The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-21
MIXERS ARE AWED
!: !: BY BIG GAS WELLS
tic
ainload Carried Out to Fay
b cite Field Yesterday
Il
| DUR WELLS LIGHTED
Harding, Crawford and others Make
; Speeches Calling Attention TO What
Discovery of Gas Means for
Birmingham District
BY WALTER HARPER

Two hundred and eighty Alabama
bankers and business men of Birmingham
visited the gas fields in Fayette county
yesterday afternoon. The party went over
on a special train of five coaches and
a baggage car over the Southern railroad
leaving Birmingham at $50 and returning
last night at 1880.
The visitors were the guests of DR.. G.
n. Grove, Gen. E. W. Rucker and others
who are interested in the development of
the field. Among the visitors were sew
eral large financiers and bankers of New
t1ork and large western financial centers,
Every member of the party was en-
fthusiastic over the magnificent spectacle
of four wells blazing in the midst of
the Sipsey swamps like small inferno.
Men of experience in the gas fields of
Pennsylvania and the middle west de-
cleared that they had never before wit
messed a stronger pressure of gas or bet
ter Indications of abundant supply
A magnificent barbecue, cooked with
Il at1rral gas, was served on the grounds
ri ID thesouting, which was for the benefit
>bf the delegates to the annual meeting
pronounced a success in every particular
There was not hitch of any kind
In the programme. The special made good
thine and was never delayed, credit being
due to L. Sewer, who was personally in
charge of the train.
Well Blows Open
An-saccident at well No. s while the
l.
tacular feature to the occasion and was
more dangerous than was realized by the
spectators 1t happened that but few peo-
pie were anywhere near the well when
the entire casing, the plug and the other
equipment at the mouth of the well were
blown ont and hurled several feet into
nhe air. The blowout was caused by the
lescapement being cut off too suddenly by
an employe. The we'll had been touched
On fire for the benefit of the visitors. The
well is located across a small stream
and on account of the rains during the
day the approach was muddy and but
few people ventured across. Just as the
visitors started back to the train about
= quarter of a mile away an employee
at the wells went to turn off the gas. He
turned the valve too suddenly and the
heavy pressure blew out the casing and
al1 the harness paraphernalia. Luckily no
one was injured The report of the ex-
plosion was heard for some distance
siu6nrst before the party boarded the train
- the return trip Gen. E. w. Rucker
E,4nted an old buggy standing near
1"A railroad and introduced Robert Jemi-
= Il who read an offered the following
= Solution, which was enthusiastically
i iopted
Resolutions Adopted
s'Whereas, at the annual meeting of the
bankers con~ ention of Alabama, held in
birmingham, an invitation was extended
: Y. the committee on entertainment to
visit in a special train, the wells flowing
natural gas lately discovered in Fayette
county, some so miles from Birmingham,
and.
'.Whereas. while making this investiga-
tion we were more than astonished at the
enormous flow of this natural gas, and
desire to congratulate not only the Biz
Eningham district. but the state at large.
On this wonderful discovery, and,
Whereas in our opinion this discovery
win not only promote the interests of
every industry, but will be the means of
building up the district with new indus
tries of all kinds, thus adding to the
wealth and population of the state there
fore. be 1t
"Resolved. That we extend our thanks
10 the entertainment committee who so
kindly furnished us the opportunity to
heee these gas wells, and we extend our
congratulations to the citizens of Biz
mingham and the Birmingham district
that they have so been favored as 10
make this wonderful discovery, which. in
our opinion, means more for the upbuild-
ing and advancement of the material In
terests, not only of Birmingham and this
district, but of the entire state of Ala
bama, than any other discovery"
Harding Reads Paper
w. p. G. Harding read the folowin,
lpaper, which was received with enthu
|siastic interest:
Goal is the most generally Distribute
lcf all sources of heat and power an,
the prosperity of the nation finds an in
lAex In the price of pig iron.
1.-THE Birmingham district as you al
- know, has attained its present wealth
and Importance from the fact that I
possesses cheap coal, and the raw ma
ferial necessary for producing pig irol
lat low cost The products of the Biz
xningham district have been distributes
all over the world, although we have a
yet done but little along the line of rea
manufacturing, as our chief manufac
tured product. pig iron, is essentially