The Iola register., 1902-06-13
He "PIPELESS PIPE LINE"
he Helm Crowd Saw lola and her
Gas and were Well Pleased
With the Trip

The following story of the trip OF
ar. Helm and the Kansas City people
vas taken from the Star in order that
pur readers may understand the i'm
preston taken home by the visitors.
Kansas City, June 12.-From Kan
sas City to lola, Kansas, is 10 miles
by rail. And the train runs slow. The
proper time to make the trip is in the
evening, so that you reach lola at
night and see the glow of hundred
chimneys against the sky, each with
two tongues of flame. Farms with
their gas torches add to the spectacle.
The bountiful mineral wealth OF an
excellent farming country has been
subjugated by man, and is used and
wasted at his pleasure.
Sixty men, to most OF whom the
sight OF natural gas was a novelty,
made this trip to lola yesterday to in
spect the gas wells from which it is
proposed to bring fuel and light to
Kansas City. They tramped and
rode about the city and its suburbs
for five hours, coming away to won
der at what they had seen. Among
those who made the journey were
twenty aldermen of Kansas City, who
shall have something to say as to
whether this gas is TO be allowed an
entrance into Kansas City for light
ing and heating purposes. Promoters
who are talking of building pipe
line from lola to this city organized
the party and planned the trip. They
returned here this morning, having
begun and completed their inspection
by gaslight. Had they reached lola
few hours earlier they might have
seen passengers and freight trans
ported across washout OF 300 yards
in boats almost in the heart of the
town. AS it was, their observations
were limited to gas.
When the party arrived at lola at
O'Clock last night large trolley car
was in waiting. Without further GER
emony they got aboard and we're car
ried through the city, past smelters
and factories, to a lonely spot three
miles from the city. OF to the north
they could see gas well shooting
out its flame. In sections they walked
the three-quarters of mile to the
spot, through fields of grass, over
barbed wire fences, along what might
be mistaken for road in the dark
ness Nothing to guide them except
the flame, which seemed to retreat as
they advanced. Walking across q
farm this body OF men in different
styles of dress and undress, might
hvve been mistaken for maraudine
party, or for crowd seeking quie,
spot for an encounter between two mer
with gloves. The row of corn nearest
the road suffered complete prostra-
tion, while the frogs in little ponG
protested vigorously against the dis
turbance.
There it was at last-the gas we'll
Hardly had the last man stepped into
the open field about itwhen the smoul
dering light was turned on full force
and flame sixty feet high rose into
the air, reaching eagerly for the higt
derrick near it. More than once tn,
blaze vas subdued until someone
could extinguish burning timber
For minutes at time the full pressure
of 1926 pounds was turned on, the vel
discharging ninety-three cubic feet o
gas per second. This well, new one
is owned by ]. c. Noble. Itis 900 fee,
deep. The Kansas City promoters are
said to have an option on it. To il
lustrate the tremendous force of thu
gas large planks were thrown into tn,
gas spout near where it lett the pipe
The timbers we're carried upwards un
til the flames we're reached. TheI
there wasan explosion, and the board
were sent flying aud swirling yard
away.
Imagine huge column of some
thing which appears to be water, rush
ing upwards into the air with a swis
and roar of fifty fire streams beating
AGAINST brick wall. This swish i
reinforced by great rumbling, as III
thunder machine had been brough
into play. Imagine this column u
break into flame a few feet after
leaves pipe near the ground. Imas
inc these flames shooting upward 70
sixty feet, reaching their red and yeI
low tonpues to the north because {
the almost constant south winds
Imagine allthis, then still more rumb
ling, whistling and 4ames-and yo
have a typical lola gas we'll. 1t is
fascinating spectacle. 1t makes tn
ears tingle. People who stand near
10 ,e their natural color and acquire
,histlv vallOw coat of gas residue,