Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-10
WORLDS DEEPEST
WELL NEAR HERE
One Sunk on Outskirts of Clarks-
burg, w. Va, Has Great
est Depth.
BEAT GERMANY'S RECORD.
Thickness and Character of Beds
of Rock Now Subject of
Examination.

est we'll In the world, which Is al
ready 1853 feet deep. is now being
drilled on tho Gorf farm, eight miles
northeast OF Clarksburg. In Northern
West Virginia. Until January "a tho
record for deuth had been held by a
boring at Czuchow. IN Silesa. which
had reached depth Of 7.S4s feet. but
on that day DR.. L c. White, tho State,
geologist OF West Virginia, announced
that the Hope Natural Gas Company
had driven tho bit to a depth Of 1850
feet. ono good American foot in ex-
cess OF tho German record. Moreover,
the drilling Is still In progress and
as sufficient length of cable and ado
quato power and tools arc at hand tho
farther down into tho crust Of the
Garth and winning the pennant by
considerable margin.
Seven thousand three hundred and
stxty-threo feet is very little loss
than ono and third miles. Tho depth
Of this we'll exceeds tho height OF
Mount Washington (s,2s3 feet) and of
| Mount Mitchell (6,711 feet), the high
est mountain in the Eastern United
States. and is greater than tho dis
| lance to which many OF the Rocky
Mountains loom above the level OF tho
foothtlls or plateaus on which they
stand 1t Is over half milo deeper
than tho Grand Canon at the foot OF
tho Bright Angel Trail, which Is ap-
proximately 2.4oO feet above sea level.
is about 1900 feet higher above the
sea than the surface OF the ground. at
the Con we'll. The we'll goes nearly
half mile farther down into tho
earth than the deepest mines in afIchi-
gan. Brazil Europe. Several oil
wells in California, in the Southwest.
In West Virginia and IN Pennsylvania
have exceeded 400 feet in depth, and
one near Mcdonald, Pa. about four
teen miles west OF Pittsburgh, reached
| depth OF 7.24S feet.
| CHARACTER OF ROCKS
ARE OBJECT or STUDY
Tho thickness and character of tho
beds OF rock passed through in boring
the well arc 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 Interest
ing and Important observations of the
temperature OF the rocks at different
depths in the we'll have been made nv
the United States Geological SURVEY
Department OF the Interior, In co-opera-
ton with the State Geological Survey.
with the object OF determining the rate
at which tho temperature increases
downward in the outer crust of this
part OF the earth. C. T.. Van Orsrand.
OF tho survey. found that at depth
or "ooo feet In the well the tempera-
ture is 15c degrees Fahrenheit and
that the rate OF Increase at this depth
Is about one degree in hfty-one feet
OF depth. This shows that the outer
crust OF the earth In this region is
relatively cool, for In many other re- :
Sions the temperature increases much ]
moro rapidly with increase in depth,
Even at some places in the United
states, according to unconfirmed OBJ
servations the temperature increases
at the rate OF ono degree in a vertical
distance as little as % feet, and that
within few hundred feet OF the sur
face. Nevertheless. Mr.. Van Orstrand
estimates that the temperature OF the i
rocks beneath the Con- well Will be-
found at the boiling point (olc degrees
Fahrenhcip at depth somewhere
around 10000 feet
SEARCHING DEEPER FOR
SANDS CONTAINING OF. :
The Goff well is near the center or
the great Appalachian coal field basin, !,
or trough. and is being drilled in z
search or deeper oil sands than have /.
yet oeen reached in this part Of the s
basin The sand upon which most
hope is based is the Clinton" sand, a :
formation of Silurian age. which Is :
prolific of gas and oil across Central
Ohio. from Cleveland nearly to tho
Ohio River. From its outcrop this :,
formation dips gently to the south :.
east beneath successfully younger for :.
nations nearly il not all tho way to :
Clarksourg. If the drill can reach tho :.
clinton sand beneath the Goff farm, !
which is on an anticline or small nm :.
ward fold in the shallowcr strata. it :
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 curiositv |.
or the public and is of great scientific
interest 10 biologists. but is also Of :
practical value to the oil men by
whom II is being closely watched re ,
the vel! strikes Il valuable oil or gas ,
pool in the Clinton sand in this part OF .
the basin II may lead to the Develop
ment or new oil or gas reserves, and if
subsequent tests arc successful IL NAV J
open new era in the history OF the Is
Appalachian oil ani gas region. Tho o
possibility OF discovering such oil ana =
gas deposits. comprising new reserves :
hitherto unknown, Is the Justification :
or the gcrat cost and labor of drilling Il
the test we'll at Clarksburg, though tho "
best skill OF tho nation may be re. y
CURED to reduce the cost OF drilling O
very deep wells to q point at which n
such work will be economically prac- "
ticable. II this boring ends In disap. o.
pointment II Is probable that similar !,
wildcat tests Will BIO made In other y,
Continued on Fifth Page) /.
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