The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-07-16
ROMANCE OF MEDICINE HAT
Town in Canadian Northwest That
Was Born Lucky.


The discovery of natural gas in
Medicine Hat, Canada. is an inter
esting story says w. Lacey Amy in
the August Wide World Magazine.
AS far back as 1888 the Canadian Pa
ciic Railway while boring for water
at Caristadt, point about forty
miles west of the city, came across
the first gas, but no practical use
was made of the small supply met
with. other than to light and heat
the section-house in the vicinity.
Early in 1891 Sir William Van Horne,
then president of the railway, lent to
the city OF Medicine Hat a drilling
outfit for the purpose OF ascertaining
whether there was coal within reach.
When the drill had reached six hun
bred and sixty feet gas was struck.
but the moisture in It necessitated
more trouble in the matter of inter
ception tanks than was profitable
In 1905, however, the city determined
to dig deeper in the hope OF securing
a larger, drier flow.
A bylaw was passed TO raise the
! necessary money. Medicine Hat was
| then only a town of a couple of thOus
and people. and the expenditure was
a terrible drain upon its finances.
AS the we'll sank deeper and deeper
! the fund grew smaller and smaller.
The citizens and the members Of the
council gathered by the little pipe
day by day and watched. with eager-
ness and foreboding the drill drop
drop-drop within the pipe. But
nothing came except n few little puffs
of gas that promised nothing. Lower
the drill sank fewer grew the dol
lars. Finally the money was all gone,
and the town was face to face with
bankruptcy or q serious taX!rBte.
| The councillors went home sadly,
amid the mutterings Of the people.
That night a special session OF the
city officials was convened. The
treasurer held up an empty purse and
they knew well that not another cent
could be drawn from the people. Into
| the earth had been sunk thousands Of
dollars that would return nothing and
the citizens threw the blame for the
non-success OF the venture on the Of
fcials. The well.driller begged for
a few more feet The mayor consid-
cred. Then. with the inspiration Of
a prophet. he turned his back on The
legal teclmiCalities and ordered the
wellboring TO proceed. Already Il
was down n thousand feet; II was q
terrible risk to spend more money
and Illegal to boot but he took the
risk.
Next morning the miracle happen
ed. To this day they tell of II, AT
nine o'clock the citizens were electri-
fed at the sight OF the mayor, coat.
less and hatless, rushing from his
harness store up the center of the
road vainly striving to overtake a
workman In better training hundred
yards ahead. The citizens, seeming
something unusual Joined in the
chase. AT the well everything was
going up In the air. AT just one
thousand and ten feet terrific flow
OF dry gas had been struck-a flow
that registered when they got II un
der control q hundred pounds press
ure In eighteen seconds, n hundred
and fifty pounds In forty seconds, two
hundred and fifty pounds In one min
ute and twelve seconds Their eyes
began to bulge as the register ran
up three hundred. four hundred, Ave
hundred and finally stopped at 81,
hundred pounds to the square inch
That mayor is living yet; but he
smiles when you ask him what would
have been his chances OF escape from
the Infatuated citizens with one trair
a day out of Medicine Hat, II the gal
had not come. That is merely one
OF the chances they take In the Can
adlan West