Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-04-30
GAS EXCITEMENT
At BRIGHAM CITY.
Citizens Of Box Elder County
Town Treated to a Pyrotech.
mic Display Last Night
KNUOSON DRILLED FOR WATER
But at Depth Of 40 Feet Struck a Ter.
rife FlOw-Salt Lake Parties
Interested.

Brigham City Is experiencing a gen.
uine natural gas excitement and It's
citizens were treated to pyrotechnlc
display last night. The first news of
the striking of great flow of natural
gas was received in this city last even
ing by {. w Knudson, Of the firm of
knudson Brothers OF Brigham City,
VINO had been attending case IN the
Federal court another mission being
to meet with the directors of the Nor.
way Nickel company last evening
Mr.. knudson Informed the News"
this morning that the find was made on
a piece of land on the bottoms about
half a mile west OF Brigham city, at a
depth of 30 feet, This occurred late
Thursday afternoon. Yesterday j. c.
knudson ignited the gas by throwing
a match and the flames shot into the
air for more than 100 feet.
I'VE did not expect to find a gas
well, said Mr.. Knudson this morning.
What We wanted was water on last
Wednesday well drilling outfit was
set up at the point designated and
was there at the time The next after
noon ! came TO Salt Lake and there
were no signs Of gas, but the men rum
ming the drill were at work. / could
see them from the car window. Only a
two-nch pipe was put down and when
the pocket was struck gas came out
with such fury that the easing
was drawn leaving hole in the ground
several inches In diameter.
THE well was still on fire this morn
Ing and the problem Of putting 1t out is
now confronting us. The escaping gas
Is attended by a terrific roar ana when
1t was gnited the report was so loud
that II was heard In Brigham City,
Mr.. Knudson says himself and broth.
er are the owners of about IL 900 acres
Of land below Brigham City. About
one half of It has been leased to w.
ii, Irvine and associates Of this city
who have organized the Brigham City
Gas and oil company, and are now ne.
gotiating with eastern parties to put an
oil well drilling outfit on the grounds
This Is not the first time that ma.
tural gas has been found near our
town" continued Mr.. KnudSon, but
It has never occurred IN such force as
1t has in this instance.
About 20 years ago when the old salt
works AT Brigham city were working,
when the lake was so very high, the
people who owned the plant bored for
fresh water, They struck flow of gas
similar to this. Ii came out with great
force, The ground was torn up CON
siderably. but It afterwards caved In,
but some gas is still escaping from the
ground AZ this point.
I'm several places on our farm the
water Is coated with a film of oil
which oozes up out of the ground That
shows there must be bed Of oil under
us up there, Some time ago eastern
parties wrote us about our land, evil
iently being Of the same opinion as we
are, that oil Is TO be found In that val
ley, They wanted to bore for oil.
did not pay much attention 10 the mat
ter, as my brother always attends to
such matters"
The events Of yesterday az Brigham
will undoubtedly revive activity In that
section and may result In the early
sinking Of several wells I'm that vlcln-
ity Mr., Knudson will return home
this afternoon and may conclude with
his brother TO do some prospecting for
oil ON their own account