The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-08-16
DEEPEST WELLS IN WORLD.
In Order to Find oil-Bearing and Gas
Bearing Sands.


During the last few years the Hope
Natural Gas Co. and the Peoples Nat
ural Gas Co., both of Pittsburg Pa,
have been drilling deep wells in north.
ern West Virginia and southwestern
Pennsylvania to find deeper oil-bearing
and gas bearing sands, their object be-
ing to reach, If possible, the horizon of
the rich Clinton sand of Ohio, which, &C.
cording to DIR. I. C. White, the state
geologist of West Virginia, should be
found in this region at depths between
1000 and 5000 feet.
Drilling for Deep Old and Gas.
The first exceptionally deep we'll thus
drilled, the r. A. Gerry well, of the Peo-
pies Natural Gas Co., is about four miles
northwest Of Mcdonald, Pa, and about
20 miles southwest Of Pittsburg. The
mouth of the well is about 1850 feet
above sea level. The we'll penetrates the
Gordon stray sand, the last Of the usual
gas sands in this region, at a depth Of
1871 feet From this point to depth
Of $500 feet the strata penetrated are
alternately slime" and SLATE" and from
600 feet to the bottom, 7,248 feet, they
are sand" and ''lime" interspersed with
about 90 feet of rock salt. The second
deep well was drilled by the Hope Nat
ural Gas Co. on the farm of NJ. o. Golf,
about eight miles northeast of Clarks-
burg, in northern West Virginia. It's
mouth is ,l64 feet above sea level. The
well begins 200 feet below the level Of
the Pittsburg coal and penetrates the
usual oil bearing and gas-bearing sands,
the lowest being the Bayard, which les
at depth of 2,2l0 feet. The strata in
the remainder Of the we'll are alternate
ly "lime" and SLATE" The third deep
well, the J. H. Lake, of the Hope Natural
Gas Co., is about eight miles southeast
of Paramount. W. Va. It il about 20
miles north Of the Golf well and about
go miles south of the Geary wen. The
mouth Of the we'll isfabout 1900 feet
above sea level The Bayard sand, the
lowest Of the gas sands, was found In
this well at depth Of 1850 feet. The
remaining strata are alternately Cline"
SLATE" and sand"
-Four Deepest Wells in the World.
Named In order of depth, the four
deepest wells in the world are the Lake,
1870 feet; the Golf, 1885; a we'll at
Czuchow, Germany, 7,34S feet; and the
Geary, 7,24s. The two deepest wells in
the world are therefore the Lake and the
Golf, the Lake surprising the German
well by the large margin Of 23l feet.
In comparison with these great depths,
other depths reached by wells or mines
sunk in the crust Of the earth are rather
insignificant. The deepest mine in the
world is shaft No. 3, Of the TamaTack
mine, in Houghton county, Michigan,
which has reached depth Of $500 feet
Other shafts Of the Tamarack Co. and
Of the Calumet 4 Heca mine, in the
Lake Superior region, reach depths be-
tween 1000 and 5000 feet Three shafts
in the Prizbram silver mines, in Aus
tria, have reached depths Of about 5000
feet. The Victoria quartz mine, at
Bendigo, Australia, il 1900 feet deep.
A number Of shafts in the Transvaal
gold region Of South Africa have been
sunk to depths of about 1000 feet.
Limits to Depths of Mines and Wells.
The depth to which mining shaft can
be sunk Ia limited by the heat of the
rocks, as the temperature at a depth
of mile in nearly all parts OF the earth
is so high that workmen can not live in
IL. even with ventilation. The depart to
which a well six inches In diameter
can be drilled seems TO depend chiefly
on skill in drilling and strength Of cable.
The cable itself is heavy and besides
carrying its own weight and the weight
of the drill which weighs one or two
tons, III must bear strains produced
BY vertical movements Of the drill, which
may be so great as to break it at any
moment. SO that the drill and part
Of the cable may be lodged in the well
In such way that they can not be re
moved. Exceptional skill is required,
therefore, in operating the ponderous
machinery used in drilling well. The
drill, which is column of steel about
five inches in dimeter and 40 to so feet
long, beveled to q V.shaped edge at the
lower end. is attached to one end Of the
cable, and ut some other point, deter
mined by the driller, the cable is at
tached to long beam, which Is oper
ated in the same manner as the walking
haa M ~ a etaa m hoat