The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-06-26
AWE INSPIRING SPECTACLE
Freaks of the Big Moses" Gas
Well in West Virginia,
How It Blew Itself Out. BeIching
Eignty Million Feet of Gas Day.
Many Attempts and Failures
to Confine 1t. Wastes
Fortune Every Day.

Tbs big Moses" gas we'll, On the
Spencer fam, on Indian creek, Tyler
county, ". Va, struck by lightning
Friday afternoon, oxtinguishcd itself
the same evening. after consuming tho
derrick antr al the combustible matter
within reach.
The pressure was SO great that it sim
ply blew itself out, after furnishing tho
natives of that country with one of the
grandest sights ever witnessed.
The flames ut no time descended near
or than 40 feet to the hole, and tho
swaying TO and fro of the great mystic
rieus, invisibly supported famboau
hundreds OF feet high, to which was
added q deafcning roar, made specta-
clio awe inspiring aud terrible to behold.
Nothing had ever before been struck
that approached tho big Moses" in
magnitude. The pont up I. oasure, when
furnished an avenue OF escape through
an 81: inch hole, for three months do
fed ovory effort to bring it under con-
trcl
Tic earth trembled within 900 feet
of the we'll, and the roaring monster
could be distinctly heard for distance
of IL miles. No accurate gauge of this
Jumbo of all JUnlbos has ever been tax
en-. At one time partial test was made
with an ordinary steam gauge, aud it
showed pressure of ~ pounds from an
81 inch opening. At another time from
neh opening it showed pres
sure OF eco pounds the first D seconds.
Then attempts at Il complete test had to
be abandoned.
When flowing through the casing, it's
daily capacity was estimated by experts
to,be FROM 1000, 900 to 1870, 600, 900
cubic feet day. 1t was struck in No
voAtbcr of last year, and during six
months of the time since then the valu-
able fluid went to waste
Take tho lowest estimate, $4,000, :
coo feet day, and compute its value at
20 cents per 600 cubic feet, as charged
IL the city gts companies, for period
of six months, and the result presents
an array of figures too great for the COM
prohonsion of the human mind, when
reduced to tho 'coin of the realm"
1t may sound ridiculous, but the sell.
Ing value Of this wasted gas in Pitts
burg would DO worth Sc, GAO, 600.
Tho Carnegie Gas company expert
visited the well and estimated its capac-
ity to be great enough to supply fuel for
their entire Homestead plant, il it was
accessible. Another expert ex presscd tho
opinion that It's output would be equal
to- the demands required to furnish tho
entire city of Pittsburg for domestic
purposes.
Phe owners expended Sc 900 in shut
ting the well i'll, and three months after
1T broke through and forced it's way up
through the surface.
"A powerful pump was then set up
near tho we'll, and for five days they
pumped water into the monster with
the hope that the gas pressure could be
crowded back and give them Il chance to
put in packer, but their cffcrts proved
futile, for the water was again forced
to the surface f1om assures that it made,
and the result was dozens of gcysers
squirting up into the air-truly n most
remarkable sight.
Some of them-even made their ap-
paarance almost half mile from the
we'll.
Some idea Of the noise that it makes
may be had when it is stated that two
persons, standing side By side, find it
impossible to converse Understandings
within half mile Of tho well-Pitts-
burg Dispatch