Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-19
THEY STRUCK COAL
Good Luck of Two American Well
Nggers in Paris.
FRENCH AMAZED At OUR METHODS
Opportunities for Skilled Work.
men All Over Europe.
Y A N KEE EN- TERPR IS Z
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
PARIS January 10, 1901.
They have struck coal just outside OF
Paris. Two young Americans did 1t.
Hugh Mckeever and G. A Burgly Of
Pittsburg, being sent over to the exposi-
ton to show how Americans dig artesian
wells. erected their plant at vincennes and
began digging. The home company in
whose name they operated had not forbid
den them to strike coal At first they
hoped to find water 1t would be a hand
some thing to present to a whole Paris
quarter supply gratis. Coal came in
stead. $50 much the better" remarked
Hugh McKeever and G. A Burgy, to
whom striking coal. oil and natural gas is
matter of routine. But the Parisians set
up shout of exultation. The unpro-
nounceable names of McKeever and Burg
ly became household words. They over
whelmed the modest young Americans
Today when coal is mentioned they start
running There is the hole" they say.
at is on government land" They do not
add There is nothing in 1t for us
though the reflection would be a natural
one.
The story of this well digging is full of
matter for pride to Americans. In it
American methods triumphed fully and
Although inc term aTIeSldn Wen
applied to a boring perforation of the
earth to great depth is derived from Ar
tots, the old French province in which the
thing first was practiced, and the inven-
ton or idea must therefore be called
French, American we'll diggers lead the
world so unquestionably To-Day that only
one rival plant was operated in the whole
Vincennes annex of the exposition. at
went down a little way and quit as Mr..
Burgly says. For three months engineers,
experts, land owners and officials from
every continental country stood watching
the American well. and so rapidly and
surely did 1t progress that some suspected
1t to be trick. I'VE want to go down"
The two Americans had this thing said
to them almost daily. What for?" they
would ask ITO see the man down there"
the suspicious ones would answer. What
man?' why, the man who is feeding in
that dirt and mud for you to pump up"
When it was proved to them that the mar
row little hole really extended = 600 feet
into the earth they departed, wondering.
Marvel to the French.
The first interest of Europeans certainly
remains in the hole itself. Let us say
frankly" declares Henri de Parville in his
Review of Sciences, that these Americans
in the Park of Vincennes have accom-
pIshed in a few weeks work that is SIM
ply marvellous. The company of Pittsburg
had only the idea of demonstrating the
value of its tools and methods. 1t went
about the matter In a characteristically
American way. The plant is the most
rustic that could be imagined There is
cord run over a wheel-and-axle moved by
petroleum motor; length of the cord is
seen moving up and down: away down be-
low in the earth, at the end of it, there is
an immensely heavy chisel that, falling,
slowly pulVerizes the hardest rock: an APP
paratus for letting in water to be mixed
with the powdered debris and pumped out
in the form of mud. And, with this APP
I W ,rir1oiti tive re
accomplished results that must be termed
Supplying.
with the European SYSTEM" continues
this frank French scientist. 1.-The system
which we had imagined almost perfect, 1t
requires years to get into the deep forma-
tions, and often the difficulties are SO great
that the work has to be abandoned The
, artesian well of Passy, begun in 1857, was
finished only in 1862 An accident happen
ing to the drill at the depth Of 500 feet de-
layed the work three years. 1t Is the same
story for the Herbert well. The we'll OF
Grenelle required seven years. Now, in less
than two months, at Vincennes. these
Americans, piercing whole series of for
ma tions-sandstone, clay, chalk rock. flint
rock, limestone and the rest-have struck.
as at Grenele, the water-bearirg green
sands that lie at the depth of 1000 feet!
And they give us a coal mine in the bar
gain! Here, seven years, ten years; there
fifty days! And there you are! The Amer
lean company had spoken of offering the
well to the city of Paris. Evidently they
could not take it away with them"
This was written by NJ. de Parville before
anything definite was known about the coal
discovery, the depth at which it was made.
the quantity and quality of the mineral
and the ultimate profits of its exploitation.
Nothing was known then. Nothing Is
known now. One thing is significant. how
ever. AS the French scientist says. the
American company had spoken of present
ing the well to the city Of Paris for the
purpose Of supplying water. 1t has since
transferred the works, in block. to
French company. 1t is true that the
French company can say that its one great
object now is to dig wells all over Europe,
on the American plan, with the American
tools and American workmen. 1t remains
none the less true that it has taken over
the coal mine of Vincennes as well. They
have gone down below the coal. They are
pumping a slow flow of water from the
will spout. clear and inexhaustibe. But as
for definite information about that coal
mystere! as the French say.
Their Story.
Without much hope of clearing up the
mystery. / went out to the Vincennes an
mex to talk with those two celebrated
Americans. McKeever and Burgly. Though
have since learned to know them well for
thoroughly good fellows. in whose COM
pany the evening passes quickly. can still
only guess about the coal itself.
Certainly, / will tell you all about the
well,'' was the first CHEEKY reply of Young
Burgly a Pittsburg giant almost seven
feet high, built in proportion. weighing 2S5
pounds. and as easy-going and good-na-
tured as such big men usually are. He has
been six months in Paris and likes 1t. Nc
Keever, his companion, Is a big man.
though he has a broken arm in sling at
present.
Certainly. will tell you all about the
WE'LL" said Mr.. Burgly. TT was sand and
gravel down to forty feet. Then We got
CT ak rock mixed with flint down to eighty
five feet" He kept referring to long, mar
row bottles full of samples on a shelf. ell
neatly labeled. Then we struck"
THE coal?"
Mr.. Burgly has never been willing to say
about the coal.
Mr.. McKeever has likewise refused to
talk coal.
This is. nevertheless, the depth at which
the coal was discovered. They could not
well refuse showing me samples. First
Burgly brought out some crumbling black
matter that had the look of asphalt. There
is a bed of it before the coal Itself Is
reached, which also seems to be of peat
character. A great deal has been said
about finding coal so close to the surface.
Scientific men, however have gracefully
nod f,-N Il