The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-15
ANOTHER GAS WELL
SUNK At FAYETTE
Ponderous Drill Blown 375
Feet in Air
GAS PRESSURE rs STRONG
william 5. Allen Tells of Discovery of
Gas at Fayette-Bankers May
Be Carried to the Scene
Next Friday
GAS PRESSURE rs STRONG
BY WALTER HARPER

iioie lndH ouOV pounds was blown from
the well and SO feet into the air. The
shed over the drill machinery at the
well was demolished and the noise of the
explosion and the roar of the escaping
gas could be heard for miles
The pressure of gas is said to be, if
anything, little stronger than in well
No. 8, which has pressure of $50 pounds
to the square inch.
The bringing in of gas we'll No. makes
three wells that have capacities each OF
all the way from 100000 to 100000 feet
OF gas per day
Well No. is being sunk as rapidly
as possible and it is believed that this
Will produce OIL perhaps a gusher. The
well is now down 1860 feet. Oil is ex-
pected at about 100 feet
1t was suggested yesterday that the
programme for the entertainment of Ala
bama bankers who will meet in Birming-
ham, May 20 be changed and trip to
the gas field be substituted for the auto
excursion about Birmingham and the re-
ception for Friday night
The matter was suggested to the ar
Ae''S SiiSitS toilinltlce ytSttIudy dlltl-
noon and seemed to meet with the favor
of the individual members. A meeting of
the committee will probably be held to-
morrow and it is believed that the pro-
gramme will be so changed as to include
the trip to Fayette.
When the matter was mentioned to Dr.
G. B. Grove, president of the Providence
Oil Go
with the suggestion and said that the
officers of the company would gladly do
everything in their power to make the
occasion one of pleasure and interest to
the visiting bankers.
DR.. Grove promises a good dinner for
the visitors, and those who partook of the
barbecue on a former occasion when
number of business men of Birmingham
visited the wells will guarantee this part
of the programme.
AS to the history of the discovery of
gas at Fayette, William S. Allen, we'll
known mining and civil engineer of Bir-
mingham said yesterday:
History of Discovery
For about two years prior to 1908 I
made study of the geological condi-
lions of the state and on numerous &C.
casions expressed the utmost confidence
that both oil and natural gas would be
found by sinking wells at certain points
where well defined anticlina1s existed. An
anticlinal has the appearance on the sur
face of the ground of ridge which has
| been thrust upward, causing its strata to
break or fold, the rock dipping on either
side as from the apex of the roof Of a
house.
THE Importance OF an anticlinal In
looking, or rather prospecting. for oil and
gas, may be gathered from the following
extract copied from the report of the
United States geological survey of the
Santa Maria oil district of California:
I'm the prosecution of this work was
aided by a suggestion from Mr.. William
A. Earsenian of Allegheny, Pa, an oil
operator of many years experience, who
had noticed that the principal gas wells
then known in western Pennsylvania
were situated close to where anti-clinal
axes were drawn on the geological maps
From this he inferred there must be some
connection between the gas wells and the
arti-clines. After visiting all the great
gas wells that had been struck in western
Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and
carefully examining the geological sur
roundings of each, l found that every one
of them was situated directly on or near
the crown of an anti-cfinal axis, while
wells that had been bored In the syncline
on either side furnished little or no gas,
but In many cases large quantities of
salt water. These facts seemed to con-
meet gas territory Enthusiastically with the
disturbance in the rocks caused by their
upheaval into arches, but the crucial test
was yet to be made In the actual loca-
ton of good gas territory on this theory.
During the last two years 1 have SUBJ
nitted 1t to all manner of tests. both In
locating and condemning gas territory,
and the general result has been to con-
firm the anticlinal theory beyond rea-
sonable doubt
Origin of the OIL and Gas
From Bulletin United States Geological
survey No. 1874, the following is taken:
THE shales of the coal measures are
very bituminous and give evidence Of
the presence of organic mater in great
abundance at the time Of their deposition
The burying of this material and its sub
sequent decomposition under cover of the
everything sediments and the continental
seas Is regarded as having given rise to
the oil and gas. The reservoirs in which
these products we're received were the
sandstones and more porous beds. Where
these formations outcrop at the surface
they not infrequently give off an odor
which suggests OIL and gas springs and
seeps, we'll as maltha, were noted by
the earlier explorers. and were considered
Indications of valuable deposits of petro-
leum. These occurrences represent sur
face leakages. The valuable supply con-
sists Of such bodies as exist in the perma-
nent reservoirs which are deeply buried
by superintendent beds
1.-THE above Is one of the theories
among many and In connection with
which 1t may be said that the coal
measure rocks of Alabama are similar
In character to those found in other
states where oil and gas are produced.
Company Organised r
I'm the fall of 1908 w. o N.
OF Washington, D. c., being on
to Birmingham, his kinsman. Joseph\
Lee. induced him to have a talk W
myself who. up to that time, had I'd
unable to interest anyone with capit
and confidence sufficient to assume tn
risk of exploitation. After an interview
o. an hour or less, Mr., Scott was 80 i'm
pressed with the merit Of the UNDER
taking as to give his financial assistance
in the organization of the Providence Oil
and Gas company, of which Mr.. Scott
became president. l was vice president
and general manager. then proceeded
to obtain mineral deeds in selected ter
ritory. and among others from Samuel
Friedman of Tuscaloosa and DR.. G. b.
Grove of Birmingham. both Of these gen. |
tie men inserted in the conveyances pro-
vision to the effect that should oil or
gas not be discovered within three years |
the property should revert to them. They |
evidently felt that there was too much |