The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-29
DEEPEST HOLE In THE WORLD
Two Miles Down Into the Bowels OF the Earth.

New York. Aug. 2S.-The deepest hole
IN the world is being dug just outside Of
Pattsburg, under the direction of Pro-
fessor William Hallock Of Columbia COL
lege, and before the cold weather sets
in he expects to prove that the interior
of the earth is g, vast furnace. capable
of furnishing an inexhaustible supply
OF steam.
Already the hole has been, bored to
depth of nearly 5000 feet, and by the
LIST of November it is expected that a
depth of 10,0 08 feet win be reached, or,
approximately, two miles. The second
deepest hole in the world is the schal-
adaback salt well. near Leipsic which
has a depth of $40 feet. A we'll re
Gently sunk near Wheeling, w. Va, has
depth Of 1850 feet, and the Speren-
berg salt well, near Berlin. has a depth
OF ALTO feet In eastern Silesia boring
has been going on for some time in a
well which viii be sunk to a depth of
$500 feet, but the Pittsburg hole easily
leads them all.
When the boring at the latter place
was first begun it was merely for com
mercial purposes. and both gas and oil
were struck in paying quantities a few
feet below the surface. The company
owning the plant, however at the
solicitation of Professor Ballock. was
induced to carry on a series of tenn
peTature Investigations, and for sew
eral months the work has been under
the sole direction of the college pro-
fessor.
There is comparatively little expense
attached to the work, as the gas found
near the surface is used to operate the
powerful engines which do the drilling.
There is some outlay, of course, the
main expense being the wages of the
necessary workmen, but when the hole
IS completed th0--onrany expects to
have a bonanza thai will endure as
long as the world lasts.
Professor Hallock was induced to try
the experiment of finding natural steam
by the knowledge of the proven fact
that the earth grows steadily hotter
the deeper it is penetrated. From the
progress already made il is believed
that the temperature of the earth is
sufficiently hot at about $500 feet be
low the surface to convert water into
steam. In other words, it is believed
that the temperature at this point is
212 degrees.
At 10000 feet. the proposed depth of
the well, the temperature is figured to
be 22S degrees. If, however, these eSti-
mates are not realized, the drill will
be kept working until the truth or
fatsity of Professor Hallock's theory is
proven beyond peraGventure.
If natural steam is not encountered
Professor Hsllock believes that the
walls Of the well will be sot hot that
cold water can be pumped down and
pumped up again in the form of steam.
The economic value of such a discovery
is readily apparent. It would be the
birth of the natural power of the fu-
ture, and in the long run cheaper than
any yet discovered, not excepting re
power obtained by the Harvesting Of the
Niagara
The observations taken show that
the temperature increases in an aver
age one degree for each 60 feet. In
certain stages of the work the Increase
has been greater and in others less
than that At 1.500 feet the tempera-
ture was SO degrees, and at. $500 feet
1856 degrees. an increase OF 81 degrees
for AGO feet
In the early stages Of the boring the
increase of the temperature was not as
great as that when the well became
deeper, aud now a sudden change is
looked for by Professor Rallock at any
moment, which may bring the steam
point much nearer than was originally
expected.
The heat of the interior of the earth
is shown TO be almost UNIFORM by the
fenlpeTature observations in wells
widely separated. In the Sperenberg
salt well. near Berlin, the temperature
is 10 degrees at a depth Of 4.lT0 feet,
while the Wheeling, w. Va, well at
q depth of 1920 feet shows a tempera-
ture of 1885 degrees, and the Pitts
burg well shows 10 degrees at 4,5o0
feet.
In the Schaladaback salt web, near
Leipsic, the temperature at $40 feet is
1855 degrees, and in the Pittsburg
well at $500 feet the temperature IS
1876 degrees. showing that the salt well
is slightly warmer than the Well in the
oil country, but the difference is too
slight TO be material
Professor Hallock expects the deep
hole 10 develop some new geologic con-
ditfonse of. even greater economic value
than the discovery of natural steam,
but as these hopes are largely specula-
tive he refuses to say anything until
there is some basis for their realiza-
ton.
Ii will be possiblef when the we'll is
completed, to study the formation OF
the interior Of the earth more compre-
hensively than has yet been done. and
If the outlook is promising for new dis
coveries, when the 10000 foot mark
has been reached, the drilling will be
continued to the limits Of mechanical
feasibility. Those limits have never
yet been reached. and the boring may
finally reach a depth of many miles,