The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-08-15
TWO DEEPEST WELLS IN WORLD
ARE FOUND IN WEST VIRGINIA
DR. I. G. WHITE, STATE BIOLOGIST
FINDS BED OF OCEAN WATER
AND UNKNOWN FOSSILS.
TERRIFIC HEAT DISCOVERED AT
DEPTHS NEAR 5000 FEET IN
OIL FIELDS.
WEST VIRGINIA MAY BE PRETTY
CLOSE TO HADES, SCIENTISTS
STUDY NEW DISCOVERIES.

West Virginia boasts the two deepest
oil and gas hearing wells in the world.
Tho Lake well. eight miles southeast OF
Fairmont Is 1879 feet deep; the Goft
we'll eight miles northeast Of Clarks-
burg is 1856 feet deep. The two other
deep wells OF the world are the well at
Czuchow. Germany. 7.34S feet deep and
the Gcary we'll at Mcdonald, Pa. 7,24S
feet.
Few people arc aware Of the broaden
cd scope of the oil and gas industry in
West Virginia \ pamphlet issued yes
to-day by the United States Geological
Service. gives to DR.. I. G. White. West
Eirgnias state geologist the credit Tor
attempting to find oil and gas bearing
strata far below those now being eX-
hausted The report says that DR..
White is directing a search for the rich
Clinton sand of. Ohio, which DR.. White
says should be found in this region at
depths between 1000 and 5000 feet.
Should his hopes be borne out by rich
discoveries West Virginians will rcvolu-
tonic the oil and gas industry Of tho
world and set At rest forever fears that
the states oil and gas supply is to DC
exhausted with no new sources OF oil
and gas.
The Lake we'll was drilled on the J. II.
Lake property near Fairmont, by the
Hope Natural Gas company. 1t is 20
miles from the NJ. O. Golf well drilled
by the Same company and &C miles from
| tho r. A. Gcary well. TIL" mouth of the
Lake well is 1900 feet abov" sea level.
The mouth Of tho Golf we'll is l.l6i feet
above sea level.
sThc federal geological bureau says:
Deep Drilling Is Obstructive.
mi 1rsI1
holes carried to great depths is OF eX-
ccptional economic and scientific i'm
portancc Although the wells drilled
have not yet reached the goal sought--a
depth Of 5000 fcrt-thcy have. never
thclcsS, come within 40, feet of the
goal, and incidentally th"y have cs,ah-
! lished the fact that no valuable deposits
of oil exist in the Immediate vicinity of
| the wells at depths somewhat greater
! than 1000 feet.
what's In The Interior Of The Earth1
The materials and the conditions in
the interior of the earth hav" long boon
4 favorite subject Of speculation among
! scientific mon.
The temperature evidently increases
| with the depth. Il fact again confirmed
| by an elaborate series OF observations
| Of temperature made in each Of the
three deep wells. the Gcary. the GOff
and the Lake, by {. F. Van Ostrang. Of
! the United States Geological Survey.
! Department Of the Interior. In each Of
| these wells the temperature at the depth
| of 100 feet is about So + and gradually
rises with increase in depth. reaching
| 142.0' + in the Ci"ary we'll at n depth OF
G.l00 feet. 1923 T. in the Goff we'll at
depth Of 1910 feet and 1862 J.. in the
| Lake we'll at depth Of 800 fcct. Tho
| observation at depth Of 300 feet in
the Lake we'll was made at the deepest
point yet reached by any observer.
Unexplained Enormous Heat.
The source Of the nCOrmOuS quantity
of heat stored in tn" interior OF the
earth is not known. Some writer's think
this heat is due TO tn" disint"Eration of
radium in the rocks. others think that
! the earth is a cooling globe. radiating
heat developed during condensation
| from the original nchula. and others
| think that it is due TO various causes.
such rs radiuactivity. chemical rcac-
! tons. impacts from met"oritcs, or con-
dcnsation from n"hulous material.
Find Another Ocean.
The strata of lime. slate and sand pen
ctratcd by these deep wells were orig
| inally sediments deposited from ocean
iwatcr. \ bed Of ocean water was ac-
tually found in the Gcary we'll at Il
depth Of 600 feet. DR.. ]. c. White.
state GCuloEist OF West Virginia. with
whom the United States geological sur
vcy is cooperating in these invcst!ga
| tiOns. is Of the opinion that this water
| is q fossil ocean. imprisoned since mid
| palcazoic time. Intcr"atinc evidence in
regard 10 IN" pCul"Gic history OF tn"
| formations was obtained by Charles
Butts. of the United states geological
! survey who Identified 4 number OF foS.
sis from depths OF I'M to 1855 f""t
! IN the Goff we'll. Tho material frotf
, the Lake well has not yet been fu'Iy
CXamincd 1t may b" possible by cN-
aiming tn" fossils tn determine the
geologic ages and horizons Of the beds
penetrated and 50 to estimate the dep h
az which the Clinton sand should We
beneath tho bottom of this well. Tho
we'll probably does not pass through
more than unc-half the total thickness
IL n this region.