Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-02-12
Frederic Haskin's Letter
TAPPING THE EARTH FOR HEAT.

recent address in London, Sir
Charles Parsons, the well-known
English scientist, advocated the
sinking Of 12-mile- shaft into the
earth's crust to investigate the pos
sibilities OF tapping natures secret
storehouse Of heat. ALREADY
through his efforts bore holes have
been sunk at Lardarello, Italy.
through which large volumes OF
high pressure steam have been OBJ
tanned, the motive power being
used to generate something like
10000 horsepower through the
agency OF the Parsons turbine. A
similar project is on foot at Sol
fatara, near Naples, and both ex-
periments promise to be success
full.
In the Lardarello venture the
steam. at first tapped from under
ground. having temperature OF
nearly 400 degrees Fahrenheit, was
fed directly to, a small engine used
for driving a dynamo in a borax
plant. The alkaline character of
the steam corroded the engines and
machinery, threatened to put an I'M
timely end to the utilization of ma
lures power. However, the diff
Guilty was surmounted finally in a
simple manner. Bore holes were
driven into the rocks to a depth OF
300 to 500 feet, where the steam
reservoirs were tapped. The steam
obtained was then circulated
around boiler tubes containing pure
water, which in its turn was con-
verted into steam and fed directly
to the engine. In both of these ex-
periments, however, volcanic con-
ditions made the matter compare
lively simple, their chief value be-
ing the demonstrations Of the pos
sibilities of natural force.
Parsons in an address delivered
In London advised the sinking Of
a shaft similar to the one recently
suggested, outlining scheme
where the natural forces Of the
earth might be utilized in indus.
TRY. He estimated that a shaft 1:
miles in depth would cost about
SIS, 900. 900, and require about eigh.
lty-five years to bore. The expense
i he pointed out, would be compare.
lively small compared to the cost
to England Of one year of war
while the value of the knowledge
gained would be incalculable.
His contention that a 12-milt
shaft would be entirely practica
has been sustained by Professor
Frank D. Adams Of McGill uni
versity, in Montreal, and variou.
scientists. Professor Adams aftel
exhaustive experiments declares
that a shaft might be sunk to ;
depth of Is miles in limestone, ant
80 miles in granite.
| Investigations as to tempera
ture conditions mile and hal
below the surface of the earth hav'
already been conducted by c. E
Van Orstrand, of the United States
Geological survey. Mr.. Van Or
strand is credited with being on,
,of the leading experts of the worl'
on the measurements Of deep wei
temperatures, and his methods an,
results are regarded by scientist
as most reliable.
| His experiments were conducted
chiefly in the Lake and Golf well
of, West Virginia-the two deepes
wells in the woodland a source o
great pride to American scientists
Until the Golf we'll in Harrison
county, West Virginia, was sunk
Czuchow, in the heart of the ST
Ilesian coal fields, in Germany, en-
Ijoyed the undisputed distinction o
possessing the deepest we'll in tn
world. The German drillers sue
lceeded in reaching a depth of 1874
feet at great expense and afte
many years of work. The expens
and length of the time required t
drill the Czuchow well served a
effectual deterrants to other OF
and coal men from attempting t
break the record for deep wei
drilling, and for many years tn
German record was undisputed.
But petroleum and natural ga
have a compelling lure for the Of
man and scientist, lure that lead
both Of them to delve deeper an
, deeper into the earth's crust wit
visions of untold wealth an
knowledge to lead them on.
For many years DR.. L. C. Whit,
state geologist Of West Virgini;
and his brother scientists, had con
tended that the rich oil-bearin
sands of Ohio, known as the Clin
, ton sands, could be found in Yves
Virginia at a depth Of about eigt
thousand feet.
Encouraged by DR.. White, an
anxious to break the record he'll
so long by the Czuchow we'll \ i
Germany, John G. Pew, presider
, and general manager of the Hop
Natural Gas company, determine
to make an attempt to reach thes
> sands. The result of his ambitio
. was the Golf we'll, located abo,
! eight miles out of Clarksburg, v
Va. This we'll. when operation
, were completed. had reached
: then unheard of depth Of 7,3t
, feet, breaking the Czuchow recor