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Drilling for oil and natural gas in the vicinity of Philadelphia
67wmical Section.
• $o
[ j. F. I.,
m a n u f a c t u r i n g gold leaf, silver leaf and other metallic leaf,,' t h e above-named method of electrical deposition. As suitable mediums to support his films, he mentions copper in thin sheets, and paper, shellac, wax, etc., made conductive upon the surface which is to receive the deposit. For removing the deposited film from copper and paper, Mr. Outerbridge describes the use of a bath of dilute nitric acid, or of perchloride of iron. In the case of the shellac, wax, etc., alcohol, benzine and other solvents are referred to. While they detract neither from the interest nor genuineness of Mr. Swan's work, these circumstances are recalled in justice to Mr. Outerbridge, to-whom priority undoubtedly is due. W. DRILLING
FOR VICINITY
AND
OIL OF
NATURAL
PHILADELPHIA.
GAS
IN
THE
*
BY OSCAR (2. S. CARTIER, Professor of Geology and Mineralogy, Central High School, Philadelphia.
There have been several attempts made recently to drill for oil and natural gas near Philadelphia, notwithstanding warnings of failure from scientific experts. T h e r e seems to b e a kind of fascination and an air of m y s t e r y in searching for gold, silver, oil or natural gas, which, apart from their value, lead men to spend m u c h m o n e y and time in prospecting localities, which have never yielded a n y t h i n g in the past, and, from a geological standpoint, will never yield a n y t h i n g valuable in the future. T r u e it is, beyond all doubt, that oil has been found i n the older as well as the newer rocks, and nearly every geological horizon from the silurian up to and including the tertiary has yielded oil. It is not, however, evenly distributed through all formations. T h e silurian, devonian and tertiary rocks have yielded most of the oil of the world. It was formerly t h o u g h t that t h e devonian rocks were the oldest that would yield oil, but w h e n gas was discovered in the Findlay field and oil in t h e * Read before the Chemical Section, June 191 I894.
Sept., x894.]
Chemical Section.
23 x
L i m a b e l t in Ohio, in 1886, it b r o u g h t t h e limit of t h e oil.beari n g rocks d o w n into t h e lower silurian formation. T h e oil of the L i m a belt w a s f o u n d in t h e T r e n t o n limestone, n o t v e r y far d i s t a n t in a geological sense from the arch~ean granite. T h i s w a s a g r e a t surprise to m a n y w h o did not expect oil w o u l d b e f o u n d in such a low horizon near the b e d rock of the continent. T h e T r e n t o n l i m e s t o n e of Ohio is n o w reg a r d e d as one of t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t sources of oil and n a t u r a l ~as in the world. In Indiana, in July, I886, the c o m b i n e d flow of all the wells from a c t u a l t e s t i n g and estim a t e s w a s f o u n d to b e 5oo,ooo,ooo cubic feet of gas per day. M a n y of t h e gas wells h a v e a v e r a g e d i,ooo,ooo cubic feet per day. T h e K a r g well is t h e l a r g e s t of t h e Findlay district, and it is e s t i m a t e d t h a t 1,5oo,ooo,ooo c u b i c feet of gas from this well e s c a p e d utilization and were entirely wasted. In m a n y small towns, over 7oo,ooo cubic feet p e r d a y were w a s t e d in w o r k i n g up b o o m s and f u r t h e r i n g real e s t a t e schemes. L a w s h a v e b e e n f r a m e d for e v e r y conceivable purpose, and t h e r i g h t s of m a n are zealously guarded, b u t n o t h i n g h a s b e e n done to p r e v e n t the criminal w a s t e of N a t u r e ' s richest gifts, which, in a few years, will exist only in history. T h e oil of t h e T r e n t o n field is e q u a l l y a b u n d a n t ; m a n y of the wells h a v e y i e l d e d i,ooo barrels p e r day, a n d t h e p r o d u c t of the L i m a b e l t for I888 was 9,682,683 barrels of oil. T h e L i m a oil is b l a c k and h e a v y and contains sulp h u r c o m p o u n d s w h i c h h a v e a d i s a g r e e a b l e odor and are r e m o v e d with difficulty in t h e refining process. P a r t i c u l a r m e n t i o n has been m a d e of this T r e n t o n limestone, b e c a u s e we h a v e the silurian limestone, of which the T r e n t o n is a part, w i t h i n a few miles of Philadelphia. T h e Schuylkill or Chester V a l l e y is an i m m e n s e t r o u g h o f jointed, fissured and s t e e p l y dipping limestone. If oil or g a s ever e x i s t e d t h e r e it escaped ages ago. T h e limestone of Ohio, on t h e contrary, is as level as a floor, t h e slope b e i n g b u t t w o or t h r e e feet to t h e mile. It m u s t also be rememb e r e d that oil at L i m a is f o u n d at a d e p t h of 1,3oofeet. It takes sixty days to drill a well, while t h e silurian l i m e s t o n e near P h i l a d e l p h i a is f o u n d on the surface o u t c r o p p i n g along t h e Schuylkill at angles of from 45 ° to 6o ° for a distance of
~32
Ckemical Section.
[J. F. I.,
f o u r miles below N o r r i s t o w m Ever since T r e n t o n oil has b e e n found the sound of the drill has been heard in every State from New England to the Rocky Mountains, searching for this new oil and gas rock of O h i o . It is easily reached in m a n y States, but does not contain oil, because the conditions a r e not the same. T h e Trenton limestone is only productive in the part which is a dolomite or mug= nesian limestone; the non-magnesian limestone has not yielded oil. Besides being horizontal and porous, it must be favorably situated to the surrounding s t r a t a for the accumulation of oil. One of the most interesting experimental wells for natural g a s or oil was drilled at Fitzwatertown, twelve miles from Philadelphia. T h e r e were stories told in the past by the farmers of the vicinity of a slight scum of oil appearing on the water in the spring-houses, and t h a t bubbles of gas would come up through the water of the creeks, so that some were not surprised when ,operations were begun. Fitzwatertown is a country village on the Limestone Pike; the nearest railroad station is Edge Hill, on the Bethlehem branch of the R e a d i n g Railroad. T h e drilling was commenced by a stock company, and hundreds of acres were leased. T h e sinking of the well began on an eight-acre farm owned by Elijah Lukens. Tke Pkiladelphia Inquirer, of February i5, i89 o, says: " T h e drillers worked day and night from that time onward ; mariy precautions to keep the work secret were inaugurated. T h e rig was boarded in, and a rudely painted sign, nailed on the outside ' announced that without a permit from the president, admission could not be obtained. T h e story the gossips talked about was this : T h r e e weeks ago the driller, James H. Moore, and foreman Sclocomb noticed a regular puff, puff, whenever the drill was lifted, experience in the Bradford County fields led t h e m t o believe that natural gas had been struck, though at a depth of but 4oo feet they regarded this as improbable. A sort of cap or reservoir arrangement, constructed of tin and topped with a key and burner, was placed over the hole t o allow an accumulation of gas. In half an h o u r the key was turned and a match applied to the burner; a steady
Sept., 1894.]
Chemical Sectwn.
233
mellow flame resulted w h e n the key was half t u r n e d on. At full head the pressure was so g r e a t t h a t the flame was extinguished. T h e company, though j u b i l a n t at the success already attained m a d e another test with a larger reservoir, and the result more than satisfied their expectations." I visited this well May 24, x89o. T h r e e men were at work with a regular oil well derrick and apparatus and a small engine of fifteen-horse power. In drilling, t h e y reached water or quicksand at a depth of ten feet; then limestone was reached. T h e strata here are nearly vertical, and m u c h trouble was experienced as pieces broke off and fell down the well. T h e r e was m u c h difficulty in keeping the drill hole straight. I t is m u c h easier to c~rill horizontal s,trata. T h e drill p a s s e d t h r o u g h 33o f e e t of silurian limestone before the so-called Potsdam sandstone was struck; the well was then probably about 46o feet deep. A n examination of the drillings showed me t h a t the drill was then passing t h r o u g h the so-called Potsdam sandstone, which has never yielded oil or gas in any locality; about 13o feet of Potsdam had been drilled. T h e well was cased with iron p i p e to a depth of 33o feet or through t h e limestone. It is a wet well ; the water rises t o within ten feet of the surfade. T h e sand pump was put down that afternoon, and the well cleaned and a new drill put on, b u t not the slightest odor or indication of gas could be observed at the m o u t h of the well. T h e most interesting feature about the place was a pond of clear and sparkling water about twelve feet distant from the derrick; the sand or quicksand in the bottom was in continual motion. One of the workmen procured a pole, and on pushing it down t h r o u g h the sand bubbles of gas came up by the hundred. T h e r e was a small gaso'meter of ten gallons capacity floating in the pond, it was furnished with a stop.cock. On turning this I noticed an odor of gas, and on lighting it found it burned with an almost invisible flame. You could scarcely, in fact, see it in daylight, but on approaching a splinter of wood to it the wood at once took fire. It m a y have been marsh gas. No analysis was evermade. T h e r e seemed to be no decomposing vegetable m a t t e r in.
234
Chemical Section.
[J. v. I.,
the pond. T h e drillers were very sick of their work. A f t e r they h a d drilled 55o feet t h e y left, but the c o n t r a c t stipulated that they were to drill 72o feet before stopping. If they stopped before that depth was reached, then the company was to have the use of his plant one day for each foot that r e m a i n e d to be drilled. The plant was finally sold at sheriff's sale, although the company was entitled to the use of it for 17o days. Nothing f u r t h e r was done, and the well was abandoned. Not long after the failure of the well at Fitzwatertown, a deep well was drilled for oil and gas in Bucks County, not far from Philadelphia, in the new red sandstone of triassic age. This well was over I,ooo feet deep, and passed t h r o u g h beds of sandstone, red shale and slates. A bed of black slate, containing coaly matter, was encountered. This is the same bed of slate that was met with in drilling all the artesian wells at Lansdale, Montg o m e r y County, Pa., in the new red sandstone (see Franklin Institute Journal, September, I893). T h e same bed of coaly slate was passed t h r o u g h in drilling the Duffield well several miles distant, on the Stony Creek Railroad (see Proceedings American Philosophical Society, Vol. X X I X , May 25, I89I). A n o t h e r experimental well for oil and gas was drilled at Valley Forge, in the Potsdam sandstone, with the usual result. Not long afterward, there was reported a find of crude petroleum near Doylestown, Bucks County. It was announced that what seemed t o be a rich etude oil was oozing out of the ground on the small farm of William Eisenhart. While Mr. Eisenhart was working in his cornfield, he came upon a pool of w a t e r covered with a heavy scum of oily substance. He found that a stream of oily fluid was oozing out of the ground and covering c o n s i d e r a b l e space, finally finding its way to Cook's Run, a small stream r u n n i n g near by. Several citizens from Doylestown visited the place of the supposed rich discovery, a n d were outspoken in their belief that oil exists in paying quantities at no great distance.below the surface. Mr. Eisenhart sent m e a sample of this w a t e r for analysis. Qualitative tests showed much • iron and organic matter, and a black substance held in suspension, but not the slightest trace of oil was present.
Sept., 1894. ]
Chemical Sectwn.
2 3 5"
State Geologist L e s l e y tersely discusses the question where oil and gas will not be found in Pennsylvania, in the following words : " F i r s t of a11, theke can be no gas stored up i n the oldest r o c k s . T h i s at once settles the question in the n e g a t i v e for the whole s o u t h e a s t e r n third of the State. T o bore for gas in Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, York or A d a m s Counties would be simply absurd. Secondly, there can be no gas left underg r o u n d where the old rocks have been t u r n e d u p o n edge and overturned, fractured and re-cemented, faulted and dist u r b e d in a t h o u s a n d ways. If there ever was any, it has long since found i n n u m e r a b l e ways of escape into the atmosphere. T h i s settles the q u e s t i o n in the negative for all the counties of the great v a l l e y - - N o r t h a m p t o n , Lehigh, Berks, Lebanon, Dauphin, Cumberland and Franklin, as any one can see by looking at the present condition of their limestone, slate and sandstone formations. Thirdly, there is not the least chance that any gas is left u n d e r g r o u n d in the greatly folded, faulted, crushed and h a r d e n e d formations of the middle belt of the State---Carbon, Schuylkill, Lehigh, Luzerne, Columbia, Montour, N o r t h u m b e r l a n d , Union, Snyder, Lycoming, Perry, Juniata, Mififlin, Centre, Clinton, H u n t i n g d o n , Blair, Bedford and F u l t o n Counties. W h e r e the oil and gas rocks rise to the surface in these counties, as they do in a t h o u s a n d places, they show that all their oil and gas has escaped long ago. Fourthly, w h e r e t h e rock formations lie p r e t t y flat and have remained nearly undisturbed over extensive areas, as in W a y n e and S u s q u e h a n n a , parts of Pike and Lackawanna, W y o m i n g , Bradford, Tioga, P o t t e r and all the counties w e s t of the A l l e g h e n y Mount a i n s - t h e r e is always a chance of finding gas (if not oil) at some d e p t h b e n e a t h the surface, d e t e r m i n e d by the particular formation which appears at the surface ; but, as yet, we have no satisfactory evidence of the existence of quantifies of rock gas in any of these counties east of Potter. Fifthly, wherever the b i t u m i n o u s coal beds have been c h a n g e d into anthracite or semi-bituminous coal, it is reasonable to suppose that the same agency which produced the change, w h a t e v e r it was, m u s t have acted upon the
• 236
C/wmical Section.
[J. F. I.,
whole c o l u m n of formations, i n c l u d i n g a n y possible gas rock at a n y depth. Sixthly, w h e r e v e r rock-oil has been found, there, a n d in t h e s ~ r r o u n d i n g region, rock-gas is sure to exist. In t h e deep Erie well, the T r e n t o n was reached. In t h e C a n a d a well on t h e south shore of L a k e Ontario , t h e T r e n t o n w a s pierced. Several wells in N e w Y o r k S t a t e p e n e t r a t e d it. In no case has t h e r e b e e n any profitable r e t u r n of e i t h e r oil or gas. A n d if this h a p p e n s u n d e r t h e exceptionally good conditions in central and w e s t e r h N e w York, w h e r e the f o r m a t i o n is v e r y fossiliferous, lies n e a r l y flat and can b e easily reached, w h a t c h a n c e is t h e r e of success for those who bore in the Uplifted and dislocated and poorly fossiliferous gtrata of P e n n s y l v a n i a ? Where the T r e n t o n is b r o u g h t to t h e surface; it shows plainly t h a t w h a t e v e r p e t r o l e u m or rock-gas was once distilled from its fossil corals and shells has, ages ago, escaped from it."
ON THE I N T E R A C T I O N OF B O R A X , C A R B O N A T E S AND P O L Y H Y D R I C A L C O H O L S ; A L S O ON THE C O M P O S I T I O N OF B O R A X . * BY LY~AN F. KEIII,I~R.
It was t h e p r o f u n d observation of Lord Bacon t h a t " I n all g e n e r a t i o n s a n d t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s of bodies, we should inq u i r e w h a t is added, w h a t r e m a i n s and w h a t is lost; w h a t is u n i t e d and w h a t is separated." T h i s is t h e true c h a r a c t e r of i n d u c t i v e philosophy, careful observation and rigid analysis. T h e s e s e n t i m e n t s are applicable to these questions as well as to the m a n y difficult problems c o n s t a n t l y i n v i t i n g our sober thoughts. F r o m s t a t e m e n t s m a d e in c e r t a i n t lines of l i t e r a t u r e we are led to infer t h a t on m i x i n g borax, sodium bicarbonate and glycerol, a certain chemical reaction e n s u e s in w h i c h t h e r e * R e a d at the meeting of the Chemical Section held June I9, 1894. t National Dispensatory, 5th ed,~ p. 1455.
• $o
[ j. F. I.,
m a n u f a c t u r i n g gold leaf, silver leaf and other metallic leaf,,' t h e above-named method of electrical deposition. As suitable mediums to support his films, he mentions copper in thin sheets, and paper, shellac, wax, etc., made conductive upon the surface which is to receive the deposit. For removing the deposited film from copper and paper, Mr. Outerbridge describes the use of a bath of dilute nitric acid, or of perchloride of iron. In the case of the shellac, wax, etc., alcohol, benzine and other solvents are referred to. While they detract neither from the interest nor genuineness of Mr. Swan's work, these circumstances are recalled in justice to Mr. Outerbridge, to-whom priority undoubtedly is due. W. DRILLING
FOR VICINITY
AND
OIL OF
NATURAL
PHILADELPHIA.
GAS
IN
THE
*
BY OSCAR (2. S. CARTIER, Professor of Geology and Mineralogy, Central High School, Philadelphia.
There have been several attempts made recently to drill for oil and natural gas near Philadelphia, notwithstanding warnings of failure from scientific experts. T h e r e seems to b e a kind of fascination and an air of m y s t e r y in searching for gold, silver, oil or natural gas, which, apart from their value, lead men to spend m u c h m o n e y and time in prospecting localities, which have never yielded a n y t h i n g in the past, and, from a geological standpoint, will never yield a n y t h i n g valuable in the future. T r u e it is, beyond all doubt, that oil has been found i n the older as well as the newer rocks, and nearly every geological horizon from the silurian up to and including the tertiary has yielded oil. It is not, however, evenly distributed through all formations. T h e silurian, devonian and tertiary rocks have yielded most of the oil of the world. It was formerly t h o u g h t that t h e devonian rocks were the oldest that would yield oil, but w h e n gas was discovered in the Findlay field and oil in t h e * Read before the Chemical Section, June 191 I894.
Sept., x894.]
Chemical Section.
23 x
L i m a b e l t in Ohio, in 1886, it b r o u g h t t h e limit of t h e oil.beari n g rocks d o w n into t h e lower silurian formation. T h e oil of the L i m a belt w a s f o u n d in t h e T r e n t o n limestone, n o t v e r y far d i s t a n t in a geological sense from the arch~ean granite. T h i s w a s a g r e a t surprise to m a n y w h o did not expect oil w o u l d b e f o u n d in such a low horizon near the b e d rock of the continent. T h e T r e n t o n l i m e s t o n e of Ohio is n o w reg a r d e d as one of t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t sources of oil and n a t u r a l ~as in the world. In Indiana, in July, I886, the c o m b i n e d flow of all the wells from a c t u a l t e s t i n g and estim a t e s w a s f o u n d to b e 5oo,ooo,ooo cubic feet of gas per day. M a n y of t h e gas wells h a v e a v e r a g e d i,ooo,ooo cubic feet per day. T h e K a r g well is t h e l a r g e s t of t h e Findlay district, and it is e s t i m a t e d t h a t 1,5oo,ooo,ooo c u b i c feet of gas from this well e s c a p e d utilization and were entirely wasted. In m a n y small towns, over 7oo,ooo cubic feet p e r d a y were w a s t e d in w o r k i n g up b o o m s and f u r t h e r i n g real e s t a t e schemes. L a w s h a v e b e e n f r a m e d for e v e r y conceivable purpose, and t h e r i g h t s of m a n are zealously guarded, b u t n o t h i n g h a s b e e n done to p r e v e n t the criminal w a s t e of N a t u r e ' s richest gifts, which, in a few years, will exist only in history. T h e oil of t h e T r e n t o n field is e q u a l l y a b u n d a n t ; m a n y of the wells h a v e y i e l d e d i,ooo barrels p e r day, a n d t h e p r o d u c t of the L i m a b e l t for I888 was 9,682,683 barrels of oil. T h e L i m a oil is b l a c k and h e a v y and contains sulp h u r c o m p o u n d s w h i c h h a v e a d i s a g r e e a b l e odor and are r e m o v e d with difficulty in t h e refining process. P a r t i c u l a r m e n t i o n has been m a d e of this T r e n t o n limestone, b e c a u s e we h a v e the silurian limestone, of which the T r e n t o n is a part, w i t h i n a few miles of Philadelphia. T h e Schuylkill or Chester V a l l e y is an i m m e n s e t r o u g h o f jointed, fissured and s t e e p l y dipping limestone. If oil or g a s ever e x i s t e d t h e r e it escaped ages ago. T h e limestone of Ohio, on t h e contrary, is as level as a floor, t h e slope b e i n g b u t t w o or t h r e e feet to t h e mile. It m u s t also be rememb e r e d that oil at L i m a is f o u n d at a d e p t h of 1,3oofeet. It takes sixty days to drill a well, while t h e silurian l i m e s t o n e near P h i l a d e l p h i a is f o u n d on the surface o u t c r o p p i n g along t h e Schuylkill at angles of from 45 ° to 6o ° for a distance of
~32
Ckemical Section.
[J. F. I.,
f o u r miles below N o r r i s t o w m Ever since T r e n t o n oil has b e e n found the sound of the drill has been heard in every State from New England to the Rocky Mountains, searching for this new oil and gas rock of O h i o . It is easily reached in m a n y States, but does not contain oil, because the conditions a r e not the same. T h e Trenton limestone is only productive in the part which is a dolomite or mug= nesian limestone; the non-magnesian limestone has not yielded oil. Besides being horizontal and porous, it must be favorably situated to the surrounding s t r a t a for the accumulation of oil. One of the most interesting experimental wells for natural g a s or oil was drilled at Fitzwatertown, twelve miles from Philadelphia. T h e r e were stories told in the past by the farmers of the vicinity of a slight scum of oil appearing on the water in the spring-houses, and t h a t bubbles of gas would come up through the water of the creeks, so that some were not surprised when ,operations were begun. Fitzwatertown is a country village on the Limestone Pike; the nearest railroad station is Edge Hill, on the Bethlehem branch of the R e a d i n g Railroad. T h e drilling was commenced by a stock company, and hundreds of acres were leased. T h e sinking of the well began on an eight-acre farm owned by Elijah Lukens. Tke Pkiladelphia Inquirer, of February i5, i89 o, says: " T h e drillers worked day and night from that time onward ; mariy precautions to keep the work secret were inaugurated. T h e rig was boarded in, and a rudely painted sign, nailed on the outside ' announced that without a permit from the president, admission could not be obtained. T h e story the gossips talked about was this : T h r e e weeks ago the driller, James H. Moore, and foreman Sclocomb noticed a regular puff, puff, whenever the drill was lifted, experience in the Bradford County fields led t h e m t o believe that natural gas had been struck, though at a depth of but 4oo feet they regarded this as improbable. A sort of cap or reservoir arrangement, constructed of tin and topped with a key and burner, was placed over the hole t o allow an accumulation of gas. In half an h o u r the key was turned and a match applied to the burner; a steady
Sept., 1894.]
Chemical Sectwn.
233
mellow flame resulted w h e n the key was half t u r n e d on. At full head the pressure was so g r e a t t h a t the flame was extinguished. T h e company, though j u b i l a n t at the success already attained m a d e another test with a larger reservoir, and the result more than satisfied their expectations." I visited this well May 24, x89o. T h r e e men were at work with a regular oil well derrick and apparatus and a small engine of fifteen-horse power. In drilling, t h e y reached water or quicksand at a depth of ten feet; then limestone was reached. T h e strata here are nearly vertical, and m u c h trouble was experienced as pieces broke off and fell down the well. T h e r e was m u c h difficulty in keeping the drill hole straight. I t is m u c h easier to c~rill horizontal s,trata. T h e drill p a s s e d t h r o u g h 33o f e e t of silurian limestone before the so-called Potsdam sandstone was struck; the well was then probably about 46o feet deep. A n examination of the drillings showed me t h a t the drill was then passing t h r o u g h the so-called Potsdam sandstone, which has never yielded oil or gas in any locality; about 13o feet of Potsdam had been drilled. T h e well was cased with iron p i p e to a depth of 33o feet or through t h e limestone. It is a wet well ; the water rises t o within ten feet of the surfade. T h e sand pump was put down that afternoon, and the well cleaned and a new drill put on, b u t not the slightest odor or indication of gas could be observed at the m o u t h of the well. T h e most interesting feature about the place was a pond of clear and sparkling water about twelve feet distant from the derrick; the sand or quicksand in the bottom was in continual motion. One of the workmen procured a pole, and on pushing it down t h r o u g h the sand bubbles of gas came up by the hundred. T h e r e was a small gaso'meter of ten gallons capacity floating in the pond, it was furnished with a stop.cock. On turning this I noticed an odor of gas, and on lighting it found it burned with an almost invisible flame. You could scarcely, in fact, see it in daylight, but on approaching a splinter of wood to it the wood at once took fire. It m a y have been marsh gas. No analysis was evermade. T h e r e seemed to be no decomposing vegetable m a t t e r in.
234
Chemical Section.
[J. v. I.,
the pond. T h e drillers were very sick of their work. A f t e r they h a d drilled 55o feet t h e y left, but the c o n t r a c t stipulated that they were to drill 72o feet before stopping. If they stopped before that depth was reached, then the company was to have the use of his plant one day for each foot that r e m a i n e d to be drilled. The plant was finally sold at sheriff's sale, although the company was entitled to the use of it for 17o days. Nothing f u r t h e r was done, and the well was abandoned. Not long after the failure of the well at Fitzwatertown, a deep well was drilled for oil and gas in Bucks County, not far from Philadelphia, in the new red sandstone of triassic age. This well was over I,ooo feet deep, and passed t h r o u g h beds of sandstone, red shale and slates. A bed of black slate, containing coaly matter, was encountered. This is the same bed of slate that was met with in drilling all the artesian wells at Lansdale, Montg o m e r y County, Pa., in the new red sandstone (see Franklin Institute Journal, September, I893). T h e same bed of coaly slate was passed t h r o u g h in drilling the Duffield well several miles distant, on the Stony Creek Railroad (see Proceedings American Philosophical Society, Vol. X X I X , May 25, I89I). A n o t h e r experimental well for oil and gas was drilled at Valley Forge, in the Potsdam sandstone, with the usual result. Not long afterward, there was reported a find of crude petroleum near Doylestown, Bucks County. It was announced that what seemed t o be a rich etude oil was oozing out of the ground on the small farm of William Eisenhart. While Mr. Eisenhart was working in his cornfield, he came upon a pool of w a t e r covered with a heavy scum of oily substance. He found that a stream of oily fluid was oozing out of the ground and covering c o n s i d e r a b l e space, finally finding its way to Cook's Run, a small stream r u n n i n g near by. Several citizens from Doylestown visited the place of the supposed rich discovery, a n d were outspoken in their belief that oil exists in paying quantities at no great distance.below the surface. Mr. Eisenhart sent m e a sample of this w a t e r for analysis. Qualitative tests showed much • iron and organic matter, and a black substance held in suspension, but not the slightest trace of oil was present.
Sept., 1894. ]
Chemical Sectwn.
2 3 5"
State Geologist L e s l e y tersely discusses the question where oil and gas will not be found in Pennsylvania, in the following words : " F i r s t of a11, theke can be no gas stored up i n the oldest r o c k s . T h i s at once settles the question in the n e g a t i v e for the whole s o u t h e a s t e r n third of the State. T o bore for gas in Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, York or A d a m s Counties would be simply absurd. Secondly, there can be no gas left underg r o u n d where the old rocks have been t u r n e d u p o n edge and overturned, fractured and re-cemented, faulted and dist u r b e d in a t h o u s a n d ways. If there ever was any, it has long since found i n n u m e r a b l e ways of escape into the atmosphere. T h i s settles the q u e s t i o n in the negative for all the counties of the great v a l l e y - - N o r t h a m p t o n , Lehigh, Berks, Lebanon, Dauphin, Cumberland and Franklin, as any one can see by looking at the present condition of their limestone, slate and sandstone formations. Thirdly, there is not the least chance that any gas is left u n d e r g r o u n d in the greatly folded, faulted, crushed and h a r d e n e d formations of the middle belt of the State---Carbon, Schuylkill, Lehigh, Luzerne, Columbia, Montour, N o r t h u m b e r l a n d , Union, Snyder, Lycoming, Perry, Juniata, Mififlin, Centre, Clinton, H u n t i n g d o n , Blair, Bedford and F u l t o n Counties. W h e r e the oil and gas rocks rise to the surface in these counties, as they do in a t h o u s a n d places, they show that all their oil and gas has escaped long ago. Fourthly, w h e r e t h e rock formations lie p r e t t y flat and have remained nearly undisturbed over extensive areas, as in W a y n e and S u s q u e h a n n a , parts of Pike and Lackawanna, W y o m i n g , Bradford, Tioga, P o t t e r and all the counties w e s t of the A l l e g h e n y Mount a i n s - t h e r e is always a chance of finding gas (if not oil) at some d e p t h b e n e a t h the surface, d e t e r m i n e d by the particular formation which appears at the surface ; but, as yet, we have no satisfactory evidence of the existence of quantifies of rock gas in any of these counties east of Potter. Fifthly, wherever the b i t u m i n o u s coal beds have been c h a n g e d into anthracite or semi-bituminous coal, it is reasonable to suppose that the same agency which produced the change, w h a t e v e r it was, m u s t have acted upon the
• 236
C/wmical Section.
[J. F. I.,
whole c o l u m n of formations, i n c l u d i n g a n y possible gas rock at a n y depth. Sixthly, w h e r e v e r rock-oil has been found, there, a n d in t h e s ~ r r o u n d i n g region, rock-gas is sure to exist. In t h e deep Erie well, the T r e n t o n was reached. In t h e C a n a d a well on t h e south shore of L a k e Ontario , t h e T r e n t o n w a s pierced. Several wells in N e w Y o r k S t a t e p e n e t r a t e d it. In no case has t h e r e b e e n any profitable r e t u r n of e i t h e r oil or gas. A n d if this h a p p e n s u n d e r t h e exceptionally good conditions in central and w e s t e r h N e w York, w h e r e the f o r m a t i o n is v e r y fossiliferous, lies n e a r l y flat and can b e easily reached, w h a t c h a n c e is t h e r e of success for those who bore in the Uplifted and dislocated and poorly fossiliferous gtrata of P e n n s y l v a n i a ? Where the T r e n t o n is b r o u g h t to t h e surface; it shows plainly t h a t w h a t e v e r p e t r o l e u m or rock-gas was once distilled from its fossil corals and shells has, ages ago, escaped from it."
ON THE I N T E R A C T I O N OF B O R A X , C A R B O N A T E S AND P O L Y H Y D R I C A L C O H O L S ; A L S O ON THE C O M P O S I T I O N OF B O R A X . * BY LY~AN F. KEIII,I~R.
It was t h e p r o f u n d observation of Lord Bacon t h a t " I n all g e n e r a t i o n s a n d t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s of bodies, we should inq u i r e w h a t is added, w h a t r e m a i n s and w h a t is lost; w h a t is u n i t e d and w h a t is separated." T h i s is t h e true c h a r a c t e r of i n d u c t i v e philosophy, careful observation and rigid analysis. T h e s e s e n t i m e n t s are applicable to these questions as well as to the m a n y difficult problems c o n s t a n t l y i n v i t i n g our sober thoughts. F r o m s t a t e m e n t s m a d e in c e r t a i n t lines of l i t e r a t u r e we are led to infer t h a t on m i x i n g borax, sodium bicarbonate and glycerol, a certain chemical reaction e n s u e s in w h i c h t h e r e * R e a d at the meeting of the Chemical Section held June I9, 1894. t National Dispensatory, 5th ed,~ p. 1455.