The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-05-11
ENOIJCH GAS TO
HEAT LARGE CITY
Flow Of Rattlesnake Well is Suf-
ficient to Supply Fuel to the
City of Spokane

or even the interested listener to APP
preciate the significance of the well
in the Rattlesnake district which has
been flowing natural gas for more
than three years. The man who has
never visited the well mentally pic
lures a water well into which, some
how and from somewhere, natural gas
has come in sufficient quantities to
nroduce a flash when lighted at the
top of the casing.
Even the inexperienced visitor to the
well fails to realize that the well as
it stands today is producing enough
fuel to supply the needs OF kennewick
and some so other towns OF like popu-
lation or that it is sending forth
enough energy to pump irrigation wa
ter to 1000 acres Of desert land, or
that its daily flow is greater than
MANY wells that have been CONNER
cially harnessed in many of the natu-
raj gas sections of the United States.
Competent engineers who have
measured the flow of the well and
analysed the gas have computed some
rather astonishing figures as to its
possibilities. Herbert c. Harris, who
rencently came from California and
organized the Walla Walla Gas, Oil &
Pipe Line company, says that the
present flow of the well is great
enough to supply fuel to the city OF
Spokane with several thousand cubic
feet to spare. Likewise it would fur
nish fuel for all the towns between
Ellensburg and Walla Walla with a
surplus.
At the request 'of H. j. Snively, OF
North Yakima, E. H. Talcott, Pc
troleum engineer of 315 Hoge Bldg,
Seattle, recently made careful study
of the well and the surrounding coun-
try. In his report he says:
"Last summer visited this gas well
and examined the locality and studied
the topography Of the surrounding
country and the well defined anticline
Of the Rattlesnake range. After OBJ
serving the physical properties of the
gas at the we'll, was much impressed
with the commercial value Of the gas.
and I obtained a large quantity which
I took back with me for further ex-
animation and analysis.
"The peculiar composition and
other characteristics Of this gas led
me to investigate the geological his
tory and formation Of that region.
This has been a very tedious under
taking, owing to the little reliable da-
ia available, however, enough has
been learned to justify the belief that
either natural gas or petroleum, OF
perhaps both, will be found in COM
mercial quantities in the well defined
anticlines of the Columbia plain.
"From some determinations made
at the gas well while there last sum-
mer l calculated that the volume Of
the flow was at the rate of about
300, 900 to $4,000 cubic feet per "a
hours. The flow and pressure Of the
gas from the well is evidently very
constant and this would clearly indi-
cate that this well is receiving its sup
ply from distant reservoir which has
and immense volume and probably
very high pressure, and everything in
dicates that the present well has not
second slightly more.
Mr.. Talcott has evolved several
plans for making some profitable use
Of the gas. He has figured that if
the present supply were piped to the
Yakima river and used for pumping
purposes it would furnish sufficient
power to irrigate 1000 acres of land
below the 7OO-foot elevation. Another
plan is to convert the gas into cleo
trical energy and transmit it to the
pumping site. He estimates the first
plan would cost about 5000, 900 and the
seiond slightly more.
OF the proposition of piping the gas
into the Yakima Valley towns for dis
tribution and sale for fuel and light,
Mr.. Talcott says: 81 believe this to
be the most profitable way Of utilizing
this gas. Natural gas as fuel has
few equals, and if sold at an average
price of-say IS to 80 cents per thou
sand cubic feet, it would prove exceed
ingly attractive as an economical fuel,
especially for cooking purposes, and
is very desirable on account OF the
cleanliness, fexibility and convent
ence. The very high efficiency Of nat
ural gas fuel makes it much cheaper
than any other fuel available. Elec-
tricity would have to be sold at three
tenths Of cent per kilowatt hour ia
compete with natural gas as a fuel
~