The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-23
Its Failure Causes Much Com
ment to Gas Users.
Greatest Well in Kansas Now Is
Dry."
HAVE LITTLE FEAR.
Officers of Kansas Natural Gas
Company Not Alarmed.
Does Not Presage Failure Of the
Supply.

The reports recently published of the
failure Of the famous burning gas well
at Caney. Montgomery county. Kan,
have aroused considerable needless
anxiety in the minds of the people in
this section of the state who are de-
pending upon natural gas from the
southern fields for fuel.
The Caney gasser was a seven days
wonder a little over a year ago. 1t
was one of the strongest wells ever
drilled in the Kansas field up to that
time The gas pressure was SO strong
that it blew the casing out Of the WELL
and all the usual efforts to cap it were
u1availing. The workmen left 1t that
night and went to get stronger ap-
paratus with which to cap it. During
the night a thunder storm came up and
q bolt of lightning set fire to the HoW-
ing gas The well burned for seven
weeks before it was eXtinguished and
capped The Kansas Natural Gas COM
pany, the owners of the well, spent $l0,-
900 in their efforts to conquer this anna
teur volcano, to say nothing OF the
thousands Of dollars worth or gas that
was consumed while the well was on
fire.
The dismay of the members Of the
company when they uncapped this big
we'll the other day for the first time
since the fire may be imagined. The
Montgomery county gas inspector. See
ley L. Brown, was with them when they
visited the well. The opinion OF the gas
inspector on the failure of the well may
be of interest to Topeka people at this
time. Inspector Brown, In letter TO
the State Journal. said:
''The trouble with this well IS Simply
that it was allowed to pour forth Its
full volume of gas at the time 1t was
first drilled in. For seven weeks it run
full pressure Then, when 1t was cap
ped UP tight and no gas allowed to run
at all. the pressure played out entirely.
1 cannot tell the exact reason Tor TINS.
Natural gas is the most mysterious ana
subtle of all elements. 1 only know
that the life of well Is very short
where it's full flow is taken. The neigh
boring wells quickly draw away most
of the gas and all of the pressure from
the well whose 1orce has been wasted.
''The failure of the Caney big well
need alarm no one. Last fall I tested
all of the 266 wells in this county and
found that nearly all Of them had re-
tanned their pressure and volume about
the same as when I tested them over
year ago. And many of these wells had
been hooked on to the Kansas Natural
pipe line, too. In no case, however, had
more than so per cent of their hoW
been taken.
'Water is the worst enemy of a gas
we'll. 1t does the well more harm even
we'll that played out, was wet. wet
we'll never lasts long. A dry well will
last for three or four years, even when
hooked on to a pipe line. that is if it
is strong well.
"This county now has billion and a
half cubic feet flow of gas daily. A lit
tie over q year ago it had less than a
billion. Our gas supply is increasing.
1t is no time now to worry about its
failure. Nor for ten years to come.
The failure Of the Caney well was only
an unfortunate incident"