USA > Indiana > Jay County > Biographical and historical record of Jay and Blackford Counties, Indiana : containing portraits and biographies of some of the prominent men of the state : engravings of prominent citizens in Jay and Blackford Counties, with personal histories of many of the leading families and a concise history of Jay and Blackford Counties and their cities and villages. > Part 20
USA > Indiana > Blackford County > Biographical and historical record of Jay and Blackford Counties, Indiana : containing portraits and biographies of some of the prominent men of the state : engravings of prominent citizens in Jay and Blackford Counties, with personal histories of many of the leading families and a concise history of Jay and Blackford Counties and their cities and villages. > Part 20
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couldn't think of the other was always ready to supply. They added a few names to their list every day, they kept on, they persevered, nntil they secured the required amount.
To these two men-hard-working mechan- ics, with small property interests-the people of Portland owe a debt of gratitude for their energy and perseverance they can never re- pay; and doubtless but for their efforts the wealth of natural gas underlying Portland would to-day be undeveloped, and the people burning coal and wood for fuel, as they are compelled to do in less favored places.
Mr. Current was born in Henry County, this State, in 1835, taught school and fol- lowed farming in his earlier life, and served in the war, since which time he has gener- ally worked at the trade of mason. He is now engaged in drilling gas and oil wells.
THE EUREKA GAS AND OIL COMPANY THE FIRST.
A notice was then given through the col- umns of the papers, that the stockholders would meet at the court-house on Thursday evening, March 24, 1886, for the purpose of electing a board of directors. At that meet- ing the following persons were elected direct- ors: H. W. Sees, R. B. Stevenson, W. N. Current, D. E. Faul and M. Gebhart. The directors organized by electing W. N. Cur- rent president, M. Gebhart treasurer, and R. B. Stevenson secretary.
The company contracted with Baxter & Porter, of Lima, Ohio, to drill a well, and located it in Jonas Votaw's addition, on a vacant lot opposite Moffitt & Sees's foundry.
Baxter & Porter shipped a drilling outfit from Lima, put it into working condition, and commenced spudding on the 8th day of April. The formations here were entirely new to the drillers, and they got the drill fast at a depth of about 100 feet, on the 14th. This caused several days' delay; but B. F.
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NATURAL GAS.
Fulton, who can do anything he ever saw done, and many others thrown in, came to the rescue, and with the aid of an improvised sand pump, pumped ont the sand, loosened the drill and enabled the drillers to pull it to the surface once more, on the morning of the 26th.
Ou the morning of the 28th, about 6 o'clock, at a depth of 700 feet, the drillers struck a vein of shale gas. This was the first demonstration that gas existed in Indiana. They lit it and let it burn for two or three hours to gratify the curiosity of the people who had never seen anything of the kind, and then went on drilling as though nothing had happened. In the evening the gas was piped outside of the derrick and lit.
The City Band kindly furnished music, rendering quite a number of their best selec- tions, and it was estimated that between two and three thousand people visited the well during the evening, many coming several miles from the country to see the great " natural curiosity," as it was terined.
Drilling was resumed the next morning, and the indications of a good gas well con- tinued to a depth of about 975 feet, when the drill entered a small vein of oil. On be- ing lighted, the gas produced a flame about ten feet high. The people became excited, gas and oil had been found, aud everybody was on the tip-toe of expectancy. The drill- ers advised the blasting of the well, claiming they were thien in Trenton rock, and that it would be no good to drill deeper. Upon this question there was a division of the people, as well as the directors, as the business was entirely new to all of them; but it was finally decided to resume drilling, and the drillers went to work. After drilling a short distance the shafting became uncoupled, and the drill and fifty feet of the shafting were " lost" in the bottom of the well. This,
together with the action of the drillers, caused some who were naturally suspicious and too busy to "look twice in the hole," to denounce the drillers and charge they were working in the interest of the Findlay and Lima fields, and the Standard Oil Company. But such was not the case, and as soon as they could procure " fishing tools," they brought the drill to the surface. Several gallons of oil were pumped up, a portion of which was refined by Professor Haynes, and found to be of an excellent quality.
Drilling was again resumed and continued to a depth of nearly 1,600 feet. All were now satisfied to stop and let the well be blasted, which was done as near the oil vein as possible witli forty quarts of nitro-glycer- ine, after the well was plugged below. The well was shot ou Saturday evening, May 29th. The blasting increased the flow of gas; but it was only temporary, as the drill liad penetrated salt water, and this rising to within 200 feet of the surface, weakened the flow, so that there was not more than enough gas in it to light one jet. The well was accordingly abandoned.
It is very evident that liad the well been blasted at the oil vein, when the drillers insisted it should, it would have proved a good well; but as it was a test well, its deptlı has been of great value to the drillers of other wells, making them more cautious, and giv- ing them a correct knowledge of the forma- tions in this field, as Professor Haynes kept an accurate record aud analyzed every varia- tion in the stone. Consequently, the people did not feel as thongh their investment was fruitless or that the directors should be cen- sured for auy act in connection with the management.
The cost of drilling thie well was about $2,000.
The above well passes through the follow-
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HISTORY OF JAY COUNTY.
ing strata, counting downward: 1. Drift (clayey and gravelly material), 44 feet; 2. Niagara limestone, 190 feet; 3. Shale (slaty material), about 800 feet; 4. Trenton " rock," more than 500 feet.
" SHOOTING " A WELL.
Blasting a well is often called " shooting." The process consists in lowering to the bot- tom a quantity of nitro-glycerine and explod- ing it, with the view of disintegrating the rock and, by thus increasing the wall surface and creating crevices, correspondingly in- crease the flow of gas.
The phenomena attending such an explo- sion vary with the depth of the well in the rock and the amount of nitro-glycerine used. A sharp crack, like that of a pistol, is all the sound discernible that indicates the explosion. The ground near by does not seem to tremble, but at a distance of several miles it sometimes shows faint signs of agitation. Several sec- onds after the report is heard, water, disin- tegrated rock and bits of the apparatus that had been let down, come gushing up seventy- five to a linndred feet in the air, and continue, with gradually diminishing force, for several seconds. What the exact chemical actions are of this most powerfully explosive sub- stance under so great a pressure as must exist a thousand feet or more within solid rock, constitute a wonderful subject for con- templation and a fruitful source of theory.
While nitro-glycerine is comparatively a cheap composition, the risk in handling it is so great that one must receive a large pecuni- ary reward for taking the responsibility of bringing it to the well and lowering it. That which has been used at Portland was made near Findlay, Ohio, and brought in tin cans, in a carriage or buggy, as the railroads are not allowed to carry it. The operator pours the semi-fluid into long tin cans made for the
purpose of passing down the well, which is but five or six inches in diameter, and lets the can, or cans, thus filled, hermetically sealed and furnished at the upper end with a percussion cap, down the well withi a wire and windlass. All this work must be care- fully done, as a very slight stroke against a hard substance might produce a premature explosion. All being ready, an oblong, pointed piece of iron, cast for the purpose and called the " go-devil," is dropped down, and the point striking the percussion cap causes the explosion. Often the " go-devil" lias to pass down through several hundred feet of water, when it requires several seconds to reach the bottom.
WELL NO. 2.
For a short time after the abandonnent of the first well it looked as though two more companies would be organized; but as the gas in Well No. 1 seemed to be rapidly de- creasing, the excitement wore away. How- ever, H. W. Sees, S. H. Adams and Michael Gebhart, full of faith and confidence, appealed to our citizens for aid in putting down another well, and they again subscribed the required amount. The contract of drilling the well, which was a half mile northeast of No. 1, was given to Jack Robinson, of Lima, an experienced driller. As the drill went down, the indications of a good well were demonstrated, and on Thursday evening, October 21, they "drilled in," that is struck Trenton rock.
The strata passed through by this well are substantially the same as those of No. 1, except that the drift, or earthy material, above the Niagara limestone is about sixteen feet thicker. The drillers met with no mis- haps, and the well was completed in about seventeen days. At a depth of 500 or 600 feet a light vein of shale gas was met with,
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NATURAL GAS.
which soon exhausted itself. When the Trenton rock was reached great anxiety pre- vailed. Many were expecting oil, but in this were disappointed. On piercing that rock the flow of gas rapidly increased, so greatly indeed that it was considered unsafe to keep the lights burning in the derrick. At a deptli of five or six feet in this stratum the drilling was stopped, the gas piped out from the derrick and lighted, and it sent up a flame twelve to fifteen feet higlı. Those who had expected oil were now satisfied with the abundant flow of good gas instead.
But a great divergence of opinion now pre- vailed in regard to the actual quantity of tlie gas, its efficiency as a heating and lighting agent, somne claiming it would not come with pressure enough to force its way into a tank or gasometer, much less supply a pipe line ex- tending to the center of the city, three-fourths of a mile distant.
Then it was that the services of one of Port- land's most thoroughly educated and brainy young men proved of inestimable value to the city. Every one could see there was a large flow of gas; but was it worth piping, with the well forty rods from the corporation, and how many stoves would it heat or jets light? These were important questions, and vital to the success of the enterprise. Only one per- son could give the desired information, and that was Professor Elwood Haynes. During the gas excitement of 1886 he visited Findlay and Lima, taking notes on the subject of gas and oil. He also analyzed tlie drillings from well No. 1, in its several formations, and de- livered a public lecture on the subject of natural gas and oil, which was listened to witlı marked interest by a large audience, many of whom had made the subject of geology a study, and frankly acknowledged the merit and many instructive and interest- ing points it contained. The casing of the
well was capped and the pressure allowed to rise; and from the degree of pressure attained in a given time, the capacity of the well could be proximately estimated, Professor Haynes computed the pressure of well No. 2, its capacity at 100,000 cubic feet per day, estimated the number of stoves it would heat, and then solicited the citizens to organ- ize a company to pipe the city and utilize the gas. The people had confidence in the cor- rectness of his tests and estimates, and a com- pany was soon organized.
THE PORTLAND NATURAL GAS AND OIL
COMPANY.
Notwithstanding the people seemed fully satisfied that Portland was located in a very rich gas field, they were slow to assume the responsibility and risk of putting their money into au organization to more fully develop it, and pipe it to the city, so that it could be utilized. Finally, however, a number of en- ergetic and euterprising citizens concluded to risk their time and money, and give the city the benefit of one of nature's greatest gifts- natural gas. The articles of association of the Eureka Company contained no provision for increasing the capital stock, and as the whole of the capital (and a little more) was exhausted in drilling the well, the company was powerless and unable to develop the well for any practical purpose. A new company was therefore organized, with a capital stock of $20,000, for the purpose of fully developing the gas interests of the city, and placing it within the reach of all who may desire to use it, for heating and illuminating purposes.
The stockholders of the new company in November, 1886, elected the following direc- tors: W. H. Reed, T. S. Johnson, W. M. Haynes, J. G. Crowell and C. C. Cartwright. The directors organized by electing W. H. Reed, President; T. S. Johnson, Vice-Presi-
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HISTORY OF JAY COUNTY.
dent; W. A. Moorman, Secretary; William North, Treasurer, and Elwood Haynes, Superintendent.
This company, after having purchased well No. 2, at $1,500, engaged Isaac Shuler, of Findlay, Ohio, to drill three additional wells. The first of these, now known as No. 3, is located 750 feet northeast of No. 2. The strata passed through in drilling this well are substantially the same as the otlier two wells, except that the Trenton rock was not found so far below the surface, which was reached at a deptli of 983 feet. A strong flow of shale gas was noticed at a depth of 462 feet, and a still stronger flow at 662 feet; but the current from both these veins had almost entirely ceased when the Trenton formation was reached. Immediately after piercing the latter, the gas flow increased greatly, and it soon became evident that tlie well was superior to either of the others, as it was found to yield 500,000 cubic feet per day. After drilling about ten feet further, the test showed no further increase, and when the drill reached a depth of twelve feet in the famous rock, there was indeed a slight diminution in the gas flow, probably due to release of pressure in the vicinity of the well.
Fearing salt-water might soon be reached, the drilling was ordered stopped. A horizon- tal two-inch pipe was connected with the well, to conduct the gas from the derrick for an experiment, the subtle agent lighted, and up went a large flame full thirty feet high! The people were excited, and much was hastily said against the company, prejudging them to be monopolists and accusing them of exorbitancy even before any schedule of prices was suggested!
The quantity of gas, however, was vastly overestimated by many, who declared that there was more than sufficient to light and heat the entire city and supply all the fac-
tories and machine shops. This excitement naturally subsided by degrees, and the people began to take a more business-like view of the matter.
Throughout the ensuing winter, even amid the coldest weather, the company vigorously pushed the work of laying the mains, on Main and Meridian streets, and by spring more than a hundred persons were using the gas. Soon additional mains were laid, and by the middle of April five miles of main pipe, three to six inches in diameter, had been laid. Residences and offices were rapidly supplied, and at the time mentioned more than 400 stoves and 500 jets were sup- plied, besides fifty large "torches " (street lamps) for lighting the streets. For this supply, wells Nos. 2 and 3 were piped to- gether.
Soon after No. 3 was finished, in February, 1887, the same company commenced to drill again abont a quarter of a inile further east, and in a short time found the Trenton rock, 989 feet below the surface of the ground. Two veins of shale gas were met with, each at nearly the same depth as those of No. 3, and much stronger than in any of the other wells; and from this it was supposed that the flow of Trenton gas, when reached, would be correspondingly stronger; but this proved a mistake, as by the time the Trenton rock was reached the shale gas had almost entirely disappeared, and no perceptible increase was noticed eveu after the drill had penetrated the Trenton to a depth of fifty-five feet. The well, numbered 4, was then plugged just below the limestone and abandoned as a " dry well," that is, as a failure.
Well No. 5, drilled by this company, is located about a quarter of a mile west of No. 3, or near the northern extremity of Meridian street. The work was commenced in March, 1887, and completed April 11. The strata
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NATURAL GAS.
met with were about the same as in the other wells, but not a trace of shale gas was found. A small flow of carbon, or illuminating, gas was noticed when the Niagara limestone was entered, which doubtless came from No. 3. On entering the Trenton stratum a slight flow of gas came forth, though not in suffi- cient quantity to justify piping it into town. Drilling down a hundred feet into it, the well was "shot " (blasted) with 100 quarts of nitro-glycerine, which increased the flow to a rate of 50,000 cubic feet per day.
About this time a curious phenomenon was presented in the vicinity. A few rods distant, gas burst through at the bottom of a water well with such violence as to make the water appear as if it were boiling. As this began before the shooting of No. 5, it is supposed that the gas did not come from that well at all, but from No. 3, about a third of a mile distant, working its way, under im- mense pressure, through a dry gravel or sand bed, or something of the kind. Subsequently the owner of the water well piped the gas into liis honse for heating and illumination, but the well, being now unfit for supplying water, was filled up.
THE CITIZENS' NATURAL GAS AND OIL MINING COMPANY
was organized in February, 1887, with a cap- ital stock of $25,000; N. B. Hawkins, Presi- dent; J. A. Jaqua, Secretary ; Isaac Silvernale, Treasurer. The stock, in $25 shares, was taken by Portland, Fort Wayne and Union City parties. The intention of the company is to pipe the towns and furnish gas as a cheap source of fuel and illumination. Their first well was drilled in February, near the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad track, just south of the city limits, and their second well, on the Denny land, a few rods west of the Normal School, in April. Both of these
were blasted (" shot ") during the latter month, since which time they have proved to be paying wells, yielding 100,000 enbic feet per day. The cost of drilling and blast- ing was about $1,000 each. During the last week of April the company commenced drill- ing upon the Jaqua farm adjoining the south- eastern limits of Portland.
This company has leased 7,000 acres of land lying in the best portion of the gas field near Fort Wayne and Richmond, with the intention of piping gas into those cities. Already (April 25) propositions have been made to them by larger companies for the purchase of their leases.
THE MANUFACTURERS' GAS AND OIL COMPANY
is the third company organized at Portland, for the purpose of furnishing gas free to com- ing manufacturers. It was organized about the middle of April, 1887, by the election of C. E. Rogers, President; S. K. Higgins, Sec- retary, and Charles Walters, Treasurer; the other directors are N. B. Hawkins and E. J. Marsh. Capital stock, $3,000, all of which is virtually a donation, to induce mannfac- turers to locate their works at Portland. The company commenced drilling about the last of April, on the Crowell farm south of town and just west of the Grand Rapids & Indi- ana Railroad track, and soon afterward on the Jaqua farm north of the city.
Other gas enterprises throughont the coun- ty are noticed under the respective heads of villages and townships.
We have thus been particular in giving the details of the development of the gas interest, and in giving honor to whom honor is due, because it was Portland men who first " talked business " and went to work with an object in the whole State of Indiana, and even before many in Ohio or Pennsylvania had entered the field as a business. One
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HISTORY OF JAY COUNTY.
frequently hears of gas being discovered in Indiana before it was discovered in Portland; but in every instance thus referred to, when the bottom truth is ascertained, it will be found that the gas was either shale gas, dis- covered accidentally, not used, or something else, still leaving to Portland the credit of first drilling purposely for gas to be utilized.
GEOLOGY.
The geological formation in Jay and Black- ford counties belongs to the Silurian age, which was so named from the fact that it was first discovered in Wales, a country all- ciently inhabited by a tribe known as the Silures. This formation is composed of ser- eral layers of rock; and the one first met with in this vicinity is known as the Niagara formation, so named because it is conspicu- ously exposed at Niagara Falls. It is a hard, white limestone, containing some magnesia. In some cases this rock is almost as white as marble; and the drillings have led many to suppose that a deposit of marble exists be- neath the soil of Eastern Indiana. Such, however, is not the case; for, while the Niag- ara limestone has substantially the same composition as marble, it has never under- gone the metamorphosis which is necessary to convert limestone into marble. Veins of water are frequently met with in the forma- tion, and sometimes very large cavities are found filled with water, which in some cases have proven to be an inexhaustible supply.
Immediately below the Niagara formation is a soft, gray shale, which extends to a depth of 650 feet. It is very compact, and re- sembles the substance from which ordinary slate pencils are made, being indeed generally termed " slate " by the well drillers.
Next below this shale is a black deposit of similar material, containing a considerable portion of carbon, to which its blackness is
due. The chemical composition of this shale is a donble silicate of aluminum and iron.
Beneatlı the black shale is a layer of very hard limestone, known as the Trenton rock, the chemical composition of which is sub- stantially the same as that of the Niagara, though it contains also a small amount of carbon. In its physical characteristics it differs considerably, being very much harder and more compact than the Niagara lime- stone and of a darker color. * Its upper sur- face is peculiarly hard and dense, and the passage of shale into this rock is marked and unmistakable, while the passage from the Niagara formation into the shale is gradual, it being difficult to determine where the limestone ends and the shale begins. The latter contains more or less calcium carbonate (marble-like material).
It is immediately beneath the hard cap- ping of this Trenton rock that gas is found; and if the interior of the stratum be porous the flow of gas is almost certain to be large.
The Trenton group does not lie level. It is folded in the form of ridges, which the well drillers term " hog-backs." If the well is drilled into the crest of one of these folds, it is almost certain to reach gas, while in the depressions gas is rarely found.
THE GAS AND ITS PROPERTIES.
It is a difficult matter to decide upon the volume of gas yielded by a well, since many times gas is met with in the shale and con- tinues to flow until the Trenton is reached. The quantity of gas flowing from a well varies considerably. If the yield is 100,000 feet or more per day the well is considered a success in most localities, and yields a fair income at $1 per stove for each month.
The quality also varies, and is different from manufactured gas, being usually of a less specific gravity and of feebler lighting
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NATURAL GAS.
power. It is, however, superior as a heating agent, not only to manufactured gas, but also to most other fuel. Chemically consid- ered it is a hydro-carbon, that is, it is com- posed of the two elements carbon and hydrogen combined. Carbon in its pure and solid state is familiar to all in the forms of charcoal, lampblack, etc., while hydrogen is an invisible gas, very light, and often used therefore in filling very large balloons. The gas found in this locality contains also a small trace of sulphuretted hydrogen, which gives it a decided and disagreeable odor. This odor is a valuable property, in one sense, since it affords a ready means of detecting it when it escapes into a room. The quantity of sulphur, however, is so small that the minute amount of sulphur dioxide formed by burning it produces no disagreeable re- sults. The gas found in this vicinity is re- markably well adapted to both heat and light, the carbon and hydrogen being well balanced. It compares very favorably with artificial gas in illuminating power, a five- foot jet yielding eleven-and-a-half-candle power. It excels, however, in heating power. It is utilized in supplying stoves by allow- ing it to pass through a small aperture into a large chamber, so as to mix with air and become diminished in its rapidity of motion, and thus produce a constant flame. If the air and gas thus mixed are so confined as to produce a slow current, the carbon is thor- oughly consumed, and much light is emitted. If, on the other hand, a rapid current is permitted, the carbon is blown off before it is consumed, and much more hydrogen is proportionately burned, and a heat flame is the result-this is of a dark color. Thus, by an apparatus consisting of two supply pipes, one of gas and one of air, and each furnished with stop-cocks, the same burner can be made to yield either the heat flame
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