El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-08-25
Wasted In Gas
Total Worth of Natural Gas Per-
mitted to Escape Last Year in
United States, $4,000, 900.
IL 4 rcderjc y. Haskin--
n AsHINGTON. D. G., Aug. 25

~
many people, is the most per
feet fuel and one that must re re-
lied upon to supply much of the arti-
fetal heat of the future. Yet the
wanton waste of this substance, which
has been going on unchecked for years
amounts to, millions of dollars an
! nually- The matter has lately claimed
/ the attention of the United States
I Bureau of Mines An investigation in
/ to the subject resulted in the discovery
that natural gas in enormous quaint
! ties is being allowed TO escape I'M
! checked into the air whenever petro-
/ leum is being taken from the wells.
| The greatest waste is in Oklahoma,
Louisiana and California, where the
OIL industry has been most recently
begun.
Million Cubic Feet Wasted Daily.
/ In Oklahoma at present a million
cubic feet of natural gas is escaping
| every day This has daily value OF
| $4,000 or Sl,5OO,00O in a single year.
| In fuel value, this waste is equivalent
TO 1,25O,OO0 tons of the best blum
nous coal The waste in Louisiana
/ seems even more deplOrable because
! that state has no coal resources within
its own boundaries. While the natural
! gas, which might furnish heat in
/ thousands of homes, is being wasted in
J the air, the citizens of Louisiana are
| paying for coal which has to be trans
] ported for some distance. The waste
I in California is unfortunate because
/ the gas of that locality is rich in gas
/ Oline which is now the most desirable
! Of the petroleum products and one for
! which the demand is exceeding the
supply.
Waste Amounts to Vast sum.
The waste in LOuisia-n last year was
/ equivalent to a less of nearly $500
600 and in California it amounted to
( $4,000, 00O
Similar wastes in other states make
U 800 an 0ou
which was lost to the nation last year
in natural gas.
The bureau of mines, in it's effort to
check this enormous waste, has al
l ready accomplished one Of the most
| notable demonstrations OF the cOnser-
I Walton of natural resources ever given
TO the world. BY the application Of
methods devised, a checking of at
least SIS, 100000 of this waste viii be
secured during the present year.
Il Found With Petroleum.
Natural gas exists wherever petrO-
leum is found. In their efforts to Sc
cure the oil quickly, the operators
nave been boring through the gas
veins which lie over the oil deposits
and, without closing the openings thus
made, have permitted the gas to es-
cape into the air The. production Of oil
In Oklahoma during the last few years
has been unparalleled and has brought
about perfect frenzy Of Speculation.
Each operator has been obessed with
IDLY that his competitor. Under the
old methods OF oil drilling, additional
outlay was required to conserve the
gas and this the operators were not
willing TO make.
Small Demand in Oklahoma
At present there is little local de-
mand for natural gas in the state OF
oklahoma If piped into the towns IL
VIII bring about five cents a foot: but
the supply IS so largely in excess OF
the demand that the expense of pip
ing Is not regarded as a good invest
ment, and until recently no attention
has been paid to its conservation for
the future. The bureau of mines met
with such opposition from the oil Op-
orators, who declare that no one
wanted the gas While the demand for
OIL IS pressing and at first there was
difficulty in securing wells in which
the bureau could demonstrate its i'm
proved methods
Movement for Conservation.
Largely through the influence OF
the bureau of mines a strong move
ment tending toward the conservation
Of natural gas is developing through
out the country. This includes pre-
ventive measures in the opening Of
new wells and remedial measures in
closing up wells already in operation
from which the gas is escaping. It !
also provides for greater care in /
transportation, including Wen con- /
structed pipes which prevent leakage. |
wild wells from which gas is es- |
Gaping In large quantities can not be /
controlled or checked One Of the /
largest Of these was in the Caddo oil 4
Ilelds OF Louisiana 1t was closed /
under the direction of the bureau OF !
mines by drilling another well about /
19O Feet from the crater of the wild" /
Wen and water containing a large !
amount OF muddy silt was pumped in. /
The sediment soon closed up the pores
IN the sand Surrounding the wild 4
Wen, thus shutting off the gas.
In many OF the states laws already
have been passed requiring the closing
up or Gaping Of every gas well not |
IN use. In Pennsylvania, Ohio In
diana, and California efficient laws
reguIatlng this matter are in operation.
of natural resources is now recon-
mending a law in Louisiana providing |
mat when the owners of natural gas !
wells tan to close them, they shall be
compelled TO bear the expense. In Eng I
land and France gas wells drilled I
through a coal mine are required by
law 10 be capped with cement
Fire Great Source of Loss.
one OF the great sources of loss in
natural gas Is from fire, which in
many instances could be prevented y
gas well is usually set on fire by the
careless use of matches, by unpro-
tected Ilres under boilers and sOme-
times from the friction of pebbles
striking against each other as they
are being expelled with great force
IN some oil fields great fires consum-
ing Doth oil and gas have been started ]
by lightning. The gas is usually set
On lire before the oil. A few years (
ago. the quenching of a burning oil
Dr gas well was regarded as almost I
impossible, but now it can be accom-
pushed with proper care and equip I
nent In the Glenn pool in Oklahoma (
r 10000, O00-fOot Well caught fire and /
was put out after several weeks by a !
battery of steam boilers which suffo-
,ated the flames with steam. An enor-
nous burning Well near Caney, Kansas, |
was eXunguished by the ingenious de-
wee of j. c. Mcdowell. 1t consisted |
u gigantic hood made of boiler plate. ! s
WIS was raised and drnnned int the | :