Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-10-26
Supply Of Natural Gas
the United States

A question that is always interesting
and one that is OF vital Importance tc
thousands of people is that of the sup.
ply of natural gas.
Mr.. F. H. Oliphant is a recognized
authority on this very important sub
ject and anything written by him is
extensively watched and read. Mr.
Oliphant's report Tor The year 1899 is
just out, and it covers the natural gas
production of the United States. He
has compiled all tho ..-,:st.,& It was
possible to obtain from every State
where natural gas is produced and has
a commercial value. His report is of
great interest and filled with facts that
must attract the attention of natural
gas consumers as well as producers.
The future of the business of supply
ing this convenient and popular fuel
depends upon the constant discoveries
of new sources Of supply In the old
er fields the gas pressure Is steadily
diminishing, and their total exhaus-
tlon is simply a mater OF time.
According to Mr. Oliphant's report,
the total value Of all the natural gas
produced and marketed in the United
States during The year 1899 was $2O,-
O2lSGI; the value for 1898 was esti-
mated at Sl5,296,S13 The increase for
the year was 81 7SO,O51, which was due
in part 10 an increase in the price, but
III the main to the greater amount of
gas produced and sold to the consumer.
Some new territory was discovered in
Southw6s ern Pennsylvania and a por-
tion of West Virginia during the year
under ne, lew, but the increased dellv-
ay is due mostly to the enlargement
Hl-iD,. tion Of pipe lines and the use
Of ,ha gas compressor on a large scale.
The total number Of wells producing
s5a, reported at the close of 1899, was
1883, a., compared with S,453 at the
.'--e .r 1895 1t is estimated that the
ararag. rice of natural gas furnished
consumers in 1899 was 1872 cents per
thousand cubic feet. On this basis, the
total consumption for 1899 exceeded
1oS00O 100000 cubic. feet, which fur
nishod heat and light in amount
equivalent ia yne consumption of 81
1000 coo tons of coal
IN auction to this, a large amount of
natural gls is consumed in operating
pumps On small oil lines, on drilling
aLi pumping oil wells, in the manu-
tacure Of carbon black and for domes-
tie fires Tor operators and land owners
in the sections where the wells are To-
Gated The amount thus consumed is
probably rs much as % per cent. Of the
'l'al Q"ndty actually sold to con-
nwcr This would bring the total
production of natural gas in the Unit
I'd Sc fer 1899 up to $4,000, ,OOO,O 900
cubic feet At the close of 1899, there
were la,s5G,S miles of natural gas
mains n Use Of various sizes from two
inches to SG inches in diameter.
jn rec I'd to the exhaustion of our
oron, na.ural gas fields, Mr.. Oliphant
.war'- rs follows:
at IS aid to relate that both of the
producinsGe large as they
.- aa, are approaching eXhaus-
don. T-e greater portions Of The Ohio
dl.i..y. If this field, which originally
-s-. d .-.k pressure Of 4SO pounds to
the qua inch, has now no rock pres
sure whatever A large area of the In
diana division has also yielded up over
90 ne volume of natural gas once
stored ir its great reservoirs. The ori-
giDN -ack pressure in Indiana was the
same mn over the field and registered
325 pounds to the square inch; it Is
now down to an average of 165 pounds
ID Ike quare inch and if 100 pounds is
4..u,Iea TO hold back the pressure of
alt water, the figures show that &C per
cent. Oh lhe product has been taken out
aud consumed. The waste unjustif-
aDie In all the natural gas fields has
been enormous. Because. of the origi-
nal idea that the gas supply was mex
haustible, since one or TWO wells die
not show any large decline in pressure
during the first sixmonths of their life
and also because 1t seemed to cost thu
owners nothing after the well wa
ed in, millions and millions o