trunk railways.
J. The Indiana gas belt is something re
y markablc for size, being estimated to cove
L r. in
d to 900 feet below the surface, being oven
% laid with thick deposit of Trenton linn
.. stone which must be pierced by til
diamond drill before the gas comes to tn
q surface under pressure of from 800 to 10
Ie pounds per square inch. Ii comes. til
scientists say, from the decomposition {
D. organic matter and while oderless in man
l. places 1t has here strong odor, whic
acts as great safe guard to human lif,
i for it is a deadly gas ii inhaled for an
no length of time. As to its perinanency I'll
Il; boosters have not the slightest apprehei
d; sions.. 1t is estimated that the Indian
II; field is much larger than the Pittsbul
n; belt and as there is not tenth of Il
Isl, consumption no fears are entertained.
n, Marion is a inuch-spread-out town, bl
there is hardly a house but what has CO.
IN nection with the gas pipes v hich are la
all over the town above ground. III
he mains are generally one inch iron pipt
nd The cost of drilling wells is from $500
lis $1,000 and many factories have their oN
Sc wells. The pressure is so tremendous
to the mouth that there is place in the ma
as supply pipe near the opening powerf
safety valve to reduce the pressure.
rk some cases slow-running machinery, SUI,
s as pumps, are run from the direct prcssul
er; Gas is not sold here by the 1000 feet b
IN; there is q uniform schedule Houses a
rs; charged Sl2 year only for all the gas +
ry heating and lighting and fuel that
he needed. Stores get il ut just half the pri,
j. OF course meters are unknown and
o. would shock the economy-loving mort
he Of the eastern cities who pays 81 SO I
ad thousand feet to SEQ the amount which
eli absolutely wasted Every burner in eve
he house is generally lighted At twilight d
~, remains ut full tilt, and Us for going /
w. stairs or getting out of bed TO turn GU
u. neglected light, il is never thought of b,
Mariunite.
Try Most Of the houses are heated by OF
ere fire places, the CRATES being filled WI
ist- silall pieces Of fire clay and covered wi
ip- u layer of round stones, the size Of
est apple. The supply Of gas from seve
rch small jets i'll the bottom il regulated b.
VS. key valve which is placed in the floor,
OF key to which is generally to be found
: to the mantel above. As the gas is turned a
ade lighted match thrown in there is 4 slil
explosion and small ilickclins flame
,lu- pears playing among the crevlccs iii
the stones. This first sight of the practi
l,p- application of gas to housewarming
pc likely to be disappointing us memories
last winters glowing open crate fire Or
l.. sufficient cellar furnace play before .
7. IA minute or two, however, he will
tate the whole mass OF irregular shaped 1
xth pieces and everything stones heated to
lich caudescencc and then will follow a Sc
text OF short retreats US the lire gets hotter
fol- hotter, until the neophyte in this natl