Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-17
NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION.
Figures for West Virginia and Other

Figures for West Virginia and Other
Stntes-Pressure Decreasing.
WASHINGTON, D. c., September 49,
Especial. 1.-The United States Geological
Survey has just issued a bulletin on the
pl cduction of natural gas in West Vir-.
ginia and other States. The bulletin
says:
The consumption of natural gas has
continued to increase. although the pres
sure, except in new fields of West Virginia,
has continued to decline, necessitating
the expense of compression in order to
market an increased production from the
declining fields which expense must con-
tinue to increase as the pressure declines
and the distance to the source of supply
increases.
''The value of natural gas consumed in
the United States in 1901 was s27,O67 500,
which. at Is cents per LOCO cubic feet,
is equivalent to 1S0,450, 100000 cubic feet.
If it were possible to store this gas in
cube, the density throughout being equal.
it's sides would be $3.50 feet in length, or
25O feet greater than the sides of cubic
mile. If 10000 cubic feet of natural gas
be taken as equal to one tOnSOf coal,
SASS, 800 tons of coal, valued at $500 per.
ton, would be required to yield the sum
Of money for which the natural gas sold.
"The value OF the production for 1901
was greater than that of 1900 by So, S6S, 1926,
or over IA per cent. It also exceeded that
of 1899 by $500, SET. 1t may also be in
terestipg to note that the value of the
g. 3S9.194 barrels of petroleum produced in
the United States during 1901 was s66, Az
335, and that the value of the petroleum
for the same year. and that, further,
when the fuel value of the coal and wood
displaced by natural gas in 190O-which
amounts to S32 Az, Isis considered, this
estimated displacing value of natural gas
is nearly 10 per cent. of the entire value
of the crude petroleum produced in the
same year.
There were 1897 wells producing nat
ural gas at the close Of 1901, of which
number seventy-four were not turned
into the gas mains, and 20SS producing
wells were drilled in the same year; there
were 1876 dry holes, or non-producers, and
1854 were abandoned. In 1900 there were
10, 293 producing wells, of which number
twenty-four were shut in; 1.759 wells were
drilled in the same year; 1853 were dry
holes and 991 were abandoned. There
were very nearly 500 mles Of pipe laid
during 1901, the mains varying from two
inches up to twenty inches. This brought
the total up to u,S4S miles of natural gas
mains of from two inches to thirty-Slx
inches diameter in use at the close OF 19ul
During the year 1901 there was an I'M
usual amount Of consolidation of the old
er companies, and there were organized
also number Of new companies with
| large capital. with a view chiefly of
utilizing the great areas Of high-pressure
gas territory in Lewis, Harrison, Marion,
and Wetzel counties of West Virginia by
the construction of larger and longer pipe
| lines so as to market this increased pro-
duction in Western Pennsylvania and
Ohio. This involves the outlay of many
millionss of capital.
"As source of power natural gas
stands at the head of the list for economy
among the fuels. both as to expense or
installation and expense of operation.
ut has been supplying the power Tor
a very large number of factories and
operations in the gas belt and lately it
has been extensively applied in creating
the power by which the natural gas itself
is compressed from low to a high pres
SIRE when the original pressure has failed
and the pipes are insufficient to de-
liver the necessary quantity Of gas at
the we'll pressure. A number OF THESE
| compressors work up very close to l,0st
horsepower, with an economy that en-
ables eight to ten cubic feet OF natural
gas to develop a horse power for an hour.
a saving of from 40 to so per cent. over
| high-duty steam engines
ut is estimated that fully 1000, 600 do
| mestic fires are supplied by natural gas.
and that 100000 people are furnished
with this ideal fuel and light.
Companies or individuals to the num-
har of !. 545 report the use of natural gas
| =, ,nannfa curing establishm of va
r;ons kinds. numbering in all 5,742 in
Guiding 1o2 iron and steel works and ae
| glass works