Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1918-04-04
The Deepesrwell In The World.

llC OSCpCSl NSIl III dlG NOIlN, d.
ready 1868 feet deep, is now being
drilled on the Coff farm, s miles north
east of Clarksburg. in northern West
Virginia. Until January "a the record
for depth had been held by boring at
Czuchow, in Silesia, which had reach
ed depth of 7,34e feet, but on that day
DR.. |. c. White, the State geologist
West Virginia, announced that the
Hope Natural Gas Co., had driven the
Z % a depth of 1880 feet, one good
merioan foot in excess of the Germa-
record. Moreover, the drilling is stil
II process and as sufficient length
"cble and adequate power and tools ar
Q. hand theprospects are good for driy
i7e still farther down into the crust O
TIE earth and winning the pennant by
a considerable margin.
Seven thousand three hundred and
sixty-three feet is very little less than
one and third miles. The depth of
this we'll exceeds the height of Mount
Washington 1928 feet and of Mount
Mitchell (6,7ll feet the highest noun
tain in the eastern United States, and
is greater than the distance to which
many of the Rocky Mountains loom
above the level of the foothills or pla-
teaus on which they stand. 1t is over
half a mile deeper than the Grand Can
yon of the Colorado in Arizona. In
fact, the bottom of the Grand Canyon
at the foot of the Bright Angel Trail,
which is approximately 2,400 feet above
sea level, is about 300 feet higher
above the sea than the surface of the
ground at the Goff we'll. The we'll
goes nearly half mile farther down in
to the earth than the deepest mines in
Michigan, Brazil, or Europe. Several
oil well in California, in the Southwest,
in West Virginia and in Pennsylvania
have exceeded 1000 feet in depth, and
one near Mcdonald, Pa, about IA miles
west of Pittsburgh, reached a depth OF
7,24S feet.
The thickness and character of the
beds of rock passed through in boring
the we'll are being studied under the
direction of the State geologiSt. All
the beds are composed of materials
that were once sediments, and most of
them were settings in sea water which
has at various times covered this part
of West Virginia. Interesting and i'm
portant observations of the tempera-
ture of the rocks at different depths in
the well have been made by the United
States Geological Survey, Department
of the Interior, in cooperation with the
State Geological Survey, with the OBJ
ject of determining the rate at which
the temperature increases downward
in the outer crust of this part of the
earth. C. E. Van Orstrand, of the Sur
vey, found that at a depth of 1000 feet
in the we'll the temperature islS2 de-
grees Fahrenheit and that the rate of
increase at this depth is about ! degree
in 81 feet of depth, This shows that
the outer crust of the earth in this re-
gion is relatively cool, for in many
other regions the temperature increases
much more rapidly with increase in
depth. Even at some places in the
United States, according 10 unconfirm-
ed observations. the temperature in
creases at the rate of degree in ver-
tical distance as little as 25 feet, and
that within a few hundred feet of the
surface. Nevertheless, Mr.. Van Ors-
trand estimates that the temperature
of the rocks beneath the Goff well will
be found at the boiling point (2l2. de-
grees F. at a depth somewhere
around 10000 feet.
The Coff we'll is near the center Of
the great Appalachian coal field basin,
or trough, and is being drilled in search
of deeper oil sands than have yet been
reached in this part Of the basin. The
sand upon which most hope is based is
the "Clinton" sand, formation Of Sill
urian age, which is prolific of gas and
oil across central Ohio from Cleveland
nearly to the Ohio River. From its out
crop this formation dips gently TO the
southeast beneath successively young
er formations nearly il not all the way
to Clarksburg. If the drill can reach
the Clinton sand beneath the Coff farm
which is on an anticline or small up
ward fold in the shallower strata, il
may possibly find gas or oil pent up
under tremendous pressure and ready
TO escape in enormous volume. Hence,
the test not only eXcites the curiosity
of the public and is Of great scientific
interest to geologists, but is also OF
practical value to the oil men, by whom
it is being closely watched. II the
we'll strikes valuable oil or gas pool
in the Clinton sand in this part OF the
basin it may lead TO the development
of new oil or gas reserves, and if sub
sequent tests are successful it may
open a new era in the history OF the
Appalachian oil and gas region. The
possibility Of discovering such oil and
gas deposits, comprising new reserves
hitherto unknown. is the justification
of the great cost and labor OF drilling
the test we'll at Clarksburg, though the
best skill of the Nation may be re-
quired to reduce the cost OF drilling
very deep wells to point at which
such work will be economically prac-
ticable. II this boring ends in disap-
pointment it is probable that similar
wildcat tests will be made in other