The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-09-23

PRODUCTION OF NATURAL GAS.
The consumption of natural gas
has continued to increase, although
the pressure, except in the new fields
OF West Virginia, has continued to
decline, necessitating the expense of
compression in order to market an in
creased production from the declin-
ing fields, which expense must con-
tinue to increase as the pressure de-
clines and the distance to the source
of supply increases.
The value of natural gas consumed
in the United States in 1901 was $27,-
067 500, which, at Is cents per 1000
cubic feet, is equivalent to $50, $780,
100000 cubic feet. If it were posi-
bic to store this gas in cube, the
density throughout being equal, it's
sides would be $500 feet in length.
or, $50 feet greater than the sides of
cubic mile. If 10000 cubic feet of
natural gas be taken as equal to one
ton of coal, S,45S,6OO tons of coal,
valued at $500 per ton, would be re-
quired 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
$3,36S,S26, or over IA per cent. 1t
also exceeded that of 1899 by $685.
627. 1t may also be interesting to
note that the value of the 69,3S9, 194
barrels of petroleum produced in the
United States during 1901 was $685.
natural gas amounted to 40.7 per cent
of 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 1900
which amounts to $32, 445, 156--is con-
sidered, this estimated displacing
value of natural gas is nearly 40 per
cent of the entire value of the crude
petroleum produced in the same year.
There were 1OI297 wells produc-
of which number "A were not turned
into the gas mains, and 2,0SS produc-
ing wells were drilled in the same
year; there were 453 dry holes, or
non-producers, and 1,0S4 were aban-
doned. In 1900 there were 1928
producing wells, of which number 81
were shut in; 1859 wells were drilled
in the same year; $50 were dry holes
and 991 were abandoned. There
were very rearly 500 miles of pipe
laid during 1901, the mains varying
from 2 inches up to 20 inches. This
brought the total up to 21,S4S miles
of natural gas mains of from 2 inches
to So inches diameter in use at the
close of 1901.
During the year 1901 there was an
unusual amount of consolidation of
the older companies, and there were
organized also number of new COM
panies with large capital, with a view
chiefly of utilizing the great areas of
high-pressure gas territory in Lewis,
Harrison, Marion and Wetzel coun-
ties of West Virginia by the construc-
ton 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 millions of capital.
AS a source of power natural gas
stands at the head of the list for
economy among the fuels, both as to
expense of installation ana expense
of operation.
1t has been supplying the power
for 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 a low to high pressure when
the original pressure has failed and
the pipes are insufficient to deliver
the necessary quantity of Pas at the
well pressure. A number of these
compressors work up very close to
l 200 horse power, with an economy
that enables s to 10 cubic feet of
natural gas to develop horse power
for an hour, a saving of from 40 to
so per cent over high-duty steam en-
gines.
1t is estimated that fully 100000
domestic fires are supplied by natural
gas, and that 100000 people are
furnished with this ideal fuel and
light.
Companies or individuals to the
number of 1,545 report the use of
natural gas in manufacturing estab-
lishments of various kinds, number
ing in all 5,742, including 1O2 iron
and steel works and PIG glass works