The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1893-06-30
Is 1T A BONANZA?

pliSnces, began to bore 3 we'll at Iron |
City. They hoped to strike either
gss or oil. At not very great depth, |
they struck small flow Uf gas. 1t
was Of the right kind, but the guam
tity wss too small to lie of any value.
They began to bore deeper, and at
the depth Of 2S0 feet they struck a
flow OF gas that was strong enough to
lift tools aud the casing ia the well,
that weighed together, about 300
pounds. When the gas ignited, it
shot up strong aud hot flame. The
gas has been flowing now for some
days, without any diminution in pres
sure.
The general attitude OF people in
the State of Tennessee at the present
time towards gIs aud its uses is much
about what it was in Pennsylvania
Just before it was Suddenly realized
by the people of that State that they
were permitting 10 60 to waste a ma
Jural product III enormous quanti-
ties and of enormous value. Up to
eleven years ago, gas wells, by the
nuuired were spouJiug up their
product by the millions of Feet, and
it being impossible to g9t rid OF the
gas in any other way, 1t was lighted
and left 10 bIrn at the stand pipes.
lh-se wells had all been bored to
fad oil, AMI abandoned as soon as
they proved not to be oil producers
Ii few cases the gas WAS utilized
70 run engines for pumping oil, OF
tor lighting buildings and in some
cases to manufacture lamp black
But it suddealy dSwned upon some
thoughtful man that natural gas
could be piped any reasonable dis
lance and was the cheapest fuel in
the world.
AS soon as the fact was demon
strated, natural gas became perfect
craze in every region where gas had
been accidentally struck. All the
flowing wells in the country were
bought up, and the gas piped to
points where it could be used. AS
the product around Pittsburgh wa
found to be very abundant, natural
gas became the fuel not ouly OF the
shops, mills aud furnaces, but Of the
residences Of Pittsburgh, and the
famous smoky city" became abso-
lutely the cleanest city in America
The natural gas wells around every
manufacturing centre have become
the most profitable property in the
vicinity wherever they are found,
and the owners OF them have become
rich.
Why may not such wells be found
in Tennessee? While it is true that
gas has usually been associated with
coal and oil, there is no scientific
reason for that association; some
Of the strongest gas wells in The
world are a. much as $500 feet deep
aud the bOrings present no indica.
lions either Of oil or coal. Lon City j.
situated not upon the coal measures,
but in the middle of the ore pelt that
extends north aud south through
tennessee. There is no coal there
Il the gas il found to be abundant
and OF continuous pressure, it will
Sh' prd a fuel, 50 cheap aud 70 easy to
Use, that it will at once attract sil
sOrGs Of manufacturing enterprise,
Ia any business, in which the cost
pf fuel is a heavy item, in running
cOttOa mills, fl0ur mills, water works
or any similar enterprise, the saving
IN fuel and labor where gas Is used,
is sufficient Of itself 30 add largely
to the profits. Could some one bore a
well within piping distance of Co.
lumbia and supply the demand fol
fuel in this city, it would make him
the richest m an in the State.
No part of Maury County Is in the
ore belt, but the counties west OF il
are, and if the striking If gas at Iron
City has any connection with its To-
cation in the ore belt, gas may bt
found out of the county, put still
within easy reach of Columbia. But
there il no satisfactory evidence that
there is any connection between ga
and ore. In many portions of Yves
tern Pennsylvania, where the heav'
lest gas producers have been struck
the country is almost counterpart
OF Maury County. 1t Is a rolling
surface, and fertile soil, under lsiC
with limestone, and il there il
any coal near, it is so near the sur
face as to preclude any possibility o
its association with the gas.
There are no surface indications t.
discover either gas or oil, and one mar
can see into the ground as far a
another, but We shall not be the lesst
bit surprised if in time some MAJ